production process based: Topics by Science.gov

Sample records for production process based

A new window of opportunity to reject process-based biotechnology regulation

PubMed Central

Marchant, Gary E; Stevens, Yvonne A

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT. The question of whether biotechnology regulation should be based on the process or the product has long been debated, with different jurisdictions adopting different approaches. The European Union has adopted a process-based approach, Canada has adopted a product-based approach, and the United States has implemented a hybrid system. With the recent proliferation of new methods of genetic modification, such as gene editing, process-based regulatory systems, which are premised on a binary system of transgenic and conventional approaches, will become increasingly obsolete and unsustainable. To avoid unreasonable, unfair and arbitrary results, nations that have adopted process-based approaches will need to migrate to a product-based approach that considers the novelty and risks of the individual trait, rather than the process by which that trait was produced. This commentary suggests some approaches for the design of such a product-based approach. PMID:26930116
A new window of opportunity to reject process-based biotechnology regulation.

PubMed

Marchant, Gary E; Stevens, Yvonne A

2015-01-01

The question of whether biotechnology regulation should be based on the process or the product has long been debated, with different jurisdictions adopting different approaches. The European Union has adopted a process-based approach, Canada has adopted a product-based approach, and the United States has implemented a hybrid system. With the recent proliferation of new methods of genetic modification, such as gene editing, process-based regulatory systems, which are premised on a binary system of transgenic and conventional approaches, will become increasingly obsolete and unsustainable. To avoid unreasonable, unfair and arbitrary results, nations that have adopted process-based approaches will need to migrate to a product-based approach that considers the novelty and risks of the individual trait, rather than the process by which that trait was produced. This commentary suggests some approaches for the design of such a product-based approach.
Shelf-stable egg-based products processed by high pressure thermal sterilization

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Producing a thermally sterilized egg-based product with increased shelf life without losing the sensory and nutritional properties of the freshly prepared product is challenging. Until recently, all commercial shelf-stable egg-based products were sterilized using conventional thermal processing; how...
Economics of recombinant antibody production processes at various scales: Industry-standard compared to continuous precipitation.

PubMed

Hammerschmidt, Nikolaus; Tscheliessnig, Anne; Sommer, Ralf; Helk, Bernhard; Jungbauer, Alois

2014-06-01

Standard industry processes for recombinant antibody production employ protein A affinity chromatography in combination with other chromatography steps and ultra-/diafiltration. This study compares a generic antibody production process with a recently developed purification process based on a series of selective precipitation steps. The new process makes two of the usual three chromatographic steps obsolete and can be performed in a continuous fashion. Cost of Goods (CoGs) analyses were done for: (i) a generic chromatography-based antibody standard purification; (ii) the continuous precipitation-based purification process coupled to a continuous perfusion production system; and (iii) a hybrid process, coupling the continuous purification process to an upstream batch process. The results of this economic analysis show that the precipitation-based process offers cost reductions at all stages of the life cycle of a therapeutic antibody, (i.e. clinical phase I, II and III, as well as full commercial production). The savings in clinical phase production are largely attributed to the fact that expensive chromatographic resins are omitted. These economic analyses will help to determine the strategies that are best suited for small-scale production in parallel fashion, which is of importance for antibody production in non-privileged countries and for personalized medicine. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Optimization of insect cell based protein production processes - online monitoring, expression systems, scale up.

PubMed

Druzinec, Damir; Salzig, Denise; Brix, Alexander; Kraume, Matthias; Vilcinskas, Andreas; Kollewe, Christian; Czermak, Peter

2013-01-01

Due to the increasing use of insect cell based expression systems in research and industrial recombinant protein production, the development of efficient and reproducible production processes remains a challenging task. In this context, the application of online monitoring techniques is intended to ensure high and reproducible product qualities already during the early phases of process development. In the following chapter, the most common transient and stable insect cell based expression systems are briefly introduced. Novel applications of insect cell based expression systems for the production of insect derived antimicrobial peptides/proteins (AMPs) are discussed using the example of G. mellonella derived gloverin. Suitable in situ sensor techniques for insect cell culture monitoring in disposable and common bioreactor systems are outlined with respect to optical and capacitive sensor concepts. Since scale up of production processes is one of the most critical steps in process development, a conclusive overview is given about scale up aspects for industrial insect cell culture processes.
New Vistas in Chemical Product and Process Design.

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Babi, Deenesh K; Gani, Rafiqul

2016-06-07

Design of chemicals-based products is broadly classified into those that are process centered and those that are product centered. In this article, the designs of both classes of products are reviewed from a process systems point of view; developments related to the design of the chemical product, its corresponding process, and its integration are highlighted. Although significant advances have been made in the development of systematic model-based techniques for process design (also for optimization, operation, and control), much work is needed to reach the same level for product design. Timeline diagrams illustrating key contributions in product design, process design, and integrated product-process design are presented. The search for novel, innovative, and sustainable solutions must be matched by consideration of issues related to the multidisciplinary nature of problems, the lack of data needed for model development, solution strategies that incorporate multiscale options, and reliability versus predictive power. The need for an integrated model-experiment-based design approach is discussed together with benefits of employing a systematic computer-aided framework with built-in design templates.
Study on Energy Productivity Ratio (EPR) at palm kernel oil processing factory: case study on PT-X at Sumatera Utara Plantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haryanto, B.; Bukit, R. Br; Situmeang, E. M.; Christina, E. P.; Pandiangan, F.

2018-02-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the performance, productivity and feasibility of the operation of palm kernel processing plant based on Energy Productivity Ratio (EPR). EPR is expressed as the ratio of output to input energy and by-product. Palm Kernel plan is process in palm kernel to become palm kernel oil. The procedure started from collecting data needed as energy input such as: palm kernel prices, energy demand and depreciation of the factory. The energy output and its by-product comprise the whole production price such as: palm kernel oil price and the remaining products such as shells and pulp price. Calculation the equality of energy of palm kernel oil is to analyze the value of Energy Productivity Ratio (EPR) bases on processing capacity per year. The investigation has been done in Kernel Oil Processing Plant PT-X at Sumatera Utara plantation. The value of EPR was 1.54 (EPR > 1), which indicated that the processing of palm kernel into palm kernel oil is feasible to be operated based on the energy productivity.
[Construction of NIRS-based process analytical system for production of salvianolic acid for injection and relative discussion].

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Yue, Hong-Shui; Ju, Ai-Chun; Ye, Zheng-Liang

2016-10-01

Currently, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been considered as an efficient tool for achieving process analytical technology(PAT) in the manufacture of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) products. In this article, the NIRS based process analytical system for the production of salvianolic acid for injection was introduced. The design of the process analytical system was described in detail, including the selection of monitored processes and testing mode, and potential risks that should be avoided. Moreover, the development of relative technologies was also presented, which contained the establishment of the monitoring methods for the elution of polyamide resin and macroporous resin chromatography processes, as well as the rapid analysis method for finished products. Based on author's experience of research and work, several issues in the application of NIRS to the process monitoring and control in TCM production were then raised, and some potential solutions were also discussed. The issues include building the technical team for process analytical system, the design of the process analytical system in the manufacture of TCM products, standardization of the NIRS-based analytical methods, and improving the management of process analytical system. Finally, the prospect for the application of NIRS in the TCM industry was put forward. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.
Investigation to biodiesel production by the two-step homogeneous base-catalyzed transesterification.

PubMed

Ye, Jianchu; Tu, Song; Sha, Yong

2010-10-01

For the two-step transesterification biodiesel production made from the sunflower oil, based on the kinetics model of the homogeneous base-catalyzed transesterification and the liquid-liquid phase equilibrium of the transesterification product, the total methanol/oil mole ratio, the total reaction time, and the split ratios of methanol and reaction time between the two reactors in the stage of the two-step reaction are determined quantitatively. In consideration of the transesterification intermediate product, both the traditional distillation separation process and the improved separation process of the two-step reaction product are investigated in detail by means of the rigorous process simulation. In comparison with the traditional distillation process, the improved separation process of the two-step reaction product has distinct advantage in the energy duty and equipment requirement due to replacement of the costly methanol-biodiesel distillation column. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Technology for the product and process data base

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, R. D.

1984-01-01

The computerized product and process data base is increasingly recognized to be the cornerstone component of an overall system aimed at the integrated automation of the industrial processes of a given company or enterprise. The technology needed to support these more effective computer integrated design and manufacturing methods, especially the concept of 3-D computer-sensible product definitions rather than engineering drawings, is not fully available and rationalized. Progress is being made, however, in bridging this technology gap with concentration on the modeling of sophisticated information and data structures, high-performance interactive user interfaces and comprehensive tools for managing the resulting computerized product definition and process data base.
Integration options for high energy efficiency and improved economics in a wood-to-ethanol process.

PubMed

Sassner, Per; Zacchi, Guido

2008-04-15

There is currently a steady increase in the use of wood-based fuels for heat and power production in Sweden. A major proportion of these fuels could serve as feedstock for ethanol production. In this study various options for the utilization of the solid residue formed during ethanol production from spruce, such as the production of pellets, electricity and heat for district heating, were compared in terms of overall energy efficiency and production cost. The effects of changes in the process performance, such as variations in the ethanol yield and/or the energy demand, were also studied. The process was based on SO2-catalysed steam pretreatment, which was followed by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. A model including all the major process steps was implemented in the commercial flow-sheeting program Aspen Plus, the model input was based on data recently obtained on lab scale or in a process development unit. For the five base case scenarios presented in the paper the overall energy efficiency ranged from 53 to 92%, based on the lower heating values, and a minimum ethanol selling price from 3.87 to 4.73 Swedish kronor per litre (0.41-0.50 EUR/L); however, ethanol production was performed in essentially the same way in each base case scenario. (Highly realistic) improvements in the ethanol yield and reductions in the energy demand resulted in significantly lower production costs for all scenarios. Although ethanol was shown to be the main product, i.e. yielding the major part of the income, the co-product revenue had a considerable effect on the process economics and the importance of good utilization of the entire feedstock was clearly shown. With the assumed prices of the co-products, utilization of the excess solid residue for heat and power production was highly economically favourable. The study also showed that improvements in the ethanol yield and reductions in the energy demand resulted in significant production cost reductions almost independently of each other.
Scalable graphene production: perspectives and challenges of plasma applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levchenko, Igor; Ostrikov, Kostya (Ken); Zheng, Jie; Li, Xingguo; Keidar, Michael; B. K. Teo, Kenneth

2016-05-01

Graphene, a newly discovered and extensively investigated material, has many unique and extraordinary properties which promise major technological advances in fields ranging from electronics to mechanical engineering and food production. Unfortunately, complex techniques and high production costs hinder commonplace applications. Scaling of existing graphene production techniques to the industrial level without compromising its properties is a current challenge. This article focuses on the perspectives and challenges of scalability, equipment, and technological perspectives of the plasma-based techniques which offer many unique possibilities for the synthesis of graphene and graphene-containing products. The plasma-based processes are amenable for scaling and could also be useful to enhance the controllability of the conventional chemical vapour deposition method and some other techniques, and to ensure a good quality of the produced graphene. We examine the unique features of the plasma-enhanced graphene production approaches, including the techniques based on inductively-coupled and arc discharges, in the context of their potential scaling to mass production following the generic scaling approaches applicable to the existing processes and systems. This work analyses a large amount of the recent literature on graphene production by various techniques and summarizes the results in a tabular form to provide a simple and convenient comparison of several available techniques. Our analysis reveals a significant potential of scalability for plasma-based technologies, based on the scaling-related process characteristics. Among other processes, a greater yield of 1 g × h-1 m-2 was reached for the arc discharge technology, whereas the other plasma-based techniques show process yields comparable to the neutral-gas based methods. Selected plasma-based techniques show lower energy consumption than in thermal CVD processes, and the ability to produce graphene flakes of various sizes reaching hundreds of square millimetres, and the thickness varying from a monolayer to 10-20 layers. Additional factors such as electrical voltage and current, not available in thermal CVD processes could potentially lead to better scalability, flexibility and control of the plasma-based processes. Advantages and disadvantages of various systems are also considered.
Scalable graphene production: perspectives and challenges of plasma applications.

PubMed

Levchenko, Igor; Ostrikov, Kostya Ken; Zheng, Jie; Li, Xingguo; Keidar, Michael; B K Teo, Kenneth

2016-05-19

Graphene, a newly discovered and extensively investigated material, has many unique and extraordinary properties which promise major technological advances in fields ranging from electronics to mechanical engineering and food production. Unfortunately, complex techniques and high production costs hinder commonplace applications. Scaling of existing graphene production techniques to the industrial level without compromising its properties is a current challenge. This article focuses on the perspectives and challenges of scalability, equipment, and technological perspectives of the plasma-based techniques which offer many unique possibilities for the synthesis of graphene and graphene-containing products. The plasma-based processes are amenable for scaling and could also be useful to enhance the controllability of the conventional chemical vapour deposition method and some other techniques, and to ensure a good quality of the produced graphene. We examine the unique features of the plasma-enhanced graphene production approaches, including the techniques based on inductively-coupled and arc discharges, in the context of their potential scaling to mass production following the generic scaling approaches applicable to the existing processes and systems. This work analyses a large amount of the recent literature on graphene production by various techniques and summarizes the results in a tabular form to provide a simple and convenient comparison of several available techniques. Our analysis reveals a significant potential of scalability for plasma-based technologies, based on the scaling-related process characteristics. Among other processes, a greater yield of 1 g × h(-1) m(-2) was reached for the arc discharge technology, whereas the other plasma-based techniques show process yields comparable to the neutral-gas based methods. Selected plasma-based techniques show lower energy consumption than in thermal CVD processes, and the ability to produce graphene flakes of various sizes reaching hundreds of square millimetres, and the thickness varying from a monolayer to 10-20 layers. Additional factors such as electrical voltage and current, not available in thermal CVD processes could potentially lead to better scalability, flexibility and control of the plasma-based processes. Advantages and disadvantages of various systems are also considered.
Certification-Based Process Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knight, Russell L.

2013-01-01

Space mission architects are often challenged with knowing which investment in technology infusion will have the highest return. Certification-based analysis (CBA) gives architects and technologists a means to communicate the risks and advantages of infusing technologies at various points in a process. Various alternatives can be compared, and requirements based on supporting streamlining or automation can be derived and levied on candidate technologies. CBA is a technique for analyzing a process and identifying potential areas of improvement. The process and analysis products are used to communicate between technologists and architects. Process means any of the standard representations of a production flow; in this case, any individual steps leading to products, which feed into other steps, until the final product is produced at the end. This sort of process is common for space mission operations, where a set of goals is reduced eventually to a fully vetted command sequence to be sent to the spacecraft. Fully vetting a product is synonymous with certification. For some types of products, this is referred to as verification and validation, and for others it is referred to as checking. Fundamentally, certification is the step in the process where one insures that a product works as intended, and contains no flaws.
Integrated Biorefineries with Engineered Microbes and High-value Co-products for Profitable Biofuels Production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Corn-based fuel ethanol production processes provide several advantages which could be synergistically applied to overcome limitations of biofuel processes based on lignocellulose. These include resources such as equipment, manpower, nutrients, water, and heat. The fact that several demonstration-...
Guidelines for Risk-Based Changeover of Biopharma Multi-Product Facilities.

PubMed

Lynch, Rob; Barabani, David; Bellorado, Kathy; Canisius, Peter; Heathcote, Doug; Johnson, Alan; Wyman, Ned; Parry, Derek Willison

2018-01-01

In multi-product biopharma facilities, the protection from product contamination due to the manufacture of multiple products simultaneously is paramount to assure product quality. To that end, the use of traditional changeover methods (elastomer change-out, full sampling, etc.) have been widely used within the industry and have been accepted by regulatory agencies. However, with the endorsement of Quality Risk Management (1), the use of risk-based approaches may be applied to assess and continuously improve established changeover processes. All processes, including changeover, can be improved with investment (money/resources), parallel activities, equipment design improvements, and standardization. However, processes can also be improved by eliminating waste. For product changeover, waste is any activity not needed for the new process or that does not provide added assurance of the quality of the subsequent product. The application of a risk-based approach to changeover aligns with the principles of Quality Risk Management. Through the use of risk assessments, the appropriate changeover controls can be identified and controlled to assure product quality is maintained. Likewise, the use of risk assessments and risk-based approaches may be used to improve operational efficiency, reduce waste, and permit concurrent manufacturing of products. © PDA, Inc. 2018.
Bioreactors for high cell density and continuous multi-stage cultivations: options for process intensification in cell culture-based viral vaccine production.

PubMed

Tapia, Felipe; Vázquez-Ramírez, Daniel; Genzel, Yvonne; Reichl, Udo

2016-03-01

With an increasing demand for efficacious, safe, and affordable vaccines for human and animal use, process intensification in cell culture-based viral vaccine production demands advanced process strategies to overcome the limitations of conventional batch cultivations. However, the use of fed-batch, perfusion, or continuous modes to drive processes at high cell density (HCD) and overextended operating times has so far been little explored in large-scale viral vaccine manufacturing. Also, possible reductions in cell-specific virus yields for HCD cultivations have been reported frequently. Taking into account that vaccine production is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the pharmaceutical sector with tough margins to meet, it is understandable that process intensification is being considered by both academia and industry as a next step toward more efficient viral vaccine production processes only recently. Compared to conventional batch processes, fed-batch and perfusion strategies could result in ten to a hundred times higher product yields. Both cultivation strategies can be implemented to achieve cell concentrations exceeding 10(7) cells/mL or even 10(8) cells/mL, while keeping low levels of metabolites that potentially inhibit cell growth and virus replication. The trend towards HCD processes is supported by development of GMP-compliant cultivation platforms, i.e., acoustic settlers, hollow fiber bioreactors, and hollow fiber-based perfusion systems including tangential flow filtration (TFF) or alternating tangential flow (ATF) technologies. In this review, these process modes are discussed in detail and compared with conventional batch processes based on productivity indicators such as space-time yield, cell concentration, and product titers. In addition, options for the production of viral vaccines in continuous multi-stage bioreactors such as two- and three-stage systems are addressed. While such systems have shown similar virus titers compared to batch cultivations, keeping high yields for extended production times is still a challenge. Overall, we demonstrate that process intensification of cell culture-based viral vaccine production can be realized by the consequent application of fed-batch, perfusion, and continuous systems with a significant increase in productivity. The potential for even further improvements is high, considering recent developments in establishment of new (designer) cell lines, better characterization of host cell metabolism, advances in media design, and the use of mathematical models as a tool for process optimization and control.
Study on Capturing Functional Requirements of the New Product Based on Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Fang; Song, Liya; Bai, Zhonghang; Zhang, Peng

In order to exist in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, it is important for corporations to forecast the evolutionary direction of new products rapidly and effectively. Most products in the world are developed based on the design of existing products. In the product design, capturing functional requirements is a key step. Function is continuously evolving, which is driven by the evolution of needs and technologies. So the functional requirements of new product can be forecasted based on the functions of existing product. Eight laws of function evolution are put forward in this paper. The process model of capturing the functional requirements of new product based on function evolution is proposed. An example illustrates the design process.
Quality transitivity and traceability system of herbal medicine products based on quality markers.

PubMed

Liu, Changxiao; Guo, De-An; Liu, Liang

2018-05-15

Due to a variety of factors to affect the herb quality, the existing quality management model is unable to evaluate the process control. The development of the concept of "quality marker" (Q-marker) lays basis for establishing an independent process quality control system for herbal products. To ensure the highest degree of safety, effectiveness and quality process control of herbal products, it is aimed to establish a quality transitivity and traceability system of quality and process control from raw materials to finished herbal products. Based on the key issues and challenges of quality assessment, the current status of quality and process controls from raw materials to herbal medicinal products listed in Pharmacopoeia were analyzed and the research models including discovery and identification of Q-markers, analysis and quality management of risk evaluation were designed. Authors introduced a few new technologies and methodologies, such as DNA barcoding, chromatographic technologies, fingerprint analysis, chemical markers, bio-responses, risk management and solution for quality process control. The quality and process control models for herbal medicinal products were proposed and the transitivity and traceability system from raw materials to the finished products was constructed to improve the herbal quality from the entire supply and production chain. The transitivity and traceability system has been established based on quality markers, especially on how to control the production process under Good Engineering Practices, as well as to implement the risk management for quality and process control in herbal medicine production. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.
Process Analytical Technology (PAT): batch-to-batch reproducibility of fermentation processes by robust process operational design and control.

PubMed

Gnoth, S; Jenzsch, M; Simutis, R; Lübbert, A

2007-10-31

The Process Analytical Technology (PAT) initiative of the FDA is a reaction on the increasing discrepancy between current possibilities in process supervision and control of pharmaceutical production processes and its current application in industrial manufacturing processes. With rigid approval practices based on standard operational procedures, adaptations of production reactors towards the state of the art were more or less inhibited for long years. Now PAT paves the way for continuous process and product improvements through improved process supervision based on knowledge-based data analysis, "Quality-by-Design"-concepts, and, finally, through feedback control. Examples of up-to-date implementations of this concept are presented. They are taken from one key group of processes in recombinant pharmaceutical protein manufacturing, the cultivations of genetically modified Escherichia coli bacteria.

Integration options for high energy efficiency and improved economics in a wood-to-ethanol process

PubMed Central

Sassner, Per; Zacchi, Guido

2008-01-01

Background There is currently a steady increase in the use of wood-based fuels for heat and power production in Sweden. A major proportion of these fuels could serve as feedstock for ethanol production. In this study various options for the utilization of the solid residue formed during ethanol production from spruce, such as the production of pellets, electricity and heat for district heating, were compared in terms of overall energy efficiency and production cost. The effects of changes in the process performance, such as variations in the ethanol yield and/or the energy demand, were also studied. The process was based on SO2-catalysed steam pretreatment, which was followed by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. A model including all the major process steps was implemented in the commercial flow-sheeting program Aspen Plus, the model input was based on data recently obtained on lab scale or in a process development unit. Results For the five base case scenarios presented in the paper the overall energy efficiency ranged from 53 to 92%, based on the lower heating values, and a minimum ethanol selling price from 3.87 to 4.73 Swedish kronor per litre (0.41–0.50 EUR/L); however, ethanol production was performed in essentially the same way in each base case scenario. (Highly realistic) improvements in the ethanol yield and reductions in the energy demand resulted in significantly lower production costs for all scenarios. Conclusion Although ethanol was shown to be the main product, i.e. yielding the major part of the income, the co-product revenue had a considerable effect on the process economics and the importance of good utilization of the entire feedstock was clearly shown. With the assumed prices of the co-products, utilization of the excess solid residue for heat and power production was highly economically favourable. The study also showed that improvements in the ethanol yield and reductions in the energy demand resulted in significant production cost reductions almost independently of each other. PMID:18471311
Bidding-based autonomous process planning and scheduling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Peihua; Balasubramanian, Sivaram; Norrie, Douglas H.

1995-08-01

Improving productivity through computer integrated manufacturing systems (CIMS) and concurrent engineering requires that the islands of automation in an enterprise be completely integrated. The first step in this direction is to integrate design, process planning, and scheduling. This can be achieved through a bidding-based process planning approach. The product is represented in a STEP model with detailed design and administrative information including design specifications, batch size, and due dates. Upon arrival at the manufacturing facility, the product registered in the shop floor manager which is essentially a coordinating agent. The shop floor manager broadcasts the product's requirements to the machines. The shop contains autonomous machines that have knowledge about their functionality, capabilities, tooling, and schedule. Each machine has its own process planner and responds to the product's request in a different way that is consistent with its capabilities and capacities. When more than one machine offers certain process(es) for the same requirements, they enter into negotiation. Based on processing time, due date, and cost, one of the machines wins the contract. The successful machine updates its schedule and advises the product to request raw material for processing. The concept was implemented using a multi-agent system with the task decomposition and planning achieved through contract nets. The examples are included to illustrate the approach.
Improving conversion yield of fermentable sugars into fuel ethanol in 1st generation yeast-based production processes.

PubMed

Gombert, Andreas K; van Maris, Antonius J A

2015-06-01

Current fuel ethanol production using yeasts and starch or sucrose-based feedstocks is referred to as 1st generation (1G) ethanol production. These processes are characterized by the high contribution of sugar prices to the final production costs, by high production volumes, and by low profit margins. In this context, small improvements in the ethanol yield on sugars have a large impact on process economy. Three types of strategies used to achieve this goal are discussed: engineering free-energy conservation, engineering redox-metabolism, and decreasing sugar losses in the process. Whereas the two former strategies lead to decreased biomass and/or glycerol formation, the latter requires increased process and/or yeast robustness. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Application of a tablet film coating model to define a process-imposed transition boundary for robust film coating.

PubMed

van den Ban, Sander; Pitt, Kendal G; Whiteman, Marshall

2018-02-01

A scientific understanding of interaction of product, film coat, film coating process, and equipment is important to enable design and operation of industrial scale pharmaceutical film coating processes that are robust and provide the level of control required to consistently deliver quality film coated product. Thermodynamic film coating conditions provided in the tablet film coating process impact film coat formation and subsequent product quality. A thermodynamic film coating model was used to evaluate film coating process performance over a wide range of film coating equipment from pilot to industrial scale (2.5-400 kg). An approximate process-imposed transition boundary, from operating in a dry to a wet environment, was derived, for relative humidity and exhaust temperature, and used to understand the impact of the film coating process on product formulation and process control requirements. This approximate transition boundary may aid in an enhanced understanding of risk to product quality, application of modern Quality by Design (QbD) based product development, technology transfer and scale-up, and support the science-based justification of critical process parameters (CPPs).
Manufacturing Process Selection of Composite Bicycle’s Crank Arm using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luqman, M.; Rosli, M. U.; Khor, C. Y.; Zambree, Shayfull; Jahidi, H.

2018-03-01

Crank arm is one of the important parts in a bicycle that is an expensive product due to the high cost of material and production process. This research is aimed to investigate the potential type of manufacturing process to fabricate composite bicycle crank arm and to describe an approach based on analytical hierarchy process (AHP) that assists decision makers or manufacturing engineers in determining the most suitable process to be employed in manufacturing of composite bicycle crank arm at the early stage of the product development process to reduce the production cost. There are four types of processes were considered, namely resin transfer molding (RTM), compression molding (CM), vacuum bag molding and filament winding (FW). The analysis ranks these four types of process for its suitability in the manufacturing of bicycle crank arm based on five main selection factors and 10 sub factors. Determining the right manufacturing process was performed based on AHP process steps. Consistency test was performed to make sure the judgements are consistent during the comparison. The results indicated that the compression molding was the most appropriate manufacturing process because it has the highest value (33.6%) among the other manufacturing processes.
A PBOM configuration and management method based on templates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Kai; Qiao, Lihong; Qie, Yifan

2018-03-01

The design of Process Bill of Materials (PBOM) holds a hinge position in the process of product development. The requirements of PBOM configuration design and management for complex products are analysed in this paper, which include the reuse technique of configuration procedure and urgent management need of huge quantity of product family PBOM data. Based on the analysis, the function framework of PBOM configuration and management has been established. Configuration templates and modules are defined in the framework to support the customization and the reuse of configuration process. The configuration process of a detection sensor PBOM is shown as an illustration case in the end. The rapid and agile PBOM configuration and management can be achieved utilizing template-based method, which has a vital significance to improve the development efficiency for complex products.
The effect of material productivity on scrap reduction on aluminum reduction pot process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huda, L. N.

2018-02-01

Scrap in the production process is defined as part of production that can not be accepted as the final product due to production failure. The amount of scarp occurring in the reduction pot production process of one of the aluminum smelting furnaces exceeds the acceptance standard of 5 to 10%. This affects the amount of production produced. The purpose of this study is to reduce the amount of scrap produced to increase the productivity of the materials used. The solution is carried-out by making improvements using Lean Six Sigma method. In the initial calculation, material productivity ranged from 0.88. Based on the study, the factors that cause the high amount of scrap produced is the use of Na2O which is inserted into the alumina is different in size and the influence of noise that occurs in pots that are difficult to control. The analysis base on Lean Six Sigma obtained process cycle efficiency (PCE) equal to 86,92% for actual condition. Process improvement is carried-out through define, measure, analyze, improve and control procedure on Na2O feeding process and PCE value decrease 6,05%. This indicates that increased process capability will reduce scrap. A decrease in scrap amount of about 6% will be able to increase material productivity by 0.05%. This indicates that continuous process control is needed to decrease the number of scraps and increase productivity.
A new chapter in pharmaceutical manufacturing: 3D-printed drug products.

PubMed

Norman, James; Madurawe, Rapti D; Moore, Christine M V; Khan, Mansoor A; Khairuzzaman, Akm

2017-01-01

FDA recently approved a 3D-printed drug product in August 2015, which is indicative of a new chapter for pharmaceutical manufacturing. This review article summarizes progress with 3D printed drug products and discusses process development for solid oral dosage forms. 3D printing is a layer-by-layer process capable of producing 3D drug products from digital designs. Traditional pharmaceutical processes, such as tablet compression, have been used for decades with established regulatory pathways. These processes are well understood, but antiquated in terms of process capability and manufacturing flexibility. 3D printing, as a platform technology, has competitive advantages for complex products, personalized products, and products made on-demand. These advantages create opportunities for improving the safety, efficacy, and accessibility of medicines. Although 3D printing differs from traditional manufacturing processes for solid oral dosage forms, risk-based process development is feasible. This review highlights how product and process understanding can facilitate the development of a control strategy for different 3D printing methods. Overall, the authors believe that the recent approval of a 3D printed drug product will stimulate continual innovation in pharmaceutical manufacturing technology. FDA encourages the development of advanced manufacturing technologies, including 3D-printing, using science- and risk-based approaches. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Intelligent methods for the process parameter determination of plastic injection molding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Huang; Zhang, Yun; Zhou, Xundao; Li, Dequn

2018-03-01

Injection molding is one of the most widely used material processing methods in producing plastic products with complex geometries and high precision. The determination of process parameters is important in obtaining qualified products and maintaining product quality. This article reviews the recent studies and developments of the intelligent methods applied in the process parameter determination of injection molding. These intelligent methods are classified into three categories: Case-based reasoning methods, expert system- based methods, and data fitting and optimization methods. A framework of process parameter determination is proposed after comprehensive discussions. Finally, the conclusions and future research topics are discussed.
Preparing skilled labor in industry through production-based curriculum approach in vocational high school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoto

2017-09-01

Vocational high school (Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan / SMK) aims to prepare mid-level skilled labors to work in the industry and are able to create self-employment opportunities. For those reasons, the curriculum in SMK should be based on meeting the needs of the industries and is able to prepare learners to master the competence in accordance with the skills program of their choice. Production based curriculum is the curriculum which the learning process is designed together with the production process or using production process as a learning medium. This approach with the primary intention to introduce students with the real working environment and not merely simulations. In the production-based curriculum implementation model, students are directly involved in the industry through the implementation of industrial working practices, do work on production units in school, and do practical work in school by doing the job as done in the industry by using industry standards machines.
Lagging behind Writing Pedagogical Developments: The Impact of Implementing Process-Based Approach on Learners' Writing in a Vietnamese Secondary Education Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ngo, Chau M.; Trinh, Lap Q.

2011-01-01

The field of English language education has seen developments in writing pedagogy, moving from product-based to process-based and then to genre-based approaches. In Vietnam, teaching secondary school students how to write in English is still lagging behind these growing developments. Product-based approach is commonly seen in English writing…
Lean manufacturing analysis to reduce waste on production process of fan products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siregar, I.; Nasution, A. A.; Andayani, U.; Sari, R. M.; Syahputri, K.; Anizar

2018-02-01

This research is based on case study that being on electrical company. One of the products that will be researched is the fan, which when running the production process there is a time that is not value-added, among others, the removal of material which is not efficient in the raw materials and component molding fan. This study aims to reduce waste or non-value added activities and shorten the total lead time by using the tools Value Stream Mapping. Lean manufacturing methods used to analyze and reduce the non-value added activities, namely the value stream mapping analysis tools, process mapping activity with 5W1H, and tools 5 whys. Based on the research note that no value-added activities in the production process of a fan of 647.94 minutes of total lead time of 725.68 minutes. Process cycle efficiency in the production process indicates that the fan is still very low at 11%. While estimates of the repair showed a decrease in total lead time became 340.9 minutes and the process cycle efficiency is greater by 24%, which indicates that the production process has been better.
Silicon production process evaluations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Chemical engineering analyses involving the preliminary process design of a plant (1,000 metric tons/year capacity) to produce silicon via the technology under consideration were accomplished. Major activities in the chemical engineering analyses included base case conditions, reaction chemistry, process flowsheet, material balance, energy balance, property data, equipment design, major equipment list, production labor and forward for economic analysis. The process design package provided detailed data for raw materials, utilities, major process equipment and production labor requirements necessary for polysilicon production in each process.
A combined acidification/PEO flocculation process to improve the lignin removal from the pre-hydrolysis liquor of kraft-based dissolving pulp production process.

PubMed

Shi, Haiqiang; Fatehi, Pedram; Xiao, Huining; Ni, Yonghao

2011-04-01

The presence of lignin impairs the utilization of the hemicelluloses dissolved in the pre-hydrolysis liquor (PHL) of the kraft-based dissolving pulp production process. In this paper, a novel process was developed by combining the acidification and poly ethylene oxide (PEO) flocculation concepts to improve the lignin removal. The results showed that the lignin removal was improved by the addition of PEO to the acidified PHL, particularly at a low pH of 1.5. The main mechanisms involved are the lignin/PEO complex formation and the bridging of the formed complexes. This hypothesis was supported by the turbidity, FTIR and particle size measurements. Interestingly, the hemicelluloses removal from the acidification/PEO flocculation was marginal, which would be beneficial for the down-stream ethanol production from the PHL. Additionally, a process flow diagram was proposed that incorporates this new concept into the existing configuration of kraft-based dissolving pulp production process. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Integrated Process for Ethanol, Biogas, and Edible Filamentous Fungi-Based Animal Feed Production from Dilute Phosphoric Acid-Pretreated Wheat Straw.

PubMed

Nair, Ramkumar B; Kabir, Maryam M; Lennartsson, Patrik R; Taherzadeh, Mohammad J; Horváth, Ilona Sárvári

2018-01-01

Integration of wheat straw for a biorefinery-based energy generation process by producing ethanol and biogas together with the production of high-protein fungal biomass (suitable for feed application) was the main focus of the present study. An edible ascomycete fungal strain Neurospora intermedia was used for the ethanol fermentation and subsequent biomass production from dilute phosphoric acid (0.7 to 1.2% w/v) pretreated wheat straw. At optimum pretreatment conditions, an ethanol yield of 84 to 90% of the theoretical maximum, based on glucan content of substrate straw, was observed from fungal fermentation post the enzymatic hydrolysis process. The biogas production from the pretreated straw slurry showed an improved methane yield potential up to 162% increase, as compared to that of the untreated straw. Additional biogas production, using the syrup, a waste stream obtained post the ethanol fermentation, resulted in a combined total energy output of 15.8 MJ/kg wheat straw. Moreover, using thin stillage (a waste stream from the first-generation wheat-based ethanol process) as a co-substrate to the biogas process resulted in an additional increase by about 14 to 27% in the total energy output as compared to using only wheat straw-based substrates. ᅟ.
Dendritic cells for active immunotherapy: optimizing design and manufacture in order to develop commercially and clinically viable products.

PubMed

Nicolette, C A; Healey, D; Tcherepanova, I; Whelton, P; Monesmith, T; Coombs, L; Finke, L H; Whiteside, T; Miesowicz, F

2007-09-27

Dendritic cell (DC) active immunotherapy is potentially efficacious in a broad array of malignant disease settings. However, challenges remain in optimizing DC-based therapy for maximum clinical efficacy within manufacturing processes that permit quality control and scale-up of consistent products. In this review we discuss the critical issues that must be addressed in order to optimize DC-based product design and manufacture, and highlight the DC based platforms currently addressing these issues. Variables in DC-based product design include the type of antigenic payload used, DC maturation steps and activation processes, and functional assays. Issues to consider in development include: (a) minimizing the invasiveness of patient biological material collection; (b) minimizing handling and manipulations of tissue at the clinical site; (c) centralized product manufacturing and standardized processing and capacity for commercial-scale production; (d) rapid product release turnaround time; (e) the ability to manufacture sufficient product from limited starting material; and (f) standardized release criteria for DC phenotype and function. Improvements in the design and manufacture of DC products have resulted in a handful of promising leads currently in clinical development.
Removal of inhibitors from pre-hydrolysis liquor of kraft-based dissolving pulp production process using adsorption and flocculation processes.

PubMed

Liu, Xin; Fatehi, Pedram; Ni, Yonghao

2012-07-01

A process for removing inhibitors from pre-hydrolysis liquor (PHL) of a kraft-based dissolving pulp production process by adsorption and flocculation, and the characteristics of this process were studied. In this process, industrially produced PHL was treated with unmodified and oxidized activated carbon as an absorbent and polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDADMAC) as a flocculant. The overall removal of lignin and furfural in the developed process was 83.3% and 100%, respectively, while that of hemicelluloses was 32.7%. These results confirmed that the developed process can remove inhibitors from PHL prior to producing value-added products, e.g. ethanol and xylitol via fermentation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Tracking blood products in blood centres using radio frequency identification: a comprehensive assessment.

PubMed

Davis, Rodeina; Geiger, Bradley; Gutierrez, Alfonso; Heaser, Julie; Veeramani, Dharmaraj

2009-07-01

Radio frequency identification (RFID) can be a key enabler for enhancing productivity and safety of the blood product supply chain. This article describes a systematic approach developed by the RFID Blood Consortium for a comprehensive feasibility and impact assessment of RFID application in blood centre operations. Our comprehensive assessment approach incorporates process-orientated and technological perspectives as well as impact analysis. Assessment of RFID-enabled process redesign is based on generic core processes derived from the three participating blood centres. The technological assessment includes RFID tag readability and performance evaluation, testing of temperature and biological effects of RF energy on blood products, and RFID system architecture design and standards. The scope of this article is limited to blood centre processes (from donation to manufacturing/distribution) for selected mainstream blood products (red blood cells and platelets). Radio frequency identification can help overcome a number of common challenges and process inefficiencies associated with identification and tracking of blood products. High frequency-based RFID technology performs adequately and safely for red blood cell and platelet products. Productivity and quality improvements in RFID-enabled blood centre processes can recoup investment cost in a 4-year payback period. Radio frequency identification application has significant process-orientated and technological implications. It is feasible and economically justifiable to incorporate RFID into blood centre processes.
[Application of risk-based approach for determination of critical factors in technology transfer of production of medicinal products].

PubMed

Beregovykh, V V; Spitskiy, O R

2014-01-01

Risk-based approach is used for examination of impact of different factors on quality of medicinal products in technology transfer. A general diagram is offered for risk analysis execution in technology transfer from pharmaceutical development to production. When transferring technology to full- scale commercial production it is necessary to investigate and simulate production process application beforehand in new real conditions. The manufacturing process is the core factorfor risk analysis having the most impact on quality attributes of a medicinal product. Further importantfactors are linked to materials and products to be handled and manufacturing environmental conditions such as premises, equipment and personnel. Usage of risk-based approach in designing of multipurpose production facility of medicinal products is shown where quantitative risk analysis tool RAMM (Risk Analysis and Mitigation Matrix) was applied.
Drop-on-Demand System for Manufacturing of Melt-based Solid Oral Dosage: Effect of Critical Process Parameters on Product Quality.

PubMed

Içten, Elçin; Giridhar, Arun; Nagy, Zoltan K; Reklaitis, Gintaras V

2016-04-01

The features of a drop-on-demand-based system developed for the manufacture of melt-based pharmaceuticals have been previously reported. In this paper, a supervisory control system, which is designed to ensure reproducible production of high quality of melt-based solid oral dosages, is presented. This control system enables the production of individual dosage forms with the desired critical quality attributes: amount of active ingredient and drug morphology by monitoring and controlling critical process parameters, such as drop size and product and process temperatures. The effects of these process parameters on the final product quality are investigated, and the properties of the produced dosage forms characterized using various techniques, such as Raman spectroscopy, optical microscopy, and dissolution testing. A crystallization temperature control strategy, including controlled temperature cycles, is presented to tailor the crystallization behavior of drug deposits and to achieve consistent drug morphology. This control strategy can be used to achieve the desired bioavailability of the drug by mitigating variations in the dissolution profiles. The supervisor control strategy enables the application of the drop-on-demand system to the production of individualized dosage required for personalized drug regimens.

Quality data collection and management technology of aerospace complex product assembly process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weng, Gang; Liu, Jianhua; He, Yongxi; Zhuang, Cunbo

2017-04-01

Aiming at solving problems of difficult management and poor traceability for discrete assembly process quality data, a data collection and management method is proposed which take the assembly process and BOM as the core. Data collection method base on workflow technology, data model base on BOM and quality traceability of assembly process is included in the method. Finally, assembly process quality data management system is developed and effective control and management of quality information for complex product assembly process is realized.
[Discussion on research and development of new traditional Chinese medicine preparation process based on idea of QbD].

PubMed

Feng, Yi; Hong, Yan-Long; Xian, Jie-Chen; Du, Ruo-Fei; Zhao, Li-Jie; Shen, Lan

2014-09-01

Traditional processes are mostly adopted in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation production and the quality of products is mostly controlled by terminal. Potential problems of the production in the process are unpredictable and is relied on experience in most cases. Therefore, it is hard to find the key points affecting the preparation process and quality control. A pattern of research and development of traditional Chinese medicine preparation process based on the idea of Quality by Design (QbD) was proposed after introducing the latest research achievement. Basic theories of micromeritics and rheology were used to characterize the physical property of TCM raw material. TCM preparation process was designed in a more scientific and rational way by studying the correlation among enhancing physical property of raw material, preparation process and product quality of preparation. So factors affecting the quality of TCM production would be found out and problems that might occur in the pilot process could be predicted. It would be a foundation for the R&D and production of TCM preparation as well as support for the "process control" of TCMIs gradually realized in the future.
Real-time parameter optimization based on neural network for smart injection molding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, H.; Liau, Y.; Ryu, K.

2018-03-01

The manufacturing industry has been facing several challenges, including sustainability, performance and quality of production. Manufacturers attempt to enhance the competitiveness of companies by implementing CPS (Cyber-Physical Systems) through the convergence of IoT(Internet of Things) and ICT(Information & Communication Technology) in the manufacturing process level. Injection molding process has a short cycle time and high productivity. This features have been making it suitable for mass production. In addition, this process is used to produce precise parts in various industry fields such as automobiles, optics and medical devices. Injection molding process has a mixture of discrete and continuous variables. In order to optimized the quality, variables that is generated in the injection molding process must be considered. Furthermore, Optimal parameter setting is time-consuming work to predict the optimum quality of the product. Since the process parameter cannot be easily corrected during the process execution. In this research, we propose a neural network based real-time process parameter optimization methodology that sets optimal process parameters by using mold data, molding machine data, and response data. This paper is expected to have academic contribution as a novel study of parameter optimization during production compare with pre - production parameter optimization in typical studies.
Transforming nanomedicine manufacturing toward Quality by Design and microfluidics.

PubMed

Colombo, Stefano; Beck-Broichsitter, Moritz; Bøtker, Johan Peter; Malmsten, Martin; Rantanen, Jukka; Bohr, Adam

2018-04-05

Nanopharmaceuticals aim at translating the unique features of nano-scale materials into therapeutic products and consequently their development relies critically on the progression in manufacturing technology to allow scalable processes complying with process economy and quality assurance. The relatively high failure rate in translational nanopharmaceutical research and development, with respect to new products on the market, is at least partly due to immature bottom-up manufacturing development and resulting sub-optimal control of quality attributes in nanopharmaceuticals. Recently, quality-oriented manufacturing of pharmaceuticals has undergone an unprecedented change toward process and product development interaction. In this context, Quality by Design (QbD) aims to integrate product and process development resulting in an increased number of product applications to regulatory agencies and stronger proprietary defense strategies of process-based products. Although QbD can be applied to essentially any production approach, microfluidic production offers particular opportunities for QbD-based manufacturing of nanopharmaceuticals. Microfluidics provides unique design flexibility, process control and parameter predictability, and also offers ample opportunities for modular production setups, allowing process feedback for continuously operating production and process control. The present review aims at outlining emerging opportunities in the synergistic implementation of QbD strategies and microfluidic production in contemporary development and manufacturing of nanopharmaceuticals. In doing so, aspects of design and development, but also technology management, are reviewed, as is the strategic role of these tools for aligning nanopharmaceutical innovation, development, and advanced industrialization in the broader pharmaceutical field. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Manufacturing, characterization and control of cell-based medicinal products: challenging paradigms toward commercial use.

PubMed

Salmikangas, Paula; Menezes-Ferreira, Margarida; Reischl, Ilona; Tsiftsoglou, Asterios; Kyselovic, Jan; Borg, John Joseph; Ruiz, Sol; Flory, Egbert; Trouvin, Jean-Hugues; Celis, Patrick; Ancans, Janis; Timon, Marcos; Pante, Guido; Sladowski, Dariusz; Lipnik-Stangelj, Metoda; Schneider, Christian K

2015-01-01

During the past decade, a large number of cell-based medicinal products have been tested in clinical trials for the treatment of various diseases and tissue defects. However, licensed products and those approaching marketing authorization are still few. One major area of challenge is the manufacturing and quality development of these complex products, for which significant manipulation of cells might be required. While the paradigms of quality, safety and efficacy must apply also to these innovative products, their demonstration may be demanding. Demonstration of comparability between production processes and batches may be difficult for cell-based medicinal products. Thus, the development should be built around a well-controlled manufacturing process and a qualified product to guarantee reproducible data from nonclinical and clinical studies.
Ionic liquid-based green processes for energy production.

PubMed

Zhang, Suojiang; Sun, Jian; Zhang, Xiaochun; Xin, Jiayu; Miao, Qingqing; Wang, Jianji

2014-11-21

To mitigate the growing pressure on resource depletion and environment degradation, the development of green processes for the production of renewable energy is highly required. As a class of novel and promising media, ionic liquids (ILs) have shown infusive potential applications in energy production. Aiming to offer a critical overview regarding the new challenges and opportunities of ILs for developing green processes of renewable energy, this article emphasises the role of ILs as catalysts, solvents, or electrolytes in three broadly interesting energy production processes from renewable resources, such as CO2 conversion to fuels and fuel additives, biomass pretreatment and conversion to biofuels, as well as solar energy and energy storage. It is expected that this article will stimulate a generation of new ideas and new technologies in IL-based renewable energy production.
Bioreactor expansion of human mesenchymal stem cells according to GMP requirements.

PubMed

Elseberg, Christiane L; Salzig, Denise; Czermak, Peter

2015-01-01

In cell therapy, the use of autologous and allogenic human mesenchymal stem cells is rising. Accordingly, the supply of cells for clinical applications in highest quality is required. As hMSCs are considered as an advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP), they underlie the requirements of GMP and PAT according to the authorities (FDA and EMA). The production process of these cells must therefore be documented according to GMP, which is usually performed via a GMP protocol based on standard operating procedures. This chapter provides an example of such a GMP protocol for hMSC, here a genetically modified allogenic cell line, based on a production process in a microcarrier-based stirred tank reactor including process monitoring according to PAT and final product quality assurance.
Mining manufacturing data for discovery of high productivity process characteristics.

PubMed

Charaniya, Salim; Le, Huong; Rangwala, Huzefa; Mills, Keri; Johnson, Kevin; Karypis, George; Hu, Wei-Shou

2010-06-01

Modern manufacturing facilities for bioproducts are highly automated with advanced process monitoring and data archiving systems. The time dynamics of hundreds of process parameters and outcome variables over a large number of production runs are archived in the data warehouse. This vast amount of data is a vital resource to comprehend the complex characteristics of bioprocesses and enhance production robustness. Cell culture process data from 108 'trains' comprising production as well as inoculum bioreactors from Genentech's manufacturing facility were investigated. Each run constitutes over one-hundred on-line and off-line temporal parameters. A kernel-based approach combined with a maximum margin-based support vector regression algorithm was used to integrate all the process parameters and develop predictive models for a key cell culture performance parameter. The model was also used to identify and rank process parameters according to their relevance in predicting process outcome. Evaluation of cell culture stage-specific models indicates that production performance can be reliably predicted days prior to harvest. Strong associations between several temporal parameters at various manufacturing stages and final process outcome were uncovered. This model-based data mining represents an important step forward in establishing a process data-driven knowledge discovery in bioprocesses. Implementation of this methodology on the manufacturing floor can facilitate a real-time decision making process and thereby improve the robustness of large scale bioprocesses. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Poka Yoke system based on image analysis and object recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belu, N.; Ionescu, L. M.; Misztal, A.; Mazăre, A.

2015-11-01

Poka Yoke is a method of quality management which is related to prevent faults from arising during production processes. It deals with “fail-sating” or “mistake-proofing”. The Poka-yoke concept was generated and developed by Shigeo Shingo for the Toyota Production System. Poka Yoke is used in many fields, especially in monitoring production processes. In many cases, identifying faults in a production process involves a higher cost than necessary cost of disposal. Usually, poke yoke solutions are based on multiple sensors that identify some nonconformities. This means the presence of different equipment (mechanical, electronic) on production line. As a consequence, coupled with the fact that the method itself is an invasive, affecting the production process, would increase its price diagnostics. The bulky machines are the means by which a Poka Yoke system can be implemented become more sophisticated. In this paper we propose a solution for the Poka Yoke system based on image analysis and identification of faults. The solution consists of a module for image acquisition, mid-level processing and an object recognition module using associative memory (Hopfield network type). All are integrated into an embedded system with AD (Analog to Digital) converter and Zync 7000 (22 nm technology).
New Trends in Pesticide Residue Analysis in Cereals, Nutraceuticals, Baby Foods, and Related Processed Consumer Products.

PubMed

Raina-Fulton, Renata

2015-01-01

Pesticide residue methods have been developed for a wide variety of food products including cereal-based foods, nutraceuticals and related plant products, and baby foods. These cereal, fruit, vegetable, and plant-based products provide the basis for many processed consumer products. For cereal and nutraceuticals, which are dry sample products, a modified QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method has been used with additional steps to allow wetting of the dry sample matrix and subsequent cleanup using dispersive or cartridge format SPE to reduce matrix effects. More processed foods may have lower pesticide concentrations but higher co-extracts that can lead to signal suppression or enhancement with MS detection. For complex matrixes, GC/MS/MS or LC/electrospray ionization (positive or negative ion)-MS/MS is more frequently used. The extraction and cleanup methods vary with different sample types particularly for cereal-based products, and these different approaches are discussed in this review. General instrument considerations are also discussed.
Extraction of volatiles and metals from extraterrestrial ores

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewis, John S.

1989-01-01

Extraterrestrial materials, processes, and products were identified which are associated with the production of propellants in space, including the most complete possible conversion of the feedstocks for propellant production into useful products with the minimum feasible expenditure of energy. Laboratory research was identified and begun on several processes that promise very large increases in the mass of useful products at the cost of only modest increases in energy consumption. Processes for manufacturing propellants then become processes for making propellants plus metals and refractories. It is the overall yield of useful materials per unit expended energy that matters, not simply the yield of propellants. Three tasks have been undertaken to date: (1) Literature search and compilation of a dBase 3 data base on space materials processing; (2) Gaseous carbonyl extraction and purification of ferrous metals; and (3) Characterization of lunar ilmenite and its simulants.
The Adoption Process of Ricefield-Based Fish Seed Production in Northwest Bangladesh: An Understanding through Quantitative and Qualitative Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haque, Mohammad Mahfujul; Little, David C.; Barman, Benoy K.; Wahab, Md. Abdul

2010-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to understand the adoption process of ricefield based fish seed production (RBFSP) that has been developed, promoted and established in Northwest Bangladesh. Design/Methodology/Approach: Quantitative investigation based on regression analysis and qualitative investigation using semi-structured interview were…
Production Process for Stem Cell Based Therapeutic Implants: Expansion of the Production Cell Line and Cultivation of Encapsulated Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, C.; Pohl, S.; Poertner, R.; Pino-Grace, Pablo; Freimark, D.; Wallrapp, C.; Geigle, P.; Czermak, P.

Cell based therapy promises the treatment of many diseases like diabetes mellitus, Parkinson disease or stroke. Microencapsulation of the cells protects them against host-vs-graft reactions and thus enables the usage of allogenic cell lines for the manufacturing of cell therapeutic implants. The production process of such implants consists mainly of the three steps expansion of the cells, encapsulation of the cells, and cultivation of the encapsulated cells in order to increase their vitality and thus quality. This chapter deals with the development of fixed-bed bioreactor-based cultivation procedures used in the first and third step of production. The bioreactor system for the expansion of the stem cell line (hMSC-TERT) is based on non-porous glass spheres, which support cell growth and harvesting with high yield and vitality. The cultivation process for the spherical cell based implants leads to an increase of vitality and additionally enables the application of a medium-based differentiation protocol.
A Framework for the Development of Automatic DFA Method to Minimize the Number of Components and Assembly Reorientations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alfadhlani; Samadhi, T. M. A. Ari; Ma’ruf, Anas; Setiasyah Toha, Isa

2018-03-01

Assembly is a part of manufacturing processes that must be considered at the product design stage. Design for Assembly (DFA) is a method to evaluate product design in order to make it simpler, easier and quicker to assemble, so that assembly cost is reduced. This article discusses a framework for developing a computer-based DFA method. The method is expected to aid product designer to extract data, evaluate assembly process, and provide recommendation for the product design improvement. These three things are desirable to be performed without interactive process or user intervention, so product design evaluation process could be done automatically. Input for the proposed framework is a 3D solid engineering drawing. Product design evaluation is performed by: minimizing the number of components; generating assembly sequence alternatives; selecting the best assembly sequence based on the minimum number of assembly reorientations; and providing suggestion for design improvement.
Production of orthophosphate suspension fertilizers from wet-process acid

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jones, T.M.; Burnell, J.R.

1984-01-01

For many years, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has worked toward development of suspension fertilizers. TVA has two plants for production of base suspension fertilizers from wet-process orthophosphoric acid. One is a demonstration-scale plant where a 13-38-0 grade base suspension is produced by a three-stage ammoniation process. The other is a new batch-type pilot plant which is capable of producing high-grade base suspensions of various ratios and grades from wet-process acid. In this batch plant, suspensions and solutions can also be produced from solid intermediates.
Catalytic processes towards the production of biofuels in a palm oil and oil palm biomass-based biorefinery.

PubMed

Chew, Thiam Leng; Bhatia, Subhash

2008-11-01

In Malaysia, there has been interest in the utilization of palm oil and oil palm biomass for the production of environmental friendly biofuels. A biorefinery based on palm oil and oil palm biomass for the production of biofuels has been proposed. The catalytic technology plays major role in the different processing stages in a biorefinery for the production of liquid as well as gaseous biofuels. There are number of challenges to find suitable catalytic technology to be used in a typical biorefinery. These challenges include (1) economic barriers, (2) catalysts that facilitate highly selective conversion of substrate to desired products and (3) the issues related to design, operation and control of catalytic reactor. Therefore, the catalytic technology is one of the critical factors that control the successful operation of biorefinery. There are number of catalytic processes in a biorefinery which convert the renewable feedstocks into the desired biofuels. These include biodiesel production from palm oil, catalytic cracking of palm oil for the production of biofuels, the production of hydrogen as well as syngas from biomass gasification, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) for the conversion of syngas into liquid fuels and upgrading of liquid/gas fuels obtained from liquefaction/pyrolysis of biomass. The selection of catalysts for these processes is essential in determining the product distribution (olefins, paraffins and oxygenated products). The integration of catalytic technology with compatible separation processes is a key challenge for biorefinery operation from the economic point of view. This paper focuses on different types of catalysts and their role in the catalytic processes for the production of biofuels in a typical palm oil and oil palm biomass-based biorefinery.
Method of production of pure hydrogen near room temperature from aluminum-based hydride materials

DOEpatents

Pecharsky, Vitalij K.; Balema, Viktor P.

2004-08-10

The present invention provides a cost-effective method of producing pure hydrogen gas from hydride-based solid materials. The hydride-based solid material is mechanically processed in the presence of a catalyst to obtain pure gaseous hydrogen. Unlike previous methods, hydrogen may be obtained from the solid material without heating, and without the addition of a solvent during processing. The described method of hydrogen production is useful for energy conversion and production technologies that consume pure gaseous hydrogen as a fuel.
Continuous counter-current chromatography for capture and polishing steps in biopharmaceutical production.

PubMed

Steinebach, Fabian; Müller-Späth, Thomas; Morbidelli, Massimo

2016-09-01

The economic advantages of continuous processing of biopharmaceuticals, which include smaller equipment and faster, efficient processes, have increased interest in this technology over the past decade. Continuous processes can also improve quality assurance and enable greater controllability, consistent with the quality initiatives of the FDA. Here, we discuss different continuous multi-column chromatography processes. Differences in the capture and polishing steps result in two different types of continuous processes that employ counter-current column movement. Continuous-capture processes are associated with increased productivity per cycle and decreased buffer consumption, whereas the typical purity-yield trade-off of classical batch chromatography can be surmounted by continuous processes for polishing applications. In the context of continuous manufacturing, different but complementary chromatographic columns or devices are typically combined to improve overall process performance and avoid unnecessary product storage. In the following, these various processes, their performances compared with batch processing and resulting product quality are discussed based on a review of the literature. Based on various examples of applications, primarily monoclonal antibody production processes, conclusions are drawn about the future of these continuous-manufacturing technologies. Copyright © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
The TMIS life-cycle process document, revision A

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

The Technical and Management Information System (TMIS) Life-Cycle Process Document describes the processes that shall be followed in the definition, design, development, test, deployment, and operation of all TMIS products and data base applications. This document is a roll out of TMIS Standards Document (SSP 30546). The purpose of this document is to define the life cycle methodology that the developers of all products and data base applications and any subsequent modifications shall follow. Included in this methodology are descriptions of the tasks, deliverables, reviews, and approvals that are required before a product or data base application is accepted in the TMIS environment.
The Evolvement of Automobile Steering System Based on TRIZ

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Xinjun; Zhang, Shuang

Products and techniques pass through a process of birth, growth, maturity, death and quit the stage like biological evolution process. The developments of products and techniques conform to some evolvement rules. If people know and hold these rules, they can design new kind of products and forecast the develop trends of the products. Thereby, enterprises can grasp the future technique directions of products, and make product and technique innovation. Below, based on TRIZ theory, the mechanism evolvement, the function evolvement and the appearance evolvement of automobile steering system had been analyzed and put forward some new ideas about future automobile steering system.

Biotic and abiotic processes in eastside ecosystems: the effects of management on soil properties, processes, and productivity.

Treesearch

Alan E. Harvey; J. Michael Geist; Gerald L McDonald; Martin F. Jurgensen; Patrick H. Cochran; Darlene Zabowski; Robert T. Meurisse

1994-01-01

Productivity of forest and range land soils is based on a combination of diverse physical, chemical and biological properties. In ecosystems characteristic of eastside regions of Oregon and Washington, the productive zone is usually in the upper 1 or 2 m. Not only are the biological processes that drive both soil productivity and root development concentrated in...
Manufacturing process design for multi commodities in agriculture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasetyawan, Yudha; Santosa, Andrian Henry

2017-06-01

High-potential commodities within particular agricultural sectors should be accompanied by maximum benefit value that can be attained by both local farmers and business players. In several cases, the business players are small-medium enterprises (SMEs) which have limited resources to perform added value process of the local commodities into the potential products. The weaknesses of SMEs such as the manual production process with low productivity, limited capacity to maintain prices, and unattractive packaging due to conventional production. Agricultural commodity is commonly created into several products such as flour, chips, crackers, oil, juice, and other products. This research was initiated by collecting data by interview method particularly to obtain the perspectives of SMEs as the business players. Subsequently, the information was processed based on the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to determine House of Quality from the first to fourth level. A proposed design as the result of QFD was produced and evaluated with Technology Assessment Model (TAM) and continued with a revised design. Finally, the revised design was analyzed with financial perspective to obtain the cost structure of investment, operational, maintenance, and workers. The machine that performs manufacturing process, as the result of revised design, was prototyped and tested to determined initial production process. The designed manufacturing process offers IDR 337,897, 651 of Net Present Value (NPV) in comparison with the existing process value of IDR 9,491,522 based on similar production input.
Clarification of vaccines: An overview of filter based technology trends and best practices.

PubMed

Besnard, Lise; Fabre, Virginie; Fettig, Michael; Gousseinov, Elina; Kawakami, Yasuhiro; Laroudie, Nicolas; Scanlan, Claire; Pattnaik, Priyabrata

2016-01-01

Vaccines are derived from a variety of sources including tissue extracts, bacterial cells, virus particles, recombinant mammalian, yeast and insect cell produced proteins and nucleic acids. The most common method of vaccine production is based on an initial fermentation process followed by purification. Production of vaccines is a complex process involving many different steps and processes. Selection of the appropriate purification method is critical to achieving desired purity of the final product. Clarification of vaccines is a critical step that strongly impacts product recovery and subsequent downstream purification. There are several technologies that can be applied for vaccine clarification. Selection of a harvesting method and equipment depends on the type of cells, product being harvested, and properties of the process fluids. These techniques include membrane filtration (microfiltration, tangential-flow filtration), centrifugation, and depth filtration (normal flow filtration). Historically vaccine harvest clarification was usually achieved by centrifugation followed by depth filtration. Recently membrane based technologies have gained prominence in vaccine clarification. The increasing use of single-use technologies in upstream processes necessitated a shift in harvest strategies. This review offers a comprehensive view on different membrane based technologies and their application in vaccine clarification, outlines the challenges involved and presents the current state of best practices in the clarification of vaccines. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Base Stock Policy in a Join-Type Production Line with Advanced Demand Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiraiwa, Mikihiko; Tsubouchi, Satoshi; Nakade, Koichi

Production control such as the base stock policy, the kanban policy and the constant work-in-process policy in a serial production line has been studied by many researchers. Production lines, however, usually have fork-type, join-type or network-type figures. In addition, in most previous studies on production control, a finished product is required at the same time as arrival of demand at the system. Demand information is, however, informed before due date in practice. In this paper a join-type (assembly) production line under base stock control with advanced demand information in discrete time is analyzed. The recursive equations for the work-in-process are derived. The heuristic algorithm for finding appropriate base stock levels of all machines at short time is proposed and the effect of advanced demand information is examined by simulation with the proposed algorithm. It is shown that the inventory cost can decreases with little backlogs by using the appropriate amount of demand information and setting appropriate base stock levels.
Advantages of utilizing DMD based rapid manufacturing systems in mass customization applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Siblani, A.

2010-02-01

The Use of DMD based Rapid Manufacturing Systems has proven to be very advantageous in the production of highly accurate plastic based components for use in mass customization market such as hearing aids, and dental markets. The voxelization process currently afforded with the DLP technology eliminates any layering effect associated with all existing additive Rapid Manufacturing technologies. The smooth accurate surfaces produced in an additive process utilizing DLP technology, through the voxelization approach, allow for the production of custom finished products. The implementation of DLP technology in rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing systems allow for the usage of highly viscous photopolymer based liquid and paste composites for rapid manufacturing that could not be used in any other additive process prior to implementation of DLP technology in RP and RM systems. It also allowed for the greater throughput in production without sacrificing quality and accuracy.
Real-time biscuit tile image segmentation method based on edge detection.

PubMed

Matić, Tomislav; Aleksi, Ivan; Hocenski, Željko; Kraus, Dieter

2018-05-01

In this paper we propose a novel real-time Biscuit Tile Segmentation (BTS) method for images from ceramic tile production line. BTS method is based on signal change detection and contour tracing with a main goal of separating tile pixels from background in images captured on the production line. Usually, human operators are visually inspecting and classifying produced ceramic tiles. Computer vision and image processing techniques can automate visual inspection process if they fulfill real-time requirements. Important step in this process is a real-time tile pixels segmentation. BTS method is implemented for parallel execution on a GPU device to satisfy the real-time constraints of tile production line. BTS method outperforms 2D threshold-based methods, 1D edge detection methods and contour-based methods. Proposed BTS method is in use in the biscuit tile production line. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Scientific and Regulatory Considerations in Solid Oral Modified Release Drug Product Development.

PubMed

Li, Min; Sander, Sanna; Duan, John; Rosencrance, Susan; Miksinski, Sarah Pope; Yu, Lawrence; Seo, Paul; Rege, Bhagwant

2016-11-01

This review presents scientific and regulatory considerations for the development of solid oral modified release (MR) drug products. It includes a rationale for patient-focused development based on Quality-by-Design (QbD) principles. Product and process understanding of MR products includes identification and risk-based evaluation of critical material attributes (CMAs), critical process parameters (CPPs), and their impact on critical quality attributes (CQAs) that affect the clinical performance. The use of various biopharmaceutics tools that link the CQAs to a predictable and reproducible clinical performance for patient benefit is emphasized. Product and process understanding lead to a more comprehensive control strategy that can maintain product quality through the shelf life and the lifecycle of the drug product. The overall goal is to develop MR products that consistently meet the clinical objectives while mitigating the risks to patients by reducing the probability and increasing the detectability of CQA failures.
How product trial changes quality perception of four new processed beef products.

PubMed

Saeed, Faiza; Grunert, Klaus G; Therkildsen, Margrethe

2013-01-01

The purpose of this paper is the quantitative analysis of the change in quality perception of four new processed beef products from pre to post trial phases. Based on the Total Food Quality Model, differences in pre and post-trial phases were measured using repeated measures technique for cue evaluation, quality evaluation and purchase motive fulfillment. For two of the tested products, trial resulted in a decline of the evaluation of cues, quality and purchase motive fulfillment compared to pre-trial expectations. For these products, positive expectations were created by giving information about ingredients and ways of processing, which were not confirmed during trial. For the other two products, evaluations on key sensory dimensions based on trial exceeded expectations, whereas the other evaluations remained unchanged. Several demographic factors influenced the pattern of results, notably age and gender, which may be due to underlying differences in previous experience. The study gives useful insights for testing of new processed meat products before market introduction. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The "Food Polymer Science" approach to the practice of industrial R&D, leading to patent estates based on fundamental starch science and technology.

PubMed

Slade, Louise; Levine, Harry

2018-04-13

This article reviews the application of the "Food Polymer Science" approach to the practice of industrial R&D, leading to patent estates based on fundamental starch science and technology. The areas of patents and patented technologies reviewed here include: (a) soft-from-the-freezer ice creams and freezer-storage-stable frozen bread dough products, based on "cryostabilization technology" of frozen foods, utilizing commercial starch hydrolysis products (SHPs); (b) glassy-matrix encapsulation technology for flavors and other volatiles, based on structure-function relationships for commercial SHPs; (c) production of stabilized whole-grain wheat flours for biscuit products, based on the application of "solvent retention capacity" technology to develop flours with reduced damaged starch; (d) production of improved-quality, low-moisture cookies and crackers, based on pentosanase enzyme technology; (e) production of "baked-not-fried," chip-like, starch-based snack products, based on the use of commercial modified-starch ingredients with selected functionality; (f) accelerated staling of a starch-based food product from baked bread crumb, based on the kinetics of starch retrogradation, treated as a crystallization process for a partially crystalline glassy polymer system; and (g) a process for producing an enzyme-resistant starch, for use as a reduced-calorie flour replacer in a wide range of grain-based food products, including cookies, extruded expanded snacks, and breakfast cereals.
Edible holography: the application of holographic techniques to food processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Begleiter, Eric

1991-07-01

Reports on current research efforts in the application of holographic techniques to food processing. Through a simple and inexpensive production process, diffractive and holographic effects of color, depth, and motion can be transferred to edible products. Processes are discussed which can provide a competitive advantage to the marketing of a diverse group of sugar and non-sugar-based consumable products, i.e. candies, chocolates, lollipops, snacks, cereals and pharmaceuticals. Techniques, applications, and products are investigated involving the shift from a chemical to a physical basis for the production of food coloring and decorating.
Adding Value to Fruit Processing Waste: Innovative Ways to Incorporate Fibers from Berry Pomace in Baked and Extruded Cereal-based Foods-A SUSFOOD Project.

PubMed

Rohm, Harald; Brennan, Charles; Turner, Charlotta; Günther, Edeltraud; Campbell, Grant; Hernando, Isabel; Struck, Susanne; Kontogiorgos, Vassilis

2015-11-24

This article communicates the set-up of BERRYPOM, a European research project established in the second call of the SUStainable FOOD Production and Consumption (SUSFOOD) network. The project deals with the by-product from berry processing, which is frequently recycled as animal feed, composted or utilized for biogas production. With BERRYPOM it is proposed to analyze the value of berry pomace, to optimize the recovery of bioactive compounds from pomace material, and to incorporate processed berry pomace in cereal-based foods to take advantage of nutritional benefits that originate from its fiber and the content of bioactive substances. Additionally, extraction methods will be evaluated to obtain products rich in phytochemicals, and the influence of processing steps on the antioxidant capacity of pomace will be analyzed. The fiber extracts will then also be utilized in different cereal-based foods and extruded products. As project outcome we expect a substantial increase of knowledge concerning fiber and phytochemicals extraction from berry pomace, its suitability for enhancing nutritional and sensory properties of cereal-based foods, and its effects on the sustainability of the food chain.
Adding Value to Fruit Processing Waste: Innovative Ways to Incorporate Fibers from Berry Pomace in Baked and Extruded Cereal-based Foods—A SUSFOOD Project

PubMed Central

Rohm, Harald; Brennan, Charles; Turner, Charlotta; Günther, Edeltraud; Campbell, Grant; Hernando, Isabel; Struck, Susanne; Kontogiorgos, Vassilis

2015-01-01

This article communicates the set-up of BERRYPOM, a European research project established in the second call of the SUStainable FOOD Production and Consumption (SUSFOOD) network. The project deals with the by-product from berry processing, which is frequently recycled as animal feed, composted or utilized for biogas production. With BERRYPOM it is proposed to analyze the value of berry pomace, to optimize the recovery of bioactive compounds from pomace material, and to incorporate processed berry pomace in cereal-based foods to take advantage of nutritional benefits that originate from its fiber and the content of bioactive substances. Additionally, extraction methods will be evaluated to obtain products rich in phytochemicals, and the influence of processing steps on the antioxidant capacity of pomace will be analyzed. The fiber extracts will then also be utilized in different cereal-based foods and extruded products. As project outcome we expect a substantial increase of knowledge concerning fiber and phytochemicals extraction from berry pomace, its suitability for enhancing nutritional and sensory properties of cereal-based foods, and its effects on the sustainability of the food chain. PMID:28231231
Using artificial neural networks to model aluminium based sheet forming processes and tools details

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mekras, N.

2017-09-01

In this paper, a methodology and a software system will be presented concerning the use of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) for modeling aluminium based sheet forming processes. ANNs models’ creation is based on the training of the ANNs using experimental, trial and historical data records of processes’ inputs and outputs. ANNs models are useful in cases that processes’ mathematical models are not accurate enough, are not well defined or are missing e.g. in cases of complex product shapes, new material alloys, new process requirements, micro-scale products, etc. Usually, after the design and modeling of the forming tools (die, punch, etc.) and before mass production, a set of trials takes place at the shop floor for finalizing processes and tools details concerning e.g. tools’ minimum radii, die/punch clearance, press speed, process temperature, etc. and in relation with the material type, the sheet thickness and the quality achieved from the trials. Using data from the shop floor trials and forming theory data, ANNs models can be trained and created, and can be used to estimate processes and tools final details, hence supporting efficient set-up of processes and tools before mass production starts. The proposed ANNs methodology and the respective software system are implemented within the EU H2020 project LoCoMaTech for the aluminium-based sheet forming process HFQ (solution Heat treatment, cold die Forming and Quenching).
Risk-based Strategy to Determine Testing Requirement for the Removal of Residual Process Reagents as Process-related Impurities in Bioprocesses.

PubMed

Qiu, Jinshu; Li, Kim; Miller, Karen; Raghani, Anil

2015-01-01

The purpose of this article is to recommend a risk-based strategy for determining clearance testing requirements of the process reagents used in manufacturing biopharmaceutical products. The strategy takes account of four risk factors. Firstly, the process reagents are classified into two categories according to their safety profile and history of use: generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and potential safety concern (PSC) reagents. The clearance testing of GRAS reagents can be eliminated because of their safe use historically and process capability to remove these reagents. An estimated safety margin (Se) value, a ratio of the exposure limit to the estimated maximum reagent amount, is then used to evaluate the necessity for testing the PSC reagents at an early development stage. The Se value is calculated from two risk factors, the starting PSC reagent amount per maximum product dose (Me), and the exposure limit (Le). A worst-case scenario is assumed to estimate the Me value, that is common. The PSC reagent of interest is co-purified with the product and no clearance occurs throughout the entire purification process. No clearance testing is required for this PSC reagent if its Se value is ≥1; otherwise clearance testing is needed. Finally, the point of the process reagent introduction to the process is also considered in determining the necessity of the clearance testing for process reagents. How to use the measured safety margin as a criterion for determining PSC reagent testing at process characterization, process validation, and commercial production stages are also described. A large number of process reagents are used in the biopharmaceutical manufacturing to control the process performance. Clearance testing for all of the process reagents will be an enormous analytical task. In this article, a risk-based strategy is described to eliminate unnecessary clearance testing for majority of the process reagents using four risk factors. The risk factors included in the strategy are (i) safety profile of the reagents, (ii) the starting amount of the process reagents used in the manufacturing process, (iii) the maximum dose of the product, and (iv) the point of introduction of the process reagents in the process. The implementation of the risk-based strategy can eliminate clearance testing for approximately 90% of the process reagents used in the manufacturing processes. This science-based strategy allows us to ensure patient safety and meet regulatory agency expectations throughout the product development life cycle. © PDA, Inc. 2015.
EVALUATING POLLUTION PREVENTION PROGRESS (P2P) III: AN ENVIRONMENTAL TOOL FOR SCREENING IN PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT AND CHEMICAL PROCESS DESIGN

EPA Science Inventory

P2P is a computer-based tool that supports the comparison of process and product alternatives in terms of environmental impacts. This tool provides screening-level information for use in process design and in product LCA. Twenty one impact categories and data for approximately ...
Challenges in Introducing New Products: A Case Study on the New Product Development Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rankin, Robert; Mintu-Wimsatt, Alma

2017-01-01

The case is based on an actual product introduction, and is designed to provide instruction on the new product development process. With the cost to launch new products estimated at least US $15 million and new product failure rates ranging from 40% to 80%, it is imperative that students learn how to determine the financial and market feasibility…
Introduction to Session 5

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zullo, Luca; Snyder, Seth W.

Production of bio-based products that are cost competitive in the market place requires well-developed operations that include innovative processes and separation solutions. Separations costs can make the difference between an interesting laboratory project and a successful commercial process. Bioprocessing and separations research and development addresses some of the most significant cost barriers in production of bioffuels and bio-based chemicals. Models of integrated biorefineries indicate that success will require production of higher volume fuels in conjunction with high margin chemical products. Addressing the bioprocessing and separations cost barriers will be critical to the overall success of the integrated biorefinery.
Process engineering economics of bioethanol production.

PubMed

Galbe, Mats; Sassner, Per; Wingren, Anders; Zacchi, Guido

2007-01-01

This work presents a review of studies on the process economics of ethanol production from lignocellulosic materials published since 1996. Our objective was to identify the most costly process steps and the impact of various parameters on the final production cost, e.g. plant capacity, raw material cost, and overall product yield, as well as process configuration. The variation in estimated ethanol production cost is considerable, ranging from about 0.13 to 0.81 US$ per liter ethanol. This can be explained to a large extent by actual process differences and variations in the assumptions underlying the techno-economic evaluations. The most important parameters for the economic outcome are the feedstock cost, which varied between 30 and 90 US$ per metric ton in the papers studied, and the plant capacity, which influences the capital cost. To reduce the ethanol production cost it is necessary to reach high ethanol yields, as well as a high ethanol concentration during fermentation, to be able to decrease the energy required for distillation and other downstream process steps. Improved pretreatment methods, enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis with cheaper and more effective enzymes, as well as improved fermentation systems present major research challenges if we are to make lignocellulose-based ethanol production competitive with sugar- and starch-based ethanol. Process integration, either internally or externally with other types of plants, e.g. heat and power plants, also offers a way of reducing the final ethanol production cost.
Process-based Cost Estimation for Ramjet/Scramjet Engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Brijendra; Torres, Felix; Nesman, Miles; Reynolds, John

2003-01-01

Process-based cost estimation plays a key role in effecting cultural change that integrates distributed science, technology and engineering teams to rapidly create innovative and affordable products. Working together, NASA Glenn Research Center and Boeing Canoga Park have developed a methodology of process-based cost estimation bridging the methodologies of high-level parametric models and detailed bottoms-up estimation. The NASA GRC/Boeing CP process-based cost model provides a probabilistic structure of layered cost drivers. High-level inputs characterize mission requirements, system performance, and relevant economic factors. Design alternatives are extracted from a standard, product-specific work breakdown structure to pre-load lower-level cost driver inputs and generate the cost-risk analysis. As product design progresses and matures the lower level more detailed cost drivers can be re-accessed and the projected variation of input values narrowed, thereby generating a progressively more accurate estimate of cost-risk. Incorporated into the process-based cost model are techniques for decision analysis, specifically, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and functional utility analysis. Design alternatives may then be evaluated not just on cost-risk, but also user defined performance and schedule criteria. This implementation of full-trade study support contributes significantly to the realization of the integrated development environment. The process-based cost estimation model generates development and manufacturing cost estimates. The development team plans to expand the manufacturing process base from approximately 80 manufacturing processes to over 250 processes. Operation and support cost modeling is also envisioned. Process-based estimation considers the materials, resources, and processes in establishing cost-risk and rather depending on weight as an input, actually estimates weight along with cost and schedule.
Feasibility study of an Integrated Program for Aerospace vehicle Design (IPAD). Volume 1A: Summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, R. E., Jr.; Redhed, D. D.; Kawaguchi, A. S.; Hansen, S. D.; Southall, J. W.

1973-01-01

IPAD was defined as a total system oriented to the product design process. This total system was designed to recognize the product design process, individuals and their design process tasks, and the computer-based IPAD System to aid product design. Principal elements of the IPAD System include the host computer and its interactive system software, new executive and data management software, and an open-ended IPAD library of technical programs to match the intended product design process. The basic goal of the IPAD total system is to increase the productivity of the product design organization. Increases in individual productivity were feasible through automation and computer support of routine information handling. Such proven automation can directly decrease cost and flowtime in the product design process.

Optimizing the availability of a buffered industrial process

DOEpatents

Martz, Jr., Harry F.; Hamada, Michael S.; Koehler, Arthur J.; Berg, Eric C.

2004-08-24

A computer-implemented process determines optimum configuration parameters for a buffered industrial process. A population size is initialized by randomly selecting a first set of design and operation values associated with subsystems and buffers of the buffered industrial process to form a set of operating parameters for each member of the population. An availability discrete event simulation (ADES) is performed on each member of the population to determine the product-based availability of each member. A new population is formed having members with a second set of design and operation values related to the first set of design and operation values through a genetic algorithm and the product-based availability determined by the ADES. Subsequent population members are then determined by iterating the genetic algorithm with product-based availability determined by ADES to form improved design and operation values from which the configuration parameters are selected for the buffered industrial process.
All-solid-state lithium-ion and lithium metal batteries - paving the way to large-scale production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnell, Joscha; Günther, Till; Knoche, Thomas; Vieider, Christoph; Köhler, Larissa; Just, Alexander; Keller, Marlou; Passerini, Stefano; Reinhart, Gunther

2018-04-01

Challenges and requirements for the large-scale production of all-solid-state lithium-ion and lithium metal batteries are herein evaluated via workshops with experts from renowned research institutes, material suppliers, and automotive manufacturers. Aiming to bridge the gap between materials research and industrial mass production, possible solutions for the production chains of sulfide and oxide based all-solid-state batteries from electrode fabrication to cell assembly and quality control are presented. Based on these findings, a detailed comparison of the production processes for a sulfide based all-solid-state battery with conventional lithium-ion cell production is given, showing that processes for composite electrode fabrication can be adapted with some effort, while the fabrication of the solid electrolyte separator layer and the integration of a lithium metal anode will require completely new processes. This work identifies the major steps towards mass production of all-solid-state batteries, giving insight into promising manufacturing technologies and helping stakeholders, such as machine engineering, cell producers, and original equipment manufacturers, to plan the next steps towards safer batteries with increased storage capacity.
Downstream processing and chromatography based analytical methods for production of vaccines, gene therapy vectors, and bacteriophages.

PubMed

Kramberger, Petra; Urbas, Lidija; Štrancar, Aleš

2015-01-01

Downstream processing of nanoplexes (viruses, virus-like particles, bacteriophages) is characterized by complexity of the starting material, number of purification methods to choose from, regulations that are setting the frame for the final product and analytical methods for upstream and downstream monitoring. This review gives an overview on the nanoplex downstream challenges and chromatography based analytical methods for efficient monitoring of the nanoplex production.
Downstream processing and chromatography based analytical methods for production of vaccines, gene therapy vectors, and bacteriophages

PubMed Central

Kramberger, Petra; Urbas, Lidija; Štrancar, Aleš

2015-01-01

Downstream processing of nanoplexes (viruses, virus-like particles, bacteriophages) is characterized by complexity of the starting material, number of purification methods to choose from, regulations that are setting the frame for the final product and analytical methods for upstream and downstream monitoring. This review gives an overview on the nanoplex downstream challenges and chromatography based analytical methods for efficient monitoring of the nanoplex production. PMID:25751122
Aerospace Engineering Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanDalsem, William R.; Livingston, Mary E.; Melton, John E.; Torres, Francisco J.; Stremel, Paul M.

1999-01-01

Continuous improvement of aerospace product development processes is a driving requirement across much of the aerospace community. As up to 90% of the cost of an aerospace product is committed during the first 10% of the development cycle, there is a strong emphasis on capturing, creating, and communicating better information (both requirements and performance) early in the product development process. The community has responded by pursuing the development of computer-based systems designed to enhance the decision-making capabilities of product development individuals and teams. Recently, the historical foci on sharing the geometrical representation and on configuration management are being augmented: Physics-based analysis tools for filling the design space database; Distributed computational resources to reduce response time and cost; Web-based technologies to relieve machine-dependence; and Artificial intelligence technologies to accelerate processes and reduce process variability. Activities such as the Advanced Design Technologies Testbed (ADTT) project at NASA Ames Research Center study the strengths and weaknesses of the technologies supporting each of these trends, as well as the overall impact of the combination of these trends on a product development event. Lessons learned and recommendations for future activities will be reported.
Atypical forest products, processes, and uses: a developing component of National Forest management

Treesearch

Mike Higgs; John Sebelius; Mike Miller

1995-01-01

The silvicultural practices prescribed under an ecosystem management regimen will alter the volume and character of National Forests' marketable raw material base. This alteration will affect forest-dependent communities that have traditionally relied upon these resources for their economic and social well being. Community based atypical forest products, processes...
Process quality planning of quality function deployment for carrot syrup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekawati, Yurida; Noya, Sunday; Widjaja, Filemon

2017-06-01

Carrot products are rarely available in the market. Based on previous research that had been done using QFD to generate product design of carrots products, the research to produce the process quality planning had been carried out. The carrot product studied was carrot syrup. The research resulted in a process planning matrix for carrot syrup. The matrix gives information about critical process plan and the priority of the critical process plan. The critical process plan on the production process of carrot syrup consists of carrots sorting, carrots peeling, carrots washing, blanching process, carrots cutting, the making of pureed carrots, filtering carrot juice, the addition of sugar in carrot juice, the addition of food additives in carrot juice, syrup boiling, syrup filtering, syrup filling into the bottle, the bottle closure and cooling. The information will help the design of the production process of carrot syrup.
Integrated Biorefineries with Engineered Microbes and High-value Co-products for Profitable Biofuels Production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

First-generation (ie., corn-based) fuel ethanol production processes provide several advantages which could be synergistically applied to overcome limitations of second-generation biofuel processes from lignocellulose. These include resources such as equipment, manpower, nutrients, water, and heat....
Stand-alone and biorefinery pathways to produce hydrogen through gasification and dark fermentation using Pinus Patula.

PubMed

García, Carlos A; Betancourt, Ramiro; Cardona, Carlos A

2017-12-01

New efforts in the search of alternative clean and renewable energy to replace the current energy precursors have been assessed in order to reduce emissions to the environment. Lignocellulosic Biomass (LB) can be used to produce bioenergy due to its high energy potential and availability. Different ways are proposed for the transformation of these residues into high added-value products. Thermochemical and biochemical technologies are the most interest concepts focusing on the use of biomass as source for energy production at positive net balances. This study presents the techno-economic, energy and environmental assessment of five scenarios for the hydrogen production through gasification and dark fermentation based on the biorefinery and stand-alone concepts. The results demonstrated that the production of hydrogen based on the concept of a biorefinery can improve the profitability, energy efficiency and reduce the emissions of the processes compared to that based on the stand-alone way. The selection of ethanol and electricity as valuable co-products of the biorefinery in the hydrogen production process confirmed that the process scale and products diversity makes possible a flexible and suitable process to produce hydrogen and other energy carriers from Pinus Patula. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Performance excellence: using Lean Six Sigma tools to improve the US Army behavioral health surveillance process, boost team morale, and maximize value to customers and stakeholders.

PubMed

Watkins, Eren Youmans; Kemeter, Dave M; Spiess, Anita; Corrigan, Elizabeth; Kateley, Keri; Wills, John V; Mancha, Brent Edward; Nichols, Jerrica; Bell, Amy Millikan

2014-01-01

Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is a process improvement, problem-solving methodology used in business and manufacturing to improve the speed, quality, and cost of products. LSS can also be used to improve knowledge-based products integral to public health surveillance. An LSS project by the Behavioral Social Health Outcomes Program of the Army Institute of Public Health reduced the number of labor hours spent producing the routine surveillance of suicidal behavior publication. At baseline, the total number of labor hours was 448; after project completion, total labor hours were 199. Based on customer feedback, publication production was reduced from quarterly to annually. Process improvements enhanced group morale and established best practices in the form of standard operating procedures and business rules to ensure solutions are sustained. LSS project participation also fostered a change in the conceptualization of tasks and projects. These results demonstrate that LSS can be used to inform the public health process and should be considered a viable method of improving knowledge-based products and processes.
Developing and commercializing sustainable new wood products : a process for identifying viable products.

Treesearch

Gordon A. Enk; Stuart L. Hart

2003-01-01

A process was designed to evaluate the sustainability and potential marketability of USDA Forest Service patented technologies. The process was designed and tested jointly by the University of North Carolina, the University of Michigan, Partners for Strategic Change, and the USDA Forest Service. Two technologies were evaluated: a fiber-based product and a wood fiber/...
Dissipation of Electrical Energy in Submerged Arc Furnaces Producing Silicomanganese and High-Carbon Ferromanganese

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steenkamp, Joalet Dalene; Hockaday, Christopher James; Gous, Johan Petrus; Nzima, Thabo Witness

2017-09-01

Submerged-arc furnace technology is applied in the primary production of ferroalloys. Electrical energy is dissipated to the process via a combination of arcing and resistive heating. In processes where a crater forms between the charge zone and the reaction zone, electrical energy is dissipated mainly through arcing, e.g., in coke-bed based processes, through resistive heating. Plant-based measurements from a device called "Arcmon" indicated that in silicomanganese (SiMn) production, at times up to 15% of the electrical energy used is transferred by arcing, 30% in high-carbon ferromanganese (HCFeMn) production, compared with 5% in ferrochromium and 60% in ferrosilicon production. On average, the arcing is much less at 3% in SiMn and 5% in HCFeMn production.
GREEN CHEMISTRY. Shape-selective zeolite catalysis for bioplastics production.

PubMed

Dusselier, Michiel; Van Wouwe, Pieter; Dewaele, Annelies; Jacobs, Pierre A; Sels, Bert F

2015-07-03

Biodegradable and renewable polymers, such as polylactic acid, are benign alternatives for petrochemical-based plastics. Current production of polylactic acid via its key building block lactide, the cyclic dimer of lactic acid, is inefficient in terms of energy, time, and feedstock use. We present a direct zeolite-based catalytic process, which converts lactic acid into lactide. The shape-selective properties of zeolites are essential to attain record lactide yields, outperforming those of the current multistep process by avoiding both racemization and side-product formation. The highly productive process is strengthened by facile recovery and practical reactivation of the catalyst, which remains structurally fit during at least six consecutive reactions, and by the ease of solvent and side-product recycling. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Optimization and cost estimation of novel wheat biorefining for continuous production of fermentation feedstock.

PubMed

Arifeen, Najmul; Wang, Ruohang; Kookos, Ioannis; Webb, Colin; Koutinas, Apostolis A

2007-01-01

A wheat-based continuous process for the production of a nutrient-complete feedstock for bioethanol production by yeast fermentation has been cost-optimized. This process could substitute for the current wheat dry milling process employed in industry for bioethanol production. Each major wheat component (bran, gluten, starch) is extracted and processed for different end-uses. The separate stages, liquefaction and saccharification, used currently in industry for starch hydrolysis have been integrated into a simplified continuous process by exploiting the complex enzymatic consortium produced by on-site fungal bioconversions. A process producing 120 m3 h-1 nutrient-complete feedstock for bioethanol production containing 250 g L-1 glucose and 0.85 g L-1 free amino nitrogen would result in a production cost of $0.126/kg glucose.
An RFID-Based Manufacturing Control Framework for Loosely Coupled Distributed Manufacturing System Supporting Mass Customization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ruey-Shun; Tsai, Yung-Shun; Tu, Arthur

In this study we propose a manufacturing control framework based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology and a distributed information system to construct a mass-customization production process in a loosely coupled shop-floor control environment. On the basis of this framework, we developed RFID middleware and an integrated information system for tracking and controlling the manufacturing process flow. A bicycle manufacturer was used to demonstrate the prototype system. The findings of this study were that the proposed framework can improve the visibility and traceability of the manufacturing process as well as enhance process quality control and real-time production pedigree access. Using this framework, an enterprise can easily integrate an RFID-based system into its manufacturing environment to facilitate mass customization and a just-in-time production model.
Fiberboard and hardboard research at the Forest Products Laboratory : a 50-year summary

Treesearch

Gary C. Myers; J. Dobbin McNatt

1985-01-01

Many changes have occurred in the fiber-based panel products industries during the past 50 years. During this timespan the Forest Products Laboratory has conducted a considerable amount of research on processing and product evaluation of fiber-based panel product materials. Unfortunately about 26 percent of this information was never published. completed during this...
30 CFR 1227.400 - What functions may a State perform in processing production reports or royalty reports?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... date stamping production reports or royalty reports; (2) Processing production or royalty data to allow entry into a data base; (3) Creating copies of reports by means such as electronic imaging; (4) Timely transmitting production report or royalty report data to ONRR and other affected Federal agencies as provided...
Citrus Waste Biomass Program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karel Grohman; Scott Stevenson

Renewable Spirits is developing an innovative pilot plant bio-refinery to establish the commercial viability of ehtanol production utilizing a processing waste from citrus juice production. A novel process based on enzymatic hydrolysis of citrus processing waste and fermentation of resulting sugars to ethanol by yeasts was successfully developed in collaboration with a CRADA partner, USDA/ARS Citrus and Subtropical Products Laboratory. The process was also successfully scaled up from laboratory scale to 10,000 gal fermentor level.
Hydrogen Production from Nuclear Energy via High Temperature Electrolysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

James E. O'Brien; Carl M. Stoots; J. Stephen Herring

2006-04-01

This paper presents the technical case for high-temperature nuclear hydrogen production. A general thermodynamic analysis of hydrogen production based on high-temperature thermal water splitting processes is presented. Specific details of hydrogen production based on high-temperature electrolysis are also provided, including results of recent experiments performed at the Idaho National Laboratory. Based on these results, high-temperature electrolysis appears to be a promising technology for efficient large-scale hydrogen production.
IPL Processing of the Viking Orbiter Images of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruiz, R. M.; Elliott, D. A.; Yagi, G. M.; Pomphrey, R. B.; Power, M. A.; Farrell, W., Jr.; Lorre, J. J.; Benton, W. D.; Dewar, R. E.; Cullen, L. E.

1977-01-01

The Viking orbiter cameras returned over 9000 images of Mars during the 6-month nominal mission. Digital image processing was required to produce products suitable for quantitative and qualitative scientific interpretation. Processing included the production of surface elevation data using computer stereophotogrammetric techniques, crater classification based on geomorphological characteristics, and the generation of color products using multiple black-and-white images recorded through spectral filters. The Image Processing Laboratory of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory was responsible for the design, development, and application of the software required to produce these 'second-order' products.

[Monitoring method of extraction process for Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus based on near infrared spectroscopy and multivariate statistical process control].

PubMed

Xu, Min; Zhang, Lei; Yue, Hong-Shui; Pang, Hong-Wei; Ye, Zheng-Liang; Ding, Li

2017-10-01

To establish an on-line monitoring method for extraction process of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus, the formula medicinal material of Yiqi Fumai lyophilized injection by combining near infrared spectroscopy with multi-variable data analysis technology. The multivariate statistical process control (MSPC) model was established based on 5 normal batches in production and 2 test batches were monitored by PC scores, DModX and Hotelling T2 control charts. The results showed that MSPC model had a good monitoring ability for the extraction process. The application of the MSPC model to actual production process could effectively achieve on-line monitoring for extraction process of Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus, and can reflect the change of material properties in the production process in real time. This established process monitoring method could provide reference for the application of process analysis technology in the process quality control of traditional Chinese medicine injections. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.
Car painting process scheduling with harmony search algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syahputra, M. F.; Maiyasya, A.; Purnamawati, S.; Abdullah, D.; Albra, W.; Heikal, M.; Abdurrahman, A.; Khaddafi, M.

2018-02-01

Automotive painting program in the process of painting the car body by using robot power, making efficiency in the production system. Production system will be more efficient if pay attention to scheduling of car order which will be done by considering painting body shape of car. Flow shop scheduling is a scheduling model in which the job-job to be processed entirely flows in the same product direction / path. Scheduling problems often arise if there are n jobs to be processed on the machine, which must be specified which must be done first and how to allocate jobs on the machine to obtain a scheduled production process. Harmony Search Algorithm is a metaheuristic optimization algorithm based on music. The algorithm is inspired by observations that lead to music in search of perfect harmony. This musical harmony is in line to find optimal in the optimization process. Based on the tests that have been done, obtained the optimal car sequence with minimum makespan value.
Agile science: creating useful products for behavior change in the real world.

PubMed

Hekler, Eric B; Klasnja, Predrag; Riley, William T; Buman, Matthew P; Huberty, Jennifer; Rivera, Daniel E; Martin, Cesar A

2016-06-01

Evidence-based practice is important for behavioral interventions but there is debate on how best to support real-world behavior change. The purpose of this paper is to define products and a preliminary process for efficiently and adaptively creating and curating a knowledge base for behavior change for real-world implementation. We look to evidence-based practice suggestions and draw parallels to software development. We argue to target three products: (1) the smallest, meaningful, self-contained, and repurposable behavior change modules of an intervention; (2) "computational models" that define the interaction between modules, individuals, and context; and (3) "personalization" algorithms, which are decision rules for intervention adaptation. The "agile science" process includes a generation phase whereby contender operational definitions and constructs of the three products are created and assessed for feasibility and an evaluation phase, whereby effect size estimates/casual inferences are created. The process emphasizes early-and-often sharing. If correct, agile science could enable a more robust knowledge base for behavior change.
POLLUTION BALANCE: A NEW METHODOLOGY FOR MINIMIZING WASTE PRODUCTION IN MANUFACTURING PROCESSES.

EPA Science Inventory

A new methodolgy based on a generic pollution balance equation, has been developed for minimizing waste production in manufacturing processes. A "pollution index," defined as the mass of waste produced per unit mass of a product, has been introduced to provide a quantitative meas...
Talking about Service-Learning: Product or Process? Reciprocity or Solidarity?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clifford, Joan

2017-01-01

Through an exploration of values of the neoliberal university and critical service-learning, this article explores how associating service-learning with products and relationships based on reciprocity negatively impacts its connection to social justice. By emphasizing the constructs of process and solidarity, instead of products and reciprocity,…
Products and Processes: Synergistic Relationships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Virginia; Husid, Whitney

2013-01-01

Most people agree that products are the culmination of what students have studied. For this article, "product" will refer to students' abilities to create outcomes and design artifacts. Those abilities are guided by four processes: inquiry-based learning, use of a research model, use of Web 2.0 tools, and appropriate assessments.…
Whole wheat bread: Effect of bran fractions on dough and end-product quality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Consumption of whole-wheat based products is encouraged due to its important nutritional elements that beneficial to human health. However, processing of whole-wheat based products, such as whole-wheat bread, results in poor end-product quality. Bran was postulated as the major problem. In this stud...
A novel multimodal chromatography based single step purification process for efficient manufacturing of an E. coli based biotherapeutic protein product.

PubMed

Bhambure, Rahul; Gupta, Darpan; Rathore, Anurag S

2013-11-01

Methionine oxidized, reduced and fMet forms of a native recombinant protein product are often the critical product variants which are associated with proteins expressed as bacterial inclusion bodies in E. coli. Such product variants differ from native protein in their structural and functional aspects, and may lead to loss of biological activity and immunogenic response in patients. This investigation focuses on evaluation of multimodal chromatography for selective removal of these product variants using recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF) as the model protein. Unique selectivity in separation of closely related product variants was obtained using combined pH and salt based elution gradients in hydrophobic charge induction chromatography. Simultaneous removal of process related impurities was also achieved in flow-through leading to single step purification process for the GCSF. Results indicate that the product recovery of up to 90.0% can be obtained with purity levels of greater than 99.0%. Binding the target protein at pH
Platform based design of EAP transducers in Danfoss PolyPower A/S

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarban, Rahimullah; Gudlaugsson, Tómas V.

2013-04-01

Electroactive Polymer (EAP) has gained increasing focus, in research communities, in last two decades. Research within the field of EAP has, so far, been mainly focused on material improvements, characterization, modeling and developing demonstrators. As the EAP technology matures, the need for a new area of research namely product development emerges. Product development can be based on an isolated design and production for a single product or platform design where a product family is developed. In platform design the families of products exploits commonality of platform modules while satisfying a variety of different market segments. Platform based approach has the primary benefit of being cost efficient and short lead time to market when new products emerges. Products development based on EAP technology is challenging both technologically as well as from production and processing point of view. Both the technological and processing challenges need to be addressed before a successful implementation of EAP technology into products. Based on this need Danfoss PolyPower A/S has, in 2011, launched a EAP platform project in collaboration with three Danish universities and three commercial organizations. The aim of the project is to develop platform based designs and product family for the EAP components to be used in variety of applications. This paper presents the structure of the platform project as a whole and specifically the platform based designs of EAP transducers. The underlying technologies, essential for EAP transducers, are also presented. Conceptual design and solution for the concepts are presented as well.
Analysis of the production process of optically pure D-lactic acid from raw glycerol using engineered Escherichia coli strains.

PubMed

Posada, John A; Cardona, Carlos A; Gonzalez, Ramon

2012-02-01

Glycerol has become an ideal feedstock for producing fuels and chemicals. Here, five technological schemes for optically pure D: -lactic acid production from raw glycerol were designed, simulated, and economically assessed based on five fermentative scenarios using engineered Escherichia coli strains. Fermentative scenarios considered different qualities of glycerol (pure, 98 wt.%, and crude, 85 wt.%) with concentrations ranging from 20 to 60 g/l in the fermentation media, and two fermentation stages were also analyzed. Raw glycerol (60 wt.%) was considered as the feedstock feeding the production process in all cases; then a purification process of raw glycerol up to the required quality was required. Simulation processes were carried out using Aspen Plus, while economic assessments were performed using Aspen Icarus Process Evaluator. D: -Lactic acid recovery and purification processes were based on reactive extraction with tri-n-octylamine using dichloromethane as active extractant agent. The use of raw glycerol represents only between 2.4% and 7.8% of the total production costs. Also, the total production costs obtained of D: -lactic acid in all cases were lower than its sale price indicating that these processes are potentially profitable. Thus, the best configuration process requires the use of crude glycerol diluted at 40 g/l with total glycerol consumption and with D: -lactic acid recovering by reactive extraction. The lowest obtained total production cost was 1.015 US$/kg with a sale price/production cost ratio of 1.53.
Guidance for Selecting Legitimate Recycling Products and Processes

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-10-23

information you have provided on the GIL glassification process for electric arc furnace ( EAF ) dust or K061 when the EAF dust is a hazardous waste. Based on the...regarding the regulatory status of the GIL process and glass frit product has been whether EAF dust incorporated into GIL glass frit meets the definition...emission control dust from a primary copper smelter could be returned to any part of the process associated with copper production. The material also cannot
Value-Added Dairy Products from Grass-Based Dairy Farms: A Case Study in Vermont

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Qingbin; Parsons, Robert; Colby, Jennifer; Castle, Jeffrey

2016-01-01

On-farm processing of value-added dairy products can be a way for small dairy farms to diversify production and increase revenue. This article examines characteristics of three groups of Vermont farmers who have grass-based dairy farms--those producing value-added dairy products, those interested in such products, and those not interested in such…
A Quality Assurance Initiative for Commercial-Scale Production in High-Throughput Cryopreservation of Blue Catfish Sperm

PubMed Central

Hu, E; Liao, T. W.; Tiersch, T. R.

2013-01-01

Cryopreservation of fish sperm has been studied for decades at a laboratory (research) scale. However, high-throughput cryopreservation of fish sperm has recently been developed to enable industrial-scale production. This study treated blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) sperm high-throughput cryopreservation as a manufacturing production line and initiated quality assurance plan development. The main objectives were to identify: 1) the main production quality characteristics; 2) the process features for quality assurance; 3) the internal quality characteristics and their specification designs; 4) the quality control and process capability evaluation methods, and 5) the directions for further improvements and applications. The essential product quality characteristics were identified as fertility-related characteristics. Specification design which established the tolerance levels according to demand and process constraints was performed based on these quality characteristics. Meanwhile, to ensure integrity throughout the process, internal quality characteristics (characteristics at each quality control point within process) that could affect fertility-related quality characteristics were defined with specifications. Due to the process feature of 100% inspection (quality inspection of every fish), a specific calculation method, use of cumulative sum (CUSUM) control charts, was applied to monitor each quality characteristic. An index of overall process evaluation, process capacity, was analyzed based on in-control process and the designed specifications, which further integrates the quality assurance plan. With the established quality assurance plan, the process could operate stably and quality of products would be reliable. PMID:23872356
Dimensional Precision Research of Wax Molding Rapid Prototyping based on Droplet Injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mingji, Huang; Geng, Wu; yan, Shan

2017-11-01

The traditional casting process is complex, the mold is essential products, mold quality directly affect the quality of the product. With the method of rapid prototyping 3D printing to produce mold prototype. The utility wax model has the advantages of high speed, low cost and complex structure. Using the orthogonal experiment as the main method, analysis each factors of size precision. The purpose is to obtain the optimal process parameters, to improve the dimensional accuracy of production based on droplet injection molding.
Validation of column-based chromatography processes for the purification of proteins. Technical report No. 14.

PubMed

2008-01-01

PDA Technical Report No. 14 has been written to provide current best practices, such as application of risk-based decision making, based in sound science to provide a foundation for the validation of column-based chromatography processes and to expand upon information provided in Technical Report No. 42, Process Validation of Protein Manufacturing. The intent of this technical report is to provide an integrated validation life-cycle approach that begins with the use of process development data for the definition of operational parameters as a basis for validation, confirmation, and/or minor adjustment to these parameters at manufacturing scale during production of conformance batches and maintenance of the validated state throughout the product's life cycle.
New approaches to digital transformation of petrochemical production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andieva, E. Y.; Kapelyuhovskaya, A. A.

2017-08-01

The newest concepts of the reference architecture of digital industrial transformation are considered, the problems of their application for the enterprises having in their life cycle oil products processing and marketing are revealed. The concept of the reference architecture, providing a systematic representation of the fundamental changes in the approaches to production management based on the automation of production process control is proposed.
NASA Space Engineering Research Center for Utilization of Local Planetary Resources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramohalli, Kumar; Lewis, John S.

1991-01-01

In the processing of propellants, volatiles, and metals subject area, the following topics are discussed: reduction of lunar regolith; reduction of carbon dioxide; and reduction of carbonaceous materials. Other areas addressed include: (1) production of structural and refractory materials; (2) resource discovery and characterization; (3) system automation and optimization; and (4) database development. The majority of these topics are discussed with respect to the development of lunar and mars bases. Some main topics of interest include: asteroid resources, lunar resources, mars resources, materials processing, construction materials, propellant production, oxygen production, and space-based oxygen production plants.
A multiplex PCR mini-barcode assay to identify processed shark products in the global trade

PubMed Central

Fields, Andrew; Abercrombie, Debra; Feldheim, Kevin; Shea, Stanley K. H.; Chapman, Demian D.

2017-01-01

Protecting sharks from overexploitation has become global priority after widespread population declines have occurred. Tracking catches and trade on a species-specific basis has proven challenging, in part due to difficulties in identifying processed shark products such as fins, meat, and liver oil. This has hindered efforts to implement regulations aimed at promoting sustainable use of commercially important species and protection of imperiled species. Genetic approaches to identify shark products exist but are typically based on sequencing or amplifying large DNA regions and may fail to work on heavily processed products in which DNA is degraded. Here, we describe a novel multiplex PCR mini-barcode assay based on two short fragments of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. This assay can identify to species all sharks currently listed on the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and most shark species present in the international trade. It achieves species diagnosis based on a single PCR and one to two downstream DNA sequencing reactions. The assay is capable of identifying highly processed shark products including fins, cooked shark fin soup, and skin-care products containing liver oil. This is a straightforward and reliable identification method for data collection and enforcement of regulations implemented for certain species at all governance levels. PMID:29020095
A multiplex PCR mini-barcode assay to identify processed shark products in the global trade.

PubMed

Cardeñosa, Diego; Fields, Andrew; Abercrombie, Debra; Feldheim, Kevin; Shea, Stanley K H; Chapman, Demian D

2017-01-01

Protecting sharks from overexploitation has become global priority after widespread population declines have occurred. Tracking catches and trade on a species-specific basis has proven challenging, in part due to difficulties in identifying processed shark products such as fins, meat, and liver oil. This has hindered efforts to implement regulations aimed at promoting sustainable use of commercially important species and protection of imperiled species. Genetic approaches to identify shark products exist but are typically based on sequencing or amplifying large DNA regions and may fail to work on heavily processed products in which DNA is degraded. Here, we describe a novel multiplex PCR mini-barcode assay based on two short fragments of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. This assay can identify to species all sharks currently listed on the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and most shark species present in the international trade. It achieves species diagnosis based on a single PCR and one to two downstream DNA sequencing reactions. The assay is capable of identifying highly processed shark products including fins, cooked shark fin soup, and skin-care products containing liver oil. This is a straightforward and reliable identification method for data collection and enforcement of regulations implemented for certain species at all governance levels.
Fulfillment of GMP standard, halal standard, and applying HACCP for production process of beef floss (Case study: Ksatria enterprise)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

A'diat, Arkan Addien Al; Liquiddanu, Eko; Laksono, Pringgo Widyo; Sutopo, Wahyudi; Suletra, I. Wayan

2018-02-01

Along with the increasing number of the modern retail business in Indonesia, give an opportunity to small and medium enterprise (SME) to sell its products through the modern retailer. There are some obstacles faced by the SMEs, one of them is about product standard. Product standard that must be owned by SMEs are GMP standard and halal standard. This research was conducted to know the fulfillment by the beef floss enterprise in jagalan in fulfilling the GMP standard and halal. In addition, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system was applied to analyze the process. HACCP which used in this research was based on the seven principles in SNI (Indonesian National Standard) 01-4852-1998. The seven principles included hazard analysis, critical control point (CCP) determination, critical limit establishment, CCP monitor system establishment, corrective action establishment, verification, and also documentation establishment that must be applied in preparing HACCP plan. Based on this case study, it is concluded that there were 5 CCPs : the boiling process, roasting process, frying process, the beef floss draining process, and the packaging process.

The experience factory: Can it make you a 5? or what is its relationship to other quality and improvement concepts?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basili, Victor R.

1992-01-01

The concepts of quality improvements have permeated many businesses. It is clear that the nineties will be the quality era for software and there is a growing need to develop or adapt quality improvement approaches to the software business. Thus we must understand software as an artifact and software as a business. Since the business we are dealing with is software, we must understand the nature of software and software development. The software discipline is evolutionary and experimental; it is a laboratory science. Software is development not production. The technologies of the discipline are human based. There is a lack of models that allow us to reason about the process and the product. All software is not the same; process is a variable, goals are variable, etc. Packaged, reusable, experiences require additional resources in the form of organization, processes, people, etc. There have been a variety of organizational frameworks proposed to improve quality for various businesses. The ones discussed in this presentation include: Plan-Do-Check-Act, a quality improvement process based upon a feedback cycle for optimizing a single process model/production line; the Experience Factory/Quality Improvement Paradigm, continuous improvements through the experimentation, packaging, and reuse of experiences based upon a business's needs; Total Quality Management, a management approach to long term success through customer satisfaction based on the participation of all members of an organization; the SEI capability maturity model, a staged process improvement based upon assessment with regard to a set of key process areas until you reach a level 5 which represents a continuous process improvement; and Lean (software) Development, a principle supporting the concentration of the production on 'value added' activities and the elimination of reduction of 'not value added' activities.
Aerospace Engineering Systems and the Advanced Design Technologies Testbed Experience

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VanDalsem, William R.; Livingston, Mary E.; Melton, John E.; Torres, Francisco J.; Stremel, Paul M.

1999-01-01

Continuous improvement of aerospace product development processes is a driving requirement across much of the aerospace community. As up to 90% of the cost of an aerospace product is committed during the first 10% of the development cycle, there is a strong emphasis on capturing, creating, and communicating better information (both requirements and performance) early in the product development process. The community has responded by pursuing the development of computer-based systems designed to enhance the decision-making capabilities of product development individuals and teams. Recently, the historical foci on sharing the geometrical representation and on configuration management are being augmented: 1) Physics-based analysis tools for filling the design space database; 2) Distributed computational resources to reduce response time and cost; 3) Web-based technologies to relieve machine-dependence; and 4) Artificial intelligence technologies to accelerate processes and reduce process variability. The Advanced Design Technologies Testbed (ADTT) activity at NASA Ames Research Center was initiated to study the strengths and weaknesses of the technologies supporting each of these trends, as well as the overall impact of the combination of these trends on a product development event. Lessons learned and recommendations for future activities are reported.
Mobile Technology and CAD Technology Integration in Teaching Architectural Design Process for Producing Creative Product

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bin Hassan, Isham Shah; Ismail, Mohd Arif; Mustafa, Ramlee

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of integrating the mobile and CAD technology on teaching architectural design process for Malaysian polytechnic architectural students in producing a creative product. The website is set up based on Caroll's minimal theory, while mobile and CAD technology integration is based on Brown and…
Production of apple-based baby food: changes in pesticide residues.

PubMed

Kovacova, Jana; Kocourek, Vladimir; Kohoutkova, Jana; Lansky, Miroslav; Hajslova, Jana

2014-01-01

Apples represent the main component of most fruit-based baby food products. Since not only fruit from organic farming, but also conventionally grown fruit is used for baby food production, the occurrence of pesticide residues in the final product is of high concern. To learn more about the fate of these hazardous compounds during processing of contaminated raw material, apples containing altogether 21 pesticide residues were used for preparation of a baby food purée both in the household and at industrial scale (in the baby food production facility). Within both studies, pesticide residues were determined in raw apples as well as in final products. Intermediate product and by-product were also analysed during the industrial process. Determination of residues was performed by a sensitive multi-detection analytical method based on liquid or gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The household procedure involved mainly the cooking of unpeeled apples, and the decrease of residues was not extensive enough for most of the studied pesticides; only residues of captan, dithianon and thiram dropped significantly (processing factors less than 0.04). On the other hand, changes in pesticide levels were substantial for all tested pesticides during apple processing in the industrial baby food production facility. The most important operation affecting the reduction of residues was removal of the by-products after pulping (rest of the peel, stem, pips etc.), while subsequent sterilisation has an insignificant effect. Also in this case, captan, dithianon and thiram were identified as pesticides with the most evident decrease of residues.
Application of CaO-Based Bed Material for Dual Fluidized Bed Steam Biomass Gasification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koppatz, S.; Pfeifer, C.; Kreuzeder, A.; Soukup, G.; Hofbauer, H.

Gasification of biomass is a suitable option for decentralized energy supply based on renewable sources in the range of up to 50 MW fuel input. The paper presents the dual fluidized bed (DFB) steam gasification process, which is applied to generate high quality and nitrogen-free product gas. Essential part of the DFB process is the bed material used in the fluidized reactors, which has significant impact on the product gas quality. By the use of catalytically active bed materials the performance of the overall process is increased, since the bed material favors reactions of the steam gasification. In particular, tar reforming reactions are favored. Within the paper, the pilot plant based on the DFB process with 100kW fuel input at Vienna University of Technology, Austria is presented. Actual investigations with focus on CaO-based bed materials (limestone) as well as with natural olivine as bed material were carried out at the pilot plant. The application of CaO-based bed material shows mainly decreased tar content in the product gas in contrast to experiments with olivine as bed material. The paper presents the results of steam gasification experiments with limestone and olivine, whereby the product gas composition as well as the tar content and the tar composition are outlined.
Measuring the impact of computer resource quality on the software development process and product

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgarry, Frank; Valett, Jon; Hall, Dana

1985-01-01

The availability and quality of computer resources during the software development process was speculated to have measurable, significant impact on the efficiency of the development process and the quality of the resulting product. Environment components such as the types of tools, machine responsiveness, and quantity of direct access storage may play a major role in the effort to produce the product and in its subsequent quality as measured by factors such as reliability and ease of maintenance. During the past six years, the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center has conducted experiments with software projects in an attempt to better understand the impact of software development methodologies, environments, and general technologies on the software process and product. Data was extracted and examined from nearly 50 software development projects. All were related to support of satellite flight dynamics ground-based computations. The relationship between computer resources and the software development process and product as exemplified by the subject NASA data was examined. Based upon the results, a number of computer resource-related implications are provided.
Assessment of potential life-cycle energy and greenhouse gas emission effects from using corn-based butanol as a transportation fuel.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, M.; Wang, M.; Liu, J.

2008-01-01

Since advances in the ABE (acetone-butanol-ethanol) fermentation process in recent years have led to significant increases in its productivity and yields, the production of butanol and its use in motor vehicles have become an option worth evaluating. This study estimates the potential life-cycle energy and emission effects associated with using bio-butanol as a transportation fuel. It employs a well-to-wheels (WTW) analysis tool: the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model. The estimates of life-cycle energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are based on an Aspen Plus(reg. sign) simulation for a corn-to-butanol production process, which describesmore » grain processing, fermentation, and product separation. Bio-butanol-related WTW activities include corn farming, corn transportation, butanol production, butanol transportation, and vehicle operation. In this study, we also analyzed the bio-acetone that is coproduced with bio-butanol as an alternative to petroleum-based acetone. We then compared the results for bio-butanol with those of conventional gasoline. Our study shows that driving vehicles fueled with corn-based butanol produced by the current ABE fermentation process could result in substantial fossil energy savings (39%-56%) and avoid large percentage of the GHG emission burden, yielding a 32%-48% reduction relative to using conventional gasoline. On energy basis, a bushel of corn produces less liquid fuel from the ABE process than that from the corn ethanol dry mill process. The coproduction of a significant portion of acetone from the current ABE fermentation presents a challenge. A market analysis of acetone, as well as research and development on robust alternative technologies and processes that minimize acetone while increase the butanol yield, should be conducted.« less
Assessment of potential life-cycle energy and greenhouse gas emission effects from using corn-based butanol as a transportation fuel.

PubMed

Wu, May; Wang, Michael; Liu, Jiahong; Huo, Hong

2008-01-01

Since advances in the ABE (acetone-butanol-ethanol) fermentation process in recent years have led to significant increases in its productivity and yields, the production of butanol and its use in motor vehicles have become an option worth evaluating. This study estimates the potential life-cycle energy and emission effects associated with using bio-butanol as a transportation fuel. It employs a well-to-wheels (WTW) analysis tool: the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model. The estimates of life-cycle energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are based on an Aspen Plus(R) simulation for a corn-to-butanol production process, which describes grain processing, fermentation, and product separation. Bio-butanol-related WTW activities include corn farming, corn transportation, butanol production, butanol transportation, and vehicle operation. In this study, we also analyzed the bio-acetone that is coproduced with bio-butanol as an alternative to petroleum-based acetone. We then compared the results for bio-butanol with those of conventional gasoline. Our study shows that driving vehicles fueled with corn-based butanol produced by the current ABE fermentation process could result in substantial fossil energy savings (39%-56%) and avoid large percentage of the GHG emission burden, yielding a 32%-48% reduction relative to using conventional gasoline. On energy basis, a bushel of corn produces less liquid fuel from the ABE process than that from the corn ethanol dry mill process. The coproduction of a significant portion of acetone from the current ABE fermentation presents a challenge. A market analysis of acetone, as well as research and development on robust alternative technologies and processes that minimize acetone while increase the butanol yield, should be conducted.
New biofuel alternatives: integrating waste management and single cell oil production.

PubMed

Martínez, Elia Judith; Raghavan, Vijaya; González-Andrés, Fernando; Gómez, Xiomar

2015-04-24

Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions have increased research efforts into alternatives in bio-based processes. With regard to transport fuel, bioethanol and biodiesel are still the main biofuels used. It is expected that future production of these biofuels will be based on processes using either non-food competing biomasses, or characterised by low CO₂ emissions. Many microorganisms, such as microalgae, yeast, bacteria and fungi, have the ability to accumulate oils under special culture conditions. Microbial oils might become one of the potential feed-stocks for biodiesel production in the near future. The use of these oils is currently under extensive research in order to reduce production costs associated with the fermentation process, which is a crucial factor to increase economic feasibility. An important way to reduce processing costs is the use of wastes as carbon sources. The aim of the present review is to describe the main aspects related to the use of different oleaginous microorganisms for lipid production and their performance when using bio-wastes. The possibilities for combining hydrogen (H₂) and lipid production are also explored in an attempt for improving the economic feasibility of the process.
New Biofuel Alternatives: Integrating Waste Management and Single Cell Oil Production

PubMed Central

Martínez, Elia Judith; Raghavan, Vijaya; González-Andrés, Fernando; Gómez, Xiomar

2015-01-01

Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions have increased research efforts into alternatives in bio-based processes. With regard to transport fuel, bioethanol and biodiesel are still the main biofuels used. It is expected that future production of these biofuels will be based on processes using either non-food competing biomasses, or characterised by low CO2 emissions. Many microorganisms, such as microalgae, yeast, bacteria and fungi, have the ability to accumulate oils under special culture conditions. Microbial oils might become one of the potential feed-stocks for biodiesel production in the near future. The use of these oils is currently under extensive research in order to reduce production costs associated with the fermentation process, which is a crucial factor to increase economic feasibility. An important way to reduce processing costs is the use of wastes as carbon sources. The aim of the present review is to describe the main aspects related to the use of different oleaginous microorganisms for lipid production and their performance when using bio-wastes. The possibilities for combining hydrogen (H2) and lipid production are also explored in an attempt for improving the economic feasibility of the process. PMID:25918941
[Investigation on production process quality control of traditional Chinese medicine--Banlangen granule as an example].

PubMed

Tan, Manrong; Yan, Dan; Qiu, Lingling; Chen, Longhu; Yan, Yan; Jin, Cheng; Li, Hanbing; Xiao, Xiaohe

2012-04-01

For the quality management system of herbal medicines, intermediate and finished products it exists the " short board" effect of methodologies. Based on the concept of process control, new strategies and new methods of the production process quality control had been established with the consideration of the actual production of traditional Chinese medicine an the characteristics of Chinese medicine. Taking Banlangen granule as a practice example, which was effective and widespread application, character identification, determination of index components, chemical fingerprint and biometrics technology were sequentially used respectively to assess the quality of Banlangen herbal medicines, intermediate (water extraction and alcohol precipitation) and finished product. With the transfer rate of chemical information and biological potency as indicators, the effectiveness and transmission of the above different assessments and control methods had been researched. And ultimately, the process quality control methods of Banlangen granule, which were based on chemical composition analysis-biometric analysis, had been set up. It can not only validly solute the current status that there were many manufacturers varying quality of Banlangen granule, but also ensure and enhance its clinical efficacy. Furthermore it provided a foundation for the construction of the quality control of traditional Chinese medicine production process.
Recent patents for detecting the species of origin in animal feedstuff, and raw and processed meat products.

PubMed

Rogberg-Muñoz, Andrés; Posik, Diego M; Rípoli, María V; Falomir Lockhart, Agustín H; Peral-García, Pilar; Giovambattista, Guillermo

2013-04-01

The value of the traceability and labeling of food is attributable to two main aspects: health safety and/or product or process certification. The identification of the species related to meat production is still a major concern for economic, religious and health reasons. Many approaches and technologies have been used for species identification in animal feedstuff and food. The early methods for meat products identification include physical, anatomical, histological and chemical. Since 1970, a variety of methods were developed, these include electrophoresis (i.e. isoelectrofocusing), chromatography (i.e. HPLC), immunological techniques (i.e. ELISA), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Mass Spectrometry and PCR (DNA and RNA based methods). The recent patents on species detection in animal feedstuffs, raw meat and meat processed products, listed in this work, are mainly based on monoclonal antibodies and PCR, especially RT-PCR. The new developments under research are looking for more sensible, specific, less time consuming and quantitatively detection methods, which can be used in highly processed or heated treated meat food.
Assessment Methodology for Process Validation Lifecycle Stage 3A.

PubMed

Sayeed-Desta, Naheed; Pazhayattil, Ajay Babu; Collins, Jordan; Chen, Shu; Ingram, Marzena; Spes, Jana

2017-07-01

The paper introduces evaluation methodologies and associated statistical approaches for process validation lifecycle Stage 3A. The assessment tools proposed can be applied to newly developed and launched small molecule as well as bio-pharma products, where substantial process and product knowledge has been gathered. The following elements may be included in Stage 3A: number of 3A batch determination; evaluation of critical material attributes, critical process parameters, critical quality attributes; in vivo in vitro correlation; estimation of inherent process variability (IPV) and PaCS index; process capability and quality dashboard (PCQd); and enhanced control strategy. US FDA guidance on Process Validation: General Principles and Practices, January 2011 encourages applying previous credible experience with suitably similar products and processes. A complete Stage 3A evaluation is a valuable resource for product development and future risk mitigation of similar products and processes. Elements of 3A assessment were developed to address industry and regulatory guidance requirements. The conclusions made provide sufficient information to make a scientific and risk-based decision on product robustness.
Pathway-Based Analysis of Genome-Wide siRNA Screens Reveals the Regulatory Landscape of App Processing

PubMed Central

Camargo, Luiz Miguel; Zhang, Xiaohua Douglas; Loerch, Patrick; Caceres, Ramon Miguel; Marine, Shane D.; Uva, Paolo; Ferrer, Marc; de Rinaldis, Emanuele; Stone, David J.; Majercak, John; Ray, William J.; Yi-An, Chen; Shearman, Mark S.; Mizuguchi, Kenji

2015-01-01

The progressive aggregation of Amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brain is a major trait of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Aβ is produced as a result of proteolytic processing of the β-amyloid precursor protein (APP). Processing of APP is mediated by multiple enzymes, resulting in the production of distinct peptide products: the non-amyloidogenic peptide sAPPα and the amyloidogenic peptides sAPPβ, Aβ40, and Aβ42. Using a pathway-based approach, we analyzed a large-scale siRNA screen that measured the production of different APP proteolytic products. Our analysis identified many of the biological processes/pathways that are known to regulate APP processing and have been implicated in AD pathogenesis, as well as revealing novel regulatory mechanisms. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that some of these processes differentially regulate APP processing, with some mechanisms favouring production of certain peptide species over others. For example, synaptic transmission having a bias towards regulating Aβ40 production over Aβ42 as well as processes involved in insulin and pancreatic biology having a bias for sAPPβ production over sAPPα. In addition, some of the pathways identified as regulators of APP processing contain genes (CLU, BIN1, CR1, PICALM, TREM2, SORL1, MEF2C, DSG2, EPH1A) recently implicated with AD through genome wide association studies (GWAS) and associated meta-analysis. In addition, we provide supporting evidence and a deeper mechanistic understanding of the role of diabetes in AD. The identification of these processes/pathways, their differential impact on APP processing, and their relationships to each other, provide a comprehensive systems biology view of the “regulatory landscape” of APP. PMID:25723573
Recovery Processes of Organic Acids from Fermentation Broths in the Biomass-Based Industry.

PubMed

Li, Qian-Zhu; Jiang, Xing-Lin; Feng, Xin-Jun; Wang, Ji-Ming; Sun, Chao; Zhang, Hai-Bo; Xian, Mo; Liu, Hui-Zhou

2016-01-01

The new movement towards green chemistry and renewable feedstocks makes microbial production of chemicals more competitive. Among the numerous chemicals, organic acids are more attractive targets for process development efforts in the renewable-based biorefinery industry. However, most of the production costs in microbial processes are higher than that in chemical processes, among which over 60% are generated by separation processes. Therefore, the research of separation and purification processes is important for a promising biorefinery industry. This review highlights the progress of recovery processes in the separation and purification of organic acids, including their advantages and disadvantages, current situation, and future prospects in terms of recovery yields and industrial application.
Recent progress in continuous and semi-continuous processing of solid oral dosage forms: a review.

PubMed

Teżyk, Michał; Milanowski, Bartłomiej; Ernst, Andrzej; Lulek, Janina

2016-08-01

Continuous processing is an innovative production concept well known and successfully used in other industries for many years. The modern pharmaceutical industry is facing the challenge of transition from a traditional manufacturing approach based on batch-wise production to a continuous manufacturing model. The aim of this article is to present technological progress in manufacturing based on continuous and semi-continuous processing of the solid oral dosage forms. Single unit processes possessing an alternative processing pathway to batch-wise technology or, with some modification, an altered approach that may run continuously, and are thus able to seamlessly switch to continuous manufacturing are briefly presented. Furthermore, the concept of semi-continuous processing is discussed. Subsequently, more sophisticated production systems created by coupling single unit processes and comprising all the steps of production, from powder to final dosage form, were reviewed. Finally, attempts of end-to-end production approach, meaning the linking of continuous synthesis of API from intermediates with the production of final dosage form, are described. There are a growing number of scientific articles showing an increasing interest in changing the approach to the production of pharmaceuticals in recent years. Numerous scientific publications are a source of information on the progress of knowledge and achievements of continuous processing. These works often deal with issues of how to modify or replace the unit processes in order to enable seamlessly switching them into continuous processing. A growing number of research papers concentrate on integrated continuous manufacturing lines in which the production concept of "from powder to tablet" is realized. Four main domains are under investigation: influence of process parameters on intermediates or final dosage forms properties, implementation of process analytical tools, control-managing system responsible for keeping continuous materials flow through the whole manufacturing process and the development of new computational methods to assess or simulate these new manufacturing techniques. The attempt to connect the primary and secondary production steps proves that development of continuously operating lines is possible. A mind-set change is needed to be able to face, and fully assess, the advantages and disadvantages of switching from batch to continuous mode production.
A nutribusiness strategy for processing and marketing animal-source foods for children.

PubMed

Mills, Edward W; Seetharaman, Koushik; Maretzki, Audrey N

2007-04-01

Nutritional benefits of animal source foods in the diets of children in developing countries indicate a need to increase the availability of such foods to young children. A nutribusiness strategy based on a dried meat and starch product could be used to increase children's access to such foods. The "Chiparoo" was developed at The Pennsylvania State University with this objective in mind. Plant-based and meat ingredients of the Chiparoo are chosen based on regional availability and cultural acceptability. Chiparoo processing procedures, including solar drying, are designed to ensure product safety and to provide product properties that allow them to be eaten as a snack or crumbled into a weaning porridge. Continued work is needed to develop formulation and processing variations that accommodate the needs of cultures around the world.
Optimization of phase feeding of starter, grower, and finisher diets for male broilers by mixture experimental design: forty-eight-day production period.

PubMed

Roush, W B; Boykin, D; Branton, S L

2004-08-01

A mixture experiment, a variant of response surface methodology, was designed to determine the proportion of time to feed broiler starter (23% protein), grower (20% protein), and finisher (18% protein) diets to optimize production and processing variables based on a total production time of 48 d. Mixture designs are useful for proportion problems where the components of the experiment (i.e., length of time the diets were fed) add up to a unity (48 d). The experiment was conducted with day-old male Ross x Ross broiler chicks. The birds were placed 50 birds per pen in each of 60 pens. The experimental design was a 10-point augmented simplex-centroid (ASC) design with 6 replicates of each point. Each design point represented the portion(s) of the 48 d that each of the diets was fed. Formulation of the diets was based on NRC standards. At 49 d, each pen of birds was evaluated for production data including BW, feed conversion, and cost of feed consumed. Then, 6 birds were randomly selected from each pen for processing data. Processing variables included live weight, hot carcass weight, dressing percentage, fat pad percentage, and breast yield (pectoralis major and pectoralis minor weights). Production and processing data were fit to simplex regression models. Model terms determined not to be significant (P > 0.05) were removed. The models were found to be statistically adequate for analysis of the response surfaces. A compromise solution was calculated based on optimal constraints designated for the production and processing data. The results indicated that broilers fed a starter and finisher diet for 30 and 18 d, respectively, would meet the production and processing constraints. Trace plots showed that the production and processing variables were not very sensitive to the grower diet.
76 FR 37774 - Announcement of Value-Added Producer Grant Application Deadlines

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-28

...-Based Business Ventures develop strategies to create marketing opportunities and to help develop Business Plans for viable marketing opportunities regarding production of bio-based products from... Capital Grants directly related to the processing and/or marketing of value-added products. In order to...
Implementing AORN recommended practices for product selection.

PubMed

Conrardy, Julie A

2012-06-01

This article focuses on the revised AORN "Recommended practices for product selection in perioperative practice settings." Hospitals and ambulatory surgery facilities should have protocols in place for product evaluation that includes a multidisciplinary team approach. The process for product evaluation and selection includes gathering information; establishing consistent requirements for product evaluation; performing a financial impact analysis; investigating a plan to standardize products; conducting an environmental impact analysis; determining whether to purchase single-use, reposable, or reusable products or reprocess single-use devices; developing an evaluation process based on objective criteria; and developing and implementing a comprehensive plan to introduce and use new products. Use of an evaluation tool that is based on objective criteria is one way to obtain valuable input during product evaluations. Because of varied roles and experiences, the perioperative RN is an integral member of the product selection committee. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Environmental life cycle assessment of methanol and electricity co-production system based on coal gasification technology.

PubMed

Śliwińska, Anna; Burchart-Korol, Dorota; Smoliński, Adam

2017-01-01

This paper presents a life cycle assessment (LCA) of greenhouse gas emissions generated through methanol and electricity co-production system based on coal gasification technology. The analysis focuses on polygeneration technologies from which two products are produced, and thus, issues related to an allocation procedure for LCA are addressed in this paper. In the LCA, two methods were used: a 'system expansion' method based on two approaches, the 'avoided burdens approach' and 'direct system enlargement' methods and an 'allocation' method involving proportional partitioning based on physical relationships in a technological process. Cause-effect relationships in the analysed production process were identified, allowing for the identification of allocation factors. The 'system expansion' method involved expanding the analysis to include five additional variants of electricity production technologies in Poland (alternative technologies). This method revealed environmental consequences of implementation for the analysed technologies. It was found that the LCA of polygeneration technologies based on the 'system expansion' method generated a more complete source of information on environmental consequences than the 'allocation' method. The analysis shows that alternative technologies chosen for generating LCA results are crucial. Life cycle assessment was performed for the analysed, reference and variant alternative technologies. Comparative analysis was performed between the analysed technologies of methanol and electricity co-production from coal gasification as well as a reference technology of methanol production from the natural gas reforming process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Biotechnology in Food Production and Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knorr, Dietrich; Sinskey, Anthony J.

1985-09-01

The food processing industry is the oldest and largest industry using biotechnological processes. Further development of food products and processes based on biotechnology depends upon the improvement of existing processes, such as fermentation, immobilized biocatalyst technology, and production of additives and processing aids, as well as the development of new opportunities for food biotechnology. Improvements are needed in the characterization, safety, and quality control of food materials, in processing methods, in waste conversion and utilization processes, and in currently used food microorganism and tissue culture systems. Also needed are fundamental studies of the structure-function relationship of food materials and of the cell physiology and biochemistry of raw materials.
Statistical analysis of the Nb3Sn strand production for the ITER toroidal field coils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vostner, A.; Jewell, M.; Pong, I.; Sullivan, N.; Devred, A.; Bessette, D.; Bevillard, G.; Mitchell, N.; Romano, G.; Zhou, C.

2017-04-01

The ITER toroidal field (TF) strand procurement initiated the largest Nb3Sn superconducting strand production hitherto. The industrial-scale production started in Japan in 2008 and finished in summer 2015. Six ITER partners (so-called Domestic Agencies, or DAs) are in charge of the procurement and involved eight different strand suppliers all over the world, of which four are using the bronze route (BR) process and four the internal-tin (IT) process. In total more than 500 tons have been produced including excess material covering losses during the conductor manufacturing process, in particular the cabling. The procurement is based on a functional specification where the main strand requirements like critical current, hysteresis losses, Cu ratio and residual resistance ratio are specified but not the strand production process or layout. This paper presents the analysis on the data acquired during the quality control (QC) process that was carried out to ensure the same conductor performance requirements are met by the different strand suppliers regardless of strand design. The strand QC is based on 100% billet testing and on applying statistical process control (SPC) limits. Throughout the production, samples adjacent to the strand pieces tested by the suppliers are cross-checked (‘verified’) by their respective DAs reference labs. The level of verification was lowered from 100% at the beginning of the procurement progressively to approximately 25% during the final phase of production. Based on the complete dataset of the TF strand production, an analysis of the SPC limits of the critical strand parameters is made and the related process capability indices are calculated. In view of the large-scale production and costs, key manufacturing parameters such as billet yield, number of breakages and piece-length distribution are also discussed. The results are compared among all the strand suppliers, focusing on the difference between BR and IT processes. Following the completion of the largest Nb3Sn strand production, our experience gained from monitoring the execution of the QC activities and from auditing the results from the measurements is summarised for future superconducting strand material procurement activities.
Introducing capnophilic lactic fermentation in a combined dark-photo fermentation process: a route to unparalleled H2 yields.

PubMed

Dipasquale, L; Adessi, A; d'Ippolito, G; Rossi, F; Fontana, A; De Philippis, R

2015-01-01

Two-stage process based on photofermentation of dark fermentation effluents is widely recognized as the most effective method for biological production of hydrogen from organic substrates. Recently, it was described an alternative mechanism, named capnophilic lactic fermentation, for sugar fermentation by the hyperthermophilic bacterium Thermotoga neapolitana in CO2-rich atmosphere. Here, we report the first application of this novel process to two-stage biological production of hydrogen. The microbial system based on T. neapolitana DSM 4359(T) and Rhodopseudomonas palustris 42OL gave 9.4 mol of hydrogen per mole of glucose consumed during the anaerobic process, which is the best production yield so far reported for conventional two-stage batch cultivations. The improvement of hydrogen yield correlates with the increase in lactic production during capnophilic lactic fermentation and takes also advantage of the introduction of original conditions for culturing both microorganisms in minimal media based on diluted sea water. The use of CO2 during the first step of the combined process establishes a novel strategy for biohydrogen technology. Moreover, this study opens the way to cost reduction and use of salt-rich waste as feedstock.
Innovating Method of Existing Mechanical Product Based on TRIZ Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Cunyou; Shi, Dongyan; Wu, Han

Main way of product development is adaptive design and variant design based on existing product. In this paper, conceptual design frame and its flow model of innovating products is put forward through combining the methods of conceptual design and TRIZ theory. Process system model of innovating design that includes requirement analysis, total function analysis and decomposing, engineering problem analysis, finding solution of engineering problem and primarily design is constructed and this establishes the base for innovating design of existing product.
Hybrid Thermochemical/Biological Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Robert C.

The conventional view of biorefineries is that lignocellulosic plant material will be fractionated into cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and terpenes before these components are biochemically converted into market products. Occasionally, these plants include a thermochemical step at the end of the process to convert recalcitrant plant components or mixed waste streams into heat to meet thermal energy demands elsewhere in the facility. However, another possibility for converting high-fiber plant materials is to start by thermochemically processing it into a uniform intermediate product that can be biologically converted into a bio-based product. This alternative route to bio-based products is known as hybrid thermochemical/biological processing. There are two distinct approaches to hybrid processing: (a) gasification followed by fermentation of the resulting gaseous mixture of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (CO2) and (b) fast pyrolysis followed by hydrolysis and/or fermentation of the anhydrosugars found in the resulting bio-oil. This article explores this "cart before the horse" approach to biorefineries.
Environmentally Responsible Microbiological Production of Energetic Ingredients

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-11-01

effort was to develop an environmentally benign and economical microbial process for nitro-energetics production . The specific targets of this method...microbial production of nitro-based EM. As the processes and compounds of choice, RDX/HMX (nitramine) generation was selected. Microorganisms capable of...Current synthetic methods for the production of RDX and HMX utilize hexamine as the precursor. Hexamine is an industrial chemical available on a large
Production of succinic acid by metabolically engineered microorganisms.

PubMed

Ahn, Jung Ho; Jang, Yu-Sin; Lee, Sang Yup

2016-12-01

Succinic acid (SA) has been recognized as one of the most important bio-based building block chemicals due to its numerous potential applications. For the economical bio-based production of SA, extensive research works have been performed on developing microbial strains by metabolic engineering as well as fermentation and downstream processes. Here we review metabolic engineering strategies applied for bio-based production of SA using representative microorganisms, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pichia kudriavzevii, Escherichia coli, Mannheimia succiniciproducens, Basfia succiniciproducens, Actinobacillus succinogenes, and Corynebacterium glutamicum. In particular, strategies employed for developing engineered strains of these microorganisms leading to the best performance indices (titer, yield, and productivity) are showcased based on the published papers as well as patents. Those processes currently under commercialization are also analyzed and future perspectives are provided. Copyright Â© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Quality management of manufacturing process based on manufacturing execution system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jian; Jiang, Yang; Jiang, Weizhuo

2017-04-01

Quality control elements in manufacturing process are elaborated. And the approach of quality management of manufacturing process based on manufacturing execution system (MES) is discussed. The functions of MES for a microcircuit production line are introduced conclusively.
A synthetic design environment for ship design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chipman, Richard R.

1995-01-01

Rapid advances in computer science and information system technology have made possible the creation of synthetic design environments (SDE) which use virtual prototypes to increase the efficiency and agility of the design process. This next generation of computer-based design tools will rely heavily on simulation and advanced visualization techniques to enable integrated product and process teams to concurrently conceptualize, design, and test a product and its fabrication processes. This paper summarizes a successful demonstration of the feasibility of using a simulation based design environment in the shipbuilding industry. As computer science and information science technologies have evolved, there have been many attempts to apply and integrate the new capabilities into systems for the improvement of the process of design. We see the benefits of those efforts in the abundance of highly reliable, technologically complex products and services in the modern marketplace. Furthermore, the computer-based technologies have been so cost effective that the improvements embodied in modern products have been accompanied by lowered costs. Today the state-of-the-art in computerized design has advanced so dramatically that the focus is no longer on merely improving design methodology; rather the goal is to revolutionize the entire process by which complex products are conceived, designed, fabricated, tested, deployed, operated, maintained, refurbished and eventually decommissioned. By concurrently addressing all life-cycle issues, the basic decision making process within an enterprise will be improved dramatically, leading to new levels of quality, innovation, efficiency, and customer responsiveness. By integrating functions and people with an enterprise, such systems will change the fundamental way American industries are organized, creating companies that are more competitive, creative, and productive.
Development of Product Availability Monitoring System In Production Unit In Automotive Component Industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartono, Rachmad; Raharno, Sri; Yuwana Martawirya, Yatna; Arthaya, Bagus

2018-03-01

This paper described a methodology to monitor the availability of products in a production unit in the automotive component industry. Automotive components made are automotive components made through sheet metal working. Raw material coming into production unit in the form of pieces of plates that have a certain size. Raw materials that come stored in the warehouse. Data of raw each material in the warehouse are recorded and stored in a data base system. The material will then undergo several production processes in the production unit. When the material is taken from the warehouse, material data are also recorded and stored in a data base. The data recorded are the amount of material, material type, and date when the material is out of the warehouse. The material coming out of the warehouse is labeled with information related to the production processes that the material must pass. Material out of the warehouse is a product will be made. The products have been completed, are stored in the warehouse products. When the product is entered into the product warehouse, product data is also recorded by scanning the barcode contained on the label. By recording the condition of the product at each stage of production, we can know the availability of the product in a production unit in the form of a raw material, the product being processed and the finished product.
Economics of polysilicon process: A view from Japan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shimizu, Y.

1986-01-01

The production process of solar grade silicon (SOG-Si) through trichlorosilane (TCS) was researched in a program sponsored by New Energy Development Organization (NEDO). The NEDO process consists of the following two steps: TCS production from by-product silicon tetrachloride (STC) and SOG-Si formation from TCS using a fluidized bed reactor. Based on the data obtained during the research program, the manufacturing cost of the NEDO process and other polysilicon manufacturing processes were compared. The manufacturing cost was calculated on the basis of 1000 tons/year production. The cost estimate showed that the cost of producing silicon by all of the new processes is less than the cost by the conventional Siemens process. Using a new process, the cost of producing semiconductor grade silicon was found to be virtually the same with any to the TCS, diclorosilane, and monosilane processes when by-products were recycled. The SOG-Si manufacturing processes using the fluidized bed reactor, which needs further development, shows a greater probablility of cost reduction than the filament processes.
Comparison of process-based models to quantify nutrient flows and greenhouse gas emissions of milk production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Assessing and improving the sustainability of dairy production systems is essential to secure future food production. This requires a holistic approach that reveals trade-offs between emissions of the different greenhouse gases (GHG) and nutrient-based pollutants and ensures that interactions betwee...
Comparative life cycle assessment and financial analysis of mixed culture polyhydroxyalkanoate production.

PubMed

Gurieff, Nicholas; Lant, Paul

2007-12-01

A life cycle assessment and financial analysis of mixed culture PHA (PHA(MC)) and biogas production was undertaken based on treating an industrial wastewater. Internal rate of return (IRR) and non-renewable CO(2)eq emissions were used to quantify financial viability and environmental impact. PHA(MC) was preferable to biogas production for treating the specified industrial effluent. PHA(MC) was also financially attractive in comparison to pure culture PHA production. Both PHA production processes had similar environmental impacts that were significantly lower than HDPE production. A large potential for optimisation exists for the PHA(MC) process as financial and environmental costs were primarily due to energy use for downstream processing. Under the conditions used in this work PHA(MC) was shown to be a viable biopolymer production process and an effective industrial wastewater treatment technology. This is the first study of its kind and provides valuable insight into the PHA(MC) process.
Comparing the Effectiveness of Processing Instruction and Production-Based Instruction on L2 Grammar Learning: The Role of Explicit Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soruç, Adem; Qin, Jingjing; Kim, YouJin

2017-01-01

This article reports on a study that investigated whether processing instruction(PI) or production-based instruction (PBI) is more effective for the teaching of regular past simple verb forms in English. In addition, this study examined whether explicit grammatical information (EI) mediates the effectiveness of PI or PBI. A total of 194 Turkish…
The Effectiveness of Processing Instruction and Production-Based Instruction on L2 Grammar Acquisition: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shintani, Natsuko

2015-01-01

This article reports a meta-analysis of 42 experiments in 33 published studies involving processing instruction (PI) and production-based instruction (PB) used in the PI studies. The comparative effectiveness of PI and PB showed that although PI was more effective than PB for developing receptive knowledge, PB was just as effective as PI for…
The Effects of Integrating Mobile and CAD Technology in Teaching Design Process for Malaysian Polytechnic Architecture Student in Producing Creative Product

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hassan, Isham Shah; Ismail, Mohd Arif; Mustapha, Ramlee

2010-01-01

The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of integrating the digital media such as mobile and CAD technology on designing process of Malaysian polytechnic architecture students in producing a creative product. A website is developed based on Caroll's minimal theory, while mobile and CAD technology integration is based on Brown and…
Attachment-based family therapy and emotion-focused therapy for unresolved anger: The role of productive emotional processing.

PubMed

Diamond, Gary M; Shahar, Ben; Sabo, Daphna; Tsvieli, Noa

2016-03-01

A growing body of research suggests that emotional processing is a central and common change mechanism across various types of therapies (Diener & Hilsenroth, 2009; Foa, Huppert, & Cahill, 2006; Greenberg, 2011). This study examined whether 10 weeks of attachment-based family therapy (ABFT), characterized by the use of in-session young adult-parent dialogues, were more effective than 10 weeks of individual emotion-focused therapy (EFT), characterized by the use of imaginal dialogues, in terms of facilitating productive emotional processing among a sample of 32 young adults presenting with unresolved anger toward a parent. This study also examined whether greater amounts of productive emotional processing predicted more favorable treatment outcomes. In contrast to our expectations, we found significantly more productive emotional processing in individual EFT than in conjoint ABFT. Results also showed that while both treatments led to significant and equivalent decreases in unresolved anger, state anger, attachment anxiety, and psychological symptoms, only ABFT was associated with decreases in attachment avoidance. Although amount of emotional processing did not explain the unique decrease in attachment avoidance in ABFT, greater amounts of productive emotional processing predicted greater decreases in psychological symptoms (but not other outcome measures) across both treatments. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).
Partitioning in parallel processing of production systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oflazer, K.

1987-01-01

This thesis presents research on certain issues related to parallel processing of production systems. It first presents a parallel production system interpreter that has been implemented on a four-processor multiprocessor. This parallel interpreter is based on Forgy's OPS5 interpreter and exploits production-level parallelism in production systems. Runs on the multiprocessor system indicate that it is possible to obtain speed-up of around 1.7 in the match computation for certain production systems when productions are split into three sets that are processed in parallel. The next issue addressed is that of partitioning a set of rules to processors in a parallel interpretermore » with production-level parallelism, and the extent of additional improvement in performance. The partitioning problem is formulated and an algorithm for approximate solutions is presented. The thesis next presents a parallel processing scheme for OPS5 production systems that allows some redundancy in the match computation. This redundancy enables the processing of a production to be divided into units of medium granularity each of which can be processed in parallel. Subsequently, a parallel processor architecture for implementing the parallel processing algorithm is presented.« less
Engineering development of selective agglomeration: Task 5, Bench- scale process testing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1991-09-01

Under the overall objectives of DOE Contract ``Engineering Development of Selective Agglomeration,`` there were a number of specific objectives in the Task 5 program. The prime objectives of Task 5 are highlighted below: (1) Maximize process performance in pyritic sulfur rejection and BTU recovery, (2) Produce a low ash product, (3) Compare the performance of the heavy agglomerant process based on diesel and the light agglomerant process using heptane, (4) Define optimum processing conditions for engineering design, (5) Provide first-level evaluation of product handleability, and (6) Explore and investigate process options/ideas which may enhance process performance and/or product handleability.

Engineering development of selective agglomeration: Task 5, Bench- scale process testing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1991-09-01

Under the overall objectives of DOE Contract Engineering Development of Selective Agglomeration,'' there were a number of specific objectives in the Task 5 program. The prime objectives of Task 5 are highlighted below: (1) Maximize process performance in pyritic sulfur rejection and BTU recovery, (2) Produce a low ash product, (3) Compare the performance of the heavy agglomerant process based on diesel and the light agglomerant process using heptane, (4) Define optimum processing conditions for engineering design, (5) Provide first-level evaluation of product handleability, and (6) Explore and investigate process options/ideas which may enhance process performance and/or product handleability.
European consumer attitudes on the associated health benefits of neutraceutical-containing processed meats using Co-enzyme Q10 as a sample functional ingredient.

PubMed

Tobin, Brian D; O'Sullivan, Maurice G; Hamill, Ruth; Kerry, Joseph P

2014-06-01

This study accumulated European consumer attitudes towards processed meats and their use as a functional food. A survey was set up using an online web-application to gather information on consumer perception of processed meats as well as neutraceutical-containing processed meats. 548 responses were obtained and statistical analysis was carried out using a statistical software package. Data was summarized as frequencies for each question and statistical differences analyzed using the Chi-Square statistical test with a significance level of 5% (P<0.05). The majority of consumer attitudes towards processed meat indicate that they are unhealthy products. Most believe that processed meats contain large quantities of harmful chemicals, fat and salt. Consumers were found to be very pro-bioactive compounds in yogurt style products but unsure of their feelings in meat based products, which is likely due to the lack of familiarity to these products. Many of the respondents were willing to consume meat based functional foods but were not willing to pay more for them. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Knowledge Reasoning with Semantic Data for Real-Time Data Processing in Smart Factory

PubMed Central

Wang, Shiyong; Li, Di; Liu, Chengliang

2018-01-01

The application of high-bandwidth networks and cloud computing in manufacturing systems will be followed by mass data. Industrial data analysis plays important roles in condition monitoring, performance optimization, flexibility, and transparency of the manufacturing system. However, the currently existing architectures are mainly for offline data analysis, not suitable for real-time data processing. In this paper, we first define the smart factory as a cloud-assisted and self-organized manufacturing system in which physical entities such as machines, conveyors, and products organize production through intelligent negotiation and the cloud supervises this self-organized process for fault detection and troubleshooting based on data analysis. Then, we propose a scheme to integrate knowledge reasoning and semantic data where the reasoning engine processes the ontology model with real time semantic data coming from the production process. Based on these ideas, we build a benchmarking system for smart candy packing application that supports direct consumer customization and flexible hybrid production, and the data are collected and processed in real time for fault diagnosis and statistical analysis. PMID:29415444
Implementation of a Web-Based Collaborative Process Planning System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Huifen; Liu, Tingting; Qiao, Li; Huang, Shuangxi

Under the networked manufacturing environment, all phases of product manufacturing involving design, process planning, machining and assembling may be accomplished collaboratively by different enterprises, even different manufacturing stages of the same part may be finished collaboratively by different enterprises. Based on the self-developed networked manufacturing platform eCWS(e-Cooperative Work System), a multi-agent-based system framework for collaborative process planning is proposed. In accordance with requirements of collaborative process planning, share resources provided by cooperative enterprises in the course of collaboration are classified into seven classes. Then a reconfigurable and extendable resource object model is built. Decision-making strategy is also studied in this paper. Finally a collaborative process planning system e-CAPP is developed and applied. It provides strong support for distributed designers to collaboratively plan and optimize product process though network.
Finite Element Method (FEM) Modeling of Freeze-drying: Monitoring Pharmaceutical Product Robustness During Lyophilization.

PubMed

Chen, Xiaodong; Sadineni, Vikram; Maity, Mita; Quan, Yong; Enterline, Matthew; Mantri, Rao V

2015-12-01

Lyophilization is an approach commonly undertaken to formulate drugs that are unstable to be commercialized as ready to use (RTU) solutions. One of the important aspects of commercializing a lyophilized product is to transfer the process parameters that are developed in lab scale lyophilizer to commercial scale without a loss in product quality. This process is often accomplished by costly engineering runs or through an iterative process at the commercial scale. Here, we are highlighting a combination of computational and experimental approach to predict commercial process parameters for the primary drying phase of lyophilization. Heat and mass transfer coefficients are determined experimentally either by manometric temperature measurement (MTM) or sublimation tests and used as inputs for the finite element model (FEM)-based software called PASSAGE, which computes various primary drying parameters such as primary drying time and product temperature. The heat and mass transfer coefficients will vary at different lyophilization scales; hence, we present an approach to use appropriate factors while scaling-up from lab scale to commercial scale. As a result, one can predict commercial scale primary drying time based on these parameters. Additionally, the model-based approach presented in this study provides a process to monitor pharmaceutical product robustness and accidental process deviations during Lyophilization to support commercial supply chain continuity. The approach presented here provides a robust lyophilization scale-up strategy; and because of the simple and minimalistic approach, it will also be less capital intensive path with minimal use of expensive drug substance/active material.
Potential application of glycerol in the production of plant beneficial microorganisms.

PubMed

Vassilev, Nikolay; Malusa, Eligio; Requena, Antonia Reyes; Martos, Vanessa; López, Ana; Maksimovic, Ivana; Vassileva, Maria

2017-05-01

This review highlights the importance of research for development of biofertilizer and biocontrol products based on the use of glycerol for further process scale-up to industrial microbiology. Glycerol can be used successfully in all stages of production of plant beneficial microorganisms. It serves as an excellent substrate in both submerged and solid-state fermentation processes with free and immobilized microbial cells. Glycerol is also one of the most attractive formulation agents that ensures high cell density and viability including in harsh environmental conditions. Future research is discussed to make this inexpensive material a base for industrial production of plant beneficial microorganisms.
Quality risk management in pharmaceutical development.

PubMed

Charoo, Naseem Ahmad; Ali, Areeg Anwer

2013-07-01

The objective of ICH Q8, Q9 and Q10 documents is application of systemic and science based approach to formulation development for building quality into product. There is always some uncertainty in new product development. Good risk management practice is essential for success of new product development in decreasing this uncertainty. In quality by design paradigm, the product performance properties relevant to the patient are predefined in target product profile (TPP). Together with prior knowledge and experience, TPP helps in identification of critical quality attributes (CQA's). Initial risk assessment which identifies risks to these CQA's provides impetus for product development. Product and process are designed to gain knowledge about these risks, devise strategies to eliminate or mitigate these risks and meet objectives set in TPP. By laying more emphasis on high risk events the protection level of patient is increased. The process being scientifically driven improves the transparency and reliability of the manufacturer. The focus on risk to the patient together with flexible development approach saves invaluable resources, increases confidence on quality and reduces compliance risk. The knowledge acquired in analysing risks to CQA's permits construction of meaningful design space. Within the boundaries of the design space, variation in critical material characteristics and process parameters must be managed in order to yield a product having the desired characteristics. Specifications based on product and process understanding are established such that product will meet the specifications if tested. In this way, the product is amenable to real time release, since specifications only confirm quality but they do not serve as a means of effective process control.
40 CFR 761.185 - Certification program and retention of records by importers and persons generating PCBs in...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... manufacturing processes in which PCBs are generated when the PCB level in products leaving any manufacturing... imported products when the PCB concentration of products being imported is greater than 2 µg/g for any... process waste disposal. (2) Whether determinations of compliance are based on actual monitoring of PCB...
Biodiesel production process from microalgae oil by waste heat recovery and process integration.

PubMed

Song, Chunfeng; Chen, Guanyi; Ji, Na; Liu, Qingling; Kansha, Yasuki; Tsutsumi, Atsushi

2015-10-01

In this work, the optimization of microalgae oil (MO) based biodiesel production process is carried out by waste heat recovery and process integration. The exergy analysis of each heat exchanger presented an efficient heat coupling between hot and cold streams, thus minimizing the total exergy destruction. Simulation results showed that the unit production cost of optimized process is 0.592$/L biodiesel, and approximately 0.172$/L biodiesel can be avoided by heat integration. Although the capital cost of the optimized biodiesel production process increased 32.5% and 23.5% compared to the reference cases, the operational cost can be reduced by approximately 22.5% and 41.6%. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Enzyme-based processing of soybean carbohydrate: Recent developments and future prospects.

PubMed

Al Loman, Abdullah; Ju, Lu-Kwang

2017-11-01

Soybean is well known for its high-value oil and protein. Carbohydrate is, however, an underutilized major component, representing almost 26-30% (w/w) of the dried bean. The complex soybean carbohydrate is not easily hydrolyzable and can cause indigestibility when included in food and feed. Enzymes can be used to hydrolyze the carbohydrate for improving soybean processing and value of soybean products. Here the enzyme-based processing developed for the following purposes is reviewed: hydrolysis of different carbohydrate-rich by/products from soybean processing, improvement of soybean oil extraction, and increase of nutritional value of soybean-based food and animal feed. Once hydrolyzed into fermentable sugars, soybean carbohydrate can find more value-added applications and further improve the overall economics of soybean processing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Demonstrating PQS Effectiveness and Driving Continual Improvement: Evidence-Based Risk Reduction.

PubMed

Ramnarine, Emma; O'Donnell, Kevin

2018-04-18

Product knowledge grows and evolves during the life of a product. In order to maintain a state of control and deliver product with consistent quality throughout its commercial life, continuous improvement and product lifecycle management become essential. The practical link between product and process knowledge, risk-based control strategies, and continual improvement and innovation can be made stronger through evidence-based risk reduction. Regulatory relief and flexibility in post approval change management and overall product lifecycle management will only be possible with effective application of science and risk-based concepts and demonstrated effectiveness of the PQS in assuring a state of control. Copyright © 2018, Parenteral Drug Association.
Quality by Design (QbD)-Based Process Development for Purification of a Biotherapeutic.

PubMed

Rathore, Anurag S

2016-05-01

Quality by Design (QbD) is currently receiving increased attention from the pharmaceutical community. As a result, most major biotech manufacturers are in varying stages of implementing QbD. Here, I present a case study that illustrates the step-by-step development using QbD of a purification process for the production of a biosimilar product: granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF). I also highlight and discuss the advantages that QbD-based process development offers over traditional approaches. The case study is intended to help those who wish to implement QbD towards the development and commercialization of biotech products. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Process Writing and Communicative-Task-Based Instruction: Many Common Features, but More Common Limitations?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruton, Anthony

2005-01-01

Process writing and communicative-task-based instruction both assume productive tasks that prompt self-expression to motivate students and as the principal engine for developing L2 proficiency in the language classroom. Besides this, process writing and communicative-task-based instruction have much else in common, despite some obvious…
Exact probability distribution function for the volatility of cumulative production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zadourian, Rubina; Klümper, Andreas

2018-04-01

In this paper we study the volatility and its probability distribution function for the cumulative production based on the experience curve hypothesis. This work presents a generalization of the study of volatility in Lafond et al. (2017), which addressed the effects of normally distributed noise in the production process. Due to its wide applicability in industrial and technological activities we present here the mathematical foundation for an arbitrary distribution function of the process, which we expect will pave the future research on forecasting of the production process.
The importance of activity-based methods in radiology and the technology that now makes this possible.

PubMed

Monge, Paul

2006-01-01

Activity-based methods serve as a dynamic process that has allowed many other industries to reduce and control their costs, increase productivity, and streamline their processes while improving product quality and service. The method could serve the healthcare industry in an equally beneficial way. Activity-based methods encompass both activity based costing (ABC) and activity-based management (ABM). ABC is a cost management approach that links resource consumption to activities that an enterprise performs, and then assigns those activities and their associated costs to customers, products, or product lines. ABM uses the resource assignments derived in ABC so that operation managers can improve their departmental processes and workflows. There are three fundamental problems with traditional cost systems. First, traditional systems fail to reflect the underlying diversity of work taking place within an enterprise. Second, it uses allocations that are, for the most part, arbitrary Single step allocations fail to reflect the real work-the activities being performed and the associate resources actually consumed. Third, they only provide a cost number that, standing alone, does not provide any guidance on how to improve performance by lowering cost or enhancing throughput.
Taguchi experimental design to determine the taste quality characteristic of candied carrot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekawati, Y.; Hapsari, A. A.

2018-03-01

Robust parameter design is used to design product that is robust to noise factors so the product’s performance fits the target and delivers a better quality. In the process of designing and developing the innovative product of candied carrot, robust parameter design is carried out using Taguchi Method. The method is used to determine an optimal quality design. The optimal quality design is based on the process and the composition of product ingredients that are in accordance with consumer needs and requirements. According to the identification of consumer needs from the previous research, quality dimensions that need to be assessed are the taste and texture of the product. The quality dimension assessed in this research is limited to the taste dimension. Organoleptic testing is used for this assessment, specifically hedonic testing that makes assessment based on consumer preferences. The data processing uses mean and signal to noise ratio calculation and optimal level setting to determine the optimal process/composition of product ingredients. The optimal value is analyzed using confirmation experiments to prove that proposed product match consumer needs and requirements. The result of this research is identification of factors that affect the product taste and the optimal quality of product according to Taguchi Method.
Off-target model based OPC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Mark; Liang, Curtis; King, Dion; Melvin, Lawrence S., III

2005-11-01

Model-based Optical Proximity correction has become an indispensable tool for achieving wafer pattern to design fidelity at current manufacturing process nodes. Most model-based OPC is performed considering the nominal process condition, with limited consideration of through process manufacturing robustness. This study examines the use of off-target process models - models that represent non-nominal process states such as would occur with a dose or focus variation - to understands and manipulate the final pattern correction to a more process robust configuration. The study will first examine and validate the process of generating an off-target model, then examine the quality of the off-target model. Once the off-target model is proven, it will be used to demonstrate methods of generating process robust corrections. The concepts are demonstrated using a 0.13 μm logic gate process. Preliminary indications show success in both off-target model production and process robust corrections. With these off-target models as tools, mask production cycle times can be reduced.
In vitro solubility of calcium, iron and zinc in relation to phytic acid levels in rice-based consumer products in China.

PubMed

Liang, Jianfen; Han, Bei-Zhong; Nout, M J Robert; Hamer, Robert J

2010-02-01

In vitro solubility of calcium, iron and zinc in relation to phytic acid (PA) levels in 30 commercial rice-based foods from China was studied. Solubility of minerals and molar ratios of PA to minerals varied with degrees of processing. In primary products, [PA]/[Ca] values were less than 5 and [PA]/[Fe] and [PA]/[Zn] similarly ranged between 5 and 74, with most values between 20 and 30. [PA]/[mineral] molar ratios in intensively processed products were lower. Solubility of calcium ranged from 0% to 87%, with the lowest in brown rice (12%) and the highest in infant foods (50%). Iron solubility in two-thirds of samples was lower than 30%, and that of zinc narrowly ranged from 6% to 30%. Solubility of minerals was not significantly affected by [PA]/[mineral]. At present, neither primary nor intensively processed rice-based products are good dietary sources of minerals. Improvements should be attempted by dephytinization, mineral fortification or, preferably, combination of both.
Two-Stage Categorization in Brand Extension Evaluation: Electrophysiological Time Course Evidence

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiaoyi

2014-01-01

A brand name can be considered a mental category. Similarity-based categorization theory has been used to explain how consumers judge a new product as a member of a known brand, a process called brand extension evaluation. This study was an event-related potential study conducted in two experiments. The study found a two-stage categorization process reflected by the P2 and N400 components in brand extension evaluation. In experiment 1, a prime–probe paradigm was presented in a pair consisting of a brand name and a product name in three conditions, i.e., in-category extension, similar-category extension, and out-of-category extension. Although the task was unrelated to brand extension evaluation, P2 distinguished out-of-category extensions from similar-category and in-category ones, and N400 distinguished similar-category extensions from in-category ones. In experiment 2, a prime–probe paradigm with a related task was used, in which product names included subcategory and major-category product names. The N400 elicited by subcategory products was more significantly negative than that elicited by major-category products, with no salient difference in P2. We speculated that P2 could reflect the early low-level and similarity-based processing in the first stage, whereas N400 could reflect the late analytic and category-based processing in the second stage. PMID:25438152
Biosurfactants' Production from Renewable Natural Resources: Example of Innovativeand Smart Technology in Circular Bioeconomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satpute, Surekha K.; Płaza, Grażyna A.; Banpurkar, Arun G.

2017-03-01

A strong developed bio-based industrial sector will significantly reduce dependency on fossil resources, help the countries meet climate change targets, and lead to greener and more environmental friendly growth. The key is to develop new technologies to sustainably transform renewable natural resources into bio-based products and biofuels. Biomass is a valuable resource and many parameters need to be taken in to account when assessing its use and the products made from its. The bioeconomy encompass the production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into food, feed and bio-based products (chemicals, materials and fuels) via innovative and efficient technologies provided by industrial biotechnology. The paper presents the smart and efficient way to use the agro-industrial, dairy and food processing wastes for biosurfactant's production. Clarification processes are mandatory to use the raw substrates for microbial growth as well as biosurfactant production for commercial purposes. At the same time it is very essential to retain the nutritional values of those cheap substrates. Broad industrial perspectives can be achieved when quality as well as the quantity of the biosurfactant is considered in great depth. Since substrates resulting from food processing, dairy, animal fat industries are not explored in great details; and hence are potential areas which can be explored thoroughly.

BER-Myriant Succinic Acid Biorefinery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shmorhun, Mark

Myriant Corporation (Myriant) has successfully produced the bioproduct succinic acid by the fermentation of glucose at a commercial scale operation in Lake Providence, Louisiana. The MySAB facility (Myriant Succinic Acid Biorefinery) came on stream in May 2013 and has been producing product since then. The MySAB facility is a demonstration-scale plant, capable of utilizing sorghum grits and commercially available dextrose, to ferment glucose into succinic acid. A downstream processing train has demonstrated the ability to produce an industrial, a standard and a polymer grade product. It consists of cell separation, membrane filtration, continuous chromatography, polishing to remove ionic and colormore » bodies impurities, and final evaporation and crystallization. A by-product of the process is ammonium sulfate which is sold as a liquid fertilizer product. Since 2007 when development work began in the Woburn, Massachusetts R&D laboratories, the succinic acid bio-process has evolved through: Process development (microbiology, fermentation, and downstream) – R&D development laboratories; Piloting efforts at Fermic S.A. de C.V., Mexico City, Mexico – upstream and downstream processes; Design, construction, commissioning, and commercial production operations at the MySAB facility Additionally, Myriant became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the PTT Global Chemical Plc., Thailand, in late 2015, their investment into and support of Myriant goes back to 2011. The support of PTT Global Chemical Plc. helped to improve the upstream and downstream processes, and produce significant metric ton quantities of high quality bio-based succinic acid. The product has gone into a number of commercial markets worldwide for customer applications, development and production. The experience base gained via operations at the MySAB facility since May 2013, along with continued R&D development efforts involving Microbiology, Fermentation, and Downstream processes, at both the Woburn, Massachusetts and PTT Global Chemical Plc. Thailand laboratories, positions the company well for future production at the plant and commercialization of new bio-based products. This will be especially important and valuable as the green chemistry business climate continues to take root and flourish.« less
9 CFR 381.11 - Exemptions based on religious dietary laws.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Exemptions based on religious dietary... OF AGRICULTURE AGENCY ORGANIZATION AND TERMINOLOGY; MANDATORY MEAT AND POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION... Exemptions based on religious dietary laws. (a) Any person who slaughters, processes, or otherwise handles...
9 CFR 381.11 - Exemptions based on religious dietary laws.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Exemptions based on religious dietary... OF AGRICULTURE AGENCY ORGANIZATION AND TERMINOLOGY; MANDATORY MEAT AND POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION... Exemptions based on religious dietary laws. (a) Any person who slaughters, processes, or otherwise handles...
9 CFR 381.11 - Exemptions based on religious dietary laws.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Exemptions based on religious dietary... OF AGRICULTURE AGENCY ORGANIZATION AND TERMINOLOGY; MANDATORY MEAT AND POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION... Exemptions based on religious dietary laws. (a) Any person who slaughters, processes, or otherwise handles...
9 CFR 381.11 - Exemptions based on religious dietary laws.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 9 Animals and Animal Products 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Exemptions based on religious dietary... OF AGRICULTURE AGENCY ORGANIZATION AND TERMINOLOGY; MANDATORY MEAT AND POULTRY PRODUCTS INSPECTION... Exemptions based on religious dietary laws. (a) Any person who slaughters, processes, or otherwise handles...
A systems-based approach for integrated design of materials, products and design process chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panchal, Jitesh H.; Choi, Hae-Jin; Allen, Janet K.; McDowell, David L.; Mistree, Farrokh

2007-12-01

The concurrent design of materials and products provides designers with flexibility to achieve design objectives that were not previously accessible. However, the improved flexibility comes at a cost of increased complexity of the design process chains and the materials simulation models used for executing the design chains. Efforts to reduce the complexity generally result in increased uncertainty. We contend that a systems based approach is essential for managing both the complexity and the uncertainty in design process chains and simulation models in concurrent material and product design. Our approach is based on simplifying the design process chains systematically such that the resulting uncertainty does not significantly affect the overall system performance. Similarly, instead of striving for accurate models for multiscale systems (that are inherently complex), we rely on making design decisions that are robust to uncertainties in the models. Accordingly, we pursue hierarchical modeling in the context of design of multiscale systems. In this paper our focus is on design process chains. We present a systems based approach, premised on the assumption that complex systems can be designed efficiently by managing the complexity of design process chains. The approach relies on (a) the use of reusable interaction patterns to model design process chains, and (b) consideration of design process decisions using value-of-information based metrics. The approach is illustrated using a Multifunctional Energetic Structural Material (MESM) design example. Energetic materials store considerable energy which can be released through shock-induced detonation; conventionally, they are not engineered for strength properties. The design objectives for the MESM in this paper include both sufficient strength and energy release characteristics. The design is carried out by using models at different length and time scales that simulate different aspects of the system. Finally, by applying the method to the MESM design problem, we show that the integrated design of materials and products can be carried out more efficiently by explicitly accounting for design process decisions with the hierarchy of models.
Old Fashioned vs. Ultra-Processed-Based Current Diets: Possible Implication in the Increased Susceptibility to Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease in Childhood.

PubMed

Aguayo-Patrón, Sandra V; Calderón de la Barca, Ana M

2017-11-15

Ultra-processed foods are ready-to-heat and ready-to-eat products created to replace traditional homemade meals and dishes due to convenience and accessibility. Because of their low-fiber and high-fat and sugar composition, these foodstuffs could induce a negative impact on health. They are partially responsible for obesity and chronic non-transmissible diseases; additionally, they could impact in the prevalence of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. The rationale is that the nutritional composition of ultra-processed foodstuffs can induce gut dysbiosis, promoting a pro-inflammatory response and consequently, a "leaky gut". These factors have been associated with increased risk of autoimmunity in genetically predisposed children. In addition, food emulsifiers, commonly used in ultra-processed products could modify the gut microbiota and intestinal permeability, which could increase the risk of autoimmunity. In contrast, unprocessed and minimally processed food-based diets have shown the capacity to promote gut microbiota eubiosis, anti-inflammatory response, and epithelial integrity, through bacterial butyrate production. Thus, to decrease the susceptibility to autoimmunity, genetically predisposed children should avoid ultra-processed food products and encourage the consumption of fresh and minimally processed foods.
Mammalian cell culture process for monoclonal antibody production: nonlinear modelling and parameter estimation.

PubMed

Selişteanu, Dan; Șendrescu, Dorin; Georgeanu, Vlad; Roman, Monica

2015-01-01

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are at present one of the fastest growing products of pharmaceutical industry, with widespread applications in biochemistry, biology, and medicine. The operation of mAbs production processes is predominantly based on empirical knowledge, the improvements being achieved by using trial-and-error experiments and precedent practices. The nonlinearity of these processes and the absence of suitable instrumentation require an enhanced modelling effort and modern kinetic parameter estimation strategies. The present work is dedicated to nonlinear dynamic modelling and parameter estimation for a mammalian cell culture process used for mAb production. By using a dynamical model of such kind of processes, an optimization-based technique for estimation of kinetic parameters in the model of mammalian cell culture process is developed. The estimation is achieved as a result of minimizing an error function by a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The proposed estimation approach is analyzed in this work by using a particular model of mammalian cell culture, as a case study, but is generic for this class of bioprocesses. The presented case study shows that the proposed parameter estimation technique provides a more accurate simulation of the experimentally observed process behaviour than reported in previous studies.
Mammalian Cell Culture Process for Monoclonal Antibody Production: Nonlinear Modelling and Parameter Estimation

PubMed Central

Selişteanu, Dan; Șendrescu, Dorin; Georgeanu, Vlad

2015-01-01

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are at present one of the fastest growing products of pharmaceutical industry, with widespread applications in biochemistry, biology, and medicine. The operation of mAbs production processes is predominantly based on empirical knowledge, the improvements being achieved by using trial-and-error experiments and precedent practices. The nonlinearity of these processes and the absence of suitable instrumentation require an enhanced modelling effort and modern kinetic parameter estimation strategies. The present work is dedicated to nonlinear dynamic modelling and parameter estimation for a mammalian cell culture process used for mAb production. By using a dynamical model of such kind of processes, an optimization-based technique for estimation of kinetic parameters in the model of mammalian cell culture process is developed. The estimation is achieved as a result of minimizing an error function by a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The proposed estimation approach is analyzed in this work by using a particular model of mammalian cell culture, as a case study, but is generic for this class of bioprocesses. The presented case study shows that the proposed parameter estimation technique provides a more accurate simulation of the experimentally observed process behaviour than reported in previous studies. PMID:25685797
Large-Scale Production of Nanographite by Tube-Shear Exfoliation in Water

PubMed Central

Engström, Ann-Christine; Hummelgård, Magnus; Andres, Britta; Forsberg, Sven; Olin, Håkan

2016-01-01

The number of applications based on graphene, few-layer graphene, and nanographite is rapidly increasing. A large-scale process for production of these materials is critically needed to achieve cost-effective commercial products. Here, we present a novel process to mechanically exfoliate industrial quantities of nanographite from graphite in an aqueous environment with low energy consumption and at controlled shear conditions. This process, based on hydrodynamic tube shearing, produced nanometer-thick and micrometer-wide flakes of nanographite with a production rate exceeding 500 gh-1 with an energy consumption about 10 Whg-1. In addition, to facilitate large-area coating, we show that the nanographite can be mixed with nanofibrillated cellulose in the process to form highly conductive, robust and environmentally friendly composites. This composite has a sheet resistance below 1.75 Ω/sq and an electrical resistivity of 1.39×10-4 Ωm and may find use in several applications, from supercapacitors and batteries to printed electronics and solar cells. A batch of 100 liter was processed in less than 4 hours. The design of the process allow scaling to even larger volumes and the low energy consumption indicates a low-cost process. PMID:27128841
[Establishment of industry promotion technology system in Chinese medicine secondary exploitation based on "component structure theory"].

PubMed

Cheng, Xu-Dong; Feng, Liang; Zhang, Ming-Hua; Gu, Jun-Fei; Jia, Xiao-Bin

2014-10-01

The purpose of the secondary exploitation of Chinese medicine is to improve the quality of Chinese medicine products, enhance core competitiveness, for better use in clinical practice, and more effectively solve the patient suffering. Herbs, extraction, separation, refreshing, preparation and quality control are all involved in the industry promotion of Chinese medicine secondary exploitation of industrial production. The Chinese medicine quality improvement and industry promotion could be realized with the whole process of process optimization, quality control, overall processes improvement. Based on the "component structure theory", "multi-dimensional structure & process dynamic quality control system" and systematic and holistic character of Chinese medicine, impacts of whole process were discussed. Technology systems of Chinese medicine industry promotion was built to provide theoretical basis for improving the quality and efficacy of the secondary development of traditional Chinese medicine products.
Perception of oyster-based products by French consumers. The effect of processing and role of social representations.

PubMed

Debucquet, Gervaise; Cornet, Josiane; Adam, Isabelle; Cardinal, Mireille

2012-12-01

The search for new markets in the seafood sector, associated with the question of the continuity of raw oyster consumption over generations can be an opportunity for processors to extend their ranges with oyster-based products. The twofold aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of processing and social representation on perception of oyster-based products by French consumers and to identify the best means of development in order to avoid possible failure in the market. Five products with different degrees of processing (cooked oysters in a half-shell, hot preparation for toast, potted oyster, oyster butter and oyster-based soup) were presented within focus groups and consumer tests, at home and in canteens with the staff of several companies in order to reach consumers with different ages and professional activities. The results showed that social representation had a strong impact and that behaviours were contrasted according to the initial profile of the consumer (traditional raw oyster consumers or non-consumers) and their age distribution (younger and older people). The degree of processing has to be adapted to each segment. It is suggested to develop early exposure to influence the food choices and preferences of the youngest consumers on a long-term basis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production involving continuous processes--a process system engineering (PSE)-assisted design framework.

PubMed

Cervera-Padrell, Albert E; Skovby, Tommy; Kiil, Søren; Gani, Rafiqul; Gernaey, Krist V

2012-10-01

A systematic framework is proposed for the design of continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing processes. Specifically, the design framework focuses on organic chemistry based, active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) synthetic processes, but could potentially be extended to biocatalytic and fermentation-based products. The method exploits the synergic combination of continuous flow technologies (e.g., microfluidic techniques) and process systems engineering (PSE) methods and tools for faster process design and increased process understanding throughout the whole drug product and process development cycle. The design framework structures the many different and challenging design problems (e.g., solvent selection, reactor design, and design of separation and purification operations), driving the user from the initial drug discovery steps--where process knowledge is very limited--toward the detailed design and analysis. Examples from the literature of PSE methods and tools applied to pharmaceutical process design and novel pharmaceutical production technologies are provided along the text, assisting in the accumulation and interpretation of process knowledge. Different criteria are suggested for the selection of batch and continuous processes so that the whole design results in low capital and operational costs as well as low environmental footprint. The design framework has been applied to the retrofit of an existing batch-wise process used by H. Lundbeck A/S to produce an API: zuclopenthixol. Some of its batch operations were successfully converted into continuous mode, obtaining higher yields that allowed a significant simplification of the whole process. The material and environmental footprint of the process--evaluated through the process mass intensity index, that is, kg of material used per kg of product--was reduced to half of its initial value, with potential for further reduction. The case-study includes reaction steps typically used by the pharmaceutical industry featuring different characteristic reaction times, as well as L-L separation and distillation-based solvent exchange steps, and thus constitutes a good example of how the design framework can be useful to efficiently design novel or already existing API manufacturing processes taking advantage of continuous processes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Microscale to Manufacturing Scale-up of Cell-Free Cytokine Production—A New Approach for Shortening Protein Production Development Timelines

PubMed Central

Zawada, James F; Yin, Gang; Steiner, Alexander R; Yang, Junhao; Naresh, Alpana; Roy, Sushmita M; Gold, Daniel S; Heinsohn, Henry G; Murray, Christopher J

2011-01-01

Engineering robust protein production and purification of correctly folded biotherapeutic proteins in cell-based systems is often challenging due to the requirements for maintaining complex cellular networks for cell viability and the need to develop associated downstream processes that reproducibly yield biopharmaceutical products with high product quality. Here, we present an alternative Escherichia coli-based open cell-free synthesis (OCFS) system that is optimized for predictable high-yield protein synthesis and folding at any scale with straightforward downstream purification processes. We describe how the linear scalability of OCFS allows rapid process optimization of parameters affecting extract activation, gene sequence optimization, and redox folding conditions for disulfide bond formation at microliter scales. Efficient and predictable high-level protein production can then be achieved using batch processes in standard bioreactors. We show how a fully bioactive protein produced by OCFS from optimized frozen extract can be purified directly using a streamlined purification process that yields a biologically active cytokine, human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, produced at titers of 700 mg/L in 10 h. These results represent a milestone for in vitro protein synthesis, with potential for the cGMP production of disulfide-bonded biotherapeutic proteins. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011; 108:1570–1578. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:21337337
Productive Learning Practice--A Theoretical Discussion Based on Two Cases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lillejord, Solvi; Dysthe, Olga

2008-01-01

In this article, we frame "productive learning" in a sociocultural perspective to show how it ties into a cluster of concepts on activity and transformation and illuminates the relation between learning processes and learning products. Based on two case studies, we argue that understanding learning as action entails developing the students'…
Comparison of simulation modeling and satellite techniques for monitoring ecological processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Box, Elgene O.

1988-01-01

In 1985 improvements were made in the world climatic data base for modeling and predictive mapping; in individual process models and the overall carbon-balance models; and in the interface software for mapping the simulation results. Statistical analysis of the data base was begun. In 1986 mapping was shifted to NASA-Goddard. The initial approach involving pattern comparisons was modified to a more statistical approach. A major accomplishment was the expansion and improvement of a global data base of measurements of biomass and primary production, to complement the simulation data. The main accomplishments during 1987 included: production of a master tape with all environmental and satellite data and model results for the 1600 sites; development of a complete mapping system used for the initial color maps comparing annual and monthly patterns of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), actual evapotranspiration, net primary productivity, gross primary productivity, and net ecosystem production; collection of more biosphere measurements for eventual improvement of the biological models; and development of some initial monthly models for primary productivity, based on satellite data.
Life-cycle assessment of corn-based butanol as a potential transportation fuel.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, M.; Wang, M.; Liu, J.

2007-12-31

Butanol produced from bio-sources (such as corn) could have attractive properties as a transportation fuel. Production of butanol through a fermentation process called acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) has been the focus of increasing research and development efforts. Advances in ABE process development in recent years have led to drastic increases in ABE productivity and yields, making butanol production worthy of evaluation for use in motor vehicles. Consequently, chemical/fuel industries have announced their intention to produce butanol from bio-based materials. The purpose of this study is to estimate the potential life-cycle energy and emission effects associated with using bio-butanol as a transportation fuel.more » The study employs a well-to-wheels analysis tool--the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model developed at Argonne National Laboratory--and the Aspen Plus{reg_sign} model developed by AspenTech. The study describes the butanol production from corn, including grain processing, fermentation, gas stripping, distillation, and adsorption for products separation. The Aspen{reg_sign} results that we obtained for the corn-to-butanol production process provide the basis for GREET modeling to estimate life-cycle energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The GREET model was expanded to simulate the bio-butanol life cycle, from agricultural chemical production to butanol use in motor vehicles. We then compared the results for bio-butanol with those of conventional gasoline. We also analyzed the bio-acetone that is coproduced with bio-butanol as an alternative to petroleum-based acetone. Our study shows that, while the use of corn-based butanol achieves energy benefits and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, the results are affected by the methods used to treat the acetone that is co-produced in butanol plants.« less
Process Design and Economics for the Production of Algal Biomass: Algal Biomass Production in Open Pond Systems and Processing Through Dewatering for Downstream Conversion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davis, Ryan; Markham, Jennifer; Kinchin, Christopher

2016-02-17

This report describes in detail a set of aspirational design and process targets to better understand the realistic economic potential for the production of algal biomass for subsequent conversion to biofuels and/or coproducts, based on the use of open pond cultivation systems and a series of dewatering operations to concentrate the biomass up to 20 wt% solids (ash-free dry weight basis).
Methods of downstream processing for the production of biodiesel from microalgae.

PubMed

Kim, Jungmin; Yoo, Gursong; Lee, Hansol; Lim, Juntaek; Kim, Kyochan; Kim, Chul Woong; Park, Min S; Yang, Ji-Won

2013-11-01

Despite receiving increasing attention during the last few decades, the production of microalgal biofuels is not yet sufficiently cost-effective to compete with that of petroleum-based conventional fuels. Among the steps required for the production of microalgal biofuels, the harvest of the microalgal biomass and the extraction of lipids from microalgae are two of the most expensive. In this review article, we surveyed a substantial amount of previous work in microalgal harvesting and lipid extraction to highlight recent progress in these areas. We also discuss new developments in the biodiesel conversion technology due to the importance of the connectivity of this step with the lipid extraction process. Furthermore, we propose possible future directions for technological or process improvements that will directly affect the final production costs of microalgal biomass-based biofuels. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Continuous recovery of valine in a model mixture of amino acids and salt from Corynebacterium bacteria fermentation using a simulated moving bed chromatography.

PubMed

Park, Chanhun; Nam, Hee-Geun; Jo, Se-Hee; Wang, Nien-Hwa Linda; Mun, Sungyong

2016-02-26

The economical efficiency of valine production in related industries is largely affected by the performance of a valine separation process, in which valine is to be separated from leucine, alanine, and ammonium sulfate. Such separation is currently handled by a batch-mode hybrid process based on ion-exchange and crystallization schemes. To make a substantial improvement in the economical efficiency of an industrial valine production, such a batch-mode process based on two different separation schemes needs to be converted into a continuous-mode separation process based on a single separation scheme. To address this issue, a simulated moving bed (SMB) technology was applied in this study to the development of a continuous-mode valine-separation chromatographic process with uniformity in adsorbent and liquid phases. It was first found that a Chromalite-PCG600C resin could be eligible for the adsorbent of such process, particularly in an industrial scale. The intrinsic parameters of each component on the Chromalite-PCG600C adsorbent were determined and then utilized in selecting a proper set of configurations for SMB units, columns, and ports, under which the SMB operating parameters were optimized with a genetic algorithm. Finally, the optimized SMB based on the selected configurations was tested experimentally, which confirmed its effectiveness in continuous separation of valine from leucine, alanine, ammonium sulfate with high purity, high yield, high throughput, and high valine product concentration. It is thus expected that the developed SMB process in this study will be able to serve as one of the trustworthy ways of improving the economical efficiency of an industrial valine production process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optimizing laser beam profiles using micro-lens arrays for efficient material processing: applications to solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hauschild, Dirk; Homburg, Oliver; Mitra, Thomas; Ivanenko, Mikhail; Jarczynski, Manfred; Meinschien, Jens; Bayer, Andreas; Lissotschenko, Vitalij

2009-02-01

High power laser sources are used in various production tools for microelectronic products and solar cells, including the applications annealing, lithography, edge isolation as well as dicing and patterning. Besides the right choice of the laser source suitable high performance optics for generating the appropriate beam profile and intensity distribution are of high importance for the right processing speed, quality and yield. For industrial applications equally important is an adequate understanding of the physics of the light-matter interaction behind the process. In advance simulations of the tool performance can minimize technical and financial risk as well as lead times for prototyping and introduction into series production. LIMO has developed its own software founded on the Maxwell equations taking into account all important physical aspects of the laser based process: the light source, the beam shaping optical system and the light-matter interaction. Based on this knowledge together with a unique free-form micro-lens array production technology and patented micro-optics beam shaping designs a number of novel solar cell production tool sub-systems have been built. The basic functionalities, design principles and performance results are presented with a special emphasis on resilience, cost reduction and process reliability.
Economic analysis of fuel ethanol production from hulled barley by the EDGE (Enhanced Dry Grind Enzymatic) process

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A cost model was developed for fuel ethanol production from barley based on the EDGE (Enhanced Dry Grind Enzymatic) process (Nghiem, et al., 2008). In this process, in addition to beta-glucanases, which is added to reduce the viscosity of the barley mash for efficient mixing, another enzyme, beta-...
Technological progress and challenges towards cGMP manufacturing of human pluripotent stem cells based therapeutic products for allogeneic and autologous cell therapies.

PubMed

Abbasalizadeh, Saeed; Baharvand, Hossein

2013-12-01

Recent technological advances in the generation, characterization, and bioprocessing of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have created new hope for their use as a source for production of cell-based therapeutic products. To date, a few clinical trials that have used therapeutic cells derived from hESCs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but numerous new hPSC-based cell therapy products are under various stages of development in cell therapy-specialized companies and their future market is estimated to be very promising. However, the multitude of critical challenges regarding different aspects of hPSC-based therapeutic product manufacturing and their therapies have made progress for the introduction of new products and clinical applications very slow. These challenges include scientific, technological, clinical, policy, and financial aspects. The technological aspects of manufacturing hPSC-based therapeutic products for allogeneic and autologous cell therapies according to good manufacturing practice (cGMP) quality requirements is one of the most important challenging and emerging topics in the development of new hPSCs for clinical use. In this review, we describe main critical challenges and highlight a series of technological advances in all aspects of hPSC-based therapeutic product manufacturing including clinical grade cell line development, large-scale banking, upstream processing, downstream processing, and quality assessment of final cell therapeutic products that have brought hPSCs closer to clinical application and commercial cGMP manufacturing. © 2013.
Media fill for validation of a good manufacturing practice-compliant cell production process.

PubMed

Serra, Marta; Roseti, Livia; Bassi, Alessandra

2015-01-01

According to the European Regulation EC 1394/2007, the clinical use of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products, such as Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells expanded for the regeneration of bone tissue or Chondrocytes for Autologous Implantation, requires the development of a process in compliance with the Good Manufacturing Practices. The Media Fill test, consisting of a simulation of the expansion process by using a microbial growth medium instead of the cells, is considered one of the most effective ways to validate a cell production process. Such simulation, in fact, allows to identify any weakness in production that can lead to microbiological contamination of the final cell product as well as qualifying operators. Here, we report the critical aspects concerning the design of a Media Fill test to be used as a tool for the further validation of the sterility of a cell-based Good Manufacturing Practice-compliant production process.
Increasing the efficiency of designing hemming processes by using an element-based metamodel approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaiser, C.; Roll, K.; Volk, W.

2017-09-01

In the automotive industry, the manufacturing of automotive outer panels requires hemming processes in which two sheet metal parts are joined together by bending the flange of the outer part over the inner part. Because of decreasing development times and the steadily growing number of vehicle derivatives, an efficient digital product and process validation is necessary. Commonly used simulations, which are based on the finite element method, demand significant modelling effort, which results in disadvantages especially in the early product development phase. To increase the efficiency of designing hemming processes this paper presents a hemming-specific metamodel approach. The approach includes a part analysis in which the outline of the automotive outer panels is initially split into individual segments. By doing a para-metrization of each of the segments and assigning basic geometric shapes, the outline of the part is approximated. Based on this, the hemming parameters such as flange length, roll-in, wrinkling and plastic strains are calculated for each of the geometric basic shapes by performing a meta-model-based segmental product validation. The metamodel is based on an element similar formulation that includes a reference dataset of various geometric basic shapes. A random automotive outer panel can now be analysed and optimized based on the hemming-specific database. By implementing this approach into a planning system, an efficient optimization of designing hemming processes will be enabled. Furthermore, valuable time and cost benefits can be realized in a vehicle’s development process.
Documenting the decision structure in software development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wild, J. Christian; Maly, Kurt; Shen, Stewart N.

1990-01-01

Current software development paradigms focus on the products of the development process. Much of the decision making process which produces these products is outside the scope of these paradigms. The Decision-Based Software Development (DBSD) paradigm views the design process as a series of interrelated decisions which involve the identification and articulation of problems, alternates, solutions and justifications. Decisions made by programmers and analysts are recorded in a project data base. Unresolved problems are also recorded and resources for their resolution are allocated by management according to the overall development strategy. This decision structure is linked to the products affected by the relevant decision and provides a process oriented view of the resulted system. Software maintenance uses this decision view of the system to understand the rationale behind the decisions affecting the part of the system to be modified. D-HyperCase, a prototype Decision-Based Hypermedia System is described and results of applying the DBSD approach during its development are presented.
The extraction of bitumen from western oil sands. Annual report, July 1991--July 1992

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oblad, A.G.; Bunger, J.W.; Dahlstrom, D.A.

1992-08-01

The University of Utah tar sand research and development program is concerned with research and development on Utah is extensive oil sands deposits. The program has been intended to develop a scientific and technological base required for eventual commercial recovery of the heavy oils from oil sands and processing these oils to produce synthetic crude oil and other products such as asphalt. The overall program is based on mining the oil sand, processing the mined sand to recover the heavy oils and upgrading them to products. Multiple deposits are being investigated since it is believed that a large scale (approximatelymore » 20,000 bbl/day) plant would require the use of resources from more than one deposit. The tasks or projects in the program are organized according to the following classification: Recovery technologies which includes thermal recovery methods, water extraction methods, and solvent extraction methods; upgrading and processing technologies which covers hydrotreating, hydrocracking, and hydropyrolysis; solvent extraction; production of specialty products; and environmental aspects of the production and processing technologies. These tasks are covered in this report.« less
Inactivated polio vaccine development for technology transfer using attenuated Sabin poliovirus strains to shift from Salk-IPV to Sabin-IPV.

PubMed

Bakker, Wilfried A M; Thomassen, Yvonne E; van't Oever, Aart G; Westdijk, Janny; van Oijen, Monique G C T; Sundermann, Lars C; van't Veld, Peter; Sleeman, Eelco; van Nimwegen, Fred W; Hamidi, Ahd; Kersten, Gideon F A; van den Heuvel, Nico; Hendriks, Jan T; van der Pol, Leo A

2011-09-22

Industrial-scale inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) production dates back to the 1960s when at the Rijks Instituut voor de Volksgezondheid (RIV) in Bilthoven a process was developed based on micro-carrier technology and primary monkey kidney cells. This technology was freely shared with several pharmaceutical companies and institutes worldwide. In this contribution, the history of one of the first cell-culture based large-scale biological production processes is summarized. Also, recent developments and the anticipated upcoming shift from regular IPV to Sabin-IPV are presented. Responding to a call by the World Health Organization (WHO) for new polio vaccines, the development of Sabin-IPV was continued, after demonstrating proof of principle in the 1990s, at the Netherlands Vaccine Institute (NVI). Development of Sabin-IPV plays an important role in the WHO polio eradication strategy as biocontainment will be critical in the post-OPV cessation period. The use of attenuated Sabin strains instead of wild-type Salk polio strains will provide additional safety during vaccine production. Initially, the Sabin-IPV production process will be based on the scale-down model of the current, and well-established, Salk-IPV process. In parallel to clinical trial material production, process development, optimization and formulation research is being carried out to further optimize the process and reduce cost per dose. Also, results will be shown from large-scale (to prepare for future technology transfer) generation of Master- and Working virus seedlots, and clinical trial material (for phase I studies) production. Finally, the planned technology transfer to vaccine manufacturers in low and middle-income countries is discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Implementation of Lean System on Erbium Doped Fibre Amplifier Manufacturing Process to Reduce Production Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maneechote, T.; Luangpaiboon, P.

2010-10-01

A manufacturing process of erbium doped fibre amplifiers is complicated. It needs to meet the customers' requirements under a present economic status that products need to be shipped to customers as soon as possible after purchasing orders. This research aims to study and improve processes and production lines of erbium doped fibre amplifiers using lean manufacturing systems via an application of computer simulation. Three scenarios of lean tooled box systems are selected via the expert system. Firstly, the production schedule based on shipment date is combined with a first in first out control system. The second scenario focuses on a designed flow process plant layout. Finally, the previous flow process plant layout combines with production schedule based on shipment date including the first in first out control systems. The computer simulation with the limited data via an expected value is used to observe the performance of all scenarios. The most preferable resulted lean tooled box systems from a computer simulation are selected to implement in the real process of a production of erbium doped fibre amplifiers. A comparison is carried out to determine the actual performance measures via an analysis of variance of the response or the production time per unit achieved in each scenario. The goodness of an adequacy of the linear statistical model via experimental errors or residuals is also performed to check the normality, constant variance and independence of the residuals. The results show that a hybrid scenario of lean manufacturing system with the first in first out control and flow process plant lay out statistically leads to better performance in terms of the mean and variance of production times.
Image analysis and mathematical modelling for the supervision of the dough fermentation process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zettel, Viktoria; Paquet-Durand, Olivier; Hecker, Florian; Hitzmann, Bernd

2016-10-01

The fermentation (proof) process of dough is one of the quality-determining steps in the production of baking goods. Beside the fluffiness, whose fundaments are built during fermentation, the flavour of the final product is influenced very much during this production stage. However, until now no on-line measurement system is available, which can supervise this important process step. In this investigation the potential of an image analysis system is evaluated, that enables the determination of the volume of fermented dough pieces. The camera is moving around the fermenting pieces and collects images from the objects by means of different angles (360° range). Using image analysis algorithms the volume increase of individual dough pieces is determined. Based on a detailed mathematical description of the volume increase, which based on the Bernoulli equation, carbon dioxide production rate of yeast cells and the diffusion processes of carbon dioxide, the fermentation process is supervised. Important process parameters, like the carbon dioxide production rate of the yeast cells and the dough viscosity can be estimated just after 300 s of proofing. The mean percentage error for forecasting the further evolution of the relative volume of the dough pieces is just 2.3 %. Therefore, a forecast of the further evolution can be performed and used for fault detection.
Developing an experimental case in aluminium foils 1100 to determine the maximum angle of formability in a piece by Dieless-SPIF process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabriel, Paramo; Adrian, Benitez

2014-07-01

Incremental sheet forming by the method of single point incremental forming Dieless-SPIF, is a widely studied process, experimented and developed in countries with high manufacturing technologies, with friendly costs when the productive configuration in a productivity system is based in small production batches. United states, United kingdom and France lead this type of studies and cases, developing various proof with experimental geometries, different from the national environment such as Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru where this process where discretely studied. Previously mentioned, it pretends develop an experimental case of a particular geometry, identifying the maximum formability angle of material permissible for the forming of a piece in one pass, the analysis of forming limit curve (FLC), with the objective to emphasizes in this innovative method based in CAD-CAM technologies, compare with other analogous process of deformation sheet metal like embossing, take correct decisions about the viability and applicability of this process (Dieless) in a particular industrial piece, which responses to the necessities of productive configurations mentioned and be highly taken like a manufacturing alternative to the other conventional process of forming sheet metal like embossing, for systems with slow batches production.
Modeling of the pyruvate production with Escherichia coli: comparison of mechanistic and neural networks-based models.

PubMed

Zelić, B; Bolf, N; Vasić-Racki, D

2006-06-01

Three different models: the unstructured mechanistic black-box model, the input-output neural network-based model and the externally recurrent neural network model were used to describe the pyruvate production process from glucose and acetate using the genetically modified Escherichia coli YYC202 ldhA::Kan strain. The experimental data were used from the recently described batch and fed-batch experiments [ Zelić B, Study of the process development for Escherichia coli-based pyruvate production. PhD Thesis, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Zagreb, Croatia, July 2003. (In English); Zelić et al. Bioproc Biosyst Eng 26:249-258 (2004); Zelić et al. Eng Life Sci 3:299-305 (2003); Zelić et al Biotechnol Bioeng 85:638-646 (2004)]. The neural networks were built out of the experimental data obtained in the fed-batch pyruvate production experiments with the constant glucose feed rate. The model validation was performed using the experimental results obtained from the batch and fed-batch pyruvate production experiments with the constant acetate feed rate. Dynamics of the substrate and product concentration changes was estimated using two neural network-based models for biomass and pyruvate. It was shown that neural networks could be used for the modeling of complex microbial fermentation processes, even in conditions in which mechanistic unstructured models cannot be applied.
A new web-based modelling tool (Websim-MILQ) aimed at optimisation of thermal treatments in the dairy industry.

PubMed

Schutyser, M A I; Straatsma, J; Keijzer, P M; Verschueren, M; De Jong, P

2008-11-30

In the framework of a cooperative EU research project (MILQ-QC-TOOL) a web-based modelling tool (Websim-MILQ) was developed for optimisation of thermal treatments in the dairy industry. The web-based tool enables optimisation of thermal treatments with respect to product safety, quality and costs. It can be applied to existing products and processes but also to reduce time to market for new products. Important aspects of the tool are its user-friendliness and its specifications customised to the needs of small dairy companies. To challenge the web-based tool it was applied for optimisation of thermal treatments in 16 dairy companies producing yoghurt, fresh cream, chocolate milk and cheese. Optimisation with WebSim-MILQ resulted in concrete improvements with respect to risk of microbial contamination, cheese yield, fouling and production costs. In this paper we illustrate the use of WebSim-MILQ for optimisation of a cheese milk pasteurisation process where we could increase the cheese yield (1 extra cheese for each 100 produced cheeses from the same amount of milk) and reduced the risk of contamination of pasteurised cheese milk with thermoresistent streptococci from critical to negligible. In another case we demonstrate the advantage for changing from an indirect to a direct heating method for a UHT process resulting in 80% less fouling, while improving product quality and maintaining product safety.
Characteristics of products generated by selective sintering and stereolithography rapid prototyping processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cariapa, Vikram

1993-01-01

The trend in the modern global economy towards free market policies has motivated companies to use rapid prototyping technologies to not only reduce product development cycle time but also to maintain their competitive edge. A rapid prototyping technology is one which combines computer aided design with computer controlled tracking of focussed high energy source (eg. lasers, heat) on modern ceramic powders, metallic powders, plastics or photosensitive liquid resins in order to produce prototypes or models. At present, except for the process of shape melting, most rapid prototyping processes generate products that are only dimensionally similar to those of the desired end product. There is an urgent need, therefore, to enhance the understanding of the characteristics of these processes in order to realize their potential for production. Currently, the commercial market is dominated by four rapid prototyping processes, namely selective laser sintering, stereolithography, fused deposition modelling and laminated object manufacturing. This phase of the research has focussed on the selective laser sintering and stereolithography rapid prototyping processes. A theoretical model for these processes is under development. Different rapid prototyping sites supplied test specimens (based on ASTM 638-84, Type I) that have been measured and tested to provide a data base on surface finish, dimensional variation and ultimate tensile strength. Further plans call for developing and verifying the theoretical models by carefully designed experiments. This will be a joint effort between NASA and other prototyping centers to generate a larger database, thus encouraging more widespread usage by product designers.
Enhancing efficiency of production cost on seafood process with activity based management method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarigan, U.; Tarigan, U. P. P.

2018-02-01

The efficiency of production costs has an important impact maintaining company presence in the business world, as well as in the face of increasingly sharp global competition. It was done by identifying and reducing non-value-added activities to decrease production costs and increase profits. The study was conducted at a company engaged in the production of squid (seafood). It has a higher product price than the market as Rp 50,000 per kg while the market price of squid is only Rp 35,000 per kg. The price of the product to be more expensive compared with market price, and thereby a lot more consumers choose the lower market price. Based on the discussions conducted, the implementation of Activity Based Management was seen in the reduction of activities that are not added value in the production process. Since each activities consumers cost, the reduction of nonvalue-added activities has effects on the decline of production cost. The production’s decline costs mainly occur in the reduction of material transfer costs. The results showed that there was an increase after the improvement of 2.60%. Increased production cost efficiency causes decreased production costs and increased profits.
New product development: A batik multifunctional chair

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Indrawati, Sri; Sukmaningsih, Nias

2017-11-01

The biggest challenge facing by Batik industry in ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) era is the greater number of fashion competitors both domestically and internationally. Based on that condition, the development of new product variants by considering product performance and price is needed. This research was conducted to develop batik products with a new target market. Products that being developed is batik multifunctional chair using integrated value engineering and analytic hierarchy process methods. This research has been done in several stages, ie. Information stage, creative stage, value analysis and product prototyping. The results of this research shows that the batik multifunctional chair product criteria are aesthetic (29%), multifunctional (34%) and ergonomic (37%). There are three new product design alternatives that successfully being developed. Based on value analysis, the product design alternatives that have the highest value is alternative design 2, the value is 2,37. The production cost for this design is Rp. 500.000,-. Alternative design 2 specification are using Mahoni wood, Batik parang rusak pattern with natural coloring process, can be used as table and fit with customer's body anthropometry. Then a batik multifunctional chair prototype is developed based on the best alternative design.
30 CFR 227.400 - What functions may a State perform in processing production reports or royalty reports?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... reports or royalty reports; (2) Processing production or royalty data to allow entry into a data base; (3... or royalty report data to MMS and other affected Federal agencies as provided in your delegation... reporters; (6) Providing production data or royalty data to MMS and other affected Federal agencies; and (7...
30 CFR 1227.400 - What functions may a State perform in processing production reports or royalty reports?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... reports or royalty reports; (2) Processing production or royalty data to allow entry into a data base; (3... or royalty report data to ONRR and other affected Federal agencies as provided in your delegation... reporters; (6) Providing production data or royalty data to ONRR and other affected Federal agencies; and (7...
30 CFR 1227.400 - What functions may a State perform in processing production reports or royalty reports?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... reports or royalty reports; (2) Processing production or royalty data to allow entry into a data base; (3... or royalty report data to ONRR and other affected Federal agencies as provided in your delegation... reporters; (6) Providing production data or royalty data to ONRR and other affected Federal agencies; and (7...
30 CFR 1227.400 - What functions may a State perform in processing production reports or royalty reports?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... reports or royalty reports; (2) Processing production or royalty data to allow entry into a data base; (3... or royalty report data to ONRR and other affected Federal agencies as provided in your delegation... reporters; (6) Providing production data or royalty data to ONRR and other affected Federal agencies; and (7...

The Impact of Project Work and the Writing Process Method on Writing Production

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Díaz Ramírez, Marcela

2014-01-01

This article presents the outcomes of an investigation whose main goal was to implement the methodology of project work and a process approach in order to improve writing production in an English class of Colombian university students since their diagnostic tests showed that their written production had the lowest score. Based on data collected,…
Dropwise additive manufacturing of pharmaceutical products for melt-based dosage forms.

PubMed

Içten, Elçin; Giridhar, Arun; Taylor, Lynne S; Nagy, Zoltan K; Reklaitis, Gintaras V

2015-05-01

The US Food and Drug Administration introduced the quality by design approach and process analytical technology guidance to encourage innovation and efficiency in pharmaceutical development, manufacturing, and quality assurance. As part of this renewed emphasis on the improvement of manufacturing, the pharmaceutical industry has begun to develop more efficient production processes with more intensive use of online measurement and sensing, real-time quality control, and process control tools. Here, we present dropwise additive manufacturing of pharmaceutical products (DAMPP) as an alternative to conventional pharmaceutical manufacturing methods. This mini-manufacturing process for the production of pharmaceuticals utilizes drop on demand printing technology for automated and controlled deposition of melt-based formulations onto edible substrates. The advantages of drop-on-demand technology, including reproducible production of small droplets, adjustable drop sizing, high placement accuracy, and flexible use of different formulations, enable production of individualized dosing even for low-dose and high-potency drugs. In this work, DAMPP is used to produce solid oral dosage forms from hot melts of an active pharmaceutical ingredient and a polymer. The dosage forms are analyzed to show the reproducibility of dosing and the dissolution behavior of different formulations. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.
Development and evaluation of climatologically-downscaled AFWA AGRMET precipitation products over the continental U.S.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, M.; Peters-Lidard, C. D.; Eylander, J. B.; Daly, C.; Gibson, W.; Tian, Y.; Zeng, J.; Kato, H.

2008-05-01

Collaborations between the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA), the Hydrological Sciences Branch at NASA-GSFC, and the PRISM Group at Oregon State University have led to improvements in the processing of meteorological forcing inputs for the NASA-GSFC Land Information System (LIS; Kumar et al. 2006), a sophisticated framework for LSM operation and model coupling experiments. Efforts at AFWA toward the production of surface hydrometeorological products are currently in transition from the legacy Agricultural Meteorology modeling system (AGRMET) to use of the LIS framework and procedures. Recent enhancements to meteorological input processing for application to land surface models in LIS include the assimilation of climate-based information for the spatial interpolation and downscaling of precipitation fields. Climatological information included in the LIS- based downscaling procedure for North America is provided by a monthly high-resolution PRISM (Daly et al. 1994, 2002; Daly 2006) dataset based on a 30-year analysis period. The combination of these sources and methods attempts to address the strengths and weaknesses of available legacy products, objective interpolation methods, and the PRISM knowledge-based methodology. All of these efforts are oriented on an operational need for timely estimation of spatial precipitation fields at adequate spatial resolution for customer dissemination and near-real-time simulations in regions of interest. This work focuses on value added to the AGRMET precipitation product by the inclusion of high-quality climatological information on a monthly time scale. The AGRMET method uses microwave-based satellite precipitation estimates from various polar-orbiting platforms (NOAA POES and DMSP), infrared-based estimates from geostationary platforms (GOES, METEOSAT, etc.), related cloud analysis products, and surface gauge observations in a complex and hierarchical blending process. Results from processing of the legacy AGRMET precipitation products over the U.S. using LIS-based methods for downscaling, both with and without climatological factors, are evaluated against high-resolution monthly analyses using the PRISM knowledge- based method (Daly et al. 2002) over a 4-year period. It is demonstrated that the incorporation of climatological information in a downscaling procedure can significantly enhance the accuracy, and potential utility, of AFWA precipitation products for customer applications, especially over mountainous terrain as in the western U.S.
Development of a fermented quinoa-based beverage.

PubMed

Ludena Urquizo, Fanny Emma; García Torres, Silvia Melissa; Tolonen, Tiina; Jaakkola, Mari; Pena-Niebuhr, Maria Grazzia; von Wright, Atte; Repo-Carrasco-Valencia, Ritva; Korhonen, Hannu; Plumed-Ferrer, Carme

2017-05-01

Quinoa is a crop that originated from the Andes. It has high nutritional value, outstanding agro-ecological adaptability, and low water requirements. Quinoa is an excellent crop alternative to help overcome food shortages, and it can also have a role in the prevention of developed world lifestyle diseases, such as type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, etc. In order to expand the traditional uses of quinoa and to provide new, healthier and more nutritious food products, a fermented quinoa-based beverage was developed. Two quinoa varieties (Rosada de Huancayo and Pasankalla) were studied. The fermentation process, viscosity, acidity, and metabolic activity during the preparation and storage of the drink were monitored, as well as the preliminary organoleptic acceptability of the product. The drink had viable and stable microbiota during the storage time and the fermentation proved to be mostly homolactic. Both quinoa varieties were suitable as base for fermented products; Pasankalla, however, has the advantage due to higher protein content, lower saponin concentration, and lower loss of viscosity during the fermentation process. These results suggest that the differences between quinoa varieties may have substantial effects on food processes and on the properties of final products. This is a factor that should be taken into account when planning novel products based on this grain.
Mathematical modelling of disintegration-limited co-digestion of OFMSW and sewage sludge.

PubMed

Esposito, G; Frunzo, L; Panico, A; d'Antonio, G

2008-01-01

This paper presents a mathematical model able to simulate under dynamic conditions the physical, chemical and biological processes prevailing in a OFMSW and sewage sludge anaerobic digestion system. The model proposed is based on differential mass balance equations for substrates, products and bacterial groups involved in the co-digestion process and includes the biochemical reactions of the substrate conversion and the kinetics of microbial growth and decay. The main peculiarity of the model is the surface based kinetic description of the OFMSW disintegration process, whereas the pH determination is based on a nine-order polynomial equation derived by acid-base equilibria. The model can be applied to simulate the co-digestion process for several purposes, such as the evaluation of the optimal process conditions in terms of OFMSW/sewage sludge ratio, temperature, OFMSW particle size, solid mixture retention time, reactor stirring rate, etc. Biogas production and composition can also be evaluated to estimate the potential energy production under different process conditions. In particular, model simulations reported in this paper show the model capability to predict the OFMSW amount which can be treated in the digester of an existing MWWTP and to assess the OFMSW particle size diminution pre-treatment required to increase the rate of the disintegration process, which otherwise can highly limit the co-digestion system. Copyright IWA Publishing 2008.
Consumer evaluations of processed meat products reformulated to be healthier - A conjoint analysis study.

PubMed

Shan, Liran C; De Brún, Aoife; Henchion, Maeve; Li, Chenguang; Murrin, Celine; Wall, Patrick G; Monahan, Frank J

2017-09-01

Recent innovations in processed meats focus on healthier reformulations through reducing negative constituents and/or adding health beneficial ingredients. This study explored the influence of base meat product (ham, sausages, beef burger), salt and/or fat content (reduced or not), healthy ingredients (omega 3, vitamin E, none), and price (average or higher than average) on consumers' purchase intention and quality judgement of processed meats. A survey (n=481) using conjoint methodology and cluster analysis was conducted. Price and base meat product were most important for consumers' purchase intention, followed by healthy ingredient and salt and/or fat content. In reformulation, consumers had a preference for ham and sausages over beef burgers, and for reduced salt and/or fat over non reduction. In relation to healthy ingredients, omega 3 was preferred over none, and vitamin E was least preferred. Healthier reformulations improved the perceived healthiness of processed meats. Cluster analyses identified three consumer segments with different product preferences. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Model of areas for identifying risks influencing the compliance of technological processes and products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Misztal, A.; Belu, N.

2016-08-01

Operation of every company is associated with the risk of interfering with proper performance of its fundamental processes. This risk is associated with various internal areas of the company, as well as the environment in which it operates. From the point of view of ensuring compliance of the course of specific technological processes and, consequently, product conformity with requirements, it is important to identify these threats and eliminate or reduce the risk of their occurrence. The purpose of this article is to present a model of areas of identifying risk affecting the compliance of processes and products, which is based on multiregional targeted monitoring of typical places of interference and risk management methods. The model is based on the verification of risk analyses carried out in small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in various industries..
Renewable Acrylonitrile Production

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beckham, Gregg T; Karp, Eric M; Eaton, Todd R

Acrylonitrile (ACN) is a petroleum-derived compound used in resins, polymers, acrylics, and carbon fiber. We present a process for renewable ACN production using 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), which can be produced microbially from sugars. The process achieves ACN molar yields exceeding 90% from ethyl 3-hydroxypropanoate (ethyl 3-HP) via dehydration and nitrilation with ammonia over an inexpensive titanium dioxide solid acid catalyst. We further describe an integrated process modeled at scale that is based on this chemistry and achieves near-quantitative ACN yields (98 +/- 2%) from ethyl acrylate. This endothermic approach eliminates runaway reaction hazards and achieves higher yields than the standardmore » propylene ammoxidation process. Avoidance of hydrogen cyanide as a by-product also improves process safety and mitigates product handling requirements.« less
Mushroom cultivation, processing and value added products: a patent based review.

PubMed

Singhal, Somya; Rasane, Prasad; Kaur, Sawinder; Garba, Umar; Singh, Jyoti; Raj, Nishant; Gupta, Neeru

2018-06-03

Edible mushrooms are an abundant source of carbohydrates, proteins, and multiple antioxidants and phytonutrients. This paper presents a general overview on the edible fungus describing the inventions made in the field of its cultivation, equipment and value added products. To understand and review the innovations and nutraceutical benefits of mushrooms as well as to develop interest regarding the edible mushrooms. Information provided in this review is based on the available research investigations and patents. Mushrooms are an edible source of a wide variety of antioxidants and phytonutrients with a number of nutraceutical properties including anti-tumor and anti-carcinogenic. Thus, several investigations are made for cultivation and improvement of the yield of mushrooms through improvisation of growth substrates and equipment used for mushroom processing. The mushroom has been processed into various products to increase its consumption, providing the health and nutritional benefit to mankind. This paper summarizes the cultivation practices of mushroom, its processing equipments, methods of preservation, value added based products, and its nutraceutical properties. The review also highlights the various scientific feats achieved in terms of patents and research publications promoting mushroom as a wholesome food. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.
[Establishment of design space for production process of traditional Chinese medicine preparation].

PubMed

Xu, Bing; Shi, Xin-Yuan; Qiao, Yan-Jiang; Wu, Zhi-Sheng; Lin, Zhao-Zhou

2013-03-01

The philosophy of quality by design (QbD) is now leading the changes in the drug manufacturing mode from the conventional test-based approach to the science and risk based approach focusing on the detailed research and understanding of the production process. Along with the constant deepening of the understanding of the manufacturing process, the design space will be determined, and the emphasis of quality control will be shifted from the quality standards to the design space. Therefore, the establishment of the design space is core step in the implementation of QbD, and it is of great importance to study the methods for building the design space. This essay proposes the concept of design space for the production process of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparations, gives a systematic introduction of the concept of the design space, analyzes the feasibility and significance to build the design space in the production process of traditional Chinese medicine preparations, and proposes study approaches on the basis of examples that comply with the characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine preparations, as well as future study orientations.
Implementation of quality by design toward processing of food products.

PubMed

Rathore, Anurag S; Kapoor, Gautam

2017-05-28

Quality by design (QbD) is a systematic approach that begins with predefined objectives and emphasizes product and process understanding and process control. It is an approach based on principles of sound science and quality risk management. As the food processing industry continues to embrace the idea of in-line, online, and/or at-line sensors and real-time characterization for process monitoring and control, the existing gaps with regard to our ability to monitor multiple parameters/variables associated with the manufacturing process will be alleviated over time. Investments made for development of tools and approaches that facilitate high-throughput analytical and process development, process analytical technology, design of experiments, risk analysis, knowledge management, and enhancement of process/product understanding would pave way for operational and economic benefits later in the commercialization process and across other product pipelines. This article aims to achieve two major objectives. First, to review the progress that has been made in the recent years on the topic of QbD implementation in processing of food products and second, present a case study that illustrates benefits of such QbD implementation.
Techno-economic analysis of biocatalytic processes for production of alkene expoxides

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Borole, Abhijeet P

2007-01-01

A techno-economic analysis of two different bioprocesses was conducted, one for the conversion of propylene to propylene oxide (PO) and other for conversion of styrene to styrene expoxide (SO). The first process was a lipase-mediated chemo-enzymatic reaction, whereas the second one was a one-step enzymatic process using chloroperoxidase. The PO produced through the chemo-enzymatic process is a racemic product, whereas the latter process (based on chloroperoxidase) produces an enantio-pure product. The former process thus falls under the category of high-volume commodity chemical (PO); whereas the latter is a low-volume, high-value product (SO).A simulation of the process was conducted using themore » bioprocess engineering software SuperPro Designer v6.0 (Intelligen, Inc., Scotch Plains, NJ) to determine the economic feasibility of the process. The purpose of the exercise was to compare biocatalytic processes with existing chemical processes for production of alkene expoxides. The results show that further improvements are needed in improving biocatalyst stability to make these bioprocesses competitive with chemical processes.« less
Questionnaire survey of customer satisfaction for product categories towards certification of ergonomic quality in design.

PubMed

Mochimaru, Masaaki; Takahashi, Miwako; Hatakenaka, Nobuko; Horiuchi, Hitoshi

2012-01-01

Customer satisfaction was surveyed for 6 product categories (consumer electronics, daily commodities, home equipment, information systems, cars, and health appliances) by questionnaires based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process. Analyzing weight of evaluation factors, the 6 product categories were reorganized into 4 categories, those were related to 4 aspects in daily living that formed by two axes: home living - mobility life and healthy life - active communication. It was found that consumers were attracted by the actual user test by public institutes for all product categories. The certification based on the design process standard established by authorities, such as EQUID was the second best attractor for consumers.
Separation of Zirconium and Hafnium: A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, L.; Xiao, Y.; van Sandwijk, A.; Xu, Q.; Yang, Y.

Zirconium is an ideal material for nuclear reactors due to its low absorption cross-section for thermal neutrons, whereas the typically contained hafnium with strong neutron-absorption is very harmful for zirconium. This paper provides an overview of the processes for separating hafnium from zirconium. The separation processes are roughly classified into hydro- and pyrometallurgical routes. The current dominant zirconium production route involves pyrometallurgical ore cracking, multi-step hydrometallurgical liquid-liquid extraction for hafnium removal and the reduction of zirconium tetrachloride to the pure metal by the Kroll process. The lengthy hydrometallurgical Zr-Hf separation operations leads to high production cost, intensive labour and heavy environmental burden. Using a compact pyrometallurgical separation method can simplify the whole production flowsheet with a higher process efficiency. The known separation methods are discussed based on the following reaction features: redox characteristics, volatility, electrochemical properties and molten salt extraction. The commercially operating extractive distillation process is a significant advance in Zr-Hf separation technology but it suffers from high process maintenance cost. The recently developed new process based on molten salt-metal equilibrium for Zr-Hf separation shows a great potential for industrial application, which is compact for nuclear grade zirconium production starting from crude ore. In the present paper, the available separation technologies are compared. The advantages and disadvantages as well as future directions of research and development for nuclear grade zirconium production are discussed.
Remote detection of carbon monoxide by FTIR for simulating field detection in industrial process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Qiankun; Liu, Wenqing; Zhang, Yujun; Gao, Mingguang; Xu, Liang; Li, Xiangxian; Jin, Ling

2016-10-01

In order to monitor carbon monoxide in industrial production, we developed a passive gas radiation measurement system based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and carried out infrared radiation measurement experiment of carbon monoxide detection in simulated industrial production environment by this system. The principle, condition, device and data processing method of the experiment are introduced in this paper. In order to solve the problem of light path jitter in the actual industrial field, we simulated the noise in the industrial environment. We combine the advantages of MATHEMATICA software in the aspects of graph processing and symbolic computation to data processing to improve the signal noise ratio and noise suppression. Based on the HITRAN database, the nonlinear least square fitting method was used to calculate the concentration of the CO spectra before and after the data processing. By comparing the calculated concentration, the data processed by MATHEMATICA is reliable and necessary in the industrial production environment.
Recent developments in processing systems for cell and tissue cultures toward therapeutic application.

PubMed

Kino-oka, Masahiro; Taya, Masahito

2009-10-01

Innovative techniques of cell and tissue processing, based on tissue engineering, have been developed for therapeutic applications. Cell expansion and tissue reconstruction through ex vivo cultures are core processes used to produce engineered tissues with sufficient structural integrity and functionality. In manufacturing, strict management against contamination and human error is compelled due to direct use of un-sterilable products and the laboriousness of culture operations, respectively. Therefore, the development of processing systems for cell and tissue cultures is one of the critical issues for ensuring a stable process and quality of therapeutic products. However, the siting criterion of culture systems to date has not been made clear. This review article classifies some of the known processing systems into 'sealed-chamber' and 'sealed-vessel' culture systems based on the difference in their aseptic spaces, and describes the potential advantages of these systems and current states of culture systems, especially those established by Japanese companies. Moreover, on the basis of the guidelines for isolator systems used in aseptic processing for healthcare products, which are issued by the International Organization for Standardization, the siting criterion of the processing systems for cells and tissue cultures is discussed in perspective of manufacturing therapeutic products in consideration of the regulations according to the Good Manufacturing Practice.
Studies of the use of heat from high temperature nuclear sources for hydrogen production processes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farbman, G. H.

1976-01-01

Future uses of hydrogen and hydrogen production processes that can meet the demand for hydrogen in the coming decades were considered. To do this, a projection was made of the market for hydrogen through the year 2000. Four hydrogen production processes were selected, from among water electrolysis, fossil based and thermochemical water decomposition systems, and evaluated, using a consistent set of ground rules, in terms of relative performance, economics, resource requirements, and technology status.
In-Situ Production of Solar Power Systems for Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curreri, Peter A.; Criswell, David R.

1999-01-01

Current proposals for developing an extended human presence, beyond space stations, on the Moon and Mars increasingly consider the processing of non-terrestrial materials essential for keeping the Earth launch burden reasonable. Utilization of in-situ resources for construction of lunar and Mars bases will initially require assessment of resource availability followed by the development of economically acceptable and technically feasible extractive processes. In regard to materials processing and fabrication the lower gravity level on the Moon (0.125 g) and Mars (0.367 g) will dramatically change the presently accepted hierarchy of materials in terms of specific properties, a factor which must be understood and exploited. Furthermore, significant changes are expected in the behavior of liquid materials during processing. In casting, for example, mold filling and associated solidification processes have to be reevaluated. Finally microstructural development and therefore material properties, presently being documented through on-going research in microgravity science and applications, needs to be understood and scaled to the reduced gravity environments. One of the most important elements of a human planetary base is power production. Lunar samples and geophysical measurements returned by the Apollo missions provide detailed data on the composition and physical characteristics of the lunar materials and environment. Based on this knowledge and extrapolations of terrestrial industrial experience it is clear that several types of solar-to-electric converters can be manufactured on the Moon. It is conceivable that well over 90% of a solar-to- electric power system could be made from lunar materials. Production and utilization of photovoltaic devices for solar energy production on Earth is primarily driven by the market economy. On Earth a production plant for photovoltaic devices is intimately linked to the planets massive industrial base. A selection of off the shelf refined materials are available as well as cheap fast transportation on demand. The processes takes place (except for the few seconds reprieve in shot towers etc.) under one gravity, with solar radiation significantly modulated by weather, and under conditions where one atmosphere is free and high vacuum is cumbersome and expensive. Off Earth, on lunar or Mars bases, the cost of photovoltaic power is driven by transport costs - Earth launch, deep space transport, landing on the planetary surface. Thus there is a premium for processes that are materials self-sufficient or for closed loop in-situ processes. The lack of differentiated ores on the Moon, and lack of explored minerals on Mars and interplanetary space give a premium to universal/non-ore-specific mineral extractive processes. Initially a semiconductor/photovoltaic production facility will build on no conveniently located industrial base, further increasing the premium on closed loop self sufficient processes.
On the Development of a Computing Infrastructure that Facilitates IPPD from a Decision-Based Design Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hale, Mark A.; Craig, James I.; Mistree, Farrokh; Schrage, Daniel P.

1995-01-01

Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) embodies the simultaneous application of both system and quality engineering methods throughout an iterative design process. The use of IPPD results in the time-conscious, cost-saving development of engineering systems. Georgia Tech has proposed the development of an Integrated Design Engineering Simulator that will merge Integrated Product and Process Development with interdisciplinary analysis techniques and state-of-the-art computational technologies. To implement IPPD, a Decision-Based Design perspective is encapsulated in an approach that focuses on the role of the human designer in product development. The approach has two parts and is outlined in this paper. First, an architecture, called DREAMS, is being developed that facilitates design from a decision-based perspective. Second, a supporting computing infrastructure, called IMAGE, is being designed. The current status of development is given and future directions are outlined.
Inverter-based GTA welding machines improve fabrication

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sammons, M.

2000-05-01

While known as precision process, many fabricators using the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process fight several common problems that hinder quality, slow production, frustrate the operator and otherwise prevent the process from achieving its full potential. These include a limited ability to tailor the weld bead profile, poor control of the arc direction and arc wandering, poor arc starting, unstable or inconsistent arcs in the AC mode, high-frequency interference with electronics and tungsten contamination. Fortunately, new GTA welding technology--made possible by advances with inverter-based power sources and micro-processor controls--can eliminate common productivity gremlins. Further, new AC/DC inverter-based GTA powermore » sources provide advanced arc shaping capabilities. As a result, many fabricators adopting this new technology have experienced phenomenal production increases, taken on new types of projects and reduced costs. Most importantly, the operators enjoy welding more.« less

Using fuzzy rule-based knowledge model for optimum plating conditions search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solovjev, D. S.; Solovjeva, I. A.; Litovka, Yu V.; Arzamastsev, A. A.; Glazkov, V. P.; L’vov, A. A.

2018-03-01

The paper discusses existing approaches to plating process modeling in order to decrease the distribution thickness of plating surface cover. However, these approaches do not take into account the experience, knowledge, and intuition of the decision-makers when searching the optimal conditions of electroplating technological process. The original approach to optimal conditions search for applying the electroplating coatings, which uses the rule-based model of knowledge and allows one to reduce the uneven product thickness distribution, is proposed. The block diagrams of a conventional control system of a galvanic process as well as the system based on the production model of knowledge are considered. It is shown that the fuzzy production model of knowledge in the control system makes it possible to obtain galvanic coatings of a given thickness unevenness with a high degree of adequacy to the experimental data. The described experimental results confirm the theoretical conclusions.
Systems Biology of Recombinant Protein Production in Bacillus megaterium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biedendieck, Rebekka; Bunk, Boyke; Fürch, Tobias; Franco-Lara, Ezequiel; Jahn, Martina; Jahn, Dieter

Over the last two decades the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus megaterium was systematically developed to a useful alternative protein production host. Multiple vector systems for high yield intra- and extracellular protein production were constructed. Strong inducible promoters were combined with DNA sequences for optimised ribosome binding sites, various leader peptides for protein export and N- as well as C-terminal affinity tags for affinity chromatographic purification of the desired protein. High cell density cultivation and recombinant protein production were successfully tested. For further system biology based control and optimisation of the production process the genomes of two B. megaterium strains were completely elucidated, DNA arrays designed, proteome, fluxome and metabolome analyses performed and all data integrated using the bioinformatics platform MEGABAC. Now, solid theoretical and experimental bases for primary modeling attempts of the production process are available.
Process for conversion of lignin to reformulated hydrocarbon gasoline

DOEpatents

Shabtai, Joseph S.; Zmierczak, Wlodzimierz W.; Chornet, Esteban

1999-09-28

A process for converting lignin into high-quality reformulated hydrocarbon gasoline compositions in high yields is disclosed. The process is a two-stage, catalytic reaction process that produces a reformulated hydrocarbon gasoline product with a controlled amount of aromatics. In the first stage, a lignin material is subjected to a base-catalyzed depolymerization reaction in the presence of a supercritical alcohol as a reaction medium, to thereby produce a depolymerized lignin product. In the second stage, the depolymerized lignin product is subjected to a sequential two-step hydroprocessing reaction to produce a reformulated hydrocarbon gasoline product. In the first hydroprocessing step, the depolymerized lignin is contacted with a hydrodeoxygenation catalyst to produce a hydrodeoxygenated intermediate product. In the second hydroprocessing step, the hydrodeoxygenated intermediate product is contacted with a hydrocracking/ring hydrogenation catalyst to produce the reformulated hydrocarbon gasoline product which includes various desirable naphthenic and paraffinic compounds.
Scale-up bioprocess development for production of the antibiotic valinomycin in Escherichia coli based on consistent fed-batch cultivations.

PubMed

Li, Jian; Jaitzig, Jennifer; Lu, Ping; Süssmuth, Roderich D; Neubauer, Peter

2015-06-12

Heterologous production of natural products in Escherichia coli has emerged as an attractive strategy to obtain molecules of interest. Although technically feasible most of them are still constrained to laboratory scale production. Therefore, it is necessary to develop reasonable scale-up strategies for bioprocesses aiming at the overproduction of targeted natural products under industrial scale conditions. To this end, we used the production of the antibiotic valinomycin in E. coli as a model system for scalable bioprocess development based on consistent fed-batch cultivations. In this work, the glucose limited fed-batch strategy based on pure mineral salt medium was used throughout all scales for valinomycin production. The optimal glucose feed rate was initially detected by the use of a biocatalytically controlled glucose release (EnBase® technology) in parallel cultivations in 24-well plates with continuous monitoring of pH and dissolved oxygen. These results were confirmed in shake flasks, where the accumulation of valinomycin was highest when the specific growth rate decreased below 0.1 h(-1). This correlation was also observed for high cell density fed-batch cultivations in a lab-scale bioreactor. The bioreactor fermentation produced valinomycin with titers of more than 2 mg L(-1) based on the feeding of a concentrated glucose solution. Valinomycin production was not affected by oscillating conditions (i.e. glucose and oxygen) in a scale-down two-compartment reactor, which could mimic similar situations in industrial bioreactors, suggesting that the process is very robust and a scaling of the process to a larger industrial scale appears a realistic scenario. Valinomycin production was scaled up from mL volumes to 10 L with consistent use of the fed-batch technology. This work presents a robust and reliable approach for scalable bioprocess development and represents an example for the consistent development of a process for a heterologously expressed natural product towards the industrial scale.
Life-cycle energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of production of bioethanol from sorghum in the United States.

PubMed

Cai, Hao; Dunn, Jennifer B; Wang, Zhichao; Han, Jeongwoo; Wang, Michael Q

2013-10-02

The availability of feedstock options is a key to meeting the volumetric requirement of 136.3 billion liters of renewable fuels per year beginning in 2022, as required in the US 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. Life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of sorghum-based ethanol need to be assessed for sorghum to play a role in meeting that requirement. Multiple sorghum-based ethanol production pathways show diverse well-to-wheels (WTW) energy use and GHG emissions due to differences in energy use and fertilizer use intensity associated with sorghum growth and differences in the ethanol conversion processes. All sorghum-based ethanol pathways can achieve significant fossil energy savings. Relative to GHG emissions from conventional gasoline, grain sorghum-based ethanol can reduce WTW GHG emissions by 35% or 23%, respectively, when wet or dried distillers grains with solubles (DGS) is the co-product and fossil natural gas (FNG) is consumed as the process fuel. The reduction increased to 56% or 55%, respectively, for wet or dried DGS co-production when renewable natural gas (RNG) from anaerobic digestion of animal waste is used as the process fuel. These results do not include land-use change (LUC) GHG emissions, which we take as negligible. If LUC GHG emissions for grain sorghum ethanol as estimated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are included (26 g CO2e/MJ), these reductions when wet DGS is co-produced decrease to 7% or 29% when FNG or RNG is used as the process fuel. Sweet sorghum-based ethanol can reduce GHG emissions by 71% or 72% without or with use of co-produced vinasse as farm fertilizer, respectively, in ethanol plants using only sugar juice to produce ethanol. If both sugar and cellulosic bagasse were used in the future for ethanol production, an ethanol plant with a combined heat and power (CHP) system that supplies all process energy can achieve a GHG emission reduction of 70% or 72%, respectively, without or with vinasse fertigation. Forage sorghum-based ethanol can achieve a 49% WTW GHG emission reduction when ethanol plants meet process energy demands with CHP. In the case of forage sorghum and an integrated sweet sorghum pathway, the use of a portion of feedstock to fuel CHP systems significantly reduces fossil fuel consumption and GHG emissions. This study provides new insight into life-cycle energy use and GHG emissions of multiple sorghum-based ethanol production pathways in the US. Our results show that adding sorghum feedstocks to the existing options for ethanol production could help in meeting the requirements for volumes of renewable, advanced and cellulosic bioethanol production in the US required by the EPA's Renewable Fuel Standard program.
Life-cycle energy use and greenhouse gas emissions of production of bioethanol from sorghum in the United States

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The availability of feedstock options is a key to meeting the volumetric requirement of 136.3 billion liters of renewable fuels per year beginning in 2022, as required in the US 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act. Life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of sorghum-based ethanol need to be assessed for sorghum to play a role in meeting that requirement. Results Multiple sorghum-based ethanol production pathways show diverse well-to-wheels (WTW) energy use and GHG emissions due to differences in energy use and fertilizer use intensity associated with sorghum growth and differences in the ethanol conversion processes. All sorghum-based ethanol pathways can achieve significant fossil energy savings. Relative to GHG emissions from conventional gasoline, grain sorghum-based ethanol can reduce WTW GHG emissions by 35% or 23%, respectively, when wet or dried distillers grains with solubles (DGS) is the co-product and fossil natural gas (FNG) is consumed as the process fuel. The reduction increased to 56% or 55%, respectively, for wet or dried DGS co-production when renewable natural gas (RNG) from anaerobic digestion of animal waste is used as the process fuel. These results do not include land-use change (LUC) GHG emissions, which we take as negligible. If LUC GHG emissions for grain sorghum ethanol as estimated by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are included (26 g CO2e/MJ), these reductions when wet DGS is co-produced decrease to 7% or 29% when FNG or RNG is used as the process fuel. Sweet sorghum-based ethanol can reduce GHG emissions by 71% or 72% without or with use of co-produced vinasse as farm fertilizer, respectively, in ethanol plants using only sugar juice to produce ethanol. If both sugar and cellulosic bagasse were used in the future for ethanol production, an ethanol plant with a combined heat and power (CHP) system that supplies all process energy can achieve a GHG emission reduction of 70% or 72%, respectively, without or with vinasse fertigation. Forage sorghum-based ethanol can achieve a 49% WTW GHG emission reduction when ethanol plants meet process energy demands with CHP. In the case of forage sorghum and an integrated sweet sorghum pathway, the use of a portion of feedstock to fuel CHP systems significantly reduces fossil fuel consumption and GHG emissions. Conclusions This study provides new insight into life-cycle energy use and GHG emissions of multiple sorghum-based ethanol production pathways in the US. Our results show that adding sorghum feedstocks to the existing options for ethanol production could help in meeting the requirements for volumes of renewable, advanced and cellulosic bioethanol production in the US required by the EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard program. PMID:24088388
Introduction to Papers from the 5th Workshop on Language Production: The Neural Bases of Language Production

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rapp, Brenda; Miozzo, Michele

2011-01-01

The papers in this special issue of "Language and Cognitive Processing" on the neural bases of language production illustrate two general approaches in current cognitive neuroscience. One approach focuses on investigating cognitive issues, making use of the logic of associations/dissociations or the logic of neural markers as key investigative…
40 CFR Table 1a to Subpart Dddd of... - Production-Based Compliance Options

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... the following process units . . . You must meet the following production-based compliance option...) Primary tube dryers 0.26 lb/ODT. (7) Reconstituted wood product board coolers (at new affected sources... dryer heated zones 0.022 lb/MSF 3/8″. (10) Rotary strand dryers 0.18 lb/ODT. (11) Secondary tube dryers...
The acute and chronic effects of wastes associated with offshore oil and gas production on temperate and tropical marine ecological processes.

PubMed

Holdway, Douglas A

2002-03-01

A review of the acute and chronic effects of produced formation water (PFW), drilling fluids (muds) including oil-based cutting muds, water-based cutting muds, ester-based cutting muds and chemical additives, and crude oils associated with offshore oil and gas production was undertaken in relation to both temperate and tropical marine ecological processes. The main environmental effects are summarized, often in tabular form. Generally, the temporal and spatial scales of these studies, along with the large levels of inherent variation in natural environments, have precluded our ability to predict the potential long-term environmental impacts of the offshore oil and gas production industry. A series of critical questions regarding the environmental effects of the offshore oil and gas production industry that still remain unanswered are provided for future consideration.
A system of {sup 99m}Tc production based on distributed electron accelerators and thermal separation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bennett, R.G.; Christian, J.D.; Petti, D.A.

1999-04-01

A system has been developed for the production of {sup 99m}Tc based on distributed electron accelerators and thermal separation. The radioactive decay parent of {sup 99m}Tc, {sup 99}Mo, is produced from {sup 100}Mo by a photoneutron reaction. Two alternative thermal separation processes have been developed to extract {sup 99m}Tc. Experiments have been performed to verify the technical feasibility of the production and assess the efficiency of the extraction processes. A system based on this technology enables the economical supply of {sup 99m}Tc for a large nuclear pharmacy. Twenty such production centers distributed near major metropolitan areas could produce the entiremore » US supply of {sup 99m}Tc at a cost less than the current subsidized price.« less
Integrated microbial processes for biofuels and high value-added products: the way to improve the cost effectiveness of biofuel production.

PubMed

da Silva, Teresa Lopes; Gouveia, Luísa; Reis, Alberto

2014-02-01

The production of microbial biofuels is currently under investigation, as they are alternative sources to fossil fuels, which are diminishing and their use has a negative impact on the environment. However, so far, biofuels derived from microbes are not economically competitive. One way to overcome this bottleneck is the use of microorganisms to transform substrates into biofuels and high value-added products, and simultaneously taking advantage of the various microbial biomass components to produce other products of interest, as an integrated process. In this way, it is possible to maximize the economic value of the whole process, with the desired reduction of the waste streams produced. It is expected that this integrated system makes the biofuel production economically sustainable and competitive in the near future. This review describes the investigation on integrated microbial processes (based on bacteria, yeast, and microalgal cultivations) that have been experimentally developed, highlighting the importance of this approach as a way to optimize microbial biofuel production process.
A step forward in laccase exploitation: Recombinant production and evaluation of techno-economic feasibility of the process.

PubMed

Pezzella, Cinzia; Giacobelli, Valerio Guido; Lettera, Vincenzo; Olivieri, Giuseppe; Cicatiello, Paola; Sannia, Giovanni; Piscitelli, Alessandra

2017-10-10

Protein heterologous production offers viable opportunities to tailor laccase properties to specific industrial needs. The high redox potential laccase POXA1b from Pleurotus ostreatus was chosen as case study of marketable enzyme, due to its desirable properties in terms of activity/stability profile, and already assessed applicability. POXA1b was heterologously produced in Pichia pastoris by investigating the effect of inducible and constitutive expression systems on both the yield and the cost of its production. System performances were first assessed in shaken-flasks and then scaled-up in bioreactor. The production level obtained in the inducible system is 42U/mL, while the activity value achieved with the constitutive one is 60U/mL, the highest obtained in constitutive systems so far. The economic feasibility of recombinant laccase production was simulated, describing the case of an Italian small-medium enterprise. Two scenarios were evaluated: Scenario (I) production based on methanol inducible system; Scenario (II) production based on the constitutive system, fed with glycerol. At all the scales the glycerol-based fermentation is more economic than the methanol-based one. The price forecast for rPOXA1b production is 0.34€kU -1 for glycerol-based process, and is very competitive with the current price of commercial laccase. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Toward a virtual platform for materials processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitz, G. J.; Prahl, U.

2009-05-01

Any production is based on materials eventually becoming components of a final product. Material properties being determined by the microstructure of the material thus are of utmost importance both for productivity and reliability of processing during production and for application and reliability of the product components. A sound prediction of materials properties therefore is highly important. Such a prediction requires tracking of microstructure and properties evolution along the entire component life cycle starting from a homogeneous, isotropic and stress-free melt and eventually ending in failure under operational load. This article will outline ongoing activities at the RWTH Aachen University aiming at establishing a virtual platform for materials processing comprising a virtual, integrative numerical description of processes and of the microstructure evolution along the entire production chain and even extending further toward microstructure and properties evolution under operational conditions.
Design of production process main shaft process with lean manufacturing to improve productivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siregar, I.; Nasution, A. A.; Andayani, U.; Anizar; Syahputri, K.

2018-02-01

This object research is one of manufacturing companies that produce oil palm machinery parts. In the production process there is delay in the completion of the Main shaft order. Delays in the completion of the order indicate the low productivity of the company in terms of resource utilization. This study aimed to obtain a draft improvement of production processes that can improve productivity by identifying and eliminating activities that do not add value (non-value added activity). One approach that can be used to reduce and eliminate non-value added activity is Lean Manufacturing. This study focuses on the identification of non-value added activity with value stream mapping analysis tools, while the elimination of non-value added activity is done with tools 5 whys and implementation of pull demand system. Based on the research known that non-value added activity on the production process of the main shaft is 9,509.51 minutes of total lead time 10,804.59 minutes. This shows the level of efficiency (Process Cycle Efficiency) in the production process of the main shaft is still very low by 11.89%. Estimation results of improvement showed a decrease in total lead time became 4,355.08 minutes and greater process cycle efficiency that is equal to 29.73%, which indicates that the process was nearing the concept of lean production.
Fish Processed Production Planning Using Integer Stochastic Programming Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Firmansyah, Mawengkang, Herman

2011-06-01

Fish and its processed products are the most affordable source of animal protein in the diet of most people in Indonesia. The goal in production planning is to meet customer demand over a fixed time horizon divided into planning periods by optimizing the trade-off between economic objectives such as production cost and customer satisfaction level. The major decisions are production and inventory levels for each product and the number of workforce in each planning period. In this paper we consider the management of small scale traditional business at North Sumatera Province which performs processing fish into several local seafood products. The inherent uncertainty of data (e.g. demand, fish availability), together with the sequential evolution of data over time leads the production planning problem to a nonlinear mixed-integer stochastic programming model. We use scenario generation based approach and feasible neighborhood search for solving the model. The results which show the amount of each fish processed product and the number of workforce needed in each horizon planning are presented.
Production and processing of Cu-Cr-Nb alloys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ellis, David L.; Michal, Gary M.; Orth, Norman W.

1990-01-01

A new Cu-based alloy possessing high strength, high conductivity, and good stability at elevated temperatures was recently produced. This paper details the melting of the master alloys, production of rapidly solidified ribbon, and processing of the ribbon to sheet by hot pressing and hot rolling.
Biodiesel Production using Heterogeneous Catalyst in CSTR: Sensitivity Analysis and Optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keong, L. S.; Patle, D. S.; Shukor, S. R.; Ahmad, Z.

2016-03-01

Biodiesel as a renewable fuel has emerged as a potential replacement for petroleum-based diesels. Heterogeneous catalyst has become the focus of researches in biodiesel production with the intention to overcome problems associated with homogeneous catalyzed processes. The simulation of heterogeneous catalyzed biodiesel production has not been thoroughly studied. Hence, a simulation of carbon-based solid acid catalyzed biodiesel production from waste oil with high FFA content (50 weight%) was developed in the present work to study the feasibility and potential of the simulated process. The simulated process produces biodiesel through simultaneous transesterification and esterification with the consideration of reaction kinetics. The developed simulation is feasible and capable to produce 2.81kmol/hr of FAME meeting the international standard (EN 14214). Yields of 68.61% and 97.19% are achieved for transesterification and esterification respectively. Sensitivity analyses of FFA composition in waste oil, methanol to oil ratio, reactor pressure and temperature towards FAME yield from both reactions were carried out. Optimization of reactor temperature was done to maximize FAME products.
Knowledge management in a waste based biorefinery in the QbD paradigm.

PubMed

Rathore, Anurag S; Chopda, Viki R; Gomes, James

2016-09-01

Shifting resource base from fossil feedstock to renewable raw materials for production of chemical products has opened up an area of novel applications of industrial biotechnology-based process tools. This review aims to provide a concise and focused discussion on recent advances in knowledge management to facilitate efficient and optimal operation of a biorefinery. Application of quality by design (QbD) and process analytical technology (PAT) as tools for knowledge creation and management at different levels has been highlighted. Role of process integration, government policies, knowledge exchange through collaboration, and use of databases and computational tools have also been touched upon. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Product-based Safety Certification for Medical Devices Embedded Software.

PubMed

Neto, José Augusto; Figueiredo Damásio, Jemerson; Monthaler, Paul; Morais, Misael

2015-01-01

Worldwide medical device embedded software certification practices are currently focused on manufacturing best practices. In Brazil, the national regulatory agency does not hold a local certification process for software-intensive medical devices and admits international certification (e.g. FDA and CE) from local and international industry to operate in the Brazilian health care market. We present here a product-based certification process as a candidate process to support the Brazilian regulatory agency ANVISA in medical device software regulation. Center of Strategic Technology for Healthcare (NUTES) medical device embedded software certification is based on a solid safety quality model and has been tested with reasonable success against the Class I risk device Generic Infusion Pump (GIP).
The distributed agent-based approach in the e-manufacturing environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sękala, A.; Kost, G.; Dobrzańska-Danikiewicz, A.; Banaś, W.; Foit, K.

2015-11-01

The deficiency of a coherent flow of information from a production department causes unplanned downtime and failures of machines and their equipment, which in turn results in production planning process based on incorrect and out-of-date information. All of these factors entail, as the consequence, the additional difficulties associated with the process of decision-making. They concern, among other, the coordination of components of a distributed system and providing the access to the required information, thereby generating unnecessary costs. The use of agent technology significantly speeds up the flow of information within the virtual enterprise. This paper includes the proposal of a multi-agent approach for the integration of processes within the virtual enterprise concept. The presented concept was elaborated to investigate the possible solutions of the ways of transmission of information in the production system taking into account the self-organization of constituent components. Thus it implicated the linking of the concept of multi-agent system with the system of managing the production information, based on the idea of e-manufacturing. The paper presents resulting scheme that should be the base for elaborating an informatics model of the target virtual system. The computer system itself is intended to be developed next.

Pharmaceutical quality by design: product and process development, understanding, and control.

PubMed

Yu, Lawrence X

2008-04-01

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the pharmaceutical Quality by Design (QbD) and describe how it can be used to ensure pharmaceutical quality. The QbD was described and some of its elements identified. Process parameters and quality attributes were identified for each unit operation during manufacture of solid oral dosage forms. The use of QbD was contrasted with the evaluation of product quality by testing alone. The QbD is a systemic approach to pharmaceutical development. It means designing and developing formulations and manufacturing processes to ensure predefined product quality. Some of the QbD elements include: Defining target product quality profile; Designing product and manufacturing processes; Identifying critical quality attributes, process parameters, and sources of variability; Controlling manufacturing processes to produce consistent quality over time. Using QbD, pharmaceutical quality is assured by understanding and controlling formulation and manufacturing variables. Product testing confirms the product quality. Implementation of QbD will enable transformation of the chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) review of abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) into a science-based pharmaceutical quality assessment.
Missing in Action: Writing Process-Based Instructional Practices and Measures of Higher-Order Literacy Achievement in Predominantly Urban Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Briddell, Andrew

2013-01-01

This study of 1,974 fifth grade students investigated potential relationships between writing process-based instruction practices and higher-order thinking measured by a standardized literacy assessment. Writing process is defined as a highly complex, socio-cognitive process that includes: planning, text production, review, metacognition, writing…
Trace-Based Microanalytic Measurement of Self-Regulated Learning Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siadaty, Melody; Gaševic, Dragan; Hatala, Marek

2016-01-01

To keep pace with today's rapidly growing knowledge-driven society, productive self-regulation of one's learning processes are essential. We introduce and discuss a trace-based measurement protocol to measure the effects of scaffolding interventions on self-regulated learning (SRL) processes. It guides tracing of learners' actions in a learning…
Ultra-processed food products and obesity in Brazilian households (2008-2009).

PubMed

Canella, Daniela Silva; Levy, Renata Bertazzi; Martins, Ana Paula Bortoletto; Claro, Rafael Moreira; Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Baraldi, Larissa Galastri; Cannon, Geoffrey; Monteiro, Carlos Augusto

2014-01-01

Production and consumption of industrially processed food and drink products have risen in parallel with the global increase in overweight and obesity and related chronic non-communicable diseases. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between household availability of processed and ultra-processed products and the prevalence of excess weight (overweight plus obesity) and obesity in Brazil. The study was based on data from the 2008-2009 Household Budget Survey involving a probabilistic sample of 55,970 Brazilian households. The units of study were household aggregates (strata), geographically and socioeconomically homogeneous. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the relationship between the availability of processed and ultra-processed products and the average of Body Mass Index (BMI) and the percentage of individuals with excess weight and obesity in the strata, controlling for potential confounders (socio-demographic characteristics, percentage of expenditure on eating out of home, and dietary energy other than that provided by processed and ultra-processed products). Predictive values for prevalence of excess weight and obesity were estimated according to quartiles of the household availability of dietary energy from processed and ultra-processed products. The mean contribution of processed and ultra-processed products to total dietary energy availability ranged from 15.4% (lower quartile) to 39.4% (upper quartile). Adjusted linear regression coefficients indicated that household availability of ultra-processed products was positively associated with both the average BMI and the prevalence of excess weight and obesity, whereas processed products were not associated with these outcomes. In addition, people in the upper quartile of household consumption of ultra-processed products, compared with those in the lower quartile, were 37% more likely to be obese. Greater household availability of ultra-processed food products in Brazil is positively and independently associated with higher prevalence of excess weight and obesity in all age groups in this cross-sectional study.
Ultra-Processed Food Products and Obesity in Brazilian Households (2008–2009)

PubMed Central

Canella, Daniela Silva; Levy, Renata Bertazzi; Martins, Ana Paula Bortoletto; Claro, Rafael Moreira; Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Baraldi, Larissa Galastri; Cannon, Geoffrey; Monteiro, Carlos Augusto

2014-01-01

Background Production and consumption of industrially processed food and drink products have risen in parallel with the global increase in overweight and obesity and related chronic non-communicable diseases. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between household availability of processed and ultra-processed products and the prevalence of excess weight (overweight plus obesity) and obesity in Brazil. Methods The study was based on data from the 2008–2009 Household Budget Survey involving a probabilistic sample of 55,970 Brazilian households. The units of study were household aggregates (strata), geographically and socioeconomically homogeneous. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the relationship between the availability of processed and ultra-processed products and the average of Body Mass Index (BMI) and the percentage of individuals with excess weight and obesity in the strata, controlling for potential confounders (socio-demographic characteristics, percentage of expenditure on eating out of home, and dietary energy other than that provided by processed and ultra-processed products). Predictive values for prevalence of excess weight and obesity were estimated according to quartiles of the household availability of dietary energy from processed and ultra-processed products. Results The mean contribution of processed and ultra-processed products to total dietary energy availability ranged from 15.4% (lower quartile) to 39.4% (upper quartile). Adjusted linear regression coefficients indicated that household availability of ultra-processed products was positively associated with both the average BMI and the prevalence of excess weight and obesity, whereas processed products were not associated with these outcomes. In addition, people in the upper quartile of household consumption of ultra-processed products, compared with those in the lower quartile, were 37% more likely to be obese. Conclusion Greater household availability of ultra-processed food products in Brazil is positively and independently associated with higher prevalence of excess weight and obesity in all age groups in this cross-sectional study. PMID:24667658
Hybrid modeling as a QbD/PAT tool in process development: an industrial E. coli case study.

PubMed

von Stosch, Moritz; Hamelink, Jan-Martijn; Oliveira, Rui

2016-05-01

Process understanding is emphasized in the process analytical technology initiative and the quality by design paradigm to be essential for manufacturing of biopharmaceutical products with consistent high quality. A typical approach to developing a process understanding is applying a combination of design of experiments with statistical data analysis. Hybrid semi-parametric modeling is investigated as an alternative method to pure statistical data analysis. The hybrid model framework provides flexibility to select model complexity based on available data and knowledge. Here, a parametric dynamic bioreactor model is integrated with a nonparametric artificial neural network that describes biomass and product formation rates as function of varied fed-batch fermentation conditions for high cell density heterologous protein production with E. coli. Our model can accurately describe biomass growth and product formation across variations in induction temperature, pH and feed rates. The model indicates that while product expression rate is a function of early induction phase conditions, it is negatively impacted as productivity increases. This could correspond with physiological changes due to cytoplasmic product accumulation. Due to the dynamic nature of the model, rational process timing decisions can be made and the impact of temporal variations in process parameters on product formation and process performance can be assessed, which is central for process understanding.
Rhamnolipids--next generation surfactants?

PubMed

Müller, Markus Michael; Kügler, Johannes H; Henkel, Marius; Gerlitzki, Melanie; Hörmann, Barbara; Pöhnlein, Martin; Syldatk, Christoph; Hausmann, Rudolf

2012-12-31

The demand for bio-based processes and materials in the petrochemical industry has significantly increased during the last decade because of the expected running out of petroleum. This trend can be ascribed to three main causes: (1) the increased use of renewable resources for chemical synthesis of already established product classes, (2) the replacement of chemical synthesis of already established product classes by new biotechnological processes based on renewable resources, and (3) the biotechnological production of new molecules with new features or better performances than already established comparable chemically synthesized products. All three approaches are currently being pursued for surfactant production. Biosurfactants are a very promising and interesting substance class because they are based on renewable resources, sustainable, and biologically degradable. Alkyl polyglycosides are chemically synthesized biosurfactants established on the surfactant market. The first microbiological biosurfactants on the market were sophorolipids. Of all currently known biosurfactants, rhamnolipids have the highest potential for becoming the next generation of biosurfactants introduced on the market. Although the metabolic pathways and genetic regulation of biosynthesis are known qualitatively, the quantitative understanding relevant for bioreactor cultivation is still missing. Additionally, high product titers have been exclusively described with vegetable oil as sole carbon source in combination with Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains. Competitive productivity is still out of reach for heterologous hosts or non-pathogenic natural producer strains. Thus, on the one hand there is a need to gain a deeper understanding of the regulation of rhamnolipid production on process and cellular level during bioreactor cultivations. On the other hand, there is a need for metabolizable renewable substrates, which do not compete with food and feed. A sustainable bioeconomy approach should combine a holistic X-omics strategy with metabolic engineering to achieve the next step in rhamnolipid production based on non-food renewable resources. This review discusses different approaches towards optimization of rhamnolipid production and enhancement of product spectra. The optimization of rhamnolipid production with P. aeruginosa strains, screening methods for new non-pathogenic natural rhamnolipid producers and recombinant rhamnolipid production are examined. Finally, biocatalysis with rhamnolipids for the synthesis of l-rhamnose, β-hydroxyfatty acids, and tailor-made surfactants is discussed. Biosurfactants are still in the phase of initial commercialization. However, for next generation development of rhamnolipid production processes and next generation biosurfactants there are still considerable obstacles to be surmounted, which are discussed here. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Prediction of the properties anhydrite construction mixtures based on neural network approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedorchuk, Y. M.; Zamyatin, N. V.; Smirnov, G. V.; Rusina, O. N.; Sadenova, M. A.

2017-08-01

The article considered the question of applying the backstop modeling mechanism from the components of anhydride mixtures in the process of managing the technological processes of receiving construction products which based on fluoranhydrite.
Model-based design of experiments for cellular processes.

PubMed

Chakrabarty, Ankush; Buzzard, Gregery T; Rundell, Ann E

2013-01-01

Model-based design of experiments (MBDOE) assists in the planning of highly effective and efficient experiments. Although the foundations of this field are well-established, the application of these techniques to understand cellular processes is a fertile and rapidly advancing area as the community seeks to understand ever more complex cellular processes and systems. This review discusses the MBDOE paradigm along with applications and challenges within the context of cellular processes and systems. It also provides a brief tutorial on Fisher information matrix (FIM)-based and Bayesian experiment design methods along with an overview of existing software packages and computational advances that support MBDOE application and adoption within the Systems Biology community. As cell-based products and biologics progress into the commercial sector, it is anticipated that MBDOE will become an essential practice for design, quality control, and production. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Bio-Oxo Technology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Higashide, Wendy; Rohlin, Lars

Easel Biotechnologies, LLC’s Bio-Oxo process has demonstrated that isobutyraldehyde can be biologically produced from corn stover hydrolysate up to 56 g/L in a 14L fermentor. This was accomplished by metabolically engineering bacterial strains to not only produce isobutyraldehyde, but to do so by co-utilizing corn stover hydrolysate sugars, glucose and xylose. Also essential to the success of the Bio-Oxo process was that it utilized gas stripping as a means of product separation, allowing for the continuous removal of isobutyraldehyde. This aided in not only reducing energy costs associated with separation, but also alleviating product toxicity, resulting in higher production. Althoughmore » we were not able to complete our economic analysis based on pilot scale fermentations, the improvements we have made from strain engineering to product separation, should result in the reduced cost of isobutyraldehyde. Still, as the project has ended prematurely, there is room for additional optimization. Improvements in productivity and sugar utilization would result in a further reduction in capital and recovery costs. As a biological-based process, the utilization of corn stover results in reduced greenhouse gas emissions as compared to petroleum-based chemical synthesis. In addition, as a true replacement chemical “drop in” system, no downstream production units need to be changed. Jobs can also be created as farm waste needs to be collected and transported to the new production facility.« less
The practice of quality-associated costing: application to transfusion manufacturing processes.

PubMed

Trenchard, P M; Dixon, R

1997-01-01

This article applies the new method of quality-associated costing (QAC) to the mixture of processes that create red cell and plasma products from whole blood donations. The article compares QAC with two commonly encountered but arbitrary models and illustrates the invalidity of clinical cost-benefit analysis based on these models. The first, an "isolated" cost model, seeks to allocate each whole process cost to only one product class. The other is a "shared" cost model, and it seeks to allocate an approximately equal share of all process costs to all associated products.
The development of the super-biodiesel production continuously from Sunan pecan oil through the process of reactive distillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yohana, Eflita; Yulianto, Moh. Endy; Ikhsan, Diyono; Nanta, Aditya Marga; Puspitasari, Ristiyanti

2016-06-01

In general, a vegetable oil-based biodiesel production commercially operates a batch process with high investments and operational costs. Thus, it is necessary to develop super-biodiesel production from sunan pecan oil continuously through the process of reactive distillation. There are four advantages of the reactive distillation process for the biodiesel production, as follows: (i) it incorporates the process of transesterification reaction, and product separation of residual reactants become one stage of the process, so it saves the investment and operation costs, (ii) it reduces the need for raw materials because the methanol needed corresponds to the stoichiometry, so it also reduces the operation costs, (iii) the holdup time in the column is relatively short (5±0,5 minutes) compared to the batch process (1-2 hours), so it will reduce the operational production costs, and (iv) it is able to shift the reaction equilibrium, because the products and reactants that do not react are instantly separated (based on Le Chatelier's principles) so the conversion will be increased. However, the very crucial problem is determining the design tools and process conditions in order to maximize the conversion of the transesterification reaction in both phases. Thus, the purpose of this research was to design a continuous reactive distillation process by using a recycled condensate to increase the productivity of the super-biodiesel from sunan pecan oil. The research was carried out in three stages including (i) designing and fabricating the reactive distillation equipment, (ii) testing the tool performance and the optimization of the biodiesel production, and (iii) biodiesel testing on the diesel engine. These three stages were needed in designing and scaling-up the process tools and the process operation commercially. The reactive distillation process tools were designed and manufactured with reference to the design system tower by Kitzer, et.al. (2008). The manufactured reactive distillation consisted of packing distillation columns equipped with a reboiler and condenser, with the prototype made of stainless steel material equipped with sigh glass. The filling column expands the contact of liquid-vapor phase so that the two reactants between methanol and oil would be converted into methyl ester and glycerol. The initial results of the study indicated that the relatively good condition is reached at the peak temperature and the base of the column of 62°C and 71°C with NaOH 2% of methanol weight as the catalyst at the feed ratio of methanol and the sunan pecan oil 4:1. The result of the performance test of the diesel engine indicated that the efficiency of the biodiesel fuel was achieved relatively good at 1.7% with 2500 rpm engine speed.
The Next Generation of HLA Image Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaffney, N. I.; Casertano, S.; Ferguson, B.

2012-09-01

We present the re-engineered pipeline based on existing and improved algorithms with the aim of improving processing quality, cross-instrument portability, data flow management, and software maintenance. The Hubble Legacy Archive (HLA) is a project to add value to the Hubble Space Telescope data archive by producing and delivering science-ready drizzled data products and source lists derived from these products. Initially, ACS, NICMOS, and WFCP2 data were combined using instrument-specific pipelines based on scripts developed to process the ACS GOODS data and a separate set of scripts to generate source extractor and DAOPhot source lists. The new pipeline, initially designed for WFC3 data, isolates instrument-specific processing and is easily extendable to other instruments and to generating wide-area mosaics. Significant improvements have been made in image combination using improved alignment, source detection, and background equalization routines. It integrates improved alignment procedures, better noise model, and source list generation within a single code base. Wherever practical, PyRAF based routines have been replaced with non-IRAF based python libraries (e.g. NumPy and PyFITS). The data formats have been modified to handle better and more consistent propagation of information from individual exposures to the combined products. A new exposure layer stores the effective exposure time for each pixel in the sky which is key in properly interpreting combined images from diverse data that were not initially planned to be mosaiced. We worked to improve the validity of the metadata within our FITS headers for these products relative to standard IRAF/PyRAF processing. Any keywords that pertain to individual exposures have been removed from the primary and extension headers and placed in a table extension for more direct and efficient perusal. This mechanism also allows for more detailed information on the processing of individual images to be stored and propagated providing a more hierarchical metadata storage system than key value pair FITS headers provide. In this poster we will discuss the changes to the pipeline processing and source list generation and the lessons learned which may be applicable to other archive projects as well as discuss our new metadata curation and preservation process.
Production of L-lactic acid by a thermophilic Bacillus mutant using sodium hydroxide as neutralizing agent.

PubMed

Qin, Jiayang; Wang, Xiuwen; Zheng, Zhaojuan; Ma, Cuiqing; Tang, Hongzhi; Xu, Ping

2010-10-01

A sodium lactate tolerant mutant strain named Bacillus sp. Na-2 was obtained and applied to sodium hydroxide-based L-lactic acid (LA) production process. The influences of aeration and pH were investigated to further improve the resistance of strain Na-2 against sodium lactate stress and to obtain the most efficient L-LA production process. Although mild aeration was favorable for cell growth and L-LA production, vigorous aeration resulted in a metabolic shift from homolactic to mixed-acid/acetoin fermentation. Therefore, a two-stage aeration control strategy was employed. Optimum pH was found to be 6.0. A total of 106.0 g/l L-LA was produced in 30 h by Bacillus sp. Na-2 using sodium hydroxide as neutralizing agent. Productivity, conversion rate and optical purity were 3.53 g/l/h, 94% and 99.5%, respectively. The remarkable fermentation traits of Bacillus sp. Na-2 and the environment-friendly characteristics of NaOH-based process represent new insight for industrial scale production of L-LA. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Rotating algal biofilm reactor and spool harvester for wastewater treatment with biofuels by-products.

PubMed

Christenson, Logan B; Sims, Ronald C

2012-07-01

Maximizing algae production in a wastewater treatment process can aid in the reduction of soluble nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in the wastewater. If harvested, the algae-based biomass offers the added benefit as feedstock for the production of biofuels and bioproducts. However, difficulties in harvesting, concentrating, and dewatering the algae-based biomass have limited the development of an economically feasible treatment and production process. When algae-based biomass is grown as a surface attached biofilm as opposed to a suspended culture, the biomass is naturally concentrated and more easily harvested. This can lead to less expensive removal of the biomass from wastewater, and less expensive downstream processing in the production of biofuels and bioproducts. In this study, a novel rotating algal biofilm reactor (RABR) was designed, built, and tested at bench (8 L), medium (535 L), and pilot (8,000 L) scales. The RABR was designed to operate in the photoautotrophic conditions of open tertiary wastewater treatment, producing mixed culture biofilms made up of algae and bacteria. Growth substrata were evaluated for attachment and biofilm formation, and an effective substratum was discovered. The RABR achieved effective nutrient reduction, with average removal rates of 2.1 and 14.1 g m(-2) day(-1) for total dissolved phosphorus and total dissolved nitrogen, respectively. Biomass production ranged from 5.5 g m(-2) day(-1) at bench scale to as high as 31 g m(-2) day(-1) at pilot scale. An efficient spool harvesting technique was also developed at bench and medium scales to obtain a concentrated product (12-16% solids) suitable for further processing in the production of biofuels and bioproducts. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Investigation of Copper Sorption by Sugar Beet Processing Lime Waste

EPA Science Inventory

In the western United States, sugar beet processing for sugar recovery generates a lime-based waste product (~250,000 Mg yr^-1) that has little liming value in the region’s calcareous soils. This area has recently experienced an increase in dairy production, with dairi...
Combustion synthesis of low exothermic component rich composites

DOEpatents

Halverson, Danny C.; Lum, Beverly Y.; Munir, Zuhair A.

1991-01-01

A self-sustaining combustion synthesis process for producing hard, tough, lightweight, low exothermic potential product (LEPP)/high exothermic potential product (HEPP) composites is based on the thermodynamic dependence of adiabatic temperature and product composition on the stoichiometry of the LEPP and HEPP reactants. For lightweight products the composition must be relatively rich in the LEPP component. LEPP rich composites are obtained by varying the initial temperature of the reactants. The product is hard, porous material whose toughness can be enhanced by filling the pores with aluminum or other metal phases using a liquid metal infiltration process. The process can be extended to the formation of other composites having a low exothermic component.
Evaluation of a Stirling Solar Dynamic System for Lunar Oxygen Production

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Colozza, Anthony J.; Wong, Wayne A.

2006-01-01

An evaluation of a solar concentrator-based system for producing oxygen from the lunar regolith was performed. The system utilizes a solar concentrator mirror to provide thermal energy for the oxygen production process as well as thermal energy to power a Stirling heat engine for the production of electricity. The electricity produced is utilized to operate the equipment needed in the oxygen production process. The oxygen production method utilized in the analysis was the hydrogen reduction of ilmenite. Utilizing this method of oxygen production a baseline system design was produced. This baseline system had an oxygen production rate of 0.6 kg/hr with a concentrator mirror size of 5 m. Variations were performed on the baseline design to show how changes in the system size and process rate effected the oxygen production rate.
Process Simulation and Techno-Economic Evaluation of Alternative Biorefinery Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aizpurua Gonzalez, Carlos Ernesto

A biorefinery is a complex processing facility that uses sustainably produced biomass as feedstock to generate biofuels and chemical products using a wide variety of alternative conversion pathways. The alternative conversion pathways can be generally classified as either biochemical or thermochemical conversion. A biorefinery is commonly based on a core biomass conversion technology (pretreatment, hydrolysis, pyrolysis, etc.) followed by secondary processing stages that determine the specific product, and its recovery. In this study, techno-economic analysis of several different lignocellulosic biomass conversion pathways have been performed. First, a novel biochemical conversion, which used electron beam and steam explosion pretreatments for ethanol production was evaluated. This evaluation include both laboratory work and process modeling. Encouraging experimental results are obtained that showed the biomass had enhanced reactivity to the enzyme hydrolysis. The total sugar recovery for the hardwood species was 72% using 5 FPU/g enzyme dosage. The combination of electron beam and steam explosion provides an improvement in sugar conversion of more than 20% compared to steam explosion alone. This combination of pretreatments was modeled along with a novel ethanol dehydration process that is based on vapor permeation membranes. The economic feasibility of this novel pretreatment-dehydration technology was evaluated and compared with the dilute acid process proposed by NREL in 2011. Overall, the pretreatment-dehydration technology process produces the same ethanol yields (81 gal/bdton). However, the economics of this novel process does not look promising since the minimum ethanol selling price (MESP) to generate an internal rate of return of 10% is of 3.09 /gal, compared to 2.28 /gal for the base case. To enhance the economic potential of a biorefinery, the isolation of value-added co-products was incorporated into the base dilute acid biorefinery process. In this case the work focused on the ethanol extraction of the non-structural components of switchgrass prior to pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis. Promising results obtained with an Aspen PlusRTM model showed that a MESP of 2.5 /gal along with an assumed co-product selling price of 1 /Kg generated an 18% internal rate of return (IRR). In a second series of studies biomass fast pyrolysis and the bio-oil upgrading for the production of drop-in fuels was analyzed. Again, an Aspen PlusRTM based process model was used to evaluate the impacts of different biomass feedstock composition on the biofuel product. In this case the biofuel produced both a gasoline and diesel fraction. Model results showed that both the carbon and ash content of the biomass had an impact on the amount and price of the biofuel products. The highest biofuel yield were obtained with the hardwood (red maple) and perennial (switchgrass) feedstocks at about 48 gal/bdton of biomass, while the softwood (loblolly pine) provided 46 gal/bdton. Bark (acacia), the feedstock with the highest ash content, only provided 39 gal/bdton. But when the cost of these feedstocks was included the softwood is predicted to provide the lowest cost fuel, followed by the bark. As expected overall cost of the biofuel was dramatically impacted by the cost of the feedstock, and also by the use of a fraction of the intermediate bio-oil as the source of the hydrogen needed for upgrading the bio-oil to a hydrocarbon fuel product. Using hydrogen from natural gas instead of hydrogen from reforming the intermediate bio-oil reduced the estimated cost of the fuel product by $1.20/gal.
Neuro-estimator based GMC control of a batch reactive distillation.

PubMed

Prakash, K J Jithin; Patle, Dipesh S; Jana, Amiya K

2011-07-01

In this paper, an artificial neural network (ANN)-based nonlinear control algorithm is proposed for a simulated batch reactive distillation (RD) column. In the homogeneously catalyzed reactive process, an esterification reaction takes place for the production of ethyl acetate. The fundamental model has been derived incorporating the reaction term in the model structure of the nonreactive distillation process. The process operation is simulated at the startup phase under total reflux conditions. The open-loop process dynamics is also addressed running the batch process at the production phase under partial reflux conditions. In this study, a neuro-estimator based generic model controller (GMC), which consists of an ANN-based state predictor and the GMC law, has been synthesized. Finally, this proposed control law has been tested on the representative batch reactive distillation comparing with a gain-scheduled proportional integral (GSPI) controller and with its ideal performance (ideal GMC). Copyright © 2011 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Old Fashioned vs. Ultra-Processed-Based Current Diets: Possible Implication in the Increased Susceptibility to Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease in Childhood

PubMed Central

Aguayo-Patrón, Sandra V.; Calderón de la Barca, Ana M.

2017-01-01

Ultra-processed foods are ready-to-heat and ready-to-eat products created to replace traditional homemade meals and dishes due to convenience and accessibility. Because of their low-fiber and high-fat and sugar composition, these foodstuffs could induce a negative impact on health. They are partially responsible for obesity and chronic non-transmissible diseases; additionally, they could impact in the prevalence of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. The rationale is that the nutritional composition of ultra-processed foodstuffs can induce gut dysbiosis, promoting a pro-inflammatory response and consequently, a “leaky gut”. These factors have been associated with increased risk of autoimmunity in genetically predisposed children. In addition, food emulsifiers, commonly used in ultra-processed products could modify the gut microbiota and intestinal permeability, which could increase the risk of autoimmunity. In contrast, unprocessed and minimally processed food-based diets have shown the capacity to promote gut microbiota eubiosis, anti-inflammatory response, and epithelial integrity, through bacterial butyrate production. Thus, to decrease the susceptibility to autoimmunity, genetically predisposed children should avoid ultra-processed food products and encourage the consumption of fresh and minimally processed foods. PMID:29140275
Assessing the influence of component processing and donor characteristics on quality of red cell concentrates using quality control data.

PubMed

Jordan, A; Chen, D; Yi, Q-L; Kanias, T; Gladwin, M T; Acker, J P

2016-07-01

Quality control (QC) data collected by blood services are used to monitor production and to ensure compliance with regulatory standards. We demonstrate how analysis of quality control data can be used to highlight the sources of variability within red cell concentrates (RCCs). We merged Canadian Blood Services QC data with manufacturing and donor records for 28 227 RCC between June 2011 and October 2014. Units were categorized based on processing method, bag manufacturer, donor age and donor sex, then assessed based on product characteristics: haemolysis and haemoglobin levels, unit volume, leucocyte count and haematocrit. Buffy-coat method (top/bottom)-processed units exhibited lower haemolysis than units processed using the whole-blood filtration method (top/top). Units from female donors exhibited lower haemolysis than male donations. Processing method influenced unit volume and the ratio of additive solution to residual plasma. Stored red blood cell characteristics are influenced by prestorage processing and donor factors. Understanding the relationship between processing, donors and RCC quality will help blood services to ensure the safety of transfused products. © 2016 International Society of Blood Transfusion.
Commercial processed soy-based food product contains glycated and glycoxidated lunasin proteoforms.

PubMed

Serra, Aida; Gallart-Palau, Xavier; See-Toh, Rachel Su-En; Hemu, Xinya; Tam, James P; Sze, Siu Kwan

2016-05-18

Nutraceuticals have been proposed to exert positive effects on human health and confer protection against many chronic diseases. A major bioactive component of soy-based foods is lunasin peptide, which has potential to exert a major impact on the health of human consumers worldwide, but the biochemical features of dietary lunasin still remain poorly characterized. In this study, lunasin was purified from a soy-based food product via strong anion exchange solid phase extraction and then subjected to top-down mass spectrometry analysis that revealed in detail the molecular diversity of lunasin in processed soybean foods. We detected multiple glycated proteoforms together with potentially toxic advanced glycation end products (AGEs) derived from lunasin. In both cases, modification sites were Lys24 and Lys29 located at the helical region that shows structural homology with a conserved region of chromatin-binding proteins. The identified post-translational modifications may have an important repercussion on lunasin epigenetic regulatory capacity. Taking together, our results demonstrate the importance of proper chemical characterization of commercial processed food products to assess their impact on consumer's health and risk of chronic diseases.
Application of recombinant hemagglutinin proteins as alternative antigen standards for pandemic influenza vaccines.

PubMed

Choi, Yejin; Kwon, Seong Yi; Oh, Ho Jung; Shim, Sunbo; Chang, Seokkee; Chung, Hye Joo; Kim, Do Keun; Park, Younsang; Lee, Younghee

2017-09-01

The single radial immunodiffusion (SRID) assay, used to quantify hemagglutinin (HA) in influenza vaccines, requires reference reagents; however, because centralized production of reference reagents may slow the emergency deployment of vaccines, alternatives are needed. We investigated the production of HA proteins using recombinant DNA technology, rather than a traditional egg-based production process. The HA proteins were then used in an SRID assay as a reference antigen. We found that HA can be quantified in both egg-based and cell-based influenza vaccines when recombinant HAs (rHAs) are used as the reference antigen. Furthermore, we confirmed that rHAs obtained from strains with pandemic potential, such as H5N1, H7N3, H7N9, and H9N2 strains, can be utilized in the SRID assay. The rHA production process takes just one month, in contrast to the traditional process that takes three to four months. The use of rHAs may reduce the time required to produce reference reagents and facilitate timely introduction of vaccines during emergencies.
Commercial processed soy-based food product contains glycated and glycoxidated lunasin proteoforms

PubMed Central

Serra, Aida; Gallart-Palau, Xavier; See-Toh, Rachel Su-En; Hemu, Xinya; Tam, James P.; Sze, Siu Kwan

2016-01-01

Nutraceuticals have been proposed to exert positive effects on human health and confer protection against many chronic diseases. A major bioactive component of soy-based foods is lunasin peptide, which has potential to exert a major impact on the health of human consumers worldwide, but the biochemical features of dietary lunasin still remain poorly characterized. In this study, lunasin was purified from a soy-based food product via strong anion exchange solid phase extraction and then subjected to top-down mass spectrometry analysis that revealed in detail the molecular diversity of lunasin in processed soybean foods. We detected multiple glycated proteoforms together with potentially toxic advanced glycation end products (AGEs) derived from lunasin. In both cases, modification sites were Lys24 and Lys29 located at the helical region that shows structural homology with a conserved region of chromatin-binding proteins. The identified post-translational modifications may have an important repercussion on lunasin epigenetic regulatory capacity. Taking together, our results demonstrate the importance of proper chemical characterization of commercial processed food products to assess their impact on consumer’s health and risk of chronic diseases. PMID:27189269
Large-scale production of diesel-like biofuels - process design as an inherent part of microorganism development.

PubMed

Cuellar, Maria C; Heijnen, Joseph J; van der Wielen, Luuk A M

2013-06-01

Industrial biotechnology is playing an important role in the transition to a bio-based economy. Currently, however, industrial implementation is still modest, despite the advances made in microorganism development. Given that the fuels and commodity chemicals sectors are characterized by tight economic margins, we propose to address overall process design and efficiency at the start of bioprocess development. While current microorganism development is targeted at product formation and product yield, addressing process design at the start of bioprocess development means that microorganism selection can also be extended to other critical targets for process technology and process scale implementation, such as enhancing cell separation or increasing cell robustness at operating conditions that favor the overall process. In this paper we follow this approach for the microbial production of diesel-like biofuels. We review current microbial routes with both oleaginous and engineered microorganisms. For the routes leading to extracellular production, we identify the process conditions for large scale operation. The process conditions identified are finally translated to microorganism development targets. We show that microorganism development should be directed at anaerobic production, increasing robustness at extreme process conditions and tailoring cell surface properties. All the same time, novel process configurations integrating fermentation and product recovery, cell reuse and low-cost technologies for product separation are mandatory. This review provides a state-of-the-art summary of the latest challenges in large-scale production of diesel-like biofuels. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Model based adaptive control of a continuous capture process for monoclonal antibodies production.

PubMed

Steinebach, Fabian; Angarita, Monica; Karst, Daniel J; Müller-Späth, Thomas; Morbidelli, Massimo

2016-04-29

A two-column capture process for continuous processing of cell-culture supernatant is presented. Similar to other multicolumn processes, this process uses sequential countercurrent loading of the target compound in order maximize resin utilization and productivity for a given product yield. The process was designed using a novel mechanistic model for affinity capture, which takes both specific adsorption as well as transport through the resin beads into account. Simulations as well as experimental results for the capture of an IgG antibody are discussed. The model was able to predict the process performance in terms of yield, productivity and capacity utilization. Compared to continuous capture with two columns operated batch wise in parallel, a 2.5-fold higher capacity utilization was obtained for the same productivity and yield. This results in an equal improvement in product concentration and reduction of buffer consumption. The developed model was used not only for the process design and optimization but also for its online control. In particular, the unit operating conditions are changed in order to maintain high product yield while optimizing the process performance in terms of capacity utilization and buffer consumption also in the presence of changing upstream conditions and resin aging. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
FDA perspective on specifications for biotechnology products--from IND to PLA.

PubMed

Murano, G

1997-01-01

Quality standards are obligatory throughout development, approval and post-marketing phases of biotechnology-derived products, thus assuring product identity, purity, and potency/strength. The process of developing and setting specifications should be based on sound science and should represent a logical progression of actions based on the use of experiential data spanning manufacturing process validation, consistency in production, and characterization of relevant product properties/attributes, by multiple analytical means. This interactive process occurs in phases, varying in rigour. It is best described as encompassing a framework which starts with the implementation of realistic/practical operational quality limits, progressing to the establishment/adoption of more stringent specifications. The historical database is generated from preclinical, toxicology and early clinical lots. This supports the clinical development programme which, as it progresses, allows for further assay method validation/refinement, adoption/addition due to relevant or newly recognized product attributes or rejection due to irrelevance. In the next phase, (licensing/approval) specifications are set through extended experience and validation of both the preparative and analytical processes, to include availability of suitable reference standards and extensive product characterization throughout its proposed dating period. Subsequent to product approval, the incremental database of test results serves as a natural continuum for further evolving/refining specifications. While there is considerable latitude in the kinds of testing modalities finally adopted to establish product quality on a routine basis, for both drugs and drug products, it is important that the selection takes into consideration relevant (significant) product characteristics that appropriately reflect on identity, purity and potency.
Engineered catalytic biofilms for continuous large scale production of n-octanol and (S)-styrene oxide.

PubMed

Gross, Rainer; Buehler, Katja; Schmid, Andreas

2013-02-01

This study evaluates the technical feasibility of biofilm-based biotransformations at an industrial scale by theoretically designing a process employing membrane fiber modules as being used in the chemical industry and compares the respective process parameters to classical stirred-tank studies. To our knowledge, catalytic biofilm processes for fine chemicals production have so far not been reported on a technical scale. As model reactions, we applied the previously studied asymmetric styrene epoxidation employing Pseudomonas sp. strain VLB120ΔC biofilms and the here-described selective alkane hydroxylation. Using the non-heme iron containing alkane hydroxylase system (AlkBGT) from P. putida Gpo1 in the recombinant P. putida PpS81 pBT10 biofilm, we were able to continuously produce 1-octanol from octane with a maximal productivity of 1.3 g L ⁻¹(aq) day⁻¹ in a single tube micro reactor. For a possible industrial application, a cylindrical membrane fiber module packed with 84,000 polypropylene fibers is proposed. Based on the here presented calculations, 59 membrane fiber modules (of 0.9 m diameter and 2 m length) would be feasible to realize a production process of 1,000 tons/year for styrene oxide. Moreover, the product yield on carbon can at least be doubled and over 400-fold less biomass waste would be generated compared to classical stirred-tank reactor processes. For the octanol process, instead, further intensification in biological activity and/or surface membrane enlargement is required to reach production scale. By taking into consideration challenges such as biomass growth control and maintaining a constant biological activity, this study shows that a biofilm process at an industrial scale for the production of fine chemicals is a sustainable alternative in terms of product yield and biomass waste production. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Techno-economic analysis of different pretreatment processes for lignocellulosic-based bioethanol production.

PubMed

da Silva, André Rodrigues Gurgel; Torres Ortega, Carlo Edgar; Rong, Ben-Guang

2016-10-01

In this work, a method based on process synthesis, simulation and evaluation has been used to setup and study the industrial scale lignocellulosic bioethanol productions processes. Scenarios for pretreatment processes of diluted acid, liquid hot water and ammonia fiber explosion were studied. Pretreatment reactor temperature, catalyst loading and water content as well as solids loading in the hydrolysis reactor were evaluated regarding its effects on the process energy consumption and bioethanol concentration. The best scenarios for maximizing ethanol concentration and minimizing total annual costs (TAC) were selected and their minimum ethanol selling price was calculated. Ethanol concentration in the range of 2-8% (wt.) was investigated after the pretreatment. The best scenarios maximizing the ethanol concentration and minimizing TAC obtained a reduction of 19.6% and 30.2% respectively in the final ethanol selling price with respect to the initial base case. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Flat-plate solar array project: Experimental process system development unit for producing semiconductor-grade silicon using the silane-to-silicon process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

The process technology for the manufacture of semiconductor-grade silicon in a large commercial plant by 1986, at a price less than $14 per kilogram of silicon based on 1975 dollars is discussed. The engineering design, installation, checkout, and operation of an Experimental Process System Development unit was discussed. Quality control of scaling-up the process and an economic analysis of product and production costs are discussed.
Design of penicillin fermentation process simulation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Xiaoyu; Yuan, Zhonghu; Qi, Xiaoxuan; Zhang, Wenqi

2011-10-01

Real-time monitoring for batch process attracts increasing attention. It can ensure safety and provide products with consistent quality. The design of simulation system of batch process fault diagnosis is of great significance. In this paper, penicillin fermentation, a typical non-linear, dynamic, multi-stage batch production process, is taken as the research object. A visual human-machine interactive simulation software system based on Windows operation system is developed. The simulation system can provide an effective platform for the research of batch process fault diagnosis.
The Use of Lactic Acid Bacteria Starter Cultures during the Processing of Fermented Cereal-based Foods in West Africa: A Review.

PubMed

Soro-Yao, Amenan Anastasie; Brou, Kouakou; Amani, Georges; Thonart, Philippe; Djè, Koffi Marcelin

2014-12-01

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the primary microorganisms used to ferment maize-, sorghum- or millet-based foods that are processed in West Africa. Fermentation contributes to desirable changes in taste, flavour, acidity, digestibility and texture in gruels (ogi, baca, dalaki), doughs (agidi, banku, komé) or steam-cooked granulated products (arraw, ciacry, dégué). Similar to other fermented cereal foods that are available in Africa, these products suffer from inconsistent quality. The use of LAB starter cultures during cereal dough fermentation is a subject of increasing interest in efforts to standardise this step and guaranty product uniformity. However, their use by small-scale processing units or small agro-food industrial enterprises is still limited. This review aims to illustrate and discuss major issues that influence the use of LAB starter cultures during the processing of fermented cereal foods in West Africa.
The Use of Lactic Acid Bacteria Starter Cultures during the Processing of Fermented Cereal-based Foods in West Africa: A Review

PubMed Central

Soro-Yao, Amenan Anastasie; Brou, Kouakou; Amani, Georges; Thonart, Philippe; Djè, Koffi Marcelin

2014-01-01

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the primary microorganisms used to ferment maize-, sorghum- or millet-based foods that are processed in West Africa. Fermentation contributes to desirable changes in taste, flavour, acidity, digestibility and texture in gruels (ogi, baca, dalaki), doughs (agidi, banku, komé) or steam-cooked granulated products (arraw, ciacry, dégué). Similar to other fermented cereal foods that are available in Africa, these products suffer from inconsistent quality. The use of LAB starter cultures during cereal dough fermentation is a subject of increasing interest in efforts to standardise this step and guaranty product uniformity. However, their use by small-scale processing units or small agro-food industrial enterprises is still limited. This review aims to illustrate and discuss major issues that influence the use of LAB starter cultures during the processing of fermented cereal foods in West Africa. PMID:27073601
Producing microbial polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolyesters in a sustainable manner.

PubMed

Koller, Martin; Maršálek, Lukáš; de Sousa Dias, Miguel Miranda; Braunegg, Gerhart

2017-07-25

Sustainable production of microbial polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolyesters on a larger scale has to consider the "four magic e": economic, ethical, environmental, and engineering aspects. Moreover, sustainability of PHA production can be quantified by modern tools of Life Cycle Assessment. Economic issues are to a large extent affected by the applied production mode, downstream processing, and, most of all, by the selection of carbon-rich raw materials as feedstocks for PHA production by safe and naturally occurring wild type microorganisms. In order to comply with ethics, such raw materials should be used which do not interfere with human nutrition and animal feed supply chains, and shall be convertible towards accessible carbon feedstocks by simple methods of upstream processing. Examples were identified in carbon-rich waste materials from various industrial braches closely connected to food production. Therefore, the article shines a light on hetero-, mixo-, and autotrophic PHA production based on various industrial residues from different branches. Emphasis is devoted to the integration of PHA-production based on selected raw materials into the holistic patterns of sustainability; this encompasses the choice of new, powerful microbial production strains, non-hazardous, environmentally benign methods for PHA recovery, and reutilization of waste streams from the PHA production process itself. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Modeling of an integrated fermentation/membrane extraction process for the production of 2-phenylethanol and 2-phenylethylacetate.

PubMed

Adler, Philipp; Hugen, Thorsten; Wiewiora, Marzena; Kunz, Benno

2011-03-07

An unstructured model for an integrated fermentation/membrane extraction process for the production of the aroma compounds 2-phenylethanol and 2-phenylethylacetate by Kluyveromyces marxianus CBS 600 was developed. The extent to which this model, based only on data from the conventional fermentation and separation processes, provided an estimation of the integrated process was evaluated. The effect of product inhibition on specific growth rate and on biomass yield by both aroma compounds was approximated by multivariate regression. Simulations of the respective submodels for fermentation and the separation process matched well with experimental results. With respect to the in situ product removal (ISPR) process, the effect of reduced product inhibition due to product removal on specific growth rate and biomass yield was predicted adequately by the model simulations. Overall product yields were increased considerably in this process (4.0 g/L 2-PE+2-PEA vs. 1.4 g/L in conventional fermentation) and were even higher than predicted by the model. To describe the effect of product concentration on product formation itself, the model was extended using results from the conventional and the ISPR process, thus agreement between model and experimental data improved notably. Therefore, this model can be a useful tool for the development and optimization of an efficient integrated bioprocess. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Wavelet transform based on inner product in fault diagnosis of rotating machinery: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jinglong; Li, Zipeng; Pan, Jun; Chen, Gaige; Zi, Yanyang; Yuan, Jing; Chen, Binqiang; He, Zhengjia

2016-03-01

As a significant role in industrial equipment, rotating machinery fault diagnosis (RMFD) always draws lots of attention for guaranteeing product quality and improving economic benefit. But non-stationary vibration signal with a large amount of noise on abnormal condition of weak fault or compound fault in many cases would lead to this task challenging. As one of the most powerful non-stationary signal processing techniques, wavelet transform (WT) has been extensively studied and widely applied in RMFD. Numerous publications about the study and applications of WT for RMFD have been presented to academic journals, technical reports and conference proceedings. Many previous publications admit that WT can be realized by means of inner product principle of signal and wavelet base. This paper verifies the essence on inner product operation of WT by simulation and field experiments. Then the development process of WT based on inner product is concluded and the applications of major developments in RMFD are also summarized. Finally, super wavelet transform as an important prospect of WT based on inner product are presented and discussed. It is expected that this paper can offer an in-depth and comprehensive references for researchers and help them with finding out further research topics.
Influence of dispatching rules on average production lead time for multi-stage production systems.

PubMed

Hübl, Alexander; Jodlbauer, Herbert; Altendorfer, Klaus

2013-08-01

In this paper the influence of different dispatching rules on the average production lead time is investigated. Two theorems based on covariance between processing time and production lead time are formulated and proved theoretically. Theorem 1 links the average production lead time to the "processing time weighted production lead time" for the multi-stage production systems analytically. The influence of different dispatching rules on average lead time, which is well known from simulation and empirical studies, can be proved theoretically in Theorem 2 for a single stage production system. A simulation study is conducted to gain more insight into the influence of dispatching rules on average production lead time in a multi-stage production system. We find that the "processing time weighted average production lead time" for a multi-stage production system is not invariant of the applied dispatching rule and can be used as a dispatching rule independent indicator for single-stage production systems.
Providing a Science Base for the Evaluation of Tobacco Products

PubMed Central

Berman, Micah L.; Connolly, Greg; Cummings, K. Michael; Djordjevic, Mirjana V.; Hatsukami, Dorothy K.; Henningfield, Jack E.; Myers, Matthew; O'Connor, Richard J.; Parascandola, Mark; Rees, Vaughan; Rice, Jerry M.

2015-01-01

Objective Evidence-based tobacco regulation requires a comprehensive scientific framework to guide the evaluation of new tobacco products and health-related claims made by product manufacturers. Methods The Tobacco Product Assessment Consortium (TobPRAC) employed an iterative process involving consortia investigators, consultants, a workshop of independent scientists and public health experts, and written reviews in order to develop a conceptual framework for evaluating tobacco products. Results The consortium developed a four-phased framework for the scientific evaluation of tobacco products. The four phases addressed by the framework are: (1) pre-market evaluation, (2) pre-claims evaluation, (3) post-market activities, and (4) monitoring and re-evaluation. For each phase, the framework proposes the use of validated testing procedures that will evaluate potential harms at both the individual and population level. Conclusions While the validation of methods for evaluating tobacco products is an ongoing and necessary process, the proposed framework need not wait for fully validated methods to be used in guiding tobacco product regulation today. PMID:26665160
Research Instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

The GENETI-SCANNER, newest product of Perceptive Scientific Instruments, Inc. (PSI), rapidly scans slides, locates, digitizes, measures and classifies specific objects and events in research and diagnostic applications. Founded by former NASA employees, PSI's primary product line is based on NASA image processing technology. The instruments karyotype - a process employed in analysis and classification of chromosomes - using a video camera mounted on a microscope. Images are digitized, enabling chromosome image enhancement. The system enables karyotyping to be done significantly faster, increasing productivity and lowering costs. Product is no longer being manufactured.

LIQUID BIO-FUEL PRODUCTION FROM NON-FOOD BIOMASS VIA HIGH TEMPERATURE STEAM ELECTROLYSIS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

G. L. Hawkes; J. E. O'Brien; M. G. McKellar

2011-11-01

Bio-Syntrolysis is a hybrid energy process that enables production of synthetic liquid fuels that are compatible with the existing conventional liquid transportation fuels infrastructure. Using biomass as a renewable carbon source, and supplemental hydrogen from high-temperature steam electrolysis (HTSE), bio-syntrolysis has the potential to provide a significant alternative petroleum source that could reduce US dependence on imported oil. Combining hydrogen from HTSE with CO from an oxygen-blown biomass gasifier yields syngas to be used as a feedstock for synthesis of liquid transportation fuels via a Fischer-Tropsch process. Conversion of syngas to liquid hydrocarbon fuels, using a biomass-based carbon source, expandsmore » the application of renewable energy beyond the grid to include transportation fuels. It can also contribute to grid stability associated with non-dispatchable power generation. The use of supplemental hydrogen from HTSE enables greater than 90% utilization of the biomass carbon content which is about 2.5 times higher than carbon utilization associated with traditional cellulosic ethanol production. If the electrical power source needed for HTSE is based on nuclear or renewable energy, the process is carbon neutral. INL has demonstrated improved biomass processing prior to gasification. Recyclable biomass in the form of crop residue or energy crops would serve as the feedstock for this process. A process model of syngas production using high temperature electrolysis and biomass gasification is presented. Process heat from the biomass gasifier is used to heat steam for the hydrogen production via the high temperature steam electrolysis process. Oxygen produced form the electrolysis process is used to control the oxidation rate in the oxygen-blown biomass gasifier. Based on the gasifier temperature, 94% to 95% of the carbon in the biomass becomes carbon monoxide in the syngas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen). Assuming the thermal efficiency of the power cycle for electricity generation is 50%, (as expected from GEN IV nuclear reactors), the syngas production efficiency ranges from 70% to 73% as the gasifier temperature decreases from 1900 K to 1500 K. Parametric studies of system pressure, biomass moisture content and low temperature alkaline electrolysis are also presented.« less
I-PFO: the new technology for simple and flexible implementation of high productive on-the-fly remote processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Müllegger, Andreas; Ryba, Tracey

2017-02-01

Standardized production systems which can be implemented, programmed, maintained and sourced in a simple and efficient way are key for a successful global production of automobiles or related parts at component suppliers. This is also valid for systems, which are built by laser based processes. One of the key applications is remote laser welding (RLW) of "Body in White" (BIW) parts (such as hang-on parts, B-Pillars, side frames, etc.), but also builtin components (such as car seats, batteries, etc.). The majority of RLW applications are based on the implementation of a 3-D scanner optic (e.g. the PFO 3D from TRUMPF) which positions the laser beam on the various component surfaces to be welded. Over the past 10 years it has been proven that the most efficient way to build up the RLW process is to have a system where an industrial robot and a scanner optic are combined in one production cell. They usually cooperate within an "On-The-Fly" (OTF) process as this ensures minimum cycle times. Until now there are several technologies on the market which can coordinate both the robot and scanner in the OTF mode. But none of them meet all requirements of global standardized production solutions. With the introduction of the I-PFO (Intelligent Programmable Focusing Optics) technology the situation has changed. It is now possible to program or adopt complex remote processes in a fast and easy way by the "Teach-in" function via the robot teach pendant. Additionally a 3D offline designer software is an option for this system. It automatically creates the ideal remote process based on the part, fixture, production cell and required process parameters. The I-PFO technology doesn't need additional hardware due to the fact that it runs on the controller within the PFO 3D. Furthermore it works together with different types of industrial robots (e.g. ABB, Fanuc and KUKA) which allow highest flexibility for the production planning phase. Finally a single TRUMPF laser source can supply up to six I-PFOs. This guarantees maximum beam-on time at the production line. Within this report the concept of the I-PFO technology (with mentioned functions) is described and is compared to the other existing ways for Remote Laser processing.
[New model of accumulation and agro-business: the ecological and epidemiological implications of the Ecuadorian cut flower production].

PubMed

Breilh, Jaime

2007-01-01

The article refers to the results of an integrative research project that aim to analyze ecosystem and human health's impacts of cut flower production in Cuencas del Rio Grande region (Cayambe and Tabacundo zones). In order to assess the complex object of study and its multiple dimensions, an interdisciplinary approach has been constructed, based on the following components: a) pesticides dynamics analysis; b) pesticides distribution and commercialization processes in the region; c) economic and anthropological transformation determinate by the flower production; d) epidemiological process of human health impacts; e) and the design of participatory, multicultural and integrative information. The research consolidated an important geo-codified data base on the impacts of cut flower production to workers, communities, aquatic systems and soils, offering evidences of the actual flower production system severe impacts and leading to a reflection about the sustainability of the productive systems and the future of the ecosystems.
[Development of whole process quality control and management system of traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces based on traditional Chinese medicine quality tree].

PubMed

Yu, Wen-Kang; Dong, Ling; Pei, Wen-Xuan; Sun, Zhi-Rong; Dai, Jun-Dong; Wang, Yun

2017-12-01

The whole process quality control and management of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) decoction pieces is a system engineering, involving the base environment, seeds and seedlings, harvesting, processing and other multiple steps, so the accurate identification of factors in TCM production process that may induce the quality risk, as well as reasonable quality control measures are very important. At present, the concept of quality risk is mainly concentrated in the aspects of management and regulations, etc. There is no comprehensive analysis on possible risks in the quality control process of TCM decoction pieces, or analysis summary of effective quality control schemes. A whole process quality control and management system for TCM decoction pieces based on TCM quality tree was proposed in this study. This system effectively combined the process analysis method of TCM quality tree with the quality risk management, and can help managers to make real-time decisions while realizing the whole process quality control of TCM. By providing personalized web interface, this system can realize user-oriented information feedback, and was convenient for users to predict, evaluate and control the quality of TCM. In the application process, the whole process quality control and management system of the TCM decoction pieces can identify the related quality factors such as base environment, cultivation and pieces processing, extend and modify the existing scientific workflow according to their own production conditions, and provide different enterprises with their own quality systems, to achieve the personalized service. As a new quality management model, this paper can provide reference for improving the quality of Chinese medicine production and quality standardization. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.
Study of activity based costing implementation for palm oil production using value-added and non-value-added activity consideration in PT XYZ palm oil mill

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sembiring, M. T.; Wahyuni, D.; Sinaga, T. S.; Silaban, A.

2018-02-01

Cost allocation at manufacturing industry particularly in Palm Oil Mill still widely practiced based on estimation. It leads to cost distortion. Besides, processing time determined by company is not in accordance with actual processing time in work station. Hence, the purpose of this study is to eliminates non-value-added activities therefore processing time could be shortened and production cost could be reduced. Activity Based Costing Method is used in this research to calculate production cost with Value Added and Non-Value-Added Activities consideration. The result of this study is processing time decreasing for 35.75% at Weighting Bridge Station, 29.77% at Sorting Station, 5.05% at Loading Ramp Station, and 0.79% at Sterilizer Station. Cost of Manufactured for Crude Palm Oil are IDR 5.236,81/kg calculated by Traditional Method, IDR 4.583,37/kg calculated by Activity Based Costing Method before implementation of Activity Improvement and IDR 4.581,71/kg after implementation of Activity Improvement Meanwhile Cost of Manufactured for Palm Kernel are IDR 2.159,50/kg calculated by Traditional Method, IDR 4.584,63/kg calculated by Activity Based Costing Method before implementation of Activity Improvement and IDR 4.582,97/kg after implementation of Activity Improvement.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bala, Greg Alan; Bruhn, Debby Fox; Fox, Sandra Lynn

Utilization of surfactants for improved oil recovery (IOR) is an accepted technique with high potential. However, technology application is frequently limited by cost. Biosurfactants (surface-active molecules produced by microorganisms) are not widely utilized in the petroleum industry due to high production costs associated with use of expensive substrates and inefficient product recovery methods. The economics of biosurfactant production could be significantly impacted through use of media optimization and application of inexpensive carbon substrates such as agricultural process residuals. Utilization of biosurfactants produced from agricultural residuals may 1) result in an economic advantage for surfactant production and technology application, and 2)more » convert a substantial agricultural waste stream to a value-added product for IOR. A biosurfactant with high potential for use is surfactin, a lipopeptide biosurfactant, produced by Bacillus subtilis. Reported here is the production and potential IOR utilization of surfactin produced by Bacillus subtilis (American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) 21332) from starch-based media. Production of surfactants from microbiological growth media based on simple sugars, chemically pure starch medium, simulated liquid and solid potato-process effluent media, a commercially prepared potato starch in mineral salts, and process effluent from a potato processor is discussed. Additionally, the effect of chemical and physical pretreatments on starchy feedstocks is discussed.« less
Computational Methods to Assess the Production Potential of Bio-Based Chemicals.

PubMed

Campodonico, Miguel A; Sukumara, Sumesh; Feist, Adam M; Herrgård, Markus J

2018-01-01

Elevated costs and long implementation times of bio-based processes for producing chemicals represent a bottleneck for moving to a bio-based economy. A prospective analysis able to elucidate economically and technically feasible product targets at early research phases is mandatory. Computational tools can be implemented to explore the biological and technical spectrum of feasibility, while constraining the operational space for desired chemicals. In this chapter, two different computational tools for assessing potential for bio-based production of chemicals from different perspectives are described in detail. The first tool is GEM-Path: an algorithm to compute all structurally possible pathways from one target molecule to the host metabolome. The second tool is a framework for Modeling Sustainable Industrial Chemicals production (MuSIC), which integrates modeling approaches for cellular metabolism, bioreactor design, upstream/downstream processes, and economic impact assessment. Integrating GEM-Path and MuSIC will play a vital role in supporting early phases of research efforts and guide the policy makers with decisions, as we progress toward planning a sustainable chemical industry.
Estimating multi-period global cost efficiency and productivity change of systems with network structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tohidnia, S.; Tohidi, G.

2018-02-01

The current paper develops three different ways to measure the multi-period global cost efficiency for homogeneous networks of processes when the prices of exogenous inputs are known at all time periods. A multi-period network data envelopment analysis model is presented to measure the minimum cost of the network system based on the global production possibility set. We show that there is a relationship between the multi-period global cost efficiency of network system and its subsystems, and also its processes. The proposed model is applied to compute the global cost Malmquist productivity index for measuring the productivity changes of network system and each of its process between two time periods. This index is circular. Furthermore, we show that the productivity changes of network system can be defined as a weighted average of the process productivity changes. Finally, a numerical example will be presented to illustrate the proposed approach.
Phase change water processing for Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zdankiewicz, E. M.; Price, D. F.

1985-01-01

The use of a vapor compression distillation subsystem (VCDS) for water recovery on the Space Station is analyzed. The self-contained automated system can process waste water at a rate of 32.6 kg/day and requires only 115 W of electric power. The improvements in the mechanical components of VCDS are studied. The operation of VCDS in the normal mode is examined. The VCDS preprototype is evaluated based on water quality, water production rate, and specific energy. The relation between water production rate and fluids pump speed is investigated; it is concluded that a variable speed fluids pump will optimize water production. Components development and testing currently being conducted are described. The properties and operation of the proposed phase change water processing system for the Space Station, based on vapor compression distillation, are examined.
Total quality management - It works for aerospace information services

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Erwin, James; Eberline, Carl; Colquitt, Wanda

1993-01-01

Today we are in the midst of information and 'total quality' revolutions. At the NASA STI Program's Center for AeroSpace Information (CASI), we are focused on using continuous improvements techniques to enrich today's services and products and to ensure that tomorrow's technology supports the TQM-based improvement of future STI program products and services. The Continuous Improvements Program at CASI is the foundation for Total Quality Management in products and services. The focus is customer-driven; its goal, to identify processes and procedures that can be improved and new technologies that can be integrated with the processes to gain efficiencies, provide effectiveness, and promote customer satisfaction. This Program seeks to establish quality through an iterative defect prevention approach that is based on the incorporation of standards and measurements into the processing cycle.
Acausal measurement-based quantum computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morimae, Tomoyuki

2014-07-01

In measurement-based quantum computing, there is a natural "causal cone" among qubits of the resource state, since the measurement angle on a qubit has to depend on previous measurement results in order to correct the effect of by-product operators. If we respect the no-signaling principle, by-product operators cannot be avoided. Here we study the possibility of acausal measurement-based quantum computing by using the process matrix framework [Oreshkov, Costa, and Brukner, Nat. Commun. 3, 1092 (2012), 10.1038/ncomms2076]. We construct a resource process matrix for acausal measurement-based quantum computing restricting local operations to projective measurements. The resource process matrix is an analog of the resource state of the standard causal measurement-based quantum computing. We find that if we restrict local operations to projective measurements the resource process matrix is (up to a normalization factor and trivial ancilla qubits) equivalent to the decorated graph state created from the graph state of the corresponding causal measurement-based quantum computing. We also show that it is possible to consider a causal game whose causal inequality is violated by acausal measurement-based quantum computing.
Uncertainty management by relaxation of conflicting constraints in production process scheduling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorn, Juergen; Slany, Wolfgang; Stary, Christian

1992-01-01

Mathematical-analytical methods as used in Operations Research approaches are often insufficient for scheduling problems. This is due to three reasons: the combinatorial complexity of the search space, conflicting objectives for production optimization, and the uncertainty in the production process. Knowledge-based techniques, especially approximate reasoning and constraint relaxation, are promising ways to overcome these problems. A case study from an industrial CIM environment, namely high-grade steel production, is presented to demonstrate how knowledge-based scheduling with the desired capabilities could work. By using fuzzy set theory, the applied knowledge representation technique covers the uncertainty inherent in the problem domain. Based on this knowledge representation, a classification of jobs according to their importance is defined which is then used for the straightforward generation of a schedule. A control strategy which comprises organizational, spatial, temporal, and chemical constraints is introduced. The strategy supports the dynamic relaxation of conflicting constraints in order to improve tentative schedules.
Zero valent iron significantly enhances methane production from waste activated sludge by improving biochemical methane potential rather than hydrolysis rate.

PubMed

Liu, Yiwen; Wang, Qilin; Zhang, Yaobin; Ni, Bing-Jie

2015-02-05

Anaerobic digestion has been widely applied for waste activated sludge (WAS) treatment. However, methane production from anaerobic digestion of WAS is usually limited by the slow hydrolysis rate and/or poor biochemical methane potential of WAS. This work systematically studied the effects of three different types of zero valent iron (i.e., iron powder, clean scrap and rusty scrap) on methane production from WAS in anaerobic digestion, by using both experimental and mathematical approaches. The results demonstrated that both the clean and the rusty iron scrap were more effective than the iron powder for improving methane production from WAS. Model-based analysis showed that ZVI addition significantly enhanced methane production from WAS through improving the biochemical methane potential of WAS rather than its hydrolysis rate. Economic analysis indicated that the ZVI-based technology for enhancing methane production from WAS is economically attractive, particularly considering that iron scrap can be freely acquired from industrial waste. Based on these results, the ZVI-based anaerobic digestion process of this work could be easily integrated with the conventional chemical phosphorus removal process in wastewater treatment plant to form a cost-effective and environment-friendly approach, enabling maximum resource recovery/reuse while achieving enhanced methane production in wastewater treatment system.
Zero Valent Iron Significantly Enhances Methane Production from Waste Activated Sludge by Improving Biochemical Methane Potential Rather Than Hydrolysis Rate

PubMed Central

Liu, Yiwen; Wang, Qilin; Zhang, Yaobin; Ni, Bing-Jie

2015-01-01

Anaerobic digestion has been widely applied for waste activated sludge (WAS) treatment. However, methane production from anaerobic digestion of WAS is usually limited by the slow hydrolysis rate and/or poor biochemical methane potential of WAS. This work systematically studied the effects of three different types of zero valent iron (i.e., iron powder, clean scrap and rusty scrap) on methane production from WAS in anaerobic digestion, by using both experimental and mathematical approaches. The results demonstrated that both the clean and the rusty iron scrap were more effective than the iron powder for improving methane production from WAS. Model-based analysis showed that ZVI addition significantly enhanced methane production from WAS through improving the biochemical methane potential of WAS rather than its hydrolysis rate. Economic analysis indicated that the ZVI-based technology for enhancing methane production from WAS is economically attractive, particularly considering that iron scrap can be freely acquired from industrial waste. Based on these results, the ZVI-based anaerobic digestion process of this work could be easily integrated with the conventional chemical phosphorus removal process in wastewater treatment plant to form a cost-effective and environment-friendly approach, enabling maximum resource recovery/reuse while achieving enhanced methane production in wastewater treatment system. PMID:25652244
Zero Valent Iron Significantly Enhances Methane Production from Waste Activated Sludge by Improving Biochemical Methane Potential Rather Than Hydrolysis Rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yiwen; Wang, Qilin; Zhang, Yaobin; Ni, Bing-Jie

2015-02-01

Anaerobic digestion has been widely applied for waste activated sludge (WAS) treatment. However, methane production from anaerobic digestion of WAS is usually limited by the slow hydrolysis rate and/or poor biochemical methane potential of WAS. This work systematically studied the effects of three different types of zero valent iron (i.e., iron powder, clean scrap and rusty scrap) on methane production from WAS in anaerobic digestion, by using both experimental and mathematical approaches. The results demonstrated that both the clean and the rusty iron scrap were more effective than the iron powder for improving methane production from WAS. Model-based analysis showed that ZVI addition significantly enhanced methane production from WAS through improving the biochemical methane potential of WAS rather than its hydrolysis rate. Economic analysis indicated that the ZVI-based technology for enhancing methane production from WAS is economically attractive, particularly considering that iron scrap can be freely acquired from industrial waste. Based on these results, the ZVI-based anaerobic digestion process of this work could be easily integrated with the conventional chemical phosphorus removal process in wastewater treatment plant to form a cost-effective and environment-friendly approach, enabling maximum resource recovery/reuse while achieving enhanced methane production in wastewater treatment system.
A Framework for Preliminary Design of Aircraft Structures Based on Process Information. Part 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rais-Rohani, Masoud

1998-01-01

This report discusses the general framework and development of a computational tool for preliminary design of aircraft structures based on process information. The described methodology is suitable for multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) activities associated with integrated product and process development (IPPD). The framework consists of three parts: (1) product and process definitions; (2) engineering synthesis, and (3) optimization. The product and process definitions are part of input information provided by the design team. The backbone of the system is its ability to analyze a given structural design for performance as well as manufacturability and cost assessment. The system uses a database on material systems and manufacturing processes. Based on the identified set of design variables and an objective function, the system is capable of performing optimization subject to manufacturability, cost, and performance constraints. The accuracy of the manufacturability measures and cost models discussed here depend largely on the available data on specific methods of manufacture and assembly and associated labor requirements. As such, our focus in this research has been on the methodology itself and not so much on its accurate implementation in an industrial setting. A three-tier approach is presented for an IPPD-MDO based design of aircraft structures. The variable-complexity cost estimation methodology and an approach for integrating manufacturing cost assessment into design process are also discussed. This report is presented in two parts. In the first part, the design methodology is presented, and the computational design tool is described. In the second part, a prototype model of the preliminary design Tool for Aircraft Structures based on Process Information (TASPI) is described. Part two also contains an example problem that applies the methodology described here for evaluation of six different design concepts for a wing spar.
Factors that predict consumer acceptance of enriched processed meats.

PubMed

Shan, Liran C; Henchion, Maeve; De Brún, Aoife; Murrin, Celine; Wall, Patrick G; Monahan, Frank J

2017-11-01

The study aimed to understand predictors of consumers' purchase intention towards processed meat based functional foods (i.e. enriched processed meat). A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 486 processed meat consumers in spring 2016. Results showed that processed meats were perceived differently in healthiness, with sausage-type products perceived less healthy than cured meat products. Consumers were in general more uncertain than positive about enriched processed meat but differences existed in terms of the attitudes and purchase intention. Following regression analysis, consumers' purchase intention towards enriched processed meat was primarily driven by their attitudes towards the product concept. Perceived healthiness of existing products and eating frequency of processed meat were also positively associated with the purchase intention. Other factors such as general food choice motives, socio-demographic characteristics, consumer health and the consumption of functional foods and dietary supplements in general, were not significant predictors of the purchase intention for enriched processed meat. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Toward Higher QA: From Parametric Release of Sterile Parenteral Products to PAT for Other Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms.

PubMed

Hock, Sia Chong; Constance, Neo Xue Rui; Wah, Chan Lai

2012-01-01

Pharmaceutical products are generally subjected to end-product batch testing as a means of quality control. Due to the inherent limitations of conventional batch testing, this is not the most ideal approach for determining the pharmaceutical quality of the finished dosage form. In the case of terminally sterilized parenteral products, the limitations of conventional batch testing have been successfully addressed with the application of parametric release (the release of a product based on control of process parameters instead of batch sterility testing at the end of the manufacturing process). Consequently, there has been an increasing interest in applying parametric release to other pharmaceutical dosage forms, beyond terminally sterilized parenteral products. For parametric release to be possible, manufacturers must be capable of designing quality into the product, monitoring the manufacturing processes, and controlling the quality of intermediates and finished products in real-time. Process analytical technology (PAT) has been thought to be capable of contributing to these prerequisites. It is believed that the appropriate use of PAT tools can eventually lead to the possibility of real-time release of other pharmaceutical dosage forms, by-passing the need for end-product batch testing. Hence, this literature review attempts to present the basic principles of PAT, introduce the various PAT tools that are currently available, present their recent applications to pharmaceutical processing, and explain the potential benefits that PAT can bring to conventional ways of processing and quality assurance of pharmaceutical products. Last but not least, current regulations governing the use of PAT and the manufacturing challenges associated with PAT implementation are also discussed. Pharmaceutical products are generally subjected to end-product batch testing as a means of quality control. Due to the inherent limitations of conventional batch testing, this is not the most ideal approach. In the case of terminally sterilized parenteral products, these limitations have been successfully addressed with the application of parametric release (the release of a product based on control of process parameters instead of batch sterility testing at the end of the manufacturing process). Consequently, there has been an increasing interest in applying parametric release to other pharmaceutical dosage forms. With the advancement of process analytical technology (PAT), it is possible to monitor the manufacturing processes closely. This will eventually enable quality control of the intermediates and finished products, and thus their release in real-time. Hence, this literature review attempts to present the basic principles of PAT, introduce the various PAT tools that are currently available, present their recent applications to pharmaceutical processing, and explain the potential benefits that PAT can bring to conventional ways of processing and quality assurance of pharmaceutical products. It will also discuss the current regulations governing the use of PAT and the manufacturing challenges associated with the implementation of PAT.
EPD--environmental product declarations for wood products : an application of life cycle information about forest products

Treesearch

Richard Bergman; Adam Taylor

2011-01-01

Transparent and credible environmental labeling of products is vital for a sustainable future. Ecolabeling shows information on the environmental performance of products, processes, and services. This article focuses on one type of ecolabeling referred to as environmental product declarations (EPDs) that provide environmental impact information based on life cycle...
Integrating artificial and human intelligence into tablet production process.

PubMed

Gams, Matjaž; Horvat, Matej; Ožek, Matej; Luštrek, Mitja; Gradišek, Anton

2014-12-01

We developed a new machine learning-based method in order to facilitate the manufacturing processes of pharmaceutical products, such as tablets, in accordance with the Process Analytical Technology (PAT) and Quality by Design (QbD) initiatives. Our approach combines the data, available from prior production runs, with machine learning algorithms that are assisted by a human operator with expert knowledge of the production process. The process parameters encompass those that relate to the attributes of the precursor raw materials and those that relate to the manufacturing process itself. During manufacturing, our method allows production operator to inspect the impacts of various settings of process parameters within their proven acceptable range with the purpose of choosing the most promising values in advance of the actual batch manufacture. The interaction between the human operator and the artificial intelligence system provides improved performance and quality. We successfully implemented the method on data provided by a pharmaceutical company for a particular product, a tablet, under development. We tested the accuracy of the method in comparison with some other machine learning approaches. The method is especially suitable for analyzing manufacturing processes characterized by a limited amount of data.

Advanced model-based control strategies for the intensification of upstream and downstream processing in mAb production.

PubMed

Papathanasiou, Maria M; Quiroga-Campano, Ana L; Steinebach, Fabian; Elviro, Montaña; Mantalaris, Athanasios; Pistikopoulos, Efstratios N

2017-07-01

Current industrial trends encourage the development of sustainable, environmentally friendly processes with minimal energy and material consumption. In particular, the increasing market demand in biopharmaceutical industry and the tight regulations in product quality necessitate efficient operating procedures that guarantee products of high purity. In this direction, process intensification via continuous operation paves the way for the development of novel, eco-friendly processes, characterized by higher productivity and lower production costs. This work focuses on the development of advanced control strategies for (i) a cell culture system in a bioreactor and (ii) a semicontinuous purification process. More specifically, we consider a fed-batch culture of GS-NS0 cells and the semicontinuous Multicolumn Countercurrent Solvent Gradient Purification (MCSGP) for the purification process. The controllers are designed following the PAROC framework/software platform and their capabilities are assessed in silico, against the process models. It is demonstrated that the proposed controllers efficiently manage to increase the system productivity, returning strategies that can lead to continuous, stable process operation. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:966-988, 2017. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Synthetic Biology Guides Biofuel Production

PubMed Central

Connor, Michael R.; Atsumi, Shota

2010-01-01

The advancement of microbial processes for the production of renewable liquid fuels has increased with concerns about the current fuel economy. The development of advanced biofuels in particular has risen to address some of the shortcomings of ethanol. These advanced fuels have chemical properties similar to petroleum-based liquid fuels, thus removing the need for engine modification or infrastructure redesign. While the productivity and titers of each of these processes remains to be improved, progress in synthetic biology has provided tools to guide the engineering of these processes through present and future challenges. PMID:20827393
Proof-of-concept automation of propellant processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramohalli, Kumar; Schallhorn, P. A.

1989-01-01

For space-based propellant production, automation of the process is needed. Currently, all phases of terrestrial production have some form of human interaction. A mixer was acquired to help perform the tasks of automation. A heating system to be used with the mixer was designed, built, and installed. Tests performed on the heating system verify design criteria. An IBM PS/2 personal computer was acquired for the future automation work. It is hoped that some the mixing process itself will be automated. This is a concept demonstration task; proving that propellant production can be automated reliably.
Changes in Phenolic Acid Content in Maize during Food Product Processing.

PubMed

Butts-Wilmsmeyer, Carrie J; Mumm, Rita H; Rausch, Kent D; Kandhola, Gurshagan; Yana, Nicole A; Happ, Mary M; Ostezan, Alexandra; Wasmund, Matthew; Bohn, Martin O

2018-04-04

The notion that many nutrients and beneficial phytochemicals in maize are lost due to food product processing is common, but this has not been studied in detail for the phenolic acids. Information regarding changes in phenolic acid content throughout processing is highly valuable because some phenolic acids are chemopreventive agents of aging-related diseases. It is unknown when and why these changes in phenolic acid content might occur during processing, whether some maize genotypes might be more resistant to processing induced changes in phenolic acid content than other genotypes, or if processing affects the bioavailability of phenolic acids in maize-based food products. For this study, a laboratory-scale processing protocol was developed and used to process whole maize kernels into toasted cornflakes. High-throughput microscale wet-lab analyses were applied to determine the concentrations of soluble and insoluble-bound phenolic acids in samples of grain, three intermediate processing stages, and toasted cornflakes obtained from 12 ex-PVP maize inbreds and seven hybrids. In the grain, insoluble-bound ferulic acid was the most common phenolic acid, followed by insoluble-bound p-coumaric acid and soluble cinnamic acid, a precursor to the phenolic acids. Notably, the ferulic acid content was approximately 1950 μg/g, more than ten-times the concentration of many fruits and vegetables. Processing reduced the content of the phenolic acids regardless of the genotype. Most changes occurred during dry milling due to the removal of the bran. The concentration of bioavailable soluble ferulic and p-coumaric acid increased negligibly due to thermal stresses. Therefore, the current dry milling based processing techniques used to manufacture many maize-based foods, including breakfast cereals, are not conducive for increasing the content of bioavailable phenolics in processed maize food products. This suggests that while maize is an excellent source of phenolics, alternative or complementary processing methods must be developed before this nutritional resource can be utilized.
Enzymatic corn wet milling: engineering process and cost model

PubMed Central

Ramírez, Edna C; Johnston, David B; McAloon, Andrew J; Singh, Vijay

2009-01-01

Background Enzymatic corn wet milling (E-milling) is a process derived from conventional wet milling for the recovery and purification of starch and co-products using proteases to eliminate the need for sulfites and decrease the steeping time. In 2006, the total starch production in USA by conventional wet milling equaled 23 billion kilograms, including modified starches and starches used for sweeteners and ethanol production [1]. Process engineering and cost models for an E-milling process have been developed for a processing plant with a capacity of 2.54 million kg of corn per day (100,000 bu/day). These models are based on the previously published models for a traditional wet milling plant with the same capacity. The E-milling process includes grain cleaning, pretreatment, enzymatic treatment, germ separation and recovery, fiber separation and recovery, gluten separation and recovery and starch separation. Information for the development of the conventional models was obtained from a variety of technical sources including commercial wet milling companies, industry experts and equipment suppliers. Additional information for the present models was obtained from our own experience with the development of the E-milling process and trials in the laboratory and at the pilot plant scale. The models were developed using process and cost simulation software (SuperPro Designer®) and include processing information such as composition and flow rates of the various process streams, descriptions of the various unit operations and detailed breakdowns of the operating and capital cost of the facility. Results Based on the information from the model, we can estimate the cost of production per kilogram of starch using the input prices for corn, enzyme and other wet milling co-products. The work presented here describes the E-milling process and compares the process, the operation and costs with the conventional process. Conclusion The E-milling process was found to be cost competitive with the conventional process during periods of high corn feedstock costs since the enzymatic process enhances the yields of the products in a corn wet milling process. This model is available upon request from the authors for educational, research and non-commercial uses. PMID:19154623
On the Design of a Fuzzy Logic-Based Control System for Freeze-Drying Processes.

PubMed

Fissore, Davide

2016-12-01

This article is focused on the design of a fuzzy logic-based control system to optimize a drug freeze-drying process. The goal of the system is to keep product temperature as close as possible to the threshold value of the formulation being processed, without trespassing it, in such a way that product quality is not jeopardized and the sublimation flux is maximized. The method involves the measurement of product temperature and a set of rules that have been obtained through process simulation with the goal to obtain a unique set of rules for products with very different characteristics. Input variables are the difference between the temperature of the product and the threshold value, the difference between the temperature of the heating fluid and that of the product, and the rate of change of product temperature. The output variables are the variation of the temperature of the heating fluid and the pressure in the drying chamber. The effect of the starting value of the input variables and of the control interval has been investigated, thus resulting in the optimal configuration of the control system. Experimental investigation carried out in a pilot-scale freeze-dryer has been carried out to validate the proposed system. Copyright © 2016 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Cost Effective Recovery of Low-TDS Frac Flowback Water for Re-use

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Claire Henderson; Harish Acharya; Hope Matis

2011-03-31

The project goal was to develop a cost-effective water recovery process to reduce the costs and envi-ronmental impact of shale gas production. This effort sought to develop both a flowback water pre-treatment process and a membrane-based partial demineralization process for the treatment of the low-Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) portion of the flowback water produced during hydrofracturing operations. The TDS cutoff for consideration in this project is < 35,000 {approx} 45,000 ppm, which is the typical limit for economic water recovery employing reverse osmosis (RO) type membrane desalination processes. The ultimate objective is the production of clean, reclaimed water suitable formore » re-use in hydrofracturing operations. The team successfully compiled data on flowback composition and other attributes across multiple shale plays, identified the likely applicability of membrane treatment processes in those shales, and expanded the proposed product portfolio to include four options suitable for various reuse or discharge applications. Pretreatment technologies were evaluated at the lab scale and down-selected based upon their efficacy in removing key contaminants. The chosen technologies were further validated by performing membrane fouling studies with treated flowback water to demonstrate the technical feasibility of flowback treatment with RO membranes. Process flow schemes were constructed for each of the four product options based on experimental performance data from actual flowback water treatment studies. For the products requiring membrane treatment, membrane system model-ing software was used to create designs for enhanced water recovery beyond the typical seawater desalination benchmark. System costs based upon vendor and internal cost information for all process flow schemes were generated and are below target and in line with customer expectations. Finally, to account for temporal and geographic variability in flowback characteristics as well as local disposal costs and regulations, a parametric value assessment tool was created to assess the economic attractiveness of a given flowback recovery process relative to conventional disposal for any combination of anticipated flowback TDS and local disposal cost. It is concluded that membrane systems in combination with appropriate pretreatment technologies can provide cost-effective recovery of low-TDS flow-back water for either beneficial reuse or safe surface discharge.« less
Fuel quality processing study, volume 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohara, J. B.; Bela, A.; Jentz, N. E.; Syverson, H. T.; Klumpe, H. W.; Kessler, R. E.; Kotzot, H. T.; Loran, B. L.

1981-04-01

A fuel quality processing study to provide a data base for an intelligent tradeoff between advanced turbine technology and liquid fuel quality, and also, to guide the development of specifications of future synthetic fuels anticipated for use in the time period 1985 to 2000 is given. Four technical performance tests are discussed: on-site pretreating, existing refineries to upgrade fuels, new refineries to upgrade fuels, and data evaluation. The base case refinery is a modern Midwest refinery processing 200,000 BPD of a 60/40 domestic/import petroleum crude mix. The synthetic crudes used for upgrading to marketable products and turbine fuel are shale oil and coal liquids. Of these syncrudes, 50,000 BPD are processed in the existing petroleum refinery, requiring additional process units and reducing petroleum feed, and in a new refinery designed for processing each syncrude to produce gasoline, distillate fuels, resid fuels, and turbine fuel, JPGs and coke. An extensive collection of synfuel properties and upgrading data was prepared for the application of a linear program model to investigate the most economical production slate meeting petroleum product specifications and turbine fuels of various quality grades. Technical and economic projections were developed for 36 scenarios, based on 4 different crude feeds to either modified existing or new refineries operated in 2 different modes to produce 7 differing grades of turbine fuels. A required product selling price of turbine fuel for each processing route was calculated. Procedures and projected economics were developed for on-site treatment of turbine fuel to meet limitations of impurities and emission of pollutants.
Fuel quality processing study, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ohara, J. B.; Bela, A.; Jentz, N. E.; Syverson, H. T.; Klumpe, H. W.; Kessler, R. E.; Kotzot, H. T.; Loran, B. L.

1981-01-01

A fuel quality processing study to provide a data base for an intelligent tradeoff between advanced turbine technology and liquid fuel quality, and also, to guide the development of specifications of future synthetic fuels anticipated for use in the time period 1985 to 2000 is given. Four technical performance tests are discussed: on-site pretreating, existing refineries to upgrade fuels, new refineries to upgrade fuels, and data evaluation. The base case refinery is a modern Midwest refinery processing 200,000 BPD of a 60/40 domestic/import petroleum crude mix. The synthetic crudes used for upgrading to marketable products and turbine fuel are shale oil and coal liquids. Of these syncrudes, 50,000 BPD are processed in the existing petroleum refinery, requiring additional process units and reducing petroleum feed, and in a new refinery designed for processing each syncrude to produce gasoline, distillate fuels, resid fuels, and turbine fuel, JPGs and coke. An extensive collection of synfuel properties and upgrading data was prepared for the application of a linear program model to investigate the most economical production slate meeting petroleum product specifications and turbine fuels of various quality grades. Technical and economic projections were developed for 36 scenarios, based on 4 different crude feeds to either modified existing or new refineries operated in 2 different modes to produce 7 differing grades of turbine fuels. A required product selling price of turbine fuel for each processing route was calculated. Procedures and projected economics were developed for on-site treatment of turbine fuel to meet limitations of impurities and emission of pollutants.
Collaborative enterprise and virtual prototyping (CEVP): a product-centric approach to distributed simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saunders, Vance M.

1999-06-01

The downsizing of the Department of Defense (DoD) and the associated reduction in budgets has re-emphasized the need for commonality, reuse, and standards with respect to the way DoD does business. DoD has implemented significant changes in how it buys weapon systems. The new emphasis is on concurrent engineering with Integrated Product and Process Development and collaboration with Integrated Product Teams. The new DoD vision includes Simulation Based Acquisition (SBA), a process supported by robust, collaborative use of simulation technology that is integrated across acquisition phases and programs. This paper discusses the Air Force Research Laboratory's efforts to use Modeling and Simulation (M&S) resources within a Collaborative Enterprise Environment to support SBA and other Collaborative Enterprise and Virtual Prototyping (CEVP) applications. The paper will discuss four technology areas: (1) a Processing Ontology that defines a hierarchically nested set of collaboration contexts needed to organize and support multi-disciplinary collaboration using M&S, (2) a partial taxonomy of intelligent agents needed to manage different M&S resource contributions to advancing the state of product development, (3) an agent- based process for interfacing disparate M&S resources into a CEVP framework, and (4) a Model-View-Control based approach to defining `a new way of doing business' for users of CEVP frameworks/systems.
Process for casting hard-faced, lightweight camshafts and other cylindrical products

DOEpatents

Hansen, Jeffrey S.; Turner, Paul C.; Argetsinger, Edward R.; Wilson, Rick D.

1996-01-01

A process for casting a hard-faced cylindrical product such as an automobile camshaft includes the steps of: (a) preparing a composition formed from a molten base metal and an additive in particle form and having a hardness value greater than the hardness value of the base metal; (b) introducing the composition into a flask containing a meltable pattern of a cylindrical product such as an automobile camshaft to be manufactured and encased in sand to allow the composition to melt the pattern and assume the shape of the pattern within the sand; and (c) rotating the flask containing the pattern about the longitudinal axes of both the flask and the pattern as the molten base metal containing the additive in particle form is introduced into the flask to cause particles of the additive entrained in the molten base metal to migrate by centrifugal action to the radial extremities of the pattern and thereby provide a cylindrical product having a hardness value greater at it's radial extremities than at its center when the molten base metal solidifies.
Architectures, representations and processes of language production

PubMed Central

Alario, F.-Xavier; Costa, Albert; Ferreira, Victor S.; Pickering, Martin J.

2007-01-01

We present an overview of recent research conducted in the field of language production based on papers presented at the first edition of the International Workshop on Language Production (Marseille, France, September 2004). This article comprises two main parts. In the first part, consisting of three sections, we review the articles that are included in this Special Issue. These three sections deal with three different topics of general interest for models of language production: (A) the general organisational principles of the language production system, (B) several aspects of the lexical selection process and (C) the representations and processes used during syntactic encoding. In the second part, we discuss future directions for research in the field of language production, given the considerable developments that have occurred in recent years. PMID:17710209
Development of a sterilizing in-place application for a production machine using Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide.

PubMed

Mau, T; Hartmann, V; Burmeister, J; Langguth, P; Häusler, H

2004-01-01

The use of steam in sterilization processes is limited by the implementation of heat-sensitive components inside the machines to be sterilized. Alternative low-temperature sterilization methods need to be found and their suitability evaluated. Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide (VHP) technology was adapted for a production machine consisting of highly sensitive pressure sensors and thermo-labile air tube systems. This new kind of "cold" surface sterilization, known from the Barrier Isolator Technology, is based on the controlled release of hydrogen peroxide vapour into sealed enclosures. A mobile VHP generator was used to generate the hydrogen peroxide vapour. The unit was combined with the air conduction system of the production machine. Terminal vacuum pumps were installed to distribute the gas within the production machine and for its elimination. In order to control the sterilization process, different physical process monitors were incorporated. The validation of the process was based on biological indicators (Geobacillus stearothermophilus). The Limited Spearman Karber Method (LSKM) was used to statistically evaluate the sterilization process. The results show that it is possible to sterilize surfaces in a complex tube system with the use of gaseous hydrogen peroxide. A total microbial reduction of 6 log units was reached.
Conversion of rice straw to bio-based chemicals: an integrated process using Lactobacillus brevis.

PubMed

Kim, Jae-Han; Block, David E; Shoemaker, Sharon P; Mills, David A

2010-05-01

Commercialization of lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock for bio-based chemical production is problematic due to the high processing costs of pretreatment and saccharifying enzymes combined with low product yields. Such low product yield can be attributed, in large part, to the incomplete utilization of the various carbohydrate sugars found in the lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, we demonstrate that Lactobacillus brevis is able to simultaneously metabolize all fermentable carbohydrates in acid pre-processed rice straw hydrolysate, thereby allowing complete utilization of all released sugars. Inhibitors present in rice straw hydrolysate did not affect lactic acid production. Moreover, the activity of exogenously added cellulases was not reduced in the presence of growing cultures of L. brevis. These factors enabled the use of L. brevis in a process termed simultaneous saccharification and mixed sugar fermentation (SSMSF). In SSMSF with L. brevis, sugars present in rice straw hydrolysate were completely utilized while the cellulase maintained its maximum activity due to the lack of feedback inhibition from glucose and/or cellobiose. By comparison to a sequential hydrolysis and fermentation process, SSMSF reduced operation time and the amount of cellulase enzyme necessary to produce the same amount of lactic acid.
Risk management for moisture related effects in dry manufacturing processes: a statistical approach.

PubMed

Quiroz, Jorge; Strong, John; Zhang, Lanju

2016-03-01

A risk- and science-based approach to control the quality in pharmaceutical manufacturing includes a full understanding of how product attributes and process parameters relate to product performance through a proactive approach in formulation and process development. For dry manufacturing, where moisture content is not directly manipulated within the process, the variability in moisture of the incoming raw materials can impact both the processability and drug product quality attributes. A statistical approach is developed using individual raw material historical lots as a basis for the calculation of tolerance intervals for drug product moisture content so that risks associated with excursions in moisture content can be mitigated. The proposed method is based on a model-independent approach that uses available data to estimate parameters of interest that describe the population of blend moisture content values and which do not require knowledge of the individual blend moisture content values. Another advantage of the proposed tolerance intervals is that, it does not require the use of tabulated values for tolerance factors. This facilitates the implementation on any spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel. A computational example is used to demonstrate the proposed method.
Process simulation of modified dry grind ethanol plant with recycle of pretreated and enzymatically hydrolyzed distillers' grains.

PubMed

Kim, Youngmi; Mosier, Nathan; Ladisch, Michael R

2008-08-01

Distillers' grains (DG), a co-product of a dry grind ethanol process, is an excellent source of supplemental proteins in livestock feed. Studies have shown that, due to its high polymeric sugar contents and ease of hydrolysis, the distillers' grains have potential as an additional source of fermentable sugars for ethanol fermentation. The benefit of processing the distillers' grains to extract fermentable sugars lies in an increased ethanol yield without significant modification in the current dry grind technology. Three different potential configurations of process alternatives in which pretreated and hydrolyzed distillers' grains are recycled for an enhanced overall ethanol yield are proposed and discussed in this paper based on the liquid hot water (LHW) pretreatment of distillers' grains. Possible limitations of each proposed process are also discussed. This paper presents a compositional analysis of distillers' grains, as well as a simulation of the modified dry grind processes with recycle of distillers' grains. Simulated material balances for the modified dry grind processes are established based on the base case assumptions. These balances are compared to the conventional dry grind process in terms of ethanol yield, compositions of its co-products, and accumulation of fermentation inhibitors. Results show that 14% higher ethanol yield is achievable by processing and hydrolyzing the distillers' grains for additional fermentable sugars, as compared to the conventional dry grind process. Accumulation of fermentation by-products and inhibitory components in the proposed process is predicted to be 2-5 times higher than in the conventional dry grind process. The impact of fermentation inhibitors is reviewed and discussed. The final eDDGS (enhanced dried distillers' grains) from the modified processes has 30-40% greater protein content per mass than DDGS, and its potential as a value-added process is also analyzed. While the case studies used to illustrate the process simulation are based on LHW pretreated DG, the process simulation itself provides a framework for evaluation of the impact of other pretreatments.
Identification of major matrix metalloproteinase-20 proteolytic processing products of murine amelogenin and tyrosine-rich amelogenin peptide using a nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy based method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buchko, Garry W.; Arachchige, Rajith M. J.; Tao, Jinhui

Here, the aim of this study was to identify major matrix metalloproteinase-20 (MMP20) proteolytic processing products of amelogenin over time and determine if the tyrosine-rich amelogenin peptide (TRAP) was a substrate of MMP20.
Identification of major matrix metalloproteinase-20 proteolytic processing products of murine amelogenin and tyrosine-rich amelogenin peptide using a nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy based method

DOE PAGES

Buchko, Garry W.; Arachchige, Rajith M. J.; Tao, Jinhui; ...

2018-06-01

Here, the aim of this study was to identify major matrix metalloproteinase-20 (MMP20) proteolytic processing products of amelogenin over time and determine if the tyrosine-rich amelogenin peptide (TRAP) was a substrate of MMP20.
Becoming an Online Editor: Perceived Roles and Responsibilities of Wikipedia Editors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Littlejohn, Allison; Hood, Nina

2018-01-01

Introduction: We report on the experiences of a group of people as they become Wikipedia editors. We test Benkler's (2002) theory that commons-based production processes accelerate the creation of capital, questioning what knowledge production processes do people engage in as they become editors? The analysis positions the development of editing…
The Metamemory Approach to Confidence: A Test Using Semantic Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brewer, William F.; Sampaio, Cristina

2012-01-01

The metamemory approach to memory confidence was extended and elaborated to deal with semantic memory tasks. The metamemory approach assumes that memory confidence is based on the products and processes of a completed memory task, as well as metamemory beliefs that individuals have about how their memory products and processes relate to memory…

Fermented Nut-Based Vegan Food: Characterization of a Home made Product and Scale-Up to an Industrial Pilot-Scale Production.

PubMed

Tabanelli, Giulia; Pasini, Federica; Riciputi, Ylenia; Vannini, Lucia; Gozzi, Giorgia; Balestra, Federica; Caboni, Maria Fiorenza; Gardini, Fausto; Montanari, Chiara

2018-03-01

Because of the impossibility to consume food of animal origin, vegan consumers are looking for substitutes that could enrich their diet. Among many substitutes, fermented nut products are made from different nut types and obtained after soaking, grinding, and fermentation. Although other fermented vegetable products have been deeply investigated, there are few data about the fermentative processes of nut-based products and the microbial consortia able to colonize these products are not yet studied. This study characterized a hand-made vegan product obtained from cashew nut. Lactic acid bacteria responsible for fermentation were identified, revealing a succession of hetero- and homo-fermentative species during process. Successively, some lactic acid bacteria isolates from the home-made vegan product were used for a pilot-scale fermentation. The products obtained were characterized and showed features similar to the home-made one, although the microbiological hazards have been prevented through proper and rapid acidification, enhancing their safety features. Spontaneous fermented products are valuable sources of microorganisms that can be used in many food processes as starter cultures. The lactic acid bacteria isolated in this research can be exploited by industries to develop new foods and therefore to enter new markets. The use of selected starter cultures guarantees good organoleptic characteristics and food safety (no growth of pathogens). © 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.
The art of co-production of knowledge in environmental sciences and management: lessons from international practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Djenontin, Ida Nadia S.; Meadow, Alison M.

2018-06-01

This review paper addresses the challenging question of "how to" design and implement co-production of knowledge in climate science and other environmental and agricultural sciences. Based on a grounded theory review of nine (9) published case studies of transdisciplinary and collaborative research projects, the paper offers a set of common themes regarding specific components and processes for the design, implementation, and achievement of co-production of knowledge work, which represent the "Modus Operandi" of knowledge co-production. The analysis focuses on practical methodological guidance based on lessons from how different research teams have approached the challenges of complex collaborative research. We begin by identifying broad factors or actions that inhibit or facilitate the process, then highlight specific practices associated with co-production of knowledge and necessary competencies for undertaking co-production. We provide insights on issues such as the integration of social and professional cultures, gender and social equity, and power dynamics, and illustrate the different ways in which researchers have addressed these issues. By exploring the specific practices involved in knowledge co-production, this paper provides guidance to researchers on how to navigate different possibilities of the process of conducting transdisciplinary and co-production of knowledge research projects that best fit their research context, stakeholder needs, and research team capacities.
The art of co-production of knowledge in environmental sciences and management: lessons from international practice.

PubMed

Djenontin, Ida Nadia S; Meadow, Alison M

2018-06-01

This review paper addresses the challenging question of "how to" design and implement co-production of knowledge in climate science and other environmental and agricultural sciences. Based on a grounded theory review of nine (9) published case studies of transdisciplinary and collaborative research projects, the paper offers a set of common themes regarding specific components and processes for the design, implementation, and achievement of co-production of knowledge work, which represent the "Modus Operandi" of knowledge co-production. The analysis focuses on practical methodological guidance based on lessons from how different research teams have approached the challenges of complex collaborative research. We begin by identifying broad factors or actions that inhibit or facilitate the process, then highlight specific practices associated with co-production of knowledge and necessary competencies for undertaking co-production. We provide insights on issues such as the integration of social and professional cultures, gender and social equity, and power dynamics, and illustrate the different ways in which researchers have addressed these issues. By exploring the specific practices involved in knowledge co-production, this paper provides guidance to researchers on how to navigate different possibilities of the process of conducting transdisciplinary and co-production of knowledge research projects that best fit their research context, stakeholder needs, and research team capacities.
Tumorigenicity assessment of human cell-processed therapeutic products.

PubMed

Yasuda, Satoshi; Sato, Yoji

2015-09-01

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are expected to be sources of various cell types used for cell therapy, although hPSCs are intrinsically tumorigenic and form teratomas in immunodeficient animals after transplant. Despite the urgent need, no detailed guideline for the assessment of tumorigenicity of human cell-processed therapeutic products (hCTPs) has been issued. Here we describe our consideration on tumorigenicity and related tests of hCTPs. The purposes of those tests for hPSC-based products are classified into three categories: 1) quality control of raw materials; 2) quality control of intermediate/final products; and 3) safety assessment of final products. Appropriate types of tests need to be selected, taking the purpose(s) into consideration. In contrast, human somatic (and somatic stem) cells are believed to have little tumorigenicity. Therefore, GMP-compliant quality control is essential to avoid contamination of somatic cell-derived products with tumorigenic cells. Compared with in vivo tumorigenicity tests, in vitro cell proliferation assays may be more useful and reasonable for detecting immortalized cells that have a growth advantage in somatic cell-based products. The results obtained from tumorigenicity and related tests for hCTPs should meet the criteria for decisions on product development, manufacturing processes, and clinical applications. Copyright © 2015.
Hydrogen production from coal using a nuclear heat source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quade, R. N.

1976-01-01

A strong candidate for hydrogen production in the intermediate time frame of 1985 to 1995 is a coal-based process using a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) as a heat source. Expected process efficiencies in the range of 60 to 70% are considerably higher than all other hydrogen production processes except steam reforming of a natural gas. The process involves the preparation of a coal liquid, hydrogasification of that liquid, and steam reforming of the resulting gaseous or light liquid product. A study showing process efficiency and cost of hydrogen vs nuclear reactor core outlet temperature has been completed, and shows diminishing returns at process temperatures above about 1500 F. A possible scenario combining the relatively abundant and low-cost Western coal deposits with the Gulf Coast hydrogen users is presented which provides high-energy density transportation utilizing coal liquids and uranium.
The advent of canine performance science: offering a sustainable future for working dogs.

PubMed

Cobb, Mia; Branson, Nick; McGreevy, Paul; Lill, Alan; Bennett, Pauleen

2015-01-01

Working and sporting dogs provide an essential contribution to many industries worldwide. The common development, maintenance and disposal of working and sporting dogs can be considered in the same way as other animal production systems. The process of 'production' involves genetic selection, puppy rearing, recruitment and assessment, training, housing and handling, handler education, health and working life end-point management. At present, inefficiencies throughout the production process result in a high failure rate of dogs attaining operational status. This level of wastage would be condemned in other animal production industries for economic reasons and has significant implications for dog welfare, as well as public perceptions of dog-based industries. Standards of acceptable animal use are changing and some historically common uses of animals are no longer publicly acceptable, especially where harm is caused for purposes deemed trivial, or where alternatives exist. Public scrutiny of animal use appears likely to increase and extend to all roles of animals, including working and sporting dogs. Production system processes therefore need to be transparent, traceable and ethically acceptable for animal use to be sustainable into the future. Evidence-based approaches already inform best practice in fields as diverse as agriculture and human athletic performance. This article introduces the nascent discipline of canine performance science, which aims to facilitate optimal product quality and production efficiency, while also assuring evidence-based increments in dog welfare through a process of research and development. Our thesis is that the model of canine performance science offers an objective, transparent and traceable opportunity for industry development in line with community expectations and underpins a sustainable future for working dogs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Canine Behavior. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Experimental evaluation of the effect of a modified port-location mode on the performance of a three-zone simulated moving-bed process for the separation of valine and isoleucine.

PubMed

Park, Chanhun; Nam, Hee-Geun; Kim, Pung-Ho; Mun, Sungyong

2014-06-01

The removal of isoleucine from valine has been a key issue in the stage of valine crystallization, which is the final step in the valine production process in industry. To address this issue, a three-zone simulated moving-bed (SMB) process for the separation of valine and isoleucine has been developed previously. However, the previous process, which was based on a classical port-location mode, had some limitations in throughput and valine product concentration. In this study, a three-zone SMB process based on a modified port-location mode was applied to the separation of valine and isoleucine for the purpose of making a marked improvement in throughput and valine product concentration. Computer simulations and a lab-scale process experiment showed that the modified three-zone SMB for valine separation led to >65% higher throughput and >160% higher valine concentration compared to the previous three-zone SMB for the same separation. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Product qualification: a barrier to point-of-care microfluidic-based diagnostics?

PubMed

Tantra, Ratna; van Heeren, Henne

2013-06-21

One of the most exciting applications of microfluidics-based diagnostics is its potential use in next generation point-of-care (POC) devices. Many prototypes are already in existence, but, as of yet, few have achieved commercialisation. In this article, we consider the issue surrounding product qualification as a potential barrier to market success. The study discusses, in the context of POC microfluidics-based diagnostics, what the generic issues are and potential solutions. Our findings underline the need for a community-based effort that is necessary to speed up the product qualification process.
Large-scale progenitor cell expansion for multiple donors in a monitored hollow fibre bioreactor.

PubMed

Lambrechts, Toon; Papantoniou, Ioannis; Rice, Brent; Schrooten, Jan; Luyten, Frank P; Aerts, Jean-Marie

2016-09-01

With the increasing scale in stem cell production, a robust and controlled cell expansion process becomes essential for the clinical application of cell-based therapies. The objective of this work was the assessment of a hollow fiber bioreactor (Quantum Cell Expansion System from Terumo BCT) as a cell production unit for the clinical-scale production of human periosteum derived stem cells (hPDCs). We aimed to demonstrate comparability of bioreactor production to standard culture flask production based on a product characterization in line with the International Society of Cell Therapy in vitro benchmarks and supplemented with a compelling quantitative in vivo bone-forming potency assay. Multiple process read-outs were implemented to track process performance and deal with donor-to-donor-related variation in nutrient needs and harvest timing. The data show that the hollow fiber bioreactor is capable of robustly expanding autologous hPDCs on a clinical scale (yield between 316 million and 444 million cells starting from 20 million after ± 8 days of culture) while maintaining their in vitro quality attributes compared with the standard flask-based culture. The in vivo bone-forming assay on average resulted in 10.3 ± 3.7% and 11.0 ± 3.8% newly formed bone for the bioreactor and standard culture flask respectively. The analysis showed that the Quantum system provides a reproducible cell expansion process in terms of yields and culture conditions for multiple donors. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Modifying Yeast Tolerance to Inhibitory Conditions of Ethanol Production Processes

PubMed Central

Caspeta, Luis; Castillo, Tania; Nielsen, Jens

2015-01-01

Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains having a broad range of substrate utilization, rapid substrate consumption, and conversion to ethanol, as well as good tolerance to inhibitory conditions are ideal for cost-competitive ethanol production from lignocellulose. A major drawback to directly design S. cerevisiae tolerance to inhibitory conditions of lignocellulosic ethanol production processes is the lack of knowledge about basic aspects of its cellular signaling network in response to stress. Here, we highlight the inhibitory conditions found in ethanol production processes, the targeted cellular functions, the key contributions of integrated -omics analysis to reveal cellular stress responses according to these inhibitors, and current status on design-based engineering of tolerant and efficient S. cerevisiae strains for ethanol production from lignocellulose. PMID:26618154
Quantitative Estimation of Risks for Production Unit Based on OSHMS and Process Resilience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nyambayar, D.; Koshijima, I.; Eguchi, H.

2017-06-01

Three principal elements in the production field of chemical/petrochemical industry are (i) Production Units, (ii) Production Plant Personnel and (iii) Production Support System (computer system introduced for improving productivity). Each principal element has production process resilience, i.e. a capability to restrain disruptive signals occurred in and out of the production field. In each principal element, risk assessment is indispensable for the production field. In a production facility, the occupational safety and health management system (Hereafter, referred to as OSHMS) has been introduced to reduce a risk of accidents and troubles that may occur during production. In OSHMS, a risk assessment is specified to reduce a potential risk in the production facility such as a factory, and PDCA activities are required for a continual improvement of safety production environments. However, there is no clear statement to adopt the OSHMS standard into the production field. This study introduces a metric to estimate the resilience of the production field by using the resilience generated by the production plant personnel and the result of the risk assessment in the production field. A method for evaluating how OSHMS functions are systematically installed in the production field is also discussed based on the resilience of the three principal elements.
Towards more reliable automated multi-dose dispensing: retrospective follow-up study on medication dose errors and product defects.

PubMed

Palttala, Iida; Heinämäki, Jyrki; Honkanen, Outi; Suominen, Risto; Antikainen, Osmo; Hirvonen, Jouni; Yliruusi, Jouko

2013-03-01

To date, little is known on applicability of different types of pharmaceutical dosage forms in an automated high-speed multi-dose dispensing process. The purpose of the present study was to identify and further investigate various process-induced and/or product-related limitations associated with multi-dose dispensing process. The rates of product defects and dose dispensing errors in automated multi-dose dispensing were retrospectively investigated during a 6-months follow-up period. The study was based on the analysis of process data of totally nine automated high-speed multi-dose dispensing systems. Special attention was paid to the dependence of multi-dose dispensing errors/product defects and pharmaceutical tablet properties (such as shape, dimensions, weight, scored lines, coatings, etc.) to profile the most suitable forms of tablets for automated dose dispensing systems. The relationship between the risk of errors in dose dispensing and tablet characteristics were visualized by creating a principal component analysis (PCA) model for the outcome of dispensed tablets. The two most common process-induced failures identified in the multi-dose dispensing are predisposal of tablet defects and unexpected product transitions in the medication cassette (dose dispensing error). The tablet defects are product-dependent failures, while the tablet transitions are dependent on automated multi-dose dispensing systems used. The occurrence of tablet defects is approximately twice as common as tablet transitions. Optimal tablet preparation for the high-speed multi-dose dispensing would be a round-shaped, relatively small/middle-sized, film-coated tablet without any scored line. Commercial tablet products can be profiled and classified based on their suitability to a high-speed multi-dose dispensing process.
Assessing green-processing technologies for wet milling freshly hulled and germinated brown rice, leading to naturally fortified plant-based beverages

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rice milk beverages can well balanced nutrition. With healthier nutrition in consumer’s minds, national. Worldwide consumption/production of plant-based milk beverages are increasing. Much past research and invention was based on enzymatic conversion processes for starch that were uncomplicated be...
Network-based production quality control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwon, Yongjin; Tseng, Bill; Chiou, Richard

2007-09-01

This study investigates the feasibility of remote quality control using a host of advanced automation equipment with Internet accessibility. Recent emphasis on product quality and reduction of waste stems from the dynamic, globalized and customer-driven market, which brings opportunities and threats to companies, depending on the response speed and production strategies. The current trends in industry also include a wide spread of distributed manufacturing systems, where design, production, and management facilities are geographically dispersed. This situation mandates not only the accessibility to remotely located production equipment for monitoring and control, but efficient means of responding to changing environment to counter process variations and diverse customer demands. To compete under such an environment, companies are striving to achieve 100%, sensor-based, automated inspection for zero-defect manufacturing. In this study, the Internet-based quality control scheme is referred to as "E-Quality for Manufacturing" or "EQM" for short. By its definition, EQM refers to a holistic approach to design and to embed efficient quality control functions in the context of network integrated manufacturing systems. Such system let designers located far away from the production facility to monitor, control and adjust the quality inspection processes as production design evolves.
Finding the Bio in Biobased Products: Electrophoretic Identification of Wheat Proteins in Processed Products

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Verification of the bio-content in bio-based or green products identifies genuine products, exposes counterfeit copies, supports or refutes content claims and ensures consumer confidence. When the bio-content includes protein, elemental nitrogen analysis is insufficient for verification since non-pr...
A Model for the Evaluation of Educational Products.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bertram, Charles L.

A model for the evaluation of educational products based on experience with development of three such products is described. The purpose of the evaluation model is to indicate the flow of evaluation activity as products undergo development. Evaluation is given Stufflebeam's definition as the process of delineating, obtaining, and providing useful…
Statistical Process Control Techniques for the Telecommunications Systems Manager

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-03-01

products that are out of 59 tolerance and bad designs. The third type of defect, mistakes, are remedied by Poka - Yoke methods that are 1 introduced later...based on total production costs plus quality costs. Once production is underway, interventions are determined by their impact on the QLF. F. POKA - YOKE ...Mistakes require process improvements called Poka Yoke or mistake proofing. Shiego Shingo developed Poka Yoke methods to incorporate 100% inspection at
Autonomous Agents for Dynamic Process Planning in the Flexible Manufacturing System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nik Nejad, Hossein Tehrani; Sugimura, Nobuhiro; Iwamura, Koji; Tanimizu, Yoshitaka

Rapid changes of market demands and pressures of competition require manufacturers to maintain highly flexible manufacturing systems to cope with a complex manufacturing environment. This paper deals with development of an agent-based architecture of dynamic systems for incremental process planning in the manufacturing systems. In consideration of alternative manufacturing processes and machine tools, the process plans and the schedules of the manufacturing resources are generated incrementally and dynamically. A negotiation protocol is discussed, in this paper, to generate suitable process plans for the target products real-timely and dynamically, based on the alternative manufacturing processes. The alternative manufacturing processes are presented by the process plan networks discussed in the previous paper, and the suitable process plans are searched and generated to cope with both the dynamic changes of the product specifications and the disturbances of the manufacturing resources. We initiatively combine the heuristic search algorithms of the process plan networks with the negotiation protocols, in order to generate suitable process plans in the dynamic manufacturing environment.
Modeling and Simulation of Metallurgical Process Based on Hybrid Petri Net

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Yujuan; Bao, Hong

2016-11-01

In order to achieve the goals of energy saving and emission reduction of iron and steel enterprises, an increasing number of modeling and simulation technologies are used to research and analyse metallurgical production process. In this paper, the basic principle of Hybrid Petri net is used to model and analyse the Metallurgical Process. Firstly, the definition of Hybrid Petri Net System of Metallurgical Process (MPHPNS) and its modeling theory are proposed. Secondly, the model of MPHPNS based on material flow is constructed. The dynamic flow of materials and the real-time change of each technological state in metallurgical process are simulated vividly by using this model. The simulation process can implement interaction between the continuous event dynamic system and the discrete event dynamic system at the same level, and play a positive role in the production decision.
Potential application of quantitative microbiological risk assessment techniques to an aseptic-UHT process in the food industry.

PubMed

Pujol, Laure; Albert, Isabelle; Johnson, Nicholas Brian; Membré, Jeanne-Marie

2013-04-01

Aseptic ultra-high-temperature (UHT)-type processed food products (e.g., milk or soup) are ready to eat products which are consumed extensively globally due to a combination of their comparative high quality and long shelf life, with no cold chain or other preservation requirements. Due to the inherent microbial vulnerability of aseptic-UHT product formulations, the safety and stability-related performance objectives (POs) required at the end of the manufacturing process are the most demanding found in the food industry. The key determinants to achieving sterility, and which also differentiates aseptic-UHT from in-pack sterilised products, are the challenges associated with the processes of aseptic filling and sealing. This is a complex process that has traditionally been run using deterministic or empirical process settings. Quantifying the risk of microbial contamination and recontamination along the aseptic-UHT process, using the scientifically based process quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA), offers the possibility to improve on the currently tolerable sterility failure rate (i.e., 1 defect per 10,000 units). In addition, benefits of applying QMRA are (i) to implement process settings in a transparent and scientific manner; (ii) to develop a uniform common structure whatever the production line, leading to a harmonisation of these process settings, and; (iii) to bring elements of a cost-benefit analysis of the management measures. The objective of this article is to explore how QMRA techniques and risk management metrics may be applied to aseptic-UHT-type processed food products. In particular, the aseptic-UHT process should benefit from a number of novel mathematical and statistical concepts that have been developed in the field of QMRA. Probabilistic techniques such as Monte Carlo simulation, Bayesian inference and sensitivity analysis, should help in assessing the compliance with safety and stability-related POs set at the end of the manufacturing process. The understanding of aseptic-UHT process contamination will be extended beyond the current "as-low-as-reasonably-achievable" targets to a risk-based framework, through which current sterility performance and future process designs can be optimised. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Model-Based Infrared Metrology for Advanced Technology Nodes and 300 mm Wafer Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenthal, Peter A.; Duran, Carlos; Tower, Josh; Mazurenko, Alex; Mantz, Ulrich; Weidner, Peter; Kasic, Alexander

2005-09-01

The use of infrared spectroscopy for production semiconductor process monitoring has evolved recently from primarily unpatterned, i.e. blanket test wafer measurements in a limited historical application space of blanket epitaxial, BPSG, and FSG layers to new applications involving patterned product wafer measurements, and new measurement capabilities. Over the last several years, the semiconductor industry has adopted a new set of materials associated with copper/low-k interconnects, and new structures incorporating exotic materials including silicon germanium, SOI substrates and high aspect ratio trenches. The new device architectures and more chemically sophisticated materials have raised new process control and metrology challenges that are not addressed by current measurement technology. To address the challenges we have developed a new infrared metrology tool designed for emerging semiconductor production processes, in a package compatible with modern production and R&D environments. The tool incorporates recent advances in reflectance instrumentation including highly accurate signal processing, optimized reflectometry optics, and model-based calibration and analysis algorithms. To meet the production requirements of the modern automated fab, the measurement hardware has been integrated with a fully automated 300 mm platform incorporating front opening unified pod (FOUP) interfaces, automated pattern recognition and high throughput ultra clean robotics. The tool employs a suite of automated dispersion-model analysis algorithms capable of extracting a variety of layer properties from measured spectra. The new tool provides excellent measurement precision, tool matching, and a platform for deploying many new production and development applications. In this paper we will explore the use of model based infrared analysis as a tool for characterizing novel bottle capacitor structures employed in high density dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips. We will explore the capability of the tool for characterizing multiple geometric parameters associated with the manufacturing process that are important to the yield and performance of advanced bottle DRAM devices.
Consumption of ultra-processed foods and likely impact on human health. Evidence from Canada.

PubMed

Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Martins, Ana Paula Bortoletto; Claro, Rafael Moreira; Levy, Renata Bertazzi; Cannon, Geoffrey; Monteiro, Carlos Augusto

2013-12-01

To investigate consumption of ultra-processed products in Canada and to assess their association with dietary quality. Application of a classification of foodstuffs based on the nature, extent and purpose of food processing to data from a national household food budget survey. Foods are classified as unprocessed/minimally processed foods (Group 1), processed culinary ingredients (Group 2) or ultra-processed products (Group 3). All provinces and territories of Canada, 2001. Households (n 5643). Food purchases provided a mean per capita energy availability of 8908 (se 81) kJ/d (2129 (se 19) kcal/d). Over 61·7 % of dietary energy came from ultra-processed products (Group 3), 25·6 % from Group 1 and 12·7 % from Group 2. The overall diet exceeded WHO upper limits for fat, saturated fat, free sugars and Na density, with less fibre than recommended. It also exceeded the average energy density target of the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. Group 3 products taken together are more fatty, sugary, salty and energy-dense than a combination of Group 1 and Group 2 items. Only the 20 % lowest consumers of ultra-processed products (who consumed 33·2 % of energy from these products) were anywhere near reaching all nutrient goals for the prevention of obesity and chronic non-communicable diseases. The 2001 Canadian diet was dominated by ultra-processed products. As a group, these products are unhealthy. The present analysis indicates that any substantial improvement of the diet would involve much lower consumption of ultra-processed products and much higher consumption of meals and dishes prepared from minimally processed foods and processed culinary ingredients.
A Time Series of Sea Surface Nitrate and Nitrate based New Production in the Global Oceans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goes, J. I.; Fargion, G. S.; Gomes, H. R.; Franz, B. A.

2014-12-01

With support from NASA's MEaSUREs program, we are developing algorithms for two innovative satellite-based Earth Science Data Records (ESDRs), one Sea Surface Nitrate (SSN) and the other, Nitrate based new Production (NnP). Newly developed algorithms will be applied to mature ESDRs of Chlorophyll a and SST available from NASA, to generate maps of SSN and NnP. Our proposed ESDRs offer the potential of greatly improving our understanding of the role of the oceans in global carbon cycling, earth system processes and climate change, especially for regions and seasons which are inaccessible to traditional shipboard studies. They also provide an innovative means for validating and improving coupled ecosystem models that currently rely on global maps of nitrate generated from multi-year data sets. To aid in our algorithm development efforts and to ensure that our ESDRs are truly global in nature, we are currently in the process of assembling a large database of nutrients from oceanographic institutions all over the world. Once our products are developed and our algorithms are fine-tuned, large-scale data production will be undertaken in collaboration with NASA's Ocean Biology Processing Group (OPBG), who will make the data publicly available first as evaluation products and then as mature ESDRs.
Coupled production in biorefineries--combined use of biomass as a source of energy, fuels and materials.

PubMed

Lyko, Hildegard; Deerberg, Görge; Weidner, Eckhard

2009-06-01

In spite of high prices for fossil raw materials the production of biomass-based products is rarely economically successful today. Depending on the location feedstock prices are currently so high that products from renewable resources are not marketable when produced in existing process chains. Apart from the higher feedstock costs one reason is that at present no optimized production systems exist in contrast to the chemical and petrochemical industry where these systems have been established over the last decades. If we succeed in developing production systems modelled on those of petroleum refineries where we can provide a flexible coupled production of energy, fuels, materials and chemicals chances are good to enable a lastingly successful production on the basis of renewable resources. Based on examples of fat-based and sugar-based concepts ideas for platform oriented biorefineries are outlined.
Monitoring of the data processing and simulated production at CMS with a web-based service: the Production Monitoring Platform (pMp)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franzoni, G.; Norkus, A.; Pol, A. A.; Srimanobhas, N.; Walker, J.

2017-10-01

Physics analysis at the Compact Muon Solenoid requires both the production of simulated events and processing of the data collected by the experiment. Since the end of the LHC Run-I in 2012, CMS has produced over 20 billion simulated events, from 75 thousand processing requests organised in one hundred different campaigns. These campaigns emulate different configurations of collision events, the detector, and LHC running conditions. In the same time span, sixteen data processing campaigns have taken place to reconstruct different portions of the Run-I and Run-II data with ever improving algorithms and calibrations. The scale and complexity of the events simulation and processing, and the requirement that multiple campaigns must proceed in parallel, demand that a comprehensive, frequently updated and easily accessible monitoring be made available. The monitoring must serve both the analysts, who want to know which and when datasets will become available, and the central production teams in charge of submitting, prioritizing, and running the requests across the distributed computing infrastructure. The Production Monitoring Platform (pMp) web-based service, has been developed in 2015 to address those needs. It aggregates information from multiple services used to define, organize, and run the processing requests. Information is updated hourly using a dedicated elastic database and the monitoring provides multiple configurable views to assess the status of single datasets as well as entire production campaigns. This contribution will describe the pMp development, the evolution of its functionalities, and one and half year of operational experience.
Modeling and Simulation of Voids in Composite Tape Winding Process Based on Domain Superposition Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Bo; Shi, Yaoyao

2017-11-01

The tape winding technology is an effective way to fabricate rotationally composite materials. Nevertheless, some inevitable defects will seriously influence the performance of winding products. One of the crucial ways to identify the quality of fiber-reinforced composite material products is examining its void content. Significant improvement in products' mechanical properties can be achieved by minimizing the void defect. Two methods were applied in this study, finite element analysis and experimental testing, respectively, to investigate the mechanism of how void forming in composite tape winding processing. Based on the theories of interlayer intimate contact and Domain Superposition Technique (DST), a three-dimensional model of prepreg tape void with SolidWorks has been modeled in this paper. Whereafter, ABAQUS simulation software was used to simulate the void content change with pressure and temperature. Finally, a series of experiments were performed to determine the accuracy of the model-based predictions. The results showed that the model is effective for predicting the void content in the composite tape winding process.
An improvement in the calculation of the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation and rate of energy dissipation in mitochondria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghafuri, Mohazabeh; Golfar, Bahareh; Nosrati, Mohsen; Hoseinkhani, Saman

2014-12-01

The process of ATP production is one of the most vital processes in living cells which happens with a high efficiency. Thermodynamic evaluation of this process and the factors involved in oxidative phosphorylation can provide a valuable guide for increasing the energy production efficiency in research and industry. Although energy transduction has been studied qualitatively in several researches, there are only few brief reviews based on mathematical models on this subject. In our previous work, we suggested a mathematical model for ATP production based on non-equilibrium thermodynamic principles. In the present study, based on the new discoveries on the respiratory chain of animal mitochondria, Golfar's model has been used to generate improved results for the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation and the rate of energy loss. The results calculated from the modified coefficients for the proton pumps of the respiratory chain enzymes are closer to the experimental results and validate the model.
Improved Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Crop Production at the Catchment Scale via a Process-Based Nitrogen Simulation Model.

PubMed

Liao, Wenjie; van der Werf, Hayo M G; Salmon-Monviola, Jordy

2015-09-15

One of the major challenges in environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) of crop production is the nonlinearity between nitrogen (N) fertilizer inputs and on-site N emissions resulting from complex biogeochemical processes. A few studies have addressed this nonlinearity by combining process-based N simulation models with LCA, but none accounted for nitrate (NO3(-)) flows across fields. In this study, we present a new method, TNT2-LCA, that couples the topography-based simulation of nitrogen transfer and transformation (TNT2) model with LCA, and compare the new method with a current LCA method based on a French life cycle inventory database. Application of the two methods to a case study of crop production in a catchment in France showed that, compared to the current method, TNT2-LCA allows delineation of more appropriate temporal limits when developing data for on-site N emissions associated with specific crops in this catchment. It also improves estimates of NO3(-) emissions by better consideration of agricultural practices, soil-climatic conditions, and spatial interactions of NO3(-) flows across fields, and by providing predicted crop yield. The new method presented in this study provides improved LCA of crop production at the catchment scale.
Improvement of production layout based on optimum production balancing scale results by using Moodie Young and Comsoal method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikhsan, Siregar; Ulina Anastasia Sipangkar, Tri; Prasetio, Aji

2017-09-01

This research was conducted at a make to order production system company which is engaged in the car body of the vehicle. One of the products produced is dump truck which is one kind of transportation for the transport of goods equipped with hydraulics to facilitate goods’ loading and unloading process. The company has 7 work stations with different cycle times. Companies often experience delays in order delivery. The production process on the production floor has not been done optimally where there is a build up of work in process in some work centres. The build up of work in process (WIP) products is seen in the welding and painting stations. Stacking that occurs on the production line may cause the company to be liable for damages due to delays in product completion. The WIP occurs due to unbalanced paths can be seen from the variance of cycle time of each station is very diverse. The time difference of each work element is due to the allocation of work elements to each work centre unevenly. On the basis of the allocation of uneven work elements, the dump truck assembly line is made. The analysis is done by using Moodie Young and Comsoal method to do the balancing of production line. The result of layout improvement by using systematic layout planning (SLP) method is change the composition of the work centre from 7 into 4 work centre which enables the movement of material to be more effective and efficient so that it can get an efficient and effective production trajectory and can solve existing problems. The result of the track balancing is then used as a guide in constructing a new layout based on the balancing result with the most optimum method.
Getting Over the Barrel- Achieving Independence from Foreign Oil in 2018

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-02-03

material called kerogen. Kerogen can be converted into oil via heating in the chemical process of pyrolysis .44 Depending on the richness of oil shale, it...vegetable oil, animal fat, corn , soybeans, jatropha seed oil, palm oil, switch grass and even algae. Biofuel production techniques and technologies...vary widely based on the input source – sugar-based, starch-based or oil-based. This document only examines corn -based ethanol production. The other
Towards automatic planning for manufacturing generative processes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

CALTON,TERRI L.

2000-05-24

Generative process planning describes methods process engineers use to modify manufacturing/process plans after designs are complete. A completed design may be the result from the introduction of a new product based on an old design, an assembly upgrade, or modified product designs used for a family of similar products. An engineer designs an assembly and then creates plans capturing manufacturing processes, including assembly sequences, component joining methods, part costs, labor costs, etc. When new products originate as a result of an upgrade, component geometry may change, and/or additional components and subassemblies may be added to or are omitted from themore » original design. As a result process engineers are forced to create new plans. This is further complicated by the fact that the process engineer is forced to manually generate these plans for each product upgrade. To generate new assembly plans for product upgrades, engineers must manually re-specify the manufacturing plan selection criteria and re-run the planners. To remedy this problem, special-purpose assembly planning algorithms have been developed to automatically recognize design modifications and automatically apply previously defined manufacturing plan selection criteria and constraints.« less
Manufacturing history of etanercept (Enbrel®): Consistency of product quality through major process revisions.

PubMed

Hassett, Brian; Singh, Ena; Mahgoub, Ehab; O'Brien, Julie; Vicik, Steven M; Fitzpatrick, Brian

2018-01-01

Etanercept (ETN) (Enbrel®) is a soluble protein that binds to, and specifically inhibits, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a proinflammatory cytokine. ETN is synthesized in Chinese hamster ovary cells by recombinant DNA technology as a fusion protein, with a fully human TNFRII ectodomain linked to the Fc portion of human IgG1. Successful manufacture of biologics, such as ETN, requires sophisticated process and product understanding, as well as meticulous control of operations to maintain product consistency. The objective of this evaluation was to show that the product profile of ETN drug substance (DS) has been consistent over the course of production. Multiple orthogonal biochemical analyses, which included evaluation of attributes indicative of product purity, potency, and quality, were assessed on >2,000 batches of ETN from three sites of DS manufacture, during the period 1998-2015. Based on the key quality attributes of product purity (assessed by hydrophobic interaction chromatography HPLC), binding activity (to TNF by ELISA), potency (inhibition of TNF-induced apoptosis by cell-based bioassay) and quality (N-linked oligosaccharide map), we show that the integrity of ETN DS has remained consistent over time. This consistency was maintained through three major enhancements to the initial process of manufacturing that were supported by detailed comparability assessments, and approved by the European Medicines Agency. Examination of results for all major quality attributes for ETN DS indicates a highly consistent process for over 18 years and throughout changes to the manufacturing process, without affecting safety and efficacy, as demonstrated across a wide range of clinical trials of ETN in multiple inflammatory diseases.
Bioregenerative food system cost based on optimized menus for advanced life support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Waters, Geoffrey C R.; Olabi, Ammar; Hunter, Jean B.; Dixon, Mike A.; Lasseur, Christophe

2002-01-01

Optimized menus for a bioregenerative life support system have been developed based on measures of crop productivity, food item acceptability, menu diversity, and nutritional requirements of crew. Crop-specific biomass requirements were calculated from menu recipe demands while accounting for food processing and preparation losses. Under the assumption of staggered planting, the optimized menu demanded a total crop production area of 453 m2 for six crew. Cost of the bioregenerative food system is estimated at 439 kg per menu cycle or 7.3 kg ESM crew-1 day-1, including agricultural waste processing costs. On average, about 60% (263.6 kg ESM) of the food system cost is tied up in equipment, 26% (114.2 kg ESM) in labor, and 14% (61.5 kg ESM) in power and cooling. This number is high compared to the STS and ISS (nonregenerative) systems but reductions in ESM may be achieved through intensive crop productivity improvements, reductions in equipment masses associated with crop production, and planning of production, processing, and preparation to minimize the requirement for crew labor.
Lysine production from methanol at 50 degrees C using Bacillus methanolicus: Modeling volume control, lysine concentration, and productivity using a three-phase continuous simulation.

PubMed

Lee, G H; Hur, W; Bremmon, C E; Flickinger, M C

1996-03-20

A simulation was developed based on experimental data obtained in a 14-L reactor to predict the growth and L-lysine accumulation kinetics, and change in volume of a large-scale (250-m(3)) Bacillus methanolicus methanol-based process. Homoserine auxotrophs of B. methanolicus MGA3 are unique methylotrophs because of the ability to secrete lysine during aerobic growth and threonine starvation at 50 degrees C. Dissolved methanol (100 mM), pH, dissolved oxygen tension (0.063 atm), and threonine levels were controlled to obtain threonine-limited conditions and high-cell density (25 g dry cell weight/L) in a 14-L reactor. As a fed-batch process, the additions of neat methanol (fed on demand), threonine, and other nutrients cause the volume of the fermentation to increase and the final lysine concentration to decrease. In addition, water produced as a result of methanol metabolism contributes to the increase in the volume of the reactor. A three-phase approach was used to predict the rate of change of culture volume based on carbon dioxide production and methanol consumption. This model was used for the evaluation of volume control strategies to optimize lysine productivity. A constant volume reactor process with variable feeding and continuous removal of broth and cells (VF(cstr)) resulted in higher lysine productivity than a fed-batch process without volume control. This model predicts the variation in productivity of lysine with changes in growth and in specific lysine productivity. Simple modifications of the model allows one to investigate other high-lysine-secreting strains with different growth and lysine productivity characteristics. Strain NOA2#13A5-2 which secretes lysine and other end-products were modeled using both growth and non-growth-associated lysine productivity. A modified version of this model was used to simulate the change in culture volume of another L-lysine producing mutant (NOA2#13A52-8A66) with reduced secretion of end-products. The modified simulation indicated that growth-associated production dominates in strain NOA2#13A52-8A66. (c) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Virtual Collaborative Simulation Environment for Integrated Product and Process Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gulli, Michael A.

1997-01-01

Deneb Robotics is a leader in the development of commercially available, leading edge three- dimensional simulation software tools for virtual prototyping,, simulation-based design, manufacturing process simulation, and factory floor simulation and training applications. Deneb has developed and commercially released a preliminary Virtual Collaborative Engineering (VCE) capability for Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD). This capability allows distributed, real-time visualization and evaluation of design concepts, manufacturing processes, and total factory and enterprises in one seamless simulation environment.
Low cost solar array project: Experimental process system development unit for producing semiconductor-grade silicon using silane-to-silicon process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The design, fabrication, and installation of an experimental process system development unit (EPSDU) were analyzed. Supporting research and development were performed to provide an information data base usable for the EPSDU and for technological design and economical analysis for potential scale-up of the process. Iterative economic analyses were conducted for the estimated product cost for the production of semiconductor grade silicon in a facility capable of producing 1000-MT/Yr.
Applying Semantic-based Probabilistic Context-Free Grammar to Medical Language Processing – A Preliminary Study on Parsing Medication Sentences

PubMed Central

Xu, Hua; AbdelRahman, Samir; Lu, Yanxin; Denny, Joshua C.; Doan, Son

2011-01-01

Semantic-based sublanguage grammars have been shown to be an efficient method for medical language processing. However, given the complexity of the medical domain, parsers using such grammars inevitably encounter ambiguous sentences, which could be interpreted by different groups of production rules and consequently result in two or more parse trees. One possible solution, which has not been extensively explored previously, is to augment productions in medical sublanguage grammars with probabilities to resolve the ambiguity. In this study, we associated probabilities with production rules in a semantic-based grammar for medication findings and evaluated its performance on reducing parsing ambiguity. Using the existing data set from 2009 i2b2 NLP (Natural Language Processing) challenge for medication extraction, we developed a semantic-based CFG (Context Free Grammar) for parsing medication sentences and manually created a Treebank of 4,564 medication sentences from discharge summaries. Using the Treebank, we derived a semantic-based PCFG (probabilistic Context Free Grammar) for parsing medication sentences. Our evaluation using a 10-fold cross validation showed that the PCFG parser dramatically improved parsing performance when compared to the CFG parser. PMID:21856440
A Scheme for Understanding Group Processes in Problem-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammar Chiriac, Eva

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify, describe and interpret group processes occurring in tutorials in problem-based learning. Another aim was to investigate if a combination of Steiner's (Steiner, I. D. (1972). "Group process and productivity". New York: Academic Press.) theory of group work and Bion's (Bion, W. R. (1961). "Experiences in…
Intelligent Systems Approaches to Product Sound Quality Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pietila, Glenn M.

As a product market becomes more competitive, consumers become more discriminating in the way in which they differentiate between engineered products. The consumer often makes a purchasing decision based on the sound emitted from the product during operation by using the sound to judge quality or annoyance. Therefore, in recent years, many sound quality analysis tools have been developed to evaluate the consumer preference as it relates to a product sound and to quantify this preference based on objective measurements. This understanding can be used to direct a product design process in order to help differentiate the product from competitive products or to establish an impression on consumers regarding a product's quality or robustness. The sound quality process is typically a statistical tool that is used to model subjective preference, or merit score, based on objective measurements, or metrics. In this way, new product developments can be evaluated in an objective manner without the laborious process of gathering a sample population of consumers for subjective studies each time. The most common model used today is the Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), although recently non-linear Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approaches are gaining popularity. This dissertation will review publicly available published literature and present additional intelligent systems approaches that can be used to improve on the current sound quality process. The focus of this work is to address shortcomings in the current paired comparison approach to sound quality analysis. This research will propose a framework for an adaptive jury analysis approach as an alternative to the current Bradley-Terry model. The adaptive jury framework uses statistical hypothesis testing to focus on sound pairings that are most interesting and is expected to address some of the restrictions required by the Bradley-Terry model. It will also provide a more amicable framework for an intelligent systems approach. Next, an unsupervised jury clustering algorithm is used to identify and classify subgroups within a jury who have conflicting preferences. In addition, a nested Artificial Neural Network (ANN) architecture is developed to predict subjective preference based on objective sound quality metrics, in the presence of non-linear preferences. Finally, statistical decomposition and correlation algorithms are reviewed that can help an analyst establish a clear understanding of the variability of the product sounds used as inputs into the jury study and to identify correlations between preference scores and sound quality metrics in the presence of non-linearities.
Beyond Solar Fuels: Renewable Energy-Driven Chemistry.

PubMed

Lanzafame, Paola; Abate, Salvatare; Ampelli, Claudio; Genovese, Chiara; Passalacqua, Rosalba; Centi, Gabriele; Perathoner, Siglinda

2017-11-23

The future feasibility of decarbonized industrial chemical production based on the substitution of fossil feedstocks (FFs) with renewable energy (RE) sources is discussed. Indeed, the use of FFs as an energy source has the greatest impact on the greenhouse gas emissions of chemical production. This future scenario is indicated as "solar-driven" or "RE-driven" chemistry. Its possible implementation requires to go beyond the concept of solar fuels, in particular to address two key aspects: i) the use of RE-driven processes for the production of base raw materials, such as olefins, methanol, and ammonia, and ii) the development of novel RE-driven routes that simultaneously realize process and energy intensification, particularly in the direction of a significant reduction of the number of the process steps. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Sustainable production of green feed from carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

PubMed

Landau, Miron V; Vidruk, Roxana; Herskowitz, Moti

2014-03-01

Carbon dioxide hydrogenation to form hydrocarbons was conducted on two iron-based catalysts, prepared according to procedures described in the literature, and on a new iron spinel catalyst. The CO2 conversion measured in a packed-bed reactor was limited to about 60% because of excessive amounts of water produced in this process. Switching to a system of three packed-bed reactors in series with interim removal of water and condensed hydrocarbons increased CO2 conversion to as much as 89%. The pure spinel catalyst displayed a significantly higher activity and selectivity than those of the other iron catalysts. This process produces a product called green feed, which is similar in composition to the product of a high-temperature, iron-based Fischer–Tropsch process from syngas. The green feed can be readily converted into renewable fuels by well-established technologies.
Control of the dehydration process in production of intermediate-moisture meat products: a review.

PubMed

Chang, S F; Huang, T C; Pearson, A M

1996-01-01

IM meat products are produced by lowering the aw to 0.90 to 0.60. Such products are stable at ambient temperature and humidity and are produced in nearly every country in the world, especially in developing areas where refrigeration is limited or unavailable. Traditionally IM meats use low cost sources of energy for drying, such as sun drying, addition of salt, or fermentation. Products produced by different processes are of interest since they do not require refrigeration during distribution and storage. Many different IM meat products can be produced by utilizing modern processing equipment and methods. Production can be achieved in a relatively short period of time and their advantages during marketing and distribution can be utilized. Nevertheless, a better understanding of the principles involved in heat transfer and efficiency of production are still needed to increase efficiency of processing. A basic understanding of the influence of water vapor pressure and sorption phenomena on water activity can materially improve the efficiency of drying of IM meats. Predrying treatments, such as fermentation and humidity control, can also be taken advantage of during the dehydration process. Such information can lead to process optimization and reduction of energy costs during production of IM meats. The development of sound science-based methods to assure the production of high-quality and nutritious IM meats is needed. Finally, such products also must be free of pathogenic microorganisms to assure their success in production and marketing.
Anomaly Detection in Nanofibrous Materials by CNN-Based Self-Similarity.

PubMed

Napoletano, Paolo; Piccoli, Flavio; Schettini, Raimondo

2018-01-12

Automatic detection and localization of anomalies in nanofibrous materials help to reduce the cost of the production process and the time of the post-production visual inspection process. Amongst all the monitoring methods, those exploiting Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) imaging are the most effective. In this paper, we propose a region-based method for the detection and localization of anomalies in SEM images, based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and self-similarity. The method evaluates the degree of abnormality of each subregion of an image under consideration by computing a CNN-based visual similarity with respect to a dictionary of anomaly-free subregions belonging to a training set. The proposed method outperforms the state of the art.
Traceability System For Agricultural Productsbased on Rfid and Mobile Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugahara, Koji

In agriculture, it is required to establish and integrate food traceability systems and risk management systems in order to improve food safety in the entire food chain. The integrated traceability system for agricultural products was developed, based on innovative technology of RFID and mobile computing. In order to identify individual products on the distribution process efficiently,small RFID tags with unique ID and handy RFID readers were applied. On the distribution process, the RFID tags are checked by using the readers, and transit records of the products are stored to the database via wireless LAN.Regarding agricultural production, the recent issues of pesticides misuse affect consumer confidence in food safety. The Navigation System for Appropriate Pesticide Use (Nouyaku-navi) was developed, which is available in the fields by Internet cell-phones. Based on it, agricultural risk management systems have been developed. These systems collaborate with traceability systems and they can be applied for process control and risk management in agriculture.
The time-course of feature interference in agreement comprehension: Multiple mechanisms and asymmetrical attraction

PubMed Central

Tanner, Darren; Nicol, Janet; Brehm, Laurel

2014-01-01

Attraction interference in language comprehension and production may be as a result of common or different processes. In the present paper, we investigate attraction interference during language comprehension, focusing on the contexts in which interference arises and the time-course of these effects. Using evidence from event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and sentence judgment times, we show that agreement attraction in comprehension is best explained as morphosyntactic interference during memory retrieval. This stands in contrast to attraction as a message-level process involving the representation of the subject NP's number features, which is a strong contributor to attraction in production. We thus argue that the cognitive antecedents of agreement attraction in comprehension are non-identical with those of attraction in production, and moreover, that attraction in comprehension is primarily a consequence of similarity-based interference in cue-based memory retrieval processes. We suggest that mechanisms responsible for attraction during language comprehension are a subset of those involved in language production. PMID:25258471
The time-course of feature interference in agreement comprehension: Multiple mechanisms and asymmetrical attraction.

PubMed

Tanner, Darren; Nicol, Janet; Brehm, Laurel

2014-10-01

Attraction interference in language comprehension and production may be as a result of common or different processes. In the present paper, we investigate attraction interference during language comprehension, focusing on the contexts in which interference arises and the time-course of these effects. Using evidence from event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and sentence judgment times, we show that agreement attraction in comprehension is best explained as morphosyntactic interference during memory retrieval. This stands in contrast to attraction as a message-level process involving the representation of the subject NP's number features, which is a strong contributor to attraction in production. We thus argue that the cognitive antecedents of agreement attraction in comprehension are non-identical with those of attraction in production, and moreover, that attraction in comprehension is primarily a consequence of similarity-based interference in cue-based memory retrieval processes. We suggest that mechanisms responsible for attraction during language comprehension are a subset of those involved in language production.
ON DEVELOPING TOOLS AND METHODS FOR ENVIRONMENTALLY BENIGN PROCESSES

EPA Science Inventory

Two types of tools are generally needed for designing processes and products that are cleaner from environmental impact perspectives. The first kind is called process tools. Process tools are based on information obtained from experimental investigations in chemistry., material s...
Process for liquefying carbonaceous materials of high molecular weight and for separating liquefaction products

DOEpatents

Malek, John M.

1977-01-01

Process characterized by comprising successively a dissolution zone fed with carbonaceous solids and with a solvent, a high pressure hydrogenation zone provided with a source of hydrogen, and a hydrogenation products separation zone, wherein the improvement consists mainly in chemical upgrading of the liquidform products derived from the separation zone, and recycling a part of the upgraded products to the dissolution zone, this recycled part being of either positively acidic or positively basic properties for enhancing the dissolution - decomposition of base-acid structures present in the carbonaceous solid feed.
The remote supervisory and controlling experiment system of traditional Chinese medicine production based on Fieldbus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhan, Jinliang; Lu, Pei

2006-11-01

Since the quality of traditional Chinese medicine products are affected by raw material, machining and many other factors, it is difficult for traditional Chinese medicine production process especially the extracting process to ensure the steady and homogeneous quality. At the same time, there exist some quality control blind spots due to lacking on-line quality detection means. But if infrared spectrum analysis technology was used in traditional Chinese medicine production process on the basis of off-line analysis to real-time detect the quality of semi-manufactured goods and to be assisted by advanced automatic control technique, the steady and homogeneous quality can be obtained. It can be seen that the on-line detection of extracting process plays an important role in the development of Chinese patent medicines industry. In this paper, the design and implement of a traditional Chinese medicine extracting process monitoring experiment system which is based on PROFIBUS-DP field bus, OPC, and Internet technology is introduced. The system integrates intelligence node which gathering data, superior sub-system which achieving figure configuration and remote supervisory, during the process of traditional Chinese medicine production, monitors the temperature parameter, pressure parameter, quality parameter etc. And it can be controlled by the remote nodes in the VPN (Visual Private Network). Experiment and application do have proved that the system can reach the anticipation effect fully, and with the merits of operational stability, real-time, reliable, convenient and simple manipulation and so on.
A new dawn for industrial photosynthesis.

PubMed

Robertson, Dan E; Jacobson, Stuart A; Morgan, Frederick; Berry, David; Church, George M; Afeyan, Noubar B

2011-03-01

Several emerging technologies are aiming to meet renewable fuel standards, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and provide viable alternatives to fossil fuels. Direct conversion of solar energy into fungible liquid fuel is a particularly attractive option, though conversion of that energy on an industrial scale depends on the efficiency of its capture and conversion. Large-scale programs have been undertaken in the recent past that used solar energy to grow innately oil-producing algae for biomass processing to biodiesel fuel. These efforts were ultimately deemed to be uneconomical because the costs of culturing, harvesting, and processing of algal biomass were not balanced by the process efficiencies for solar photon capture and conversion. This analysis addresses solar capture and conversion efficiencies and introduces a unique systems approach, enabled by advances in strain engineering, photobioreactor design, and a process that contradicts prejudicial opinions about the viability of industrial photosynthesis. We calculate efficiencies for this direct, continuous solar process based on common boundary conditions, empirical measurements and validated assumptions wherein genetically engineered cyanobacteria convert industrially sourced, high-concentration CO(2) into secreted, fungible hydrocarbon products in a continuous process. These innovations are projected to operate at areal productivities far exceeding those based on accumulation and refining of plant or algal biomass or on prior assumptions of photosynthetic productivity. This concept, currently enabled for production of ethanol and alkane diesel fuel molecules, and operating at pilot scale, establishes a new paradigm for high productivity manufacturing of nonfossil-derived fuels and chemicals.
Design of Control System for Flexible Packaging Bags Palletizing Production Line Based on PLC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Huiping; Chen, Lin; Zhao, Xiaoming; Liu, Zhanyang

Flexible packaging bags palletizing production line is to put the bags in the required area according to particular order and size, in order to finish handling, storage, loading and unloading, transportation and other logistics work of goods. Flexible packaging bags palletizing line is composed of turning bags mechanism, shaping mechanism, indexing mechanism, marshalling mechanism, pushing bags mechanism, pressing bags mechanism, laminating mechanism, elevator, tray warehouse, tray conveyor and loaded tray conveyor. Whether the whole production line can smoothly run depends on each of the above equipment and precision control among them. In this paper the technological process and the control logic of flexible packaging bags palletizing production line is introduced. Palletizing process of the production line realized automation by means of a control system based on programmable logic controller (PLC). It has the advantages of simple structure, reliable and easy maintenance etc.
The Research of Improving the Particleboard Glue Dosing Process Based on TRIZ Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Huiling; Fan, Delin; Zhang, Yizhuo

This research creates a design methodology by synthesizing the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) and cascade control based on Smith predictor. The particleboard glue supplying and dosing system case study defines the problem and the solution using the methodology proposed in the paper. Status difference existing in the gluing dosing process of particleboard production usually causes gluing volume inaccurately. In order to solve the problem above, we applied the TRIZ technical contradiction and inventive principle to improve the key process of particleboard production. The improving method mapped inaccurate problem to TRIZ technical contradiction, the prior action proposed Smith predictor as the control algorithm in the glue dosing system. This research examines the usefulness of a TRIZ based problem-solving process designed to improve the problem-solving ability of users in addressing difficult or reoccurring problems and also testify TRIZ is practicality and validity. Several suggestions are presented on how to approach this problem.
Clinical process analysis and activity-based costing at a heart center.

PubMed

Ridderstolpe, Lisa; Johansson, Andreas; Skau, Tommy; Rutberg, Hans; Ahlfeldt, Hans

2002-08-01

Cost studies, productivity, efficiency, and quality of care measures, the links between resources and patient outcomes, are fundamental issues for hospital management today. This paper describes the implementation of a model for process analysis and activity-based costing (ABC)/management at a Heart Center in Sweden as a tool for administrative cost information, strategic decision-making, quality improvement, and cost reduction. A commercial software package (QPR) containing two interrelated parts, "ProcessGuide and CostControl," was used. All processes at the Heart Center were mapped and graphically outlined. Processes and activities such as health care procedures, research, and education were identified together with their causal relationship to costs and products/services. The construction of the ABC model in CostControl was time-consuming. However, after the ABC/management system was created, it opened the way for new possibilities including process and activity analysis, simulation, and price calculations. Cost analysis showed large variations in the cost obtained for individual patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. We conclude that a process-based costing system is applicable and has the potential to be useful in hospital management.
USING LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR INTEGRATED PRODUCT POLICY

EPA Science Inventory

The European Union's new Integrated Product Policy directs governments and companies to consider the entire product life cycle, from cradle to grave, in their environmental decision-making process. A life-cycle based approach is intended to lead toward true environmental improvem...
Production Reconsidered: Implications for Technology Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pytlik, Edward C.; Sinn, John W.

1985-01-01

A philosophical concept of production technology is proposed which complements the basic underlying philosophy of technology education. It is based on the combined definition of production and technology, which necessitated the restructuring and expansion of the traditional structure into five divisions: harvesting, processing, manufacturing,…
Research and application of online measurement system of tire tread profile in automobile tire production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Pengyao; Chen, Xiangguang; Yang, Kai; Liu, Xuejiao

2017-01-01

To improve the measuring efficiency of width and thickness of tire tread in the process of automobile tire production, the actual condition for the tire production process is analyzed, and a fast online measurement system based on moving tire tread of tire specifications is established in this paper. The coordinate data of tire tread profile is acquired by 3D laser sensor, and we use C# language for programming which is an object-oriented programming language to complete the development of client program. The system with laser sensor can provide real-time display of tire tread profile and the data to require in the process of tire production. Experimental results demonstrate that the measuring precision of the system is <= 1mm, it can meet the measurement requirements of the production process, and the system has the characteristics of convenient installation and testing, system stable operation.
Bioreactor concepts for cell culture-based viral vaccine production.

PubMed

Gallo-Ramírez, Lilí Esmeralda; Nikolay, Alexander; Genzel, Yvonne; Reichl, Udo

2015-01-01

Vaccine manufacturing processes are designed to meet present and upcoming challenges associated with a growing vaccine market and to include multi-use facilities offering a broad portfolio and faster reaction times in case of pandemics and emerging diseases. The final products, from whole viruses to recombinant viral proteins, are very diverse, making standard process strategies hardly universally applicable. Numerous factors such as cell substrate, virus strain or expression system, medium, cultivation system, cultivation method, and scale need consideration. Reviewing options for efficient and economical production of human vaccines, this paper discusses basic factors relevant for viral antigen production in mammalian cells, avian cells and insect cells. In addition, bioreactor concepts, including static systems, single-use systems, stirred tanks and packed-beds are addressed. On this basis, methods towards process intensification, in particular operational strategies, the use of perfusion systems for high product yields, and steps to establish continuous processes are introduced.
SPITFIRE-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ryntz, Edward F.

1995-01-01

The purpose of this effort is to develop low-cost rapid forming superplastic aluminum that will be evaluated in pilot production trials for automotive SPF components. The alloy development study conducted under SPITFIRE-1 showed that the addition of CU or Mn to the base 5083 aluminum alloy refined the grain size, leading to enhanced superplastic properties. In SPITFIRE-2, these alloy variants will be further refined and studied to meet the target properties established earlier in the program. Mechanical properties, component forming and post-forming properties will be evaluated. Also, the alloy production process, including thermomechanical processing (TMP) optimization to reduce production cost, will be investigated during SPITFIRE-2. After identifying preferred compositions and production processing, the most promising alloy will be manufactured into production coils for verification during SPITFIRE-3. Components will be produced from these coils in SPITFIRE-4, and the process and component performance will be assessed.
Liquid Fuel Production from Biomass via High Temperature Steam Electrolysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grant L. Hawkes; Michael G. McKellar

2009-11-01

A process model of syngas production using high temperature electrolysis and biomass gasification is presented. Process heat from the biomass gasifier is used to heat steam for the hydrogen production via the high temperature steam electrolysis process. Hydrogen from electrolysis allows a high utilization of the biomass carbon for syngas production. Oxygen produced form the electrolysis process is used to control the oxidation rate in the oxygen-fed biomass gasifier. Based on the gasifier temperature, 94% to 95% of the carbon in the biomass becomes carbon monoxide in the syngas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen). Assuming the thermal efficiency of the powermore » cycle for electricity generation is 50%, (as expected from GEN IV nuclear reactors), the syngas production efficiency ranges from 70% to 73% as the gasifier temperature decreases from 1900 K to 1500 K. Parametric studies of system pressure, biomass moisture content and low temperature alkaline electrolysis are also presented.« less
Process simulation of ethanol production from biomass gasification and syngas fermentation.

PubMed

Pardo-Planas, Oscar; Atiyeh, Hasan K; Phillips, John R; Aichele, Clint P; Mohammad, Sayeed

2017-12-01

The hybrid gasification-syngas fermentation platform can produce more bioethanol utilizing all biomass components compared to the biochemical conversion technology. Syngas fermentation operates at mild temperatures and pressures and avoids using expensive pretreatment processes and enzymes. This study presents a new process simulation model developed with Aspen Plus® of a biorefinery based on a hybrid conversion technology for the production of anhydrous ethanol using 1200tons per day (wb) of switchgrass. The simulation model consists of three modules: gasification, fermentation, and product recovery. The results revealed a potential production of about 36.5million gallons of anhydrous ethanol per year. Sensitivity analyses were also performed to investigate the effects of gasification and fermentation parameters that are keys for the development of an efficient process in terms of energy conservation and ethanol production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Study on "multi-dimensional structure and process dynamics quality control system" of Danshen infusion solution based on component structure theory].

PubMed

Feng, Liang; Zhang, Ming-Hua; Gu, Jun-Fei; Wang, Gui-You; Zhao, Zi-Yu; Jia, Xiao-Bin

2013-11-01

As traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation products feature complex compounds and multiple preparation processes, the implementation of quality control in line with the characteristics of TCM preparation products provides a firm guarantee for the clinical efficacy and safety of TCM preparation products. Danshen infusion solution is a preparation commonly used in clinic, but its quality control is restricted to indexes of finished products, which can not guarantee its inherent quality. Our study group has proposed "multi-dimensional structure and process dynamics quality control system" on the basis of "component structure theory", for the purpose of controlling the quality of Danshen infusion solution at multiple levels and in multiple links from the efficacy-related material basis, the safety-related material basis, the characteristics of dosage form to the preparation process. This article, we bring forth new ideas and models to the quality control of TCM preparation products.
Foods for Special Dietary Needs: Non-dairy Plant-based Milk Substitutes and Fermented Dairy-type Products.

PubMed

Mäkinen, Outi Elina; Wanhalinna, Viivi; Zannini, Emanuele; Arendt, Elke Karin

2016-01-01

A growing number of consumers opt for plant-based milk substitutes for medical reasons or as a lifestyle choice. Medical reasons include lactose intolerance, with a worldwide prevalence of 75%, and cow's milk allergy. Also, in countries where mammal milk is scarce and expensive, plant milk substitutes serve as a more affordable option. However, many of these products have sensory characteristics objectionable to the mainstream western palate. Technologically, plant milk substitutes are suspensions of dissolved and disintegrated plant material in water, resembling cow's milk in appearance. They are manufactured by extracting the plant material in water, separating the liquid, and formulating the final product. Homogenization and thermal treatments are necessary to improve the suspension and microbial stabilities of commercial products that can be consumed as such or be further processed into fermented dairy-type products. The nutritional properties depend on the plant source, processing, and fortification. As some products have extremely low protein and calcium contents, consumer awareness is important when plant milk substitutes are used to replace cow's milk in the diet, e.g. in the case of dairy intolerances. If formulated into palatable and nutritionally adequate products, plant-based substitutes can offer a sustainable alternative to dairy products.
The relationship between physical workload and quality within line-based assembly.

PubMed

Ivarsson, Anna; Eek, Frida

2016-07-01

Reducing costs and improvement of product quality are considered important to ensure productivity within a company. Quality deviations during production processes and ergonomics have previously shown to be associated. This study explored the relationship between physical workload and real (found during production processes) and potential (need of extra time and assistance to complete tasks) quality deviations in a line-based assembly plant. The physical workload on and the work rotation between 52 workstations were assessed. As the outcome, real and potential quality deviations were studied during 10 weeks. Results show that workstations with higher physical workload had significantly more real deviations compared to lower workload stations. Static work posture had significantly more potential deviations. Rotation between high and low workload was related to fewer quality deviations compared to rotation between only high workload stations. In conclusion, physical ergonomics seems to be related to real and potential quality deviation within line-based assembly. Practitioner Summary: To ensure good productivity in manufacturing industries, it is important to reduce costs and improve product quality. This study shows that high physical workload is associated with quality deviations and need of extra time and assistance to complete tasks within line-based assembly, which can be financially expensive for a company.
Adaptive scallop height tool path generation for robot-based incremental sheet metal forming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seim, Patrick; Möllensiep, Dennis; Störkle, Denis Daniel; Thyssen, Lars; Kuhlenkötter, Bernd

2016-10-01

Incremental sheet metal forming is an emerging process for the production of individualized products or prototypes in low batch sizes and with short times to market. In these processes, the desired shape is produced by the incremental inward motion of the workpiece-independent forming tool in depth direction and its movement along the contour in lateral direction. Based on this shape production, the tool path generation is a key factor on e.g. the resulting geometric accuracy, the resulting surface quality, and the working time. This paper presents an innovative tool path generation based on a commercial milling CAM package considering the surface quality and working time. This approach offers the ability to define a specific scallop height as an indicator of the surface quality for specific faces of a component. Moreover, it decreases the required working time for the production of the entire component compared to the use of a commercial software package without this adaptive approach. Different forming experiments have been performed to verify the newly developed tool path generation. Mainly, this approach serves to solve the existing conflict of combining the working time and the surface quality within the process of incremental sheet metal forming.
Practicing universal design to actual hand tool design process.

PubMed

Lin, Kai-Chieh; Wu, Chih-Fu

2015-09-01

UD evaluation principles are difficult to implement in product design. This study proposes a methodology for implementing UD in the design process through user participation. The original UD principles and user experience are used to develop the evaluation items. Difference of product types was considered. Factor analysis and Quantification theory type I were used to eliminate considered inappropriate evaluation items and to examine the relationship between evaluation items and product design factors. Product design specifications were established for verification. The results showed that converting user evaluation into crucial design verification factors by the generalized evaluation scale based on product attributes as well as the design factors applications in product design can improve users' UD evaluation. The design process of this study is expected to contribute to user-centered UD application. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.
A link between eumelanism and calcium physiology in the barn owl

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roulin, Alexandre; Dauwe, Tom; Blust, Ronny; Eens, Marcel; Beaud, Michel

2006-09-01

In many animals, melanin-based coloration is strongly heritable and is largely insensitive to the environment and body condition. According to the handicap principle, such a trait may not reveal individual quality because the production of different melanin-based colorations often entails similar costs. However, a recent study showed that the production of eumelanin pigments requires relatively large amounts of calcium, potentially implying that melanin-based coloration is associated with physiological processes requiring calcium. If this is the case, eumelanism may be traded-off against other metabolic processes that require the same elements. We used a correlative approach to examine, for the first time, this proposition in the barn owl, a species in which individuals vary in the amount, size, and blackness of eumelanic spots. For this purpose, we measured calcium concentration in the left humerus of 85 dead owls. Results showed that the humeri of heavily spotted individuals had a higher concentration of calcium. This suggests either that plumage spottiness signals the ability to absorb calcium from the diet for both eumelanin production and storage in bones, or that lightly spotted individuals use more calcium for metabolic processes at the expense of calcium storage in bones. Our study supports the idea that eumelanin-based coloration is associated with a number of physiological processes requiring calcium.
Impact Assessment and Environmental Evaluation of Various Ammonia Production Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bicer, Yusuf; Dincer, Ibrahim; Vezina, Greg; Raso, Frank

2017-05-01

In the current study, conventional resources-based ammonia generation routes are comparatively studied through a comprehensive life cycle assessment. The selected ammonia generation options range from mostly used steam methane reforming to partial oxidation of heavy oil. The chosen ammonia synthesis process is the most common commercially available Haber-Bosch process. The essential energy input for the methods are used from various conventional resources such as coal, nuclear, natural gas and heavy oil. Using the life cycle assessment methodology, the environmental impacts of selected methods are identified and quantified from cradle to gate. The life cycle assessment outcomes of the conventional resources based ammonia production routes show that nuclear electrolysis-based ammonia generation method yields the lowest global warming and climate change impacts while the coal-based electrolysis options bring higher environmental problems. The calculated greenhouse gas emission from nuclear-based electrolysis is 0.48 kg CO2 equivalent while it is 13.6 kg CO2 per kg of ammonia for coal-based electrolysis method.
Impact Assessment and Environmental Evaluation of Various Ammonia Production Processes.

PubMed

Bicer, Yusuf; Dincer, Ibrahim; Vezina, Greg; Raso, Frank

2017-05-01

In the current study, conventional resources-based ammonia generation routes are comparatively studied through a comprehensive life cycle assessment. The selected ammonia generation options range from mostly used steam methane reforming to partial oxidation of heavy oil. The chosen ammonia synthesis process is the most common commercially available Haber-Bosch process. The essential energy input for the methods are used from various conventional resources such as coal, nuclear, natural gas and heavy oil. Using the life cycle assessment methodology, the environmental impacts of selected methods are identified and quantified from cradle to gate. The life cycle assessment outcomes of the conventional resources based ammonia production routes show that nuclear electrolysis-based ammonia generation method yields the lowest global warming and climate change impacts while the coal-based electrolysis options bring higher environmental problems. The calculated greenhouse gas emission from nuclear-based electrolysis is 0.48 kg CO 2 equivalent while it is 13.6 kg CO 2 per kg of ammonia for coal-based electrolysis method.
The UN Decade of Nutrition, the NOVA food classification and the trouble with ultra-processing.

PubMed

Monteiro, Carlos Augusto; Cannon, Geoffrey; Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Levy, Renata Bertazzi; Louzada, Maria Laura C; Jaime, Patrícia Constante

2018-01-01

Given evident multiple threats to food systems and supplies, food security, human health and welfare, the living and physical world and the biosphere, the years 2016-2025 are now designated by the UN as the Decade of Nutrition, in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For these initiatives to succeed, it is necessary to know which foods contribute to health and well-being, and which are unhealthy. The present commentary outlines the NOVA system of food classification based on the nature, extent and purpose of food processing. Evidence that NOVA effectively addresses the quality of diets and their impact on all forms of malnutrition, and also the sustainability of food systems, has now accumulated in a number of countries, as shown here. A singular feature of NOVA is its identification of ultra-processed food and drink products. These are not modified foods, but formulations mostly of cheap industrial sources of dietary energy and nutrients plus additives, using a series of processes (hence 'ultra-processed'). All together, they are energy-dense, high in unhealthy types of fat, refined starches, free sugars and salt, and poor sources of protein, dietary fibre and micronutrients. Ultra-processed products are made to be hyper-palatable and attractive, with long shelf-life, and able to be consumed anywhere, any time. Their formulation, presentation and marketing often promote overconsumption. Studies based on NOVA show that ultra-processed products now dominate the food supplies of various high-income countries and are increasingly pervasive in lower-middle- and upper-middle-income countries. The evidence so far shows that displacement of minimally processed foods and freshly prepared dishes and meals by ultra-processed products is associated with unhealthy dietary nutrient profiles and several diet-related non-communicable diseases. Ultra-processed products are also troublesome from social, cultural, economic, political and environmental points of view. We conclude that the ever-increasing production and consumption of these products is a world crisis, to be confronted, checked and reversed as part of the work of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and its Decade of Nutrition.
NASA Space Engineering Research Center for utilization of local planetary resources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramohalli, Kumar; Lewis, John S.

1990-01-01

The University of Arizona and NASA have joined to form the UA/NASA Space Engineering Research Center. The purpose of the Center is to discover, characterize, extract, process, and fabricate useful products from the extraterrestrial resources available in the inner solar system (the moon, Mars, and nearby asteroids). Individual progress reports covering the center's research projects are presented and emphasis is placed on the following topics: propellant production, oxygen production, ilmenite, lunar resources, asteroid resources, Mars resources, space-based materials processing, extraterrestrial construction materials processing, resource discovery and characterization, mission planning, and resource utilization.
Bio-Fuel Production Assisted with High Temperature Steam Electrolysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grant Hawkes; James O'Brien; Michael McKellar

2012-06-01

Two hybrid energy processes that enable production of synthetic liquid fuels that are compatible with the existing conventional liquid transportation fuels infrastructure are presented. Using biomass as a renewable carbon source, and supplemental hydrogen from high-temperature steam electrolysis (HTSE), these two hybrid energy processes have the potential to provide a significant alternative petroleum source that could reduce dependence on imported oil. The first process discusses a hydropyrolysis unit with hydrogen addition from HTSE. Non-food biomass is pyrolyzed and converted to pyrolysis oil. The pyrolysis oil is upgraded with hydrogen addition from HTSE. This addition of hydrogen deoxygenates the pyrolysis oilmore » and increases the pH to a tolerable level for transportation. The final product is synthetic crude that could then be transported to a refinery and input into the already used transportation fuel infrastructure. The second process discusses a process named Bio-Syntrolysis. The Bio-Syntrolysis process combines hydrogen from HTSE with CO from an oxygen-blown biomass gasifier that yields syngas to be used as a feedstock for synthesis of liquid synthetic crude. Conversion of syngas to liquid synthetic crude, using a biomass-based carbon source, expands the application of renewable energy beyond the grid to include transportation fuels. It can also contribute to grid stability associated with non-dispatchable power generation. The use of supplemental hydrogen from HTSE enables greater than 90% utilization of the biomass carbon content which is about 2.5 times higher than carbon utilization associated with traditional cellulosic ethanol production. If the electrical power source needed for HTSE is based on nuclear or renewable energy, the process is carbon neutral. INL has demonstrated improved biomass processing prior to gasification. Recyclable biomass in the form of crop residue or energy crops would serve as the feedstock for this process. A process model of syngas production using high temperature electrolysis and biomass gasification is presented. Process heat from the biomass gasifier is used to heat steam for the hydrogen production via the high temperature steam electrolysis process. Oxygen produced form the electrolysis process is used to control the oxidation rate in the oxygen-blown biomass gasifier.« less
Process Modeling of Composite Materials for Wind-Turbine Rotor Blades: Experiments and Numerical Modeling

PubMed Central

Wieland, Birgit; Ropte, Sven

2017-01-01

The production of rotor blades for wind turbines is still a predominantly manual process. Process simulation is an adequate way of improving blade quality without a significant increase in production costs. This paper introduces a module for tolerance simulation for rotor-blade production processes. The investigation focuses on the simulation of temperature distribution for one-sided, self-heated tooling and thick laminates. Experimental data from rotor-blade production and down-scaled laboratory tests are presented. Based on influencing factors that are identified, a physical model is created and implemented as a simulation. This provides an opportunity to simulate temperature and cure-degree distribution for two-dimensional cross sections. The aim of this simulation is to support production processes. Hence, it is modelled as an in situ simulation with direct input of temperature data and real-time capability. A monolithic part of the rotor blade, the main girder, is used as an example for presenting the results. PMID:28981458
Process Modeling of Composite Materials for Wind-Turbine Rotor Blades: Experiments and Numerical Modeling.

PubMed

Wieland, Birgit; Ropte, Sven

2017-10-05

The production of rotor blades for wind turbines is still a predominantly manual process. Process simulation is an adequate way of improving blade quality without a significant increase in production costs. This paper introduces a module for tolerance simulation for rotor-blade production processes. The investigation focuses on the simulation of temperature distribution for one-sided, self-heated tooling and thick laminates. Experimental data from rotor-blade production and down-scaled laboratory tests are presented. Based on influencing factors that are identified, a physical model is created and implemented as a simulation. This provides an opportunity to simulate temperature and cure-degree distribution for two-dimensional cross sections. The aim of this simulation is to support production processes. Hence, it is modelled as an in situ simulation with direct input of temperature data and real-time capability. A monolithic part of the rotor blade, the main girder, is used as an example for presenting the results.
A Different Perspective: How Much Innovation Is Really Needed for Monoclonal Antibody Production Using Mammalian Cell Technology?

PubMed

Kelley, Brian; Kiss, Robert; Laird, Michael

2018-05-03

As biopharmaceutical companies have optimized cell line and production culture process development, titers of recombinant antibodies have risen steadily to 3-8 g/L for fed-batch mammalian cultures at production scales of 10 kL or larger. Most new antibody products are produced from Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell lines, and there are relatively few alternative production hosts under active evaluation. Many companies have adopted a strategy of using the same production cell line for early clinical phases as well as commercial production, which reduces the risk of product comparability issues during the development lifecycle. Product quality and consistency expectations rest on the platform knowledge of the CHO host cell line and processes used for the production of many licensed antibodies. The lack of impact of low-level product variants common to this platform on product safety and efficacy also builds on the established commercial history of recombinant antibodies, which dates back to 1997.Efforts to increase titers further will likely yield diminishing returns. Very few products would benefit significantly from a titer greater than 8 g/L; in many cases, a downstream processing bottleneck would preclude full recovery from production-scale bioreactors for high titer processes. The benefits of a process platform based on standard fed-batch production culture include predictable scale-up, process transfer, and production within a company's manufacturing network or at a contract manufacturing organization. Furthermore, the confidence in an established platform provides key support towards regulatory flexibility (e.g., design space) for license applications following a quality-by-design strategy.These factors suggest that novel technologies for antibody production may not provide a substantial return on investment. What, then, should be the focus of future process development efforts for companies that choose to launch antibody products using their current platform? This review proposes key focus areas in an effort to continually improve process consistency, assure acceptable product quality, and establish appropriate process parameter limits to enable flexible manufacturing options.
Treating thin stillage or condensed distillers solubles with phytase for production of low phytate co-products

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fuel ethanol production from grains is mainly based on dry grind processing, during which phytate is concentrated about three fold in distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a major co-product. For reducing phyate in DDGS, two industrial phytase preparations (Natuphos and Ronozyme) were used ...
A combined approach of generalized additive model and bootstrap with small sample sets for fault diagnosis in fermentation process of glutamate.

PubMed

Liu, Chunbo; Pan, Feng; Li, Yun

2016-07-29

Glutamate is of great importance in food and pharmaceutical industries. There is still lack of effective statistical approaches for fault diagnosis in the fermentation process of glutamate. To date, the statistical approach based on generalized additive model (GAM) and bootstrap has not been used for fault diagnosis in fermentation processes, much less the fermentation process of glutamate with small samples sets. A combined approach of GAM and bootstrap was developed for the online fault diagnosis in the fermentation process of glutamate with small sample sets. GAM was first used to model the relationship between glutamate production and different fermentation parameters using online data from four normal fermentation experiments of glutamate. The fitted GAM with fermentation time, dissolved oxygen, oxygen uptake rate and carbon dioxide evolution rate captured 99.6 % variance of glutamate production during fermentation process. Bootstrap was then used to quantify the uncertainty of the estimated production of glutamate from the fitted GAM using 95 % confidence interval. The proposed approach was then used for the online fault diagnosis in the abnormal fermentation processes of glutamate, and a fault was defined as the estimated production of glutamate fell outside the 95 % confidence interval. The online fault diagnosis based on the proposed approach identified not only the start of the fault in the fermentation process, but also the end of the fault when the fermentation conditions were back to normal. The proposed approach only used a small sample sets from normal fermentations excitements to establish the approach, and then only required online recorded data on fermentation parameters for fault diagnosis in the fermentation process of glutamate. The proposed approach based on GAM and bootstrap provides a new and effective way for the fault diagnosis in the fermentation process of glutamate with small sample sets.
Biohydrogen Production: Strategies to Improve Process Efficiency through Microbial Routes

PubMed Central

Chandrasekhar, Kuppam; Lee, Yong-Jik; Lee, Dong-Woo

2015-01-01

The current fossil fuel-based generation of energy has led to large-scale industrial development. However, the reliance on fossil fuels leads to the significant depletion of natural resources of buried combustible geologic deposits and to negative effects on the global climate with emissions of greenhouse gases. Accordingly, enormous efforts are directed to transition from fossil fuels to nonpolluting and renewable energy sources. One potential alternative is biohydrogen (H2), a clean energy carrier with high-energy yields; upon the combustion of H2, H2O is the only major by-product. In recent decades, the attractive and renewable characteristics of H2 led us to develop a variety of biological routes for the production of H2. Based on the mode of H2 generation, the biological routes for H2 production are categorized into four groups: photobiological fermentation, anaerobic fermentation, enzymatic and microbial electrolysis, and a combination of these processes. Thus, this review primarily focuses on the evaluation of the biological routes for the production of H2. In particular, we assess the efficiency and feasibility of these bioprocesses with respect to the factors that affect operations, and we delineate the limitations. Additionally, alternative options such as bioaugmentation, multiple process integration, and microbial electrolysis to improve process efficiency are discussed to address industrial-level applications. PMID:25874756
Biohydrogen production: strategies to improve process efficiency through microbial routes.

PubMed

Chandrasekhar, Kuppam; Lee, Yong-Jik; Lee, Dong-Woo

2015-04-14

The current fossil fuel-based generation of energy has led to large-scale industrial development. However, the reliance on fossil fuels leads to the significant depletion of natural resources of buried combustible geologic deposits and to negative effects on the global climate with emissions of greenhouse gases. Accordingly, enormous efforts are directed to transition from fossil fuels to nonpolluting and renewable energy sources. One potential alternative is biohydrogen (H2), a clean energy carrier with high-energy yields; upon the combustion of H2, H2O is the only major by-product. In recent decades, the attractive and renewable characteristics of H2 led us to develop a variety of biological routes for the production of H2. Based on the mode of H2 generation, the biological routes for H2 production are categorized into four groups: photobiological fermentation, anaerobic fermentation, enzymatic and microbial electrolysis, and a combination of these processes. Thus, this review primarily focuses on the evaluation of the biological routes for the production of H2. In particular, we assess the efficiency and feasibility of these bioprocesses with respect to the factors that affect operations, and we delineate the limitations. Additionally, alternative options such as bioaugmentation, multiple process integration, and microbial electrolysis to improve process efficiency are discussed to address industrial-level applications.
Radiation processing of natural polymers: The IAEA contribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haji-Saeid, Mohammad; Safrany, Agnes; Sampa, Maria Helena de O.; Ramamoorthy, Natesan

2010-03-01

Radiation processing offers a clean and additive-free method for preparation of value-added novel materials based on renewable, non-toxic, and biodegradable natural polymers. Crosslinked natural polymers can be used as hydrogel wound dressings, face cleaning cosmetic masks, adsorbents of toxins, and non-bedsore mats; while low molecular weight products show antibiotic, antioxidant, and plant-growth promoting properties. Recognizing the potential benefits that radiation technology can offer for processing of natural polymers into useful products, the IAEA implemented a coordinated research project (CRP) on "Development of Radiation-processed products of Natural Polymers for application in Agriculture, Healthcare, Industry and Environment". This CRP was launched at the end of 2007 with participation of 16 MS to help connecting radiation technology and end-users to derive enhanced benefits from these new value-added products of radiation-processed natural materials. In this paper the results of activities in participating MS related to this work will be presented.
Low-Energy, Low-Cost Production of Ethylene by Low- Temperature Oxidative Coupling of Methane

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Radaelli, Guido; Chachra, Gaurav; Jonnavittula, Divya

In this project, we develop a catalytic process technology for distributed small-scale production of ethylene by oxidative coupling of methane at low temperatures using an advanced catalyst. The Low Temperature Oxidative Coupling of Methane (LT-OCM) catalyst system is enabled by a novel chemical catalyst and process pioneered by Siluria, at private expense, over the last six years. Herein, we develop the LT-OCM catalyst system for distributed small-scale production of ethylene by identifying and addressing necessary process schemes, unit operations and process parameters that limit the economic viability and mass penetration of this technology to manufacture ethylene at small-scales. The outputmore » of this program is process concepts for small-scale LT-OCM catalyst based ethylene production, lab-scale verification of the novel unit operations adopted in the proposed concept, and an analysis to validate the feasibility of the proposed concepts.« less

Production of Low Cost Carbon-Fiber through Energy Optimization of Stabilization Process.

PubMed

Golkarnarenji, Gelayol; Naebe, Minoo; Badii, Khashayar; Milani, Abbas S; Jazar, Reza N; Khayyam, Hamid

2018-03-05

To produce high quality and low cost carbon fiber-based composites, the optimization of the production process of carbon fiber and its properties is one of the main keys. The stabilization process is the most important step in carbon fiber production that consumes a large amount of energy and its optimization can reduce the cost to a large extent. In this study, two intelligent optimization techniques, namely Support Vector Regression (SVR) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN), were studied and compared, with a limited dataset obtained to predict physical property (density) of oxidative stabilized PAN fiber (OPF) in the second zone of a stabilization oven within a carbon fiber production line. The results were then used to optimize the energy consumption in the process. The case study can be beneficial to chemical industries involving carbon fiber manufacturing, for assessing and optimizing different stabilization process conditions at large.
Production of Low Cost Carbon-Fiber through Energy Optimization of Stabilization Process

PubMed Central

Golkarnarenji, Gelayol; Naebe, Minoo; Badii, Khashayar; Milani, Abbas S.; Jazar, Reza N.; Khayyam, Hamid

2018-01-01

To produce high quality and low cost carbon fiber-based composites, the optimization of the production process of carbon fiber and its properties is one of the main keys. The stabilization process is the most important step in carbon fiber production that consumes a large amount of energy and its optimization can reduce the cost to a large extent. In this study, two intelligent optimization techniques, namely Support Vector Regression (SVR) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN), were studied and compared, with a limited dataset obtained to predict physical property (density) of oxidative stabilized PAN fiber (OPF) in the second zone of a stabilization oven within a carbon fiber production line. The results were then used to optimize the energy consumption in the process. The case study can be beneficial to chemical industries involving carbon fiber manufacturing, for assessing and optimizing different stabilization process conditions at large. PMID:29510592
Improvement of the System of Training of Specialists by University for Coal Mining Enterprises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikhalchenko, Vadim; Seredkina, Irina

2017-11-01

In the article the ingenious technique of the Quality Function Deployment with reference to the process of training of specialists with higher education by university is considered. The method is based on the step-by-step conversion of customer requirements into specific organizational, meaningful and functional transformations of the technological process of the university. A fully deployed quality function includes four stages of tracking customer requirements while creating a product: product planning and design, process design, production design. The Quality Function Deployment can be considered as one of the methods for optimizing the technological processes of training of specialists with higher education in the current economic conditions. Implemented at the initial stages of the life cycle of the technological process, it ensures not only the high quality of the "product" of graduate school, but also the fullest possible satisfaction of consumer's requests and expectations.
A method for tailoring the information content of a software process model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perkins, Sharon; Arend, Mark B.

1990-01-01

The framework is defined for a general method for selecting a necessary and sufficient subset of a general software life cycle's information products, to support new software development process. Procedures for characterizing problem domains in general and mapping to a tailored set of life cycle processes and products is presented. An overview of the method is shown using the following steps: (1) During the problem concept definition phase, perform standardized interviews and dialogs between developer and user, and between user and customer; (2) Generate a quality needs profile of the software to be developed, based on information gathered in step 1; (3) Translate the quality needs profile into a profile of quality criteria that must be met by the software to satisfy the quality needs; (4) Map the quality criteria to set of accepted processes and products for achieving each criterion; (5) Select the information products which match or support the accepted processes and product of step 4; and (6) Select the design methodology which produces the information products selected in step 5.
A method for tailoring the information content of a software process model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perkins, Sharon; Arend, Mark B.

1990-01-01

The framework is defined for a general method for selecting a necessary and sufficient subset of a general software life cycle's information products, to support new software development process. Procedures for characterizing problem domains in general and mapping to a tailored set of life cycle processes and products is presented. An overview of the method is shown using the following steps: (1) During the problem concept definition phase, perform standardized interviews and dialogs between developer and user, and between user and customer; (2) Generate a quality needs profile of the software to be developed, based on information gathered in step 1; (3) Translate the quality needs profile into a profile of quality criteria that must be met by the software to satisfy the quality needs; (4) Map the quality criteria to a set of accepted processes and products for achieving each criterion; (5) select the information products which match or support the accepted processes and product of step 4; and (6) Select the design methodology which produces the information products selected in step 5.
Impact of an acid fungal protease in high gravity fermentation for ethanol production using Indian sorghum as a feedstock.

PubMed

Gohel, V; Duan, G; Maisuria, V B

2013-01-01

This study evaluated the conventional jet cooking liquefaction process followed by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) at 30% and 35% dry solids (DS) concentration of Indian sorghum feedstock for ethanol production, with addition of acid fungal protease or urea. To evaluate the efficacy of thermostable α-amylase in liquefaction at 30% and 35% DS concentration of Indian sorghum, liquefact solubility, higher dextrins, and fermentable sugars were analyzed at the end of the process. The liquefact was further subjected to SSF using yeast. In comparison with urea, addition of an acid fungal protease during SSF process was observed to accelerate yeast growth (μ), substrate consumption (Q(s)), ultimately ethanol yield based on substrate (Y(p/s)) and ethanol productivity based on fermentation time (Q(p)). The fermentation efficiency and ethanol recovery were determined for both concentrations of Indian sorghum and found to be increased with use of acid fungal protease in SSF process. Copyright © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Enhanced polyhydroxyalkanoate production by mixed microbial culture with extended cultivation strategy.

PubMed

Huang, Long; Chen, Zhiqiang; Wen, Qinxue; Lee, Duu-Jong

2017-10-01

Low biomass output is a crucial reason for low polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production in mixed microbial cultures (MMCs) PHA process. In this research, an extended cultivation strategy was proposed to rapidly expand the biomass yield of PHA accumulating MMCs and conserve the PHA accumulating ability simultaneously. High PHA content of the cultivated MMCs of 71.4% and 66.7% (higher than 62.1% of the seed biomass) in batch assays and biomass magnification of 43 and 52 were obtained after 10days of extended cultivation with and without sludge discharge, respectively. By embedding the extended cultivation process into the production process, a highly competitive PHA production performance in terms of overall PHA storage yield (0.49g CODPHA/gCODVFA) and volumetric productivity (1.21gPHA/L/d with final cell density of 17.22g/L) was achieved. The proposed PHA production process based on the extended cultivation can be a promising choice in industrial scale practice. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Optimizing product life cycle processes in design phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faneye, Ola. B.; Anderl, Reiner

2002-02-01

Life cycle concepts do not only serve as basis in assisting product developers understand the dependencies between products and their life cycles, they also help in identifying potential opportunities for improvement in products. Common traditional concepts focus mainly on energy and material flow across life phases, necessitating the availability of metrics derived from a reference product. Knowledge of life cycle processes won from an existing product is directly reused in its redesign. Depending on sales volume nevertheless, the environmental impact before product optimization can be substantial. With modern information technologies today, computer-aided life cycle methodologies can be applied well before product use. On the basis of a virtual prototype, life cycle processes are analyzed and optimized, using simulation techniques. This preventive approach does not only help in minimizing (or even eliminating) environmental burdens caused by product, costs incurred due to changes in real product can also be avoided. The paper highlights the relationship between product and life cycle and presents a computer-based methodology for optimizing the product life cycle during design, as presented by SFB 392: Design for Environment - Methods and Tools at Technical University, Darmstadt.
A quality-based cost model for new electronic systems and products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shina, Sammy G.; Saigal, Anil

1998-04-01

This article outlines a method for developing a quality-based cost model for the design of new electronic systems and products. The model incorporates a methodology for determining a cost-effective design margin allocation for electronic products and systems and its impact on manufacturing quality and cost. A spreadsheet-based cost estimating tool was developed to help implement this methodology in order for the system design engineers to quickly estimate the effect of design decisions and tradeoffs on the quality and cost of new products. The tool was developed with automatic spreadsheet connectivity to current process capability and with provisions to consider the impact of capital equipment and tooling purchases to reduce the product cost.
Total Arsenic Determination and Speciation in Infant Food Products by Ion Chromatography Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry

EPA Science Inventory

Health risk associated with dietary arsenic intake may be different for infants and adults. Seafood is the main contributor to arsenic intake for adults while terrestrial-based food is the primary source for infants. Processed infant food products such as rice-based cereals, mi...
Consumer trophic diversity as a fundamental mechanism linking predation and ecosystem functioning.

PubMed

Hines, Jes; Gessner, Mark O

2012-11-01

1. Primary production and decomposition, two fundamental processes determining the functioning of ecosystems, may be sensitive to changes in biodiversity and food web interactions. 2. The impacts of food web interactions on ecosystem functioning are generally quantified by experimentally decoupling these linked processes and examining either primary production-based (green) or decomposition-based (brown) food webs in isolation. This decoupling may strongly limit our ability to assess the importance of food web interactions on ecosystem processes. 3. To evaluate how consumer trophic diversity mediates predator effects on ecosystem functioning, we conducted a mesocosm experiment and a field study using an assemblage of invertebrates that naturally co-occur on North Atlantic coastal saltmarshes. We measured the indirect impact of predation on primary production and leaf decomposition as a result of prey communities composed of herbivores alone, detritivores alone or both prey in combination. 4. We find that primary consumers can influence ecosystem process rates not only within, but also across green and brown sub-webs. Moreover, by feeding on a functionally diverse consumer assemblage comprised of both herbivores and detritivores, generalist predators can diffuse consumer effects on decomposition, primary production and feedbacks between the two processes. 5. These results indicate that maintaining functional diversity among primary consumers can alter the consequences of traditional trophic cascades, and they emphasize the role of the detritus-based sub-web when seeking key biotic drivers of plant production. Clearly, traditional compartmentalization of empirical food webs can limit our ability to predict the influence of food web interactions on ecosystem functioning. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2012 British Ecological Society.
On the Supply Chain Management Supported by E-Commerce Service Platform for Agreement based Circulation of Fruits and Vegetables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bao, Liwei; Huang, Yuchi; Ma, Zengjun; Zhang, Jie; Lv, Qingchu

According to analysis of the supply chain process of agricultural products, the IT application requirements of the market entities participating in the agreement based circulation of fruits and vegetables have been discussed. The strategy of supply chain management basing on E-commerce service platform for fruits and vegetables has been proposed in this paper. The architecture and function composing of the service platform have been designed and implemented. The platform is constructed on a set of application service modules User can choose some of the application service modules and define them according to the business process. The application service modules chosen and defined by user are integrated as an application service package and applied as management information system of business process. With the E-commerce service platform, the supply chain management for agreement based circulation of agricultural products of vegetables and fruits can be implemented.
Application of membrane processes to alcohol-water separation: Improving the energy efficiency of biofuel production

EPA Science Inventory

Pervaporation • Membrane-based separation process • Not filtration Separation based on solution-diffusion transport through non-porous or “molecularly-porous” membrane Permeate is a vapor • Permeate contains only volatile compounds • Able to separate mixtures of mis...
SUSTAINABLE PLASTICS: DESIGNING AND DEMONSTRATING RENEWABLE, BIODEGRADABLE PRODUCTS MADE OF SOY PROTEIN-BASED PLASTICS

EPA Science Inventory

We have found that soy protein plastics have flow properties that are comparable to fossil fuel-based plastics. Soy plastics are processed at much lower temperatures, however, yielding energy savings over synthetic plastics during processing. These comparable flow properties m...
Analysis of the possibility of SysML and BPMN application in formal data acquisition system description

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ćwikła, G.; Gwiazda, A.; Banaś, W.; Monica, Z.; Foit, K.

2017-08-01

The article presents the study of possible application of selected methods of complex description, that can be used as a support of the Manufacturing Information Acquisition System (MIAS) methodology, describing how to design a data acquisition system, allowing for collecting and processing real-time data on the functioning of a production system, necessary for management of a company. MIAS can allow conversion into Cyber-Physical Production System. MIAS is gathering and pre-processing data on the state of production system, including e.g. realisation of production orders, state of machines, materials and human resources. Systematised approach and model-based development is proposed for improving the quality of the design of MIAS methodology-based complex systems supporting data acquisition in various types of companies. Graphical specification can be the baseline for any model-based development in specified areas. The possibility of application of SysML and BPMN, both being UML-based languages, representing different approaches to modelling of requirements, architecture and implementation of the data acquisition system, as a tools supporting description of required features of MIAS, were considered.
A proposal for a drug product Manufacturing Classification System (MCS) for oral solid dosage forms.

PubMed

Leane, Michael; Pitt, Kendal; Reynolds, Gavin

2015-01-01

This paper proposes the development of a drug product Manufacturing Classification System (MCS) based on processing route. It summarizes conclusions from a dedicated APS conference and subsequent discussion within APS focus groups and the MCS working party. The MCS is intended as a tool for pharmaceutical scientists to rank the feasibility of different processing routes for the manufacture of oral solid dosage forms, based on selected properties of the API and the needs of the formulation. It has many applications in pharmaceutical development, in particular, it will provide a common understanding of risk by defining what the "right particles" are, enable the selection of the best process, and aid subsequent transfer to manufacturing. The ultimate aim is one of prediction of product developability and processability based upon previous experience. This paper is intended to stimulate contribution from a broad range of stakeholders to develop the MCS concept further and apply it to practice. In particular, opinions are sought on what API properties are important when selecting or modifying materials to enable an efficient and robust pharmaceutical manufacturing process. Feedback can be given by replying to our dedicated e-mail address (mcs@apsgb.org); completing the survey on our LinkedIn site; or by attending one of our planned conference roundtable sessions.
Viirs Land Science Investigator-Led Processing System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devadiga, S.; Mauoka, E.; Roman, M. O.; Wolfe, R. E.; Kalb, V.; Davidson, C. C.; Ye, G.

2015-12-01

The objective of the NASA's Suomi National Polar Orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) Land Science Investigator-led Processing System (Land SIPS), housed at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), is to produce high quality land products from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) to extend the Earth System Data Records (ESDRs) developed from NASA's heritage Earth Observing System (EOS) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the EOS Terra and Aqua satellites. In this paper we will present the functional description and capabilities of the S-NPP Land SIPS, including system development phases and production schedules, timeline for processing, and delivery of land science products based on coordination with the S-NPP Land science team members. The Land SIPS processing stream is expected to be operational by December 2016, generating land products either using the NASA science team delivered algorithms, or the "best-of" science algorithms currently in operation at NASA's Land Product Evaluation and Algorithm Testing Element (PEATE). In addition to generating the standard land science products through processing of the NASA's VIIRS Level 0 data record, the Land SIPS processing system is also used to produce a suite of near-real time products for NASA's application community. Land SIPS will also deliver the standard products, ancillary data sets, software and supporting documentation (ATBDs) to the assigned Distributed Active Archive Centers (DAACs) for archival and distribution. Quality assessment and validation will be an integral part of the Land SIPS processing system; the former being performed at Land Data Operational Product Evaluation (LDOPE) facility, while the latter under the auspices of the CEOS Working Group on Calibration & Validation (WGCV) Land Product Validation (LPV) Subgroup; adopting the best-practices and tools used to assess the quality of heritage EOS-MODIS products generated at the MODIS Adaptive Processing System (MODAPS).
Reduction of product-related species during the fermentation and purification of a recombinant IL-1 receptor antagonist at the laboratory and pilot scale.

PubMed

Schirmer, Emily B; Golden, Kathryn; Xu, Jin; Milling, Jesse; Murillo, Alec; Lowden, Patricia; Mulagapati, Srihariraju; Hou, Jinzhao; Kovalchin, Joseph T; Masci, Allyson; Collins, Kathryn; Zarbis-Papastoitsis, Gregory

2013-08-01

Through a parallel approach of tracking product quality through fermentation and purification development, a robust process was designed to reduce the levels of product-related species. Three biochemically similar product-related species were identified as byproducts of host-cell enzymatic activity. To modulate intracellular proteolytic activity, key fermentation parameters (temperature, pH, trace metals, EDTA levels, and carbon source) were evaluated through bioreactor optimization, while balancing negative effects on growth, productivity, and oxygen demand. The purification process was based on three non-affinity steps and resolved product-related species by exploiting small charge differences. Using statistical design of experiments for elution conditions, a high-resolution cation exchange capture column was optimized for resolution and recovery. Further reduction of product-related species was achieved by evaluating a matrix of conditions for a ceramic hydroxyapatite column. The optimized fermentation process was transferred from the 2-L laboratory scale to the 100-L pilot scale and the purification process was scaled accordingly to process the fermentation harvest. The laboratory- and pilot-scale processes resulted in similar process recoveries of 60 and 65%, respectively, and in a product that was of equal quality and purity to that of small-scale development preparations. The parallel approach for up- and downstream development was paramount in achieving a robust and scalable clinical process. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.
Risk management in medical product development process using traditional FMEA and fuzzy linguistic approach: a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirkire, Milind Shrikant; Rane, Santosh B.; Jadhav, Jagdish Rajaram

2015-12-01

Medical product development (MPD) process is highly multidisciplinary in nature, which increases the complexity and the associated risks. Managing the risks during MPD process is very crucial. The objective of this research is to explore risks during MPD in a dental product manufacturing company and propose a model for risk mitigation during MPD process to minimize failure events. A case study approach is employed. The existing MPD process is mapped with five phases of the customized phase gate process. The activities during each phase of development and risks associated with each activity are identified and categorized based on the source of occurrence. The risks are analyzed using traditional Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) and fuzzy FMEA. The results of two methods when compared show that fuzzy approach avoids the duplication of RPNs and helps more to convert cognition of experts into information to get values of risk factors. The critical, moderate, low level and negligible risks are identified based on criticality; risk treatments and mitigation model are proposed. During initial phases of MPD, the risks are less severe, but as the process progresses the severity of risks goes on increasing. The MPD process should be critically designed and simulated to minimize the number of risk events and their severity. To successfully develop the products/devices within the manufacturing companies, the process risk management is very essential. A systematic approach to manage risks during MPD process will lead to the development of medical products with expected quality and reliability. This is the first research of its kind having focus on MPD process risks and its management. The methodology adopted in this paper will help the developers, managers and researchers to have a competitive edge over the other companies by managing the risks during the development process.
EARSEC SAR processing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Protheroe, Mark; Sloggett, David R.; Sieber, Alois J.

1994-12-01

Traditionally, the production of high quality Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery has been an area where a potential user would have to expend large amounts of money in either the bespoke development of a processing chain dedicated to his requirements or in the purchase of a dedicated hardware platform adapted using accelerator boards and enhanced memory management. Whichever option the user adopted there were limitations based on the desire for a realistic throughput in data load and time. The user had a choice, made early in the purchase, for either a system that adopted innovative algorithmic manipulation, to limit the processing time of the purchase of expensive hardware. The former limits the quality of the product, while the latter excludes the user from any visibility into the processing chain. Clearly there was a need for a SAR processing architecture that gave the user a choice into the methodology to be adopted for a particular processing sequence, allowing him to decide on either a quick (lower quality) product or a detailed slower (high quality) product, without having to change the algorithmic base of his processor or the hardware platform. The European Commission, through the Advanced Techniques unit of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) Institute for Remote Sensing at Ispra in Italy, realizing the limitations on current processing abilities, initiated its own program to build airborne SAR and Electro-Optical (EO) sensor systems. This program is called the European Airborne Remote Sensing Capabilities (EARSEC) program. This paper describes the processing system developed for the airborne SAR sensor system. The paper considers the requirements for the system and the design of the EARSEC Airborne SAR Processing System. It highlights the development of an open SAR processing architecture where users have full access to intermediate products that arise from each of the major processing stages. It also describes the main processing stages in the overall architecture and illustrates the results of each of the key stages in the processor.

Applications of Technology to CAS Data-Base Production.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weisgerber, David W.

1984-01-01

Reviews the economic importance of applying computer technology to Chemical Abstracts Service database production from 1973 to 1983. Database building, technological applications for editorial processing (online editing, Author Index Manufacturing System), and benefits (increased staff productivity, reduced rate of increase of cost of services,…
Process development of short-chain polyols synthesis from corn stover by combination of enzymatic hydrolysis and catalytic hydrogenolysis.

PubMed

Fang, Zhen-Hong; Zhang, Jian; Lu, Qi-Ming; Bao, Jie

2014-09-01

Currently short-chain polyols such as ethanediol, propanediol, and butanediol are produced either from the petroleum feedstock or from the starch-based food crop feedstock. In this study, a combinational process of enzymatic hydrolysis with catalytic hydrogenolysis for short-chain polyols production using corn stover as feedstock was developed. The enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated corn stover was optimized to produce stover sugars at the minimum cost. Then the stover sugars were purified and hydrogenolyzed into polyols products catalyzed by Raney nickel catalyst. The results show that the yield of short-chain polyols from the stover sugars was comparable to that of the corn-based glucose. The present study provided an important prototype for polyols production from lignocellulose to replace the petroleum- or corn-based polyols for future industrial applications.
Wood-based composite materials : panel products, glued-laminated timber, structural composite lumber, and wood-nonwood composite materials

Treesearch

Nicole M. Stark; Zhiyong Cai; Charles Carll

2010-01-01

This chapter gives an overview of the general types and composition of wood-based composite products and the materials and processes used to manufacture them. It describes conventional wood-based composite panels and structural composite materials intended for general construction, interior use, or both. This chapter also describes woodânonwood composites. Mechanical...
Process Design and Economics for the Conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass to Hydrocarbon Fuels: Thermochemical Research Pathways with In Situ and Ex Situ Upgrading of Fast Pyrolysis Vapors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dutta, Abhijit; Sahir, A. H.; Tan, Eric

This report was developed as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office’s efforts to enable the development of technologies for the production of infrastructure-compatible, cost-competitive liquid hydrocarbon fuels from biomass. Specifically, this report details two conceptual designs based on projected product yields and quality improvements via catalyst development and process integration. It is expected that these research improvements will be made within the 2022 timeframe. The two conversion pathways detailed are (1) in situ and (2) ex situ upgrading of vapors produced from the fast pyrolysis of biomass. While the base case conceptual designs and underlying assumptionsmore » outline performance metrics for feasibility, it should be noted that these are only two of many other possibilities in this area of research. Other promising process design options emerging from the research will be considered for future techno-economic analysis. Both the in situ and ex situ conceptual designs, using the underlying assumptions, project MFSPs of approximately $3.5/gallon gasoline equivalent (GGE). The performance assumptions for the ex situ process were more aggressive with higher distillate (diesel-range) products. This was based on an assumption that more favorable reaction chemistry (such as coupling) can be made possible in a separate reactor where, unlike in an in situ upgrading reactor, one does not have to deal with catalyst mixing with biomass char and ash, which pose challenges to catalyst performance and maintenance. Natural gas was used for hydrogen production, but only when off gases from the process was not sufficient to meet the needs; natural gas consumption is insignificant in both the in situ and ex situ base cases. Heat produced from the burning of char, coke, and off-gases allows for the production of surplus electricity which is sold to the grid allowing a reduction of approximately 5¢/GGE in the MFSP.« less
Microstructural characterization of catalysis product of nanocement based materials: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutan, Norsuzailina Mohamed; Izaitul Akma Ideris, Nur; Taib, Siti Noor Linda; Lee, Delsye Teo Ching; Hassan, Alsidqi; Kudnie Sahari, Siti; Mohamad Said, Khairul Anwar; Rahman Sobuz, Habibur

2018-03-01

Cement as an essential element for cement-based products contributed to negative environmental issues due to its high energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission during its production. These issues create the need to find alternative materials as partial cement replacement where studies on the potential of utilizing silica based materials as partial cement replacement come into picture. This review highlights the effectiveness of microstructural characterization techniques that have been used in the studies that focus on characterization of calcium hydroxide (CH) and calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) formation during hydration process of cement-based product incorporating nano reactive silica based materials as partial cement replacement. Understanding the effect of these materials as cement replacement in cement based product focusing on the microstructural development will lead to a higher confidence in the use of industrial waste as a new non-conventional material in construction industry that can catalyse rapid and innovative advances in green technology.
The practice and perception of precautionary allergen labelling by the Australasian food manufacturing industry.

PubMed

Zurzolo, G A; Peters, R L; Koplin, J J; de Courten, M; Mathai, M L; Tye-Din, J A; Tang, M L K; Campbell, D E; Ponsonby, A-L; Prescott, S L; Gurrin, L; Dharmage, S C; Allen, K J

2017-07-01

The precautionary allergen labelling (PAL) and Voluntary Incidental Trace Allergen Labelling (VITAL ® ) tools were designed by industry to assist consumers with selecting safe foods for consumption. However, a sizeable proportion of food products bear no label, and it is unclear whether these products are free from allergens and therefore safe to consume or have simply not undergone a risk assessment and therefore remain unlabelled for that reason. To assess the prevalence of unlabelled products that have undergone a risk assessment process and to examine the factors influencing industry's uptake of the VITAL ® process. A web-based questionnaire was distributed to Australasian food and grocery manufacturers. One hundred and thirty-seven Australasian manufacturers were contacted, and 59 questionnaires were returned (response rate: 43%). The respondents represented 454 different manufacturing sites. Manufacturers reported that 23% (95% CI 19-28) of products (n=102/434) that had been through the VITAL ® risk assessment process had no PAL statement on the label. 34% (95% CI 30-38), (n=204/600) of products that had undergone another (non-VITAL ® ) risk assessment process had no PAL statement. In examining the factors that influenced industry's uptake of the VITAL ® process, 25 manufacturers reported on factors that influenced the uptake of the VITAL ® process, 76% (CI 95% 55-91) reported that VITAL ® was an effective tool because it was based on science; 52% (CI 95% 31-72) reported that it was too time-consuming and 36% (CI 95% 18-57) identified a concern with it not being endorsed by the government. Currently, we estimate that at least 30% of products may have been through a risk assessment process and yet bear no PAL statement on the label. Permissive labelling could be incorporated onto these products if they have been assessed to be safe for consumption. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Potential of a gypsum-free composting process of wheat straw for mushroom production.

PubMed

Mouthier, Thibaut M B; Kilic, Baris; Vervoort, Pieter; Gruppen, Harry; Kabel, Mirjam A

2017-01-01

Wheat straw based composting generates a selective substrate for mushroom production. The first phase of this process requires 5 days, and a reduction in time is wished. Here, we aim at understanding the effect of gypsum on the duration of the first phase and the mechanism behind it. Hereto, the regular process with gypsum addition and the same process without gypsum were studied during a 5-day period. The compost quality was evaluated based on compost lignin composition analysed by py-GC/MS and its degradability by a commercial (hemi-)cellulolytic enzyme cocktail. The composting phase lead to the decrease of the pyrolysis products 4-vinylphenol and 4-vinylguaiacol that can be associated with p-coumarates and ferulates linking xylan and lignin. In the regular compost, the enzymatic conversion reached 32 and 39% for cellulose, and 23 and 32% for xylan after 3 and 5 days, respectively. In absence of gypsum similar values were reached after 2 and 4 days, respectively. Thus, our data show that in absence of gypsum the desired compost quality was reached 20% earlier compared to the control process.
Potential of a gypsum-free composting process of wheat straw for mushroom production

PubMed Central

Mouthier, Thibaut M. B.; Kilic, Baris; Vervoort, Pieter; Gruppen, Harry

2017-01-01

Wheat straw based composting generates a selective substrate for mushroom production. The first phase of this process requires 5 days, and a reduction in time is wished. Here, we aim at understanding the effect of gypsum on the duration of the first phase and the mechanism behind it. Hereto, the regular process with gypsum addition and the same process without gypsum were studied during a 5-day period. The compost quality was evaluated based on compost lignin composition analysed by py-GC/MS and its degradability by a commercial (hemi-)cellulolytic enzyme cocktail. The composting phase lead to the decrease of the pyrolysis products 4-vinylphenol and 4-vinylguaiacol that can be associated with p-coumarates and ferulates linking xylan and lignin. In the regular compost, the enzymatic conversion reached 32 and 39% for cellulose, and 23 and 32% for xylan after 3 and 5 days, respectively. In absence of gypsum similar values were reached after 2 and 4 days, respectively. Thus, our data show that in absence of gypsum the desired compost quality was reached 20% earlier compared to the control process. PMID:28982119
Automated information system for analysis and prediction of production situations in blast furnace plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavrov, V. V.; Spirin, N. A.

2016-09-01

Advances in modern science and technology are inherently connected with the development, implementation, and widespread use of computer systems based on mathematical modeling. Algorithms and computer systems are gaining practical significance solving a range of process tasks in metallurgy of MES-level (Manufacturing Execution Systems - systems controlling industrial process) of modern automated information systems at the largest iron and steel enterprises in Russia. This fact determines the necessity to develop information-modeling systems based on mathematical models that will take into account the physics of the process, the basics of heat and mass exchange, the laws of energy conservation, and also the peculiarities of the impact of technological and standard characteristics of raw materials on the manufacturing process data. Special attention in this set of operations for metallurgic production is devoted to blast-furnace production, as it consumes the greatest amount of energy, up to 50% of the fuel used in ferrous metallurgy. The paper deals with the requirements, structure and architecture of BF Process Engineer's Automated Workstation (AWS), a computer decision support system of MES Level implemented in the ICS of the Blast Furnace Plant at Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works. It presents a brief description of main model subsystems as well as assumptions made in the process of mathematical modelling. Application of the developed system allows the engineering and process staff to analyze online production situations in the blast furnace plant, to solve a number of process tasks related to control of heat, gas dynamics and slag conditions of blast-furnace smelting as well as to calculate the optimal composition of blast-furnace slag, which eventually results in increasing technical and economic performance of blast-furnace production.
Metabolic engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum for fermentative production of chemicals in biorefinery.

PubMed

Baritugo, Kei-Anne; Kim, Hee Taek; David, Yokimiko; Choi, Jong-Il; Hong, Soon Ho; Jeong, Ki Jun; Choi, Jong Hyun; Joo, Jeong Chan; Park, Si Jae

2018-05-01

Bio-based production of industrially important chemicals provides an eco-friendly alternative to current petrochemical-based processes. Because of the limited supply of fossil fuel reserves, various technologies utilizing microbial host strains for the sustainable production of platform chemicals from renewable biomass have been developed. Corynebacterium glutamicum is a non-pathogenic industrial microbial species traditionally used for L-glutamate and L-lysine production. It is a promising species for industrial production of bio-based chemicals because of its flexible metabolism that allows the utilization of a broad spectrum of carbon sources and the production of various amino acids. Classical breeding, systems, synthetic biology, and metabolic engineering approaches have been used to improve its applications, ranging from traditional amino-acid production to modern biorefinery systems for production of value-added platform chemicals. This review describes recent advances in the development of genetic engineering tools and techniques for the establishment and optimization of metabolic pathways for bio-based production of major C2-C6 platform chemicals using recombinant C. glutamicum.
Image2000: A Free, Innovative, Java Based Imaging Package

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pell, Nicholas; Wheeler, Phil; Cornwell, Carl; Matusow, David; Obenschain, Arthur F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) Scientific and Educational Endeavors (SEE) and the Center for Image Processing in Education (CIPE) use satellite image processing as part of their science lessons developed for students and educators. The image processing products that they use, as part of these lessons, no longer fulfill the needs of SEE and CIPE because these products are either dependent on a particular computing platform, hard to customize and extend, or do not have enough functionality. SEE and CIPE began looking for what they considered the "perfect" image processing tool that was platform independent, rich in functionality and could easily be extended and customized for their purposes. At the request of SEE, NASA's GSFC, code 588 the Advanced Architectures and Automation Branch developed a powerful new Java based image processing endeavors.
Energy-based culture medium design for biomanufacturing optimization: A case study in monoclonal antibody production by GS-NS0 cells.

PubMed

Quiroga-Campano, Ana L; Panoskaltsis, Nicki; Mantalaris, Athanasios

2018-03-02

Demand for high-value biologics, a rapidly growing pipeline, and pressure from competition, time-to-market and regulators, necessitate novel biomanufacturing approaches, including Quality by Design (QbD) principles and Process Analytical Technologies (PAT), to facilitate accelerated, efficient and effective process development platforms that ensure consistent product quality and reduced lot-to-lot variability. Herein, QbD and PAT principles were incorporated within an innovative in vitro-in silico integrated framework for upstream process development (UPD). The central component of the UPD framework is a mathematical model that predicts dynamic nutrient uptake and average intracellular ATP content, based on biochemical reaction networks, to quantify and characterize energy metabolism and its adaptive response, metabolic shifts, to maintain ATP homeostasis. The accuracy and flexibility of the model depends on critical cell type/product/clone-specific parameters, which are experimentally estimated. The integrated in vitro-in silico platform and the model's predictive capacity reduced burden, time and expense of experimentation resulting in optimal medium design compared to commercially available culture media (80% amino acid reduction) and a fed-batch feeding strategy that increased productivity by 129%. The framework represents a flexible and efficient tool that transforms, improves and accelerates conventional process development in biomanufacturing with wide applications, including stem cell-based therapies. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Biodiesel production with special emphasis on lipase-catalyzed transesterification.

PubMed

Bisen, Prakash S; Sanodiya, Bhagwan S; Thakur, Gulab S; Baghel, Rakesh K; Prasad, G B K S

2010-08-01

The production of biodiesel by transesterification employing acid or base catalyst has been industrially accepted for its high conversion and reaction rates. Downstream processing costs and environmental problems associated with biodiesel production and byproducts recovery have led to the search for alternative production methods. Recently, enzymatic transesterification involving lipases has attracted attention for biodiesel production as it produces high purity product and enables easy separation from the byproduct, glycerol. The use of immobilized lipases and immobilized whole cells may lower the overall cost, while presenting less downstream processing problems, to biodiesel production. The present review gives an overview on biodiesel production technology and analyzes the factors/methods of enzymatic approach reported in the literature and also suggests suitable method on the basis of evidence for industrial production of biodiesel.
The standard-based open workflow system in GeoBrain (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Di, L.; Yu, G.; Zhao, P.; Deng, M.

2013-12-01

GeoBrain is an Earth science Web-service system developed and operated by the Center for Spatial Information Science and Systems, George Mason University. In GeoBrain, a standard-based open workflow system has been implemented to accommodate the automated processing of geospatial data through a set of complex geo-processing functions for advanced production generation. The GeoBrain models the complex geoprocessing at two levels, the conceptual and concrete. At the conceptual level, the workflows exist in the form of data and service types defined by ontologies. The workflows at conceptual level are called geo-processing models and cataloged in GeoBrain as virtual product types. A conceptual workflow is instantiated into a concrete, executable workflow when a user requests a product that matches a virtual product type. Both conceptual and concrete workflows are encoded in Business Process Execution Language (BPEL). A BPEL workflow engine, called BPELPower, has been implemented to execute the workflow for the product generation. A provenance capturing service has been implemented to generate the ISO 19115-compliant complete product provenance metadata before and after the workflow execution. The generation of provenance metadata before the workflow execution allows users to examine the usability of the final product before the lengthy and expensive execution takes place. The three modes of workflow executions defined in the ISO 19119, transparent, translucent, and opaque, are available in GeoBrain. A geoprocessing modeling portal has been developed to allow domain experts to develop geoprocessing models at the type level with the support of both data and service/processing ontologies. The geoprocessing models capture the knowledge of the domain experts and are become the operational offering of the products after a proper peer review of models is conducted. An automated workflow composition has been experimented successfully based on ontologies and artificial intelligence technology. The GeoBrain workflow system has been used in multiple Earth science applications, including the monitoring of global agricultural drought, the assessment of flood damage, the derivation of national crop condition and progress information, and the detection of nuclear proliferation facilities and events.
The development of mixer machine for organic animal feed production: Proposed study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leman, A. M.; Wahab, R. Abdul; Zakaria, Supaat; Feriyanto, Dafit; Nor, M. I. F. Che Mohd; Muzarpar, Syafiq

2017-09-01

Mixer machine plays a major role in producing homogenous composition of animal feed. Long time production, inhomogeneous and minor agglomeration has been observed by existing mixer. Therefore, this paper proposed continuous mixer to enhance mixing efficiency with shorter time of mixing process in order to abbreviate the whole process in animal feed production. Through calculation of torque, torsion, bending, power and energy consumption will perform in mixer machine process. Proposed mixer machine is designed by two layer buckets with purpose for continuity of mixing process. Mixing process was performed by 4 blades which consists of various arm length such as 50, 100,150 and 225 mm in 60 rpm velocity clockwise rotation. Therefore by using this machine will produce the homogenous composition of animal feed through nutrition analysis and short operation time of mixing process approximately of 5 minutes. Therefore, the production of animal feed will suitable for various animals including poultry and aquatic fish. This mixer will available for various organic material in animal feed production. Therefore, this paper will highlights some areas such as continues animal feed supply chain and bio-based animal feed.
Integrating enzyme fermentation in lignocellulosic ethanol production: life-cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis.

PubMed

Olofsson, Johanna; Barta, Zsolt; Börjesson, Pål; Wallberg, Ola

2017-01-01

Cellulase enzymes have been reported to contribute with a significant share of the total costs and greenhouse gas emissions of lignocellulosic ethanol production today. A potential future alternative to purchasing enzymes from an off-site manufacturer is to integrate enzyme and ethanol production, using microorganisms and part of the lignocellulosic material as feedstock for enzymes. This study modelled two such integrated process designs for ethanol from logging residues from spruce production, and compared it to an off-site case based on existing data regarding purchased enzymes. Greenhouse gas emissions and primary energy balances were studied in a life-cycle assessment, and cost performance in a techno-economic analysis. The base case scenario suggests that greenhouse gas emissions per MJ of ethanol could be significantly lower in the integrated cases than in the off-site case. However, the difference between the integrated and off-site cases is reduced with alternative assumptions regarding enzyme dosage and the environmental impact of the purchased enzymes. The comparison of primary energy balances did not show any significant difference between the cases. The minimum ethanol selling price, to reach break-even costs, was from 0.568 to 0.622 EUR L -1 for the integrated cases, as compared to 0.581 EUR L -1 for the off-site case. An integrated process design could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from lignocellulose-based ethanol production, and the cost of an integrated process could be comparable to purchasing enzymes produced off-site. This study focused on the environmental and economic assessment of an integrated process, and in order to strengthen the comparison to the off-site case, more detailed and updated data regarding industrial off-site enzyme production are especially important.
A kinetic modeling of chondrocyte culture for manufacture of tissue-engineered cartilage.

PubMed

Kino-Oka, Masahiro; Maeda, Yoshikatsu; Yamamoto, Takeyuki; Sugawara, Katsura; Taya, Masahito

2005-03-01

For repairing articular cartilage defects, innovative techniques based on tissue engineering have been developed and are now entering into the practical stage of clinical application by means of grafting in vitro cultured products. A variety of natural and artificial materials available for scaffolds, which permit chondrocyte cells to aggregate, have been designed for their ability to promote cell growth and differentiation. From the viewpoint of the manufacturing process for tissue-engineered cartilage, the diverse nature of raw materials (seeding cells) and end products (cultured cartilage) oblige us to design a tailor-made process with less reproducibility, which is an obstacle to establishing a production doctrine based on bioengineering knowledge concerning growth kinetics and modeling as well as designs of bioreactors and culture operations for certification of high product quality. In this article, we review the recent advances in the manufacturing of tissue-engineered cartilage. After outlining the manufacturing processes for tissue-engineered cartilage in the first section, the second and third sections, respectively, describe the three-dimensional culture of chondrocytes with Aterocollagen gel and kinetic model consideration as a tool for evaluating this culture process. In the final section, culture strategy is discussed in terms of the combined processes of monolayer growth (ex vivo chondrocyte cell expansion) and three-dimensional growth (construction of cultured cartilage in the gel).
Performance evaluation of the multiple root node approach to the Rete pattern matcher for production systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sohn, A.; Gaudiot, J.-L.

1991-12-31

Much effort has been expanded on special architectures and algorithms dedicated to efficient processing of the pattern matching step of production systems. In this paper, the authors investigate the possible improvement on the Rete pattern matcher for production systems. Inefficiencies in the Rete match algorithm have been identified, based on which they introduce a pattern matcher with multiple root nodes. A complete implementation of the multiple root node-based production system interpreter is presented to investigate its relative algorithmic behavior over the Rete-based Ops5 production system interpreter. Benchmark production system programs are executed (not simulated) on a sequential machine Sun 4/490more » by using both interpreters and various experimental results are presented. Their investigation indicates that the multiple root node-based production system interpreter would give a maximum of up to 6-fold improvement over the Lisp implementation of the Rete-based Ops5 for the match step.« less
Advances in in-situ product recovery (ISPR) in whole cell biotechnology during the last decade.

PubMed

Van Hecke, Wouter; Kaur, Guneet; De Wever, Heleen

2014-11-15

The review presents the state-of-the-art in the applications of in-situ product recovery (ISPR) in whole-cell biotechnology over the last 10years. It summarizes various ISPR-integrated fermentation processes for the production of a wide spectrum of bio-based products. A critical assessment of the performance of various ISPR concepts with respect to the degree of product enrichment, improved productivity, reduced process flows and increased yields is provided. Requirements to allow a successful industrial implementation of ISPR are also discussed. Finally, supporting technologies such as online monitoring, mathematical modeling and use of recombinant microorganisms with ISPR are presented. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
NDSI products system based on Hadoop platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yan; Jiang, He; Yang, Xiaoxia; Geng, Erhui

2015-12-01

Snow is solid state of water resources on earth, and plays an important role in human life. Satellite remote sensing is significant in snow extraction with the advantages of cyclical, macro, comprehensiveness, objectivity, timeliness. With the continuous development of remote sensing technology, remote sensing data access to the trend of multiple platforms, multiple sensors and multiple perspectives. At the same time, in view of the remote sensing data of compute-intensive applications demand increase gradually. However, current the producing system of remote sensing products is in a serial mode, and this kind of production system is used for professional remote sensing researchers mostly, and production systems achieving automatic or semi-automatic production are relatively less. Facing massive remote sensing data, the traditional serial mode producing system with its low efficiency has been difficult to meet the requirements of mass data timely and efficient processing. In order to effectively improve the production efficiency of NDSI products, meet the demand of large-scale remote sensing data processed timely and efficiently, this paper build NDSI products production system based on Hadoop platform, and the system mainly includes the remote sensing image management module, NDSI production module, and system service module. Main research contents and results including: (1)The remote sensing image management module: includes image import and image metadata management two parts. Import mass basis IRS images and NDSI product images (the system performing the production task output) into HDFS file system; At the same time, read the corresponding orbit ranks number, maximum/minimum longitude and latitude, product date, HDFS storage path, Hadoop task ID (NDSI products), and other metadata information, and then create thumbnails, and unique ID number for each record distribution, import it into base/product image metadata database. (2)NDSI production module: includes the index calculation, production tasks submission and monitoring two parts. Read HDF images related to production task in the form of a byte stream, and use Beam library to parse image byte stream to the form of Product; Use MapReduce distributed framework to perform production tasks, at the same time monitoring task status; When the production task complete, calls remote sensing image management module to store NDSI products. (3)System service module: includes both image search and DNSI products download. To image metadata attributes described in JSON format, return to the image sequence ID existing in the HDFS file system; For the given MapReduce task ID, package several task output NDSI products into ZIP format file, and return to the download link (4)System evaluation: download massive remote sensing data and use the system to process it to get the NDSI products testing the performance, and the result shows that the system has high extendibility, strong fault tolerance, fast production speed, and the image processing results with high accuracy.

Laser beam welding quality monitoring system based in high-speed (10 kHz) uncooled MWIR imaging sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linares, Rodrigo; Vergara, German; Gutiérrez, Raúl; Fernández, Carlos; Villamayor, Víctor; Gómez, Luis; González-Camino, Maria; Baldasano, Arturo; Castro, G.; Arias, R.; Lapido, Y.; Rodríguez, J.; Romero, Pablo

2015-05-01

The combination of flexibility, productivity, precision and zero-defect manufacturing in future laser-based equipment are a major challenge that faces this enabling technology. New sensors for online monitoring and real-time control of laserbased processes are necessary for improving products quality and increasing manufacture yields. New approaches to fully automate processes towards zero-defect manufacturing demand smarter heads where lasers, optics, actuators, sensors and electronics will be integrated in a unique compact and affordable device. Many defects arising in laser-based manufacturing processes come from instabilities in the dynamics of the laser process. Temperature and heat dynamics are key parameters to be monitored. Low cost infrared imagers with high-speed of response will constitute the next generation of sensors to be implemented in future monitoring and control systems for laser-based processes, capable to provide simultaneous information about heat dynamics and spatial distribution. This work describes the result of using an innovative low-cost high-speed infrared imager based on the first quantum infrared imager monolithically integrated with Si-CMOS ROIC of the market. The sensor is able to provide low resolution images at frame rates up to 10 KHz in uncooled operation at the same cost as traditional infrared spot detectors. In order to demonstrate the capabilities of the new sensor technology, a low-cost camera was assembled on a standard production laser welding head, allowing to register melting pool images at frame rates of 10 kHz. In addition, a specific software was developed for defect detection and classification. Multiple laser welding processes were recorded with the aim to study the performance of the system and its application to the real-time monitoring of laser welding processes. During the experiments, different types of defects were produced and monitored. The classifier was fed with the experimental images obtained. Self-learning strategies were implemented with very promising results, demonstrating the feasibility of using low-cost high-speed infrared imagers in advancing towards a real-time / in-line zero-defect production systems.
Occurrence, distribution and contamination levels of heat-resistant moulds throughout the processing of pasteurized high-acid fruit products.

PubMed

Santos, Juliana Lane Paixão Dos; Samapundo, Simbarashe; Biyikli, Ayse; Van Impe, Jan; Akkermans, Simen; Höfte, Monica; Abatih, Emmanuel Nji; Sant'Ana, Anderson S; Devlieghere, Frank

2018-05-19

Heat-resistant moulds (HRMs) are well known for their ability to survive pasteurization and spoil high-acid food products, which is of great concern for processors of fruit-based products worldwide. Whilst the majority of the studies on HRMs over the last decades have addressed their inactivation, few data are currently available regarding their contamination levels in fruit and fruit-based products. Thus, this study aimed to quantify and identify heat-resistant fungal ascospores from samples collected throughout the processing of pasteurized high-acid fruit products. In addition, an assessment on the effect of processing on the contamination levels of HRMs in these products was carried out. A total of 332 samples from 111 batches were analyzed from three processing plants (=three processing lines): strawberry puree (n = 88, Belgium), concentrated orange juice (n = 90, Brazil) and apple puree (n = 154, the Netherlands). HRMs were detected in 96.4% (107/111) of the batches and 59.3% (197/332) of the analyzed samples. HRMs were present in 90.9% of the samples from the strawberry puree processing line (1-215 ascospores/100 g), 46.7% of the samples from the orange juice processing line (1-200 ascospores/100 g) and 48.7% of samples from the apple puree processing line (1-84 ascospores/100 g). Despite the high occurrence, the majority (76.8%, 255/332) of the samples were either not contaminated or presented low levels of HRMs (<10 ascospores/100 g). For both strawberry puree and concentrated orange juice, processing had no statistically significant effect on the levels of HRMs (p > 0.05). On the contrary, a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in HRMs levels was observed during the processing of apple puree. Twelve species were identified belonging to four genera - Byssochlamys, Aspergillus with Neosartorya-type ascospores, Talaromyces and Rasamsonia. N. fumigata (23.6%), N. fischeri (19.1%) and B. nivea (5.5%) were the predominant species in pasteurized products. The quantitative data (contamination levels of HRMs) were fitted to exponential distributions and will ultimately be included as input to spoilage risk assessment models which would allow better control of the spoilage of heat treated fruit products caused by heat-resistant moulds. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Solid state recycling of aluminium alloys via a porthole die hot extrusion process: Scaling up to production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paraskevas, Dimos; Kellens, Karel; Deng, Yelin; Dewulf, Wim; Kampen, Carlos; Duflou, Joost R.

2017-10-01

Whereas industrial symbiosis has led to increased energy and resource efficiency in process industries, this concept has not yet been applied in discrete product manufacturing. Metal scrap is first conventionally recycled, for which substantial energy and resource efficiency losses have been reported. Recent research has however proven the feasibility of `meltless' recycling of light metal scrap, yielding a first glimpse of potential industrial symbiosis. Various solid state recycling techniques (such as recycling via hot extrusion or Spark Plasma Sintering) have been proposed for scrap consolidation directly into bulk products or semis by physical disruption and dispersion of the oxide surface film by imposing significant plastic and shear strain. Solid State Recycling (SSR) methods can omit substantial material losses as they bypass the metallurgical recycling step. In this context the case of direct production of bulk aluminium profiles via hot extrusion at industrial scale is demonstrated within this paper. The extrusion tests were performed directly into the production line, highlighting the scaling up potentials and the industrial relevance of this research. A significant amount of machining chips were collected, chemically cleaned and cold compacted into chip based billets with ˜80% relative density. Afterwards the scrap consolidation was achieved by imposing significant plastic and shear deformation into the material during hot extrusion through a modified 2-porthole extrusion die-set. The production process sequence along with microstructural investigations and mechanical properties comparison of the cast based profile used as reference versus the chip based profile are presented.
The research on construction and application of machining process knowledge base

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Tan; Qiao, Lihong; Qie, Yifan; Guo, Kai

2018-03-01

In order to realize the application of knowledge in machining process design, from the perspective of knowledge in the application of computer aided process planning(CAPP), a hierarchical structure of knowledge classification is established according to the characteristics of mechanical engineering field. The expression of machining process knowledge is structured by means of production rules and the object-oriented methods. Three kinds of knowledge base models are constructed according to the representation of machining process knowledge. In this paper, the definition and classification of machining process knowledge, knowledge model, and the application flow of the process design based on the knowledge base are given, and the main steps of the design decision of the machine tool are carried out as an application by using the knowledge base.
Examination of the relationship between oncology drug labeling revision frequency and FDA product categorization.

PubMed

Berlin, Robert J

2009-09-01

I examined the relationship between the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) use of special regulatory designations and the frequency with which labels of oncology drugs are revised to explore how the FDA's designation of products relates to product development and refinement. One hundred oncology drugs, designated by the FDA as accelerated approval, priority review, orphan drug, or traditional review, were identified from publicly available information. Drug information for each product was evaluated to assess the rate at which manufacturers revised product labeling. Rates were compared between specially categorized products and traditional review products (e.g., orphan vs nonorphan drugs) to produce revision rate ratios for each special category. Labeling for accelerated approval and priority review products are revised significantly more frequently than are labels for traditional products. Accelerated approval products are approved based on surrogate endpoints; this approval process anticipates subsequent labeling refinement. Priority review products, however, are approved through a process that is ostensibly as rigorous as traditional review. Their higher than expected label revision rate may suggest deficiencies in the FDA's current priority review evaluation processes.
Use of artificial intelligence in the production of high quality minced meat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kapovsky, B. R.; Pchelkina, V. A.; Plyasheshnik, P. I.; Dydykin, A. S.; Lazarev, A. A.

2017-09-01

A design for an automatic line for minced meat production according to new production technology based on an innovative meat milling method is proposed. This method allows the necessary degree of raw material comminution at the stage of raw material preparation to be obtained, which leads to production intensification due to the traditional meat mass comminution equipment being unnecessary. To ensure consistent quality of the product obtained, the use of on-line automatic control of the technological process for minced meat production is envisaged. This system has been developed using artificial intelligence methods and technologies. The system is trainable during the operation process, adapts to changes in processed raw material characteristics and to external impacts that affect the system operation, and manufactures meat shavings with minimal dispersion of the typical particle size. The control system includes equipment for express analysis of the chemical composition of the minced meat and its temperature after comminution. In this case, the minced meat production process can be controlled strictly as a function of time, which excludes subjective factors for assessing the degree of finished product readiness. This will allow finished meat products with consistent, targeted high quality to be produced.
Contribution au developpement d'une methode de controle des procedes dans une usine de bouletage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gosselin, Claude

This thesis, a collaborative effort between Ecole de technologie superieure and ArcelorMittal Company, presents the development of a methodology for monitoring and quality control of multivariable industrial production processes. This innovation research mandate was developed at ArcelorMittal Exploitation Miniere (AMEM) pellet plant in Port-Cartier (Quebec, Canada). With this undertaking, ArcelorMittal is striving to maintain its world class level of excellence and continues to pursue initiatives that can augment its competitive advantage worldwide. The plant's gravimetric classification process was retained as a prototype and development laboratory due to its effect on the company's competitiveness and its impact on subsequent steps leading to final production of iron oxide pellets. Concretely, the development of this expertise in process control and in situ monitoring will establish a firm basic knowledge in the fields of complex system physical modeling, data reconciliation, statistical observers, multivariate command and quality control using real-time monitoring of the desirability function. The hydraulic classifier is mathematically modeled. Using planned disturbances on the production line, an identification procedure was established to provide empirical estimations of the model's structural parameters. A new sampling campaign and a previously unpublished data collection and consolidation policy were implemented plant-wide. Access to these invaluable data sources has enabled the establishment of new thresholds that govern the production process and its control. Finally, as a substitute for the traditional quality control process, we have implemented a new strategy based on the use of the desirability function. Our innovation is not in using this Finally, as a substitute for the traditional quality control process, we have implemented a new strategy based on the use of the desirability function. Our innovation is not in using this function as an indicator of overall (economic) satisfaction in the production process, but rather in proposing it as an "observer" of the system's state. The first implementation steps have already demonstrated the method's feasibility as well as other numerous industrial impacts on production processes within the company. Namely, the emergence of the economical aspect as a strategic variable that assures better governance of production processes where quality variables present strategic issues.
Climatological Downscaling and Evaluation of AGRMET Precipitation Analyses Over the Continental U.S.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, M.; Peters-Lidard, C. D.; Eylander, J. B.; Daly, C.; Tian, Y.; Zeng, J.

2007-05-01

The spatially distributed application of a land surface model (LSM) over a region of interest requires the application of similarly distributed precipitation fields that can be derived from various sources, including surface gauge networks, surface-based radar, and orbital platforms. The spatial variability of precipitation influences the spatial organization of soil temperature and moisture states and, consequently, the spatial variability of land- atmosphere fluxes. The accuracy of spatially-distributed precipitation fields can contribute significantly to the uncertainty of model-based hydrological states and fluxes at the land surface. Collaborations between the Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA), NASA, and Oregon State University have led to improvements in the processing of meteorological forcing inputs for the NASA-GSFC Land Information System (LIS; Kumar et al. 2006), a sophisticated framework for LSM operation and model coupling experiments. Efforts at AFWA toward the production of surface hydrometeorological products are currently in transition from the legacy Agricultural Meteorology modeling system (AGRMET) to use of the LIS framework and procedures. Recent enhancements to meteorological input processing for application to land surface models in LIS include the assimilation of climate-based information for the spatial interpolation and downscaling of precipitation fields. Climatological information included in the LIS-based downscaling procedure for North America is provided by a monthly high-resolution PRISM (Daly et al. 1994, 2002; Daly 2006) dataset based on a 30-year analysis period. The combination of these sources and methods attempts to address the strengths and weaknesses of available legacy products, objective interpolation methods, and the PRISM knowledge-based methodology. All of these efforts are oriented on an operational need for timely estimation of spatial precipitation fields at adequate spatial resolution for customer dissemination and near-real-time simulations in regions of interest. This work focuses on value added to the AGRMET precipitation product by the inclusion of high-quality climatological information on a monthly time scale. The AGRMET method uses microwave-based satellite precipitation estimates from various polar-orbiting platforms (NOAA POES and DMSP), infrared-based estimates from geostationary platforms (GOES, METEOSAT, etc.), related cloud analysis products, and surface gauge observations in a complex and hierarchical blending process. Results from processing of the legacy AGRMET precipitation products over the U.S. using LIS-based methods for downscaling, both with and without climatological factors, are evaluated against high-resolution monthly analyses using the PRISM knowledge- based method (Daly et al. 2002). It is demonstrated that the incorporation of climatological information in a downscaling procedure can significantly enhance the accuracy, and potential utility, of AFWA precipitation products for military and civilian customer applications.
Application of Context Input Process and Product Model in Curriculum Evaluation: Case Study of a Call Centre

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kavgaoglu, Derya; Alci, Bülent

2016-01-01

The goal of this research which was carried out in reputable dedicated call centres within the Turkish telecommunication sector aims is to evaluate competence-based curriculums designed by means of internal funding through Stufflebeam's context, input, process, product (CIPP) model. In the research, a general scanning pattern in the scope of…
Assessing changes to South African maize production areas in 2055 using empirical and process-based crop models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Estes, L.; Bradley, B.; Oppenheimer, M.; Beukes, H.; Schulze, R. E.; Tadross, M.

2010-12-01

Rising temperatures and altered precipitation patterns associated with climate change pose a significant threat to crop production, particularly in developing countries. In South Africa, a semi-arid country with a diverse agricultural sector, anthropogenic climate change is likely to affect staple crops and decrease food security. Here, we focus on maize production, South Africa’s most widely grown crop and one with high socio-economic value. We build on previous coarser-scaled studies by working at a finer spatial resolution and by employing two different modeling approaches: the process-based DSSAT Cropping System Model (CSM, version 4.5), and an empirical distribution model (Maxent). For climate projections, we use an ensemble of 10 general circulation models (GCMs) run under both high and low CO2 emissions scenarios (SRES A2 and B1). The models were down-scaled to historical climate records for 5838 quinary-scale catchments covering South Africa (mean area = 164.8 km2), using a technique based on self-organizing maps (SOMs) that generates precipitation patterns more consistent with observed gradients than those produced by the parent GCMs. Soil hydrological and mechanical properties were derived from textural and compositional data linked to a map of 26422 land forms (mean area = 46 km2), while organic carbon from 3377 soil profiles was mapped using regression kriging with 8 spatial predictors. CSM was run using typical management parameters for the several major dryland maize production regions, and with projected CO2 values. The Maxent distribution model was trained using maize locations identified using annual phenology derived from satellite images coupled with airborne crop sampling observations. Temperature and precipitation projections were based on GCM output, with an additional 10% increase in precipitation to simulate higher water-use efficiency under future CO2 concentrations. The two modeling approaches provide spatially explicit projections of gains and losses in maize productivity. We identify several areas-particularly along the southern and eastern boundaries of current production-with potential for increased productivity. However, larger areas, primarily in the more arid western and northern production regions, are likely to experience diminished productivity. The combination of process-based and distribution models for agricultural impacts assessments provides a useful comparison of two different crop modeling frameworks, as well as the finest scale investigation using a spatially-explicit implementation of a process-based model for South Africa. The large GCM ensemble and multiple emissions scenarios provide a broad climate risk assessment for current maize production. SOM downscaling can help improve climate impacts assessments by increasing their resolution, and by circumventing GCM precipitation schemes whose outcomes are highly divergent.
Extraction and purification methods in downstream processing of plant-based recombinant proteins.

PubMed

Łojewska, Ewelina; Kowalczyk, Tomasz; Olejniczak, Szymon; Sakowicz, Tomasz

2016-04-01

During the last two decades, the production of recombinant proteins in plant systems has been receiving increased attention. Currently, proteins are considered as the most important biopharmaceuticals. However, high costs and problems with scaling up the purification and isolation processes make the production of plant-based recombinant proteins a challenging task. This paper presents a summary of the information regarding the downstream processing in plant systems and provides a comprehensible overview of its key steps, such as extraction and purification. To highlight the recent progress, mainly new developments in the downstream technology have been chosen. Furthermore, besides most popular techniques, alternative methods have been described. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Life cycle design and design management strategies in fashion apparel manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tutia, R.; Mendes, FD; Ventura, A.

2017-10-01

The generation of solid textile waste in the process of development and clothing production is an error that causes serious damages to the environment and must be minimized. The greatest volume of textile residues is generated by the department of cut, such as textiles parings and snips that are not used in the productive process. (MILAN et al, 2007). One way to conceive new products environmently conscious is turned to the adoption of a methodology based on Life Cycle Design (LCD) and Design Management.
Audience-Contingent Variation in Action Demonstrations for Humans and Computers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herberg, Jonathan S.; Saylor, Megan M.; Ratanaswasd, Palis; Levin, Daniel T.; Wilkes, D. Mitchell

2008-01-01

People may exhibit two kinds of modifications when demonstrating action for others: modifications to facilitate bottom-up, or sensory-based processing; and modifications to facilitate top-down, or knowledge-based processing. The current study examined actors' production of such modifications in action demonstrations for audiences that differed in…
Analyzing Hedges in Verbal Communication: An Adaptation-Based Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Yuling

2010-01-01

Based on Adaptation Theory, the article analyzes the production process of hedges. The procedure consists of the continuous making of choices in linguistic forms and communicative strategies. These choices are made just for adaptation to the contextual correlates. Besides, the adaptation process is dynamic, intentional and bidirectional.
Forming a single layer of a composite powder based on the Ti-Nb system via selective laser melting (SLM)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saprykin, A. A.; Sharkeev, Yu P.; Ibragimov, E. A.; Babakova, E. V.; Dudikhin, D. V.

2016-07-01

Alloys based on the titanium-niobium system are widely used in implant production. It is conditional, first of all, on the low modulus of elasticity and bio-inert properties of an alloy. These alloys are especially important for tooth replacement and orthopedic surgery. At present alloys based on the titanium-niobium system are produced mainly using conventional metallurgical methods. The further subtractive manufacturing an end product results in a lot of wastes, increasing, therefore, its cost. The alternative of these processes is additive manufacturing. Selective laser melting is a technology, which makes it possible to synthesize products of metal powders and their blends. The point of this technology is laser melting a layer of a powdered material; then a sintered layer is coated with the next layer of powder etc. Complex products and working prototypes are made on the base of this technology. The authors of this paper address to the issue of applying selective laser melting in order to synthesize a binary alloy of a composite powder based on the titanium-niobium system. A set of 10x10 mm samples is made in various process conditions. The samples are made by an experimental selective laser synthesis machine «VARISKAF-100MB». The machine provides adjustment of the following process variables: laser emission power, scanning rate and pitch, temperature of powder pre-heating, thickness of the layer to be sprinkled, and diameter of laser spot focusing. All samples are made in the preliminary vacuumized shielding atmosphere of argon. The porosity and thickness of the sintered layer related to the laser emission power are shown at various scanning rates. It is revealed that scanning rate and laser emission power are adjustable process variables, having the greatest effect on forming the sintered layer.
Feasibility of Producing and Using Biomass-Based Diesel and Jet Fuel in the United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Milbrandt, A.; Kinchin, C.; McCormick, R.

The study summarizes the best available public data on the production, capacity, cost, market demand, and feedstock availability for the production of biomass-based diesel and jet fuel. It includes an overview of the current conversion processes and current state-of-development for the production of biomass-based jet and diesel fuel, as well as the key companies pursuing this effort. Thediscussion analyzes all this information in the context of meeting the RFS mandate, highlights uncertainties for the future industry development, and key business opportunities.
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Simpson, L.; Britt, J.; Birkmire, R.

ITN Energy Systems, Inc., and Global Solar Energy, Inc., assisted by NREL's PV Manufacturing R&D program, have continued to advance CIGS production technology by developing trajectory-oriented predictive/control models, fault-tolerance control, control platform development, in-situ sensors, and process improvements. Modeling activities included developing physics-based and empirical models for CIGS and sputter-deposition processing, implementing model-based control, and applying predictive models to the construction of new evaporation sources and for control. Model-based control is enabled by implementing reduced or empirical models into a control platform. Reliability improvement activities include implementing preventive maintenance schedules; detecting failed sensors/equipment and reconfiguring to tinue processing; and systematicmore » development of fault prevention and reconfiguration strategies for the full range of CIGS PV production deposition processes. In-situ sensor development activities have resulted in improved control and indicated the potential for enhanced process status monitoring and control of the deposition processes. Substantial process improvements have been made, including significant improvement in CIGS uniformity, thickness control, efficiency, yield, and throughput. In large measure, these gains have been driven by process optimization, which in turn have been enabled by control and reliability improvements due to this PV Manufacturing R&D program.« less
Land transportation model for supply chain manufacturing industries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurniawan, Fajar

2017-12-01

Supply chain is a system that integrates production, inventory, distribution and information processes for increasing productivity and minimize costs. Transportation is an important part of the supply chain system, especially for supporting the material distribution process, work in process products and final products. In fact, Jakarta as the distribution center of manufacturing industries for the industrial area. Transportation system has a large influences on the implementation of supply chain process efficiency. The main problem faced in Jakarta is traffic jam that will affect on the time of distribution. Based on the system dynamic model, there are several scenarios that can provide solutions to minimize timing of distribution that will effect on the cost such as the construction of ports approaching industrial areas other than Tanjung Priok, widening road facilities, development of railways system, and the development of distribution center.
Waste valorization by biotechnological conversion into added value products.

PubMed

Liguori, Rossana; Amore, Antonella; Faraco, Vincenza

2013-07-01

Fossil fuel reserves depletion, global warming, unrelenting population growth, and costly and problematic waste recycling call for renewable resources of energy and consumer products. As an alternative to the 100 % oil economy, production processes based on biomass can be developed. Huge amounts of lignocellulosic wastes are yearly produced all around the world. They include agricultural residues, food farming wastes, "green-grocer's wastes," tree pruning residues, and organic and paper fraction of urban solid wastes. The common ways currently adopted for disposal of these wastes present environmental and economic disadvantages. As an alternative, processes for adding value to wastes producing high added products should be developed, that is the upgrading concept: adding value to wastes by production of a product with desired reproducible properties, having economic and ecological advantages. A wide range of high added value products, such as enzymes, biofuels, organic acids, biopolymers, bioelectricity, and molecules for food and pharmaceutical industries, can be obtained by upgrading solid wastes. The most recent advancements of their production by biotechnological processes are overviewed in this manuscript.
A Low-cost, High-yield Process for the Direct Productin of High Energy Density Liquid Fuel from Biomass

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Agrawal, Rakesh; Delgass, W. N.; Ribeiro, F.

2013-08-31

The primary objective and outcome of this project was the development and validation of a novel, low-cost, high-pressure fast-hydropyrolysis/hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) process (H 2Bioil) using supplementary hydrogen (H 2) to produce liquid hydrocarbons from biomass. The research efforts under the various tasks of the project have culminated in the first experimental demonstration of the H 2Bioil process, producing 100% deoxygenated >C4+ hydrocarbons containing 36-40% of the carbon in the feed of pyrolysis products from biomass. The demonstrated H{sub 2}Bioil process technology (i.e. reactor, catalyst, and downstream product recovery) is scalable to a commercial level and is estimated to be economically competitivemore » for the cases when supplementary H 2 is sourced from coal, natural gas, or nuclear. Additionally, energy systems modeling has revealed several process integration options based on the H 2Bioilprocess for energy and carbon efficient liquid fuel production. All project tasks and milestones were completed or exceeded. Novel, commercially-scalable, high-pressure reactors for both fast-hydropyrolysis and hydrodeoxygenation were constructed, completing Task A. These reactors were capable of operation under a wide-range of conditions; enabling process studies that lead to identification of optimum process conditions. Model compounds representing biomass pyrolysis products were studied, completing Task B. These studies were critical in identifying and developing HDO catalysts to target specific oxygen functional groups. These process and model compound catalyst studies enabled identification of catalysts that achieved 100% deoxygenation of the real biomass feedstock, sorghum, to form hydrocarbons in high yields as part of Task C. The work completed during this grant has identified and validated the novel and commercially scalable H 2Bioil process for production of hydrocarbon fuels from biomass. Studies on model compounds as well as real biomass feedstocks were utilized to identify optimized process conditions and selective HDO catalyst for high yield production of hydrocarbons from biomass. In addition to these experimental efforts, in Tasks D and E, we have developed a mathematical optimization framework to identify carbon and energy efficient biomass-to-liquid fuel process designs that integrate the use of different primary energy sources along with biomass (e.g. solar, coal or natural gas) for liquid fuel production. Using this tool, we have identified augmented biomass-to-liquid fuel configurations based on the fast-hydropyrolysis/HDO pathway, which was experimentally studied in this project. The computational approach used for screening alternative process configurations represents a unique contribution to the field of biomass processing for liquid fuel production.« less

Numerical Simulation of Non-Thermal Food Preservation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rauh, C.; Krauss, J.; Ertunc, Ö.; Delgado, a.

2010-09-01

Food preservation is an important process step in food technology regarding product safety and product quality. Novel preservation techniques are currently developed, that aim at improved sensory and nutritional value but comparable safety than in conventional thermal preservation techniques. These novel non-thermal food preservation techniques are based for example on high pressures up to one GPa or pulsed electric fields. in literature studies the high potential of high pressures (HP) and of pulsed electric fields (PEF) is shown due to their high retention of valuable food components as vitamins and flavour and selective inactivation of spoiling enzymes and microorganisms. for the design of preservation processes based on the non-thermal techniques it is crucial to predict the effect of high pressure and pulsed electric fields on the food components and on the spoiling enzymes and microorganisms locally and time-dependent in the treated product. Homogenous process conditions (especially of temperature fields in HP and PEF processing and of electric fields in PEF) are aimed at to avoid the need of over-processing and the connected quality loss and to minimize safety risks due to under-processing. the present contribution presents numerical simulations of thermofluiddynamical phenomena inside of high pressure autoclaves and pulsed electric field treatment chambers. in PEF processing additionally the electric fields are considered. Implementing kinetics of occurring (bio-) chemical reactions in the numerical simulations of the temperature, flow and electric fields enables the evaluation of the process homogeneity and efficiency connected to different process parameters of the preservation techniques. Suggestions to achieve safe and high quality products are concluded out of the numerical results.
Process for conversion of lignin to reformulated, partially oxygenated gasoline

DOEpatents

Shabtai, Joseph S.; Zmierczak, Wlodzimierz W.; Chornet, Esteban

2001-01-09

A high-yield process for converting lignin into reformulated, partially oxygenated gasoline compositions of high quality is provided. The process is a two-stage catalytic reaction process that produces a reformulated, partially oxygenated gasoline product with a controlled amount of aromatics. In the first stage of the process, a lignin feed material is subjected to a base-catalyzed depolymerization reaction, followed by a selective hydrocracking reaction which utilizes a superacid catalyst to produce a high oxygen-content depolymerized lignin product mainly composed of alkylated phenols, alkylated alkoxyphenols, and alkylbenzenes. In the second stage of the process, the depolymerized lignin product is subjected to an exhaustive etherification reaction, optionally followed by a partial ring hydrogenation reaction, to produce a reformulated, partially oxygenated/etherified gasoline product, which includes a mixture of substituted phenyl/methyl ethers, cycloalkyl methyl ethers, C.sub.7 -C.sub.10 alkylbenzenes, C.sub.6 -C.sub.10 branched and multibranched paraffins, and alkylated and polyalkylated cycloalkanes.
Anomaly Detection in Nanofibrous Materials by CNN-Based Self-Similarity

PubMed Central

Schettini, Raimondo

2018-01-01

Automatic detection and localization of anomalies in nanofibrous materials help to reduce the cost of the production process and the time of the post-production visual inspection process. Amongst all the monitoring methods, those exploiting Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) imaging are the most effective. In this paper, we propose a region-based method for the detection and localization of anomalies in SEM images, based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and self-similarity. The method evaluates the degree of abnormality of each subregion of an image under consideration by computing a CNN-based visual similarity with respect to a dictionary of anomaly-free subregions belonging to a training set. The proposed method outperforms the state of the art. PMID:29329268
Rheology as a tool for evaluation of melt processability of innovative dosage forms.

PubMed

Aho, Johanna; Boetker, Johan P; Baldursdottir, Stefania; Rantanen, Jukka

2015-10-30

Future manufacturing of pharmaceuticals will involve innovative use of polymeric excipients. Hot melt extrusion (HME) is an already established manufacturing technique and several products based on HME are on the market. Additionally, processing based on, e.g., HME or three dimensional (3D) printing, will have an increasingly important role when designing products for flexible dosing, since dosage forms based on compacting of a given powder mixture do not enable manufacturing of optimal pharmaceutical products for personalized treatments. The melt processability of polymers and API-polymer mixtures is highly dependent on the rheological properties of these systems, and rheological measurements should be considered as a more central part of the material characterization tool box when selecting suitable candidates for melt processing by, e.g., HME or 3D printing. The polymer processing industry offers established platforms, methods, and models for rheological characterization, and they can often be readily applied in the field of pharmaceutical manufacturing. Thoroughly measured and calculated rheological parameters together with thermal and mechanical material data are needed for the process simulations which are also becoming increasingly important. The authors aim to give an overview to the basics of rheology and summarize examples of the studies where rheology has been utilized in setting up or evaluating extrusion processes. Furthermore, examples of different experimental set-ups available for rheological measurements are presented, discussing each of their typical application area, advantages and limitations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A case study of printing industry plant layout for effective production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viswajit, T.; Teja, T. Ravi; Deepthi, Y. P.

2017-07-01

This paper presents the overall picture of the processes happening in printing industry. This research is aimed to improve the plant layout of existing plant. The travel time was reduced by relocating machinery. Relocation is based on systematic layout planning (SLP). The complete process of raw material entering the industry to dispatching of finished product is shown in 3-D Flow diagram. The process happening in each floor explained in detail using Flow Process chart. Travel time is reduced by 25% after modifying existing plant layout.
A Comparison of the Greenhouse Impacts of Magnesium Produced By Electrolytic and Pidgeon Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramakrishnan, Subramania; Koltun, Paul

With a focus on the global warming impact, this paper deals with the cradle-to-gate life cycle study of the following two practical production systems for producing magnesium ingots: (i) Magnesite ore is processed using the Australian Magnesium process to produce anhydrous magnesium chloride, which is then electrolysed to produce magnesium; and (ii) Dolomite ore is calcined to produce magnesium oxide, which is then thermally reduced with ferrosilicon using the Pidgeon process, based on the current practice used in China for magnesium production
Development of hybrid lifecycle cost estimating tool (HLCET) for manufacturing influenced design tradeoff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sirirojvisuth, Apinut

In complex aerospace system design, making an effective design decision requires multidisciplinary knowledge from both product and process perspectives. Integrating manufacturing considerations into the design process is most valuable during the early design stages since designers have more freedom to integrate new ideas when changes are relatively inexpensive in terms of time and effort. Several metrics related to manufacturability are cost, time, and manufacturing readiness level (MRL). Yet, there is a lack of structured methodology that quantifies how changes in the design decisions impact these metrics. As a result, a new set of integrated cost analysis tools are proposed in this study to quantify the impacts. Equally important is the capability to integrate this new cost tool into the existing design methodologies without sacrificing agility and flexibility required during the early design phases. To demonstrate the applicability of this concept, a ModelCenter environment is used to develop software architecture that represents Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) methodology used in several aerospace systems designs. The environment seamlessly integrates product and process analysis tools and makes effective transition from one design phase to the other while retaining knowledge gained a priori. Then, an advanced cost estimating tool called Hybrid Lifecycle Cost Estimating Tool (HLCET), a hybrid combination of weight-, process-, and activity-based estimating techniques, is integrated with the design framework. A new weight-based lifecycle cost model is created based on Tailored Cost Model (TCM) equations [3]. This lifecycle cost tool estimates the program cost based on vehicle component weights and programmatic assumptions. Additional high fidelity cost tools like process-based and activity-based cost analysis methods can be used to modify the baseline TCM result as more knowledge is accumulated over design iterations. Therefore, with this concept, the additional manufacturing knowledge can be used to identify a more accurate lifecycle cost and facilitate higher fidelity tradeoffs during conceptual and preliminary design. Advanced Composite Cost Estimating Model (ACCEM) is employed as a process-based cost component to replace the original TCM result of the composite part production cost. The reason for the replacement is that TCM estimates production costs from part weights as a result of subtractive manufacturing of metallic origin such as casting, forging, and machining processes. A complexity factor can sometimes be adjusted to reflect different types of metal and machine settings. The TCM assumption, however, gives erroneous results when applied to additive processes like those of composite manufacturing. Another innovative aspect of this research is the introduction of a work measurement technique called Maynard Operation Sequence Technique (MOST) to be used, similarly to Activity-Based Costing (ABC) approach, to estimate manufacturing time of a part by virtue of breaking down the operations occurred during its production. ABC allows a realistic determination of cost incurred in each activity, as opposed to using a traditional method of time estimation by analogy or using response surface equations from historical process data. The MOST concept provides a tailored study of an individual process typically required for a new, innovative design. Nevertheless, the MOST idea has some challenges, one of which is its requirement to build a new process from ground up. The process development requires a Subject Matter Expertise (SME) in manufacturing method of the particular design. The SME must have also a comprehensive understanding of the MOST system so that the correct parameters are chosen. In practice, these knowledge requirements may demand people from outside of the design discipline and a priori training of MOST. To relieve the constraint, this study includes an entirely new sub-system architecture that comprises 1) a knowledge-based system to provide the required knowledge during the process selection; and 2) a new user-interface to guide the parameter selection when building the process using MOST. Also included in this study is the demonstration of how the HLCET and its constituents can be integrated with a Georgia Tech' Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) methodology. The applicability of this work will be shown through a complex aerospace design example to gain insights into how manufacturing knowledge helps make better design decisions during the early stages. The setup process is explained with an example of its utility demonstrated in a hypothetical fighter aircraft wing redesign. The evaluation of the system effectiveness against existing methodologies is illustrated to conclude the thesis.
Reconfigurable environmentally adaptive computing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coxe, Robin L. (Inventor); Galica, Gary E. (Inventor)

2008-01-01

Described are methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for reconfigurable environmentally adaptive computing technology. An environmental signal representative of an external environmental condition is received. A processing configuration is automatically selected, based on the environmental signal, from a plurality of processing configurations. A reconfigurable processing element is reconfigured to operate according to the selected processing configuration. In some examples, the environmental condition is detected and the environmental signal is generated based on the detected condition.
Life cycle assessment of corn-based ethanol production in Argentina.

PubMed

Pieragostini, Carla; Aguirre, Pío; Mussati, Miguel C

2014-02-15

The promotion of biofuels as energy for transportation in the world is mainly driven by the perspective of oil depletion, the concerns about energy security and global warming. In Argentina, the legislation has imposed the use of biofuels in blend with fossil fuels (5 to 10%) in the transport sector. The aim of this paper is to assess the environmental impact of corn-based ethanol production in the province of Santa Fe in Argentina based on the life cycle assessment methodology. The studied system includes from raw materials production to anhydrous ethanol production using dry milling technology. The system is divided into two subsystems: agricultural system and refinery system. The treatment of stillage is considered as well as the use of co-products (distiller's dried grains with solubles), but the use and/or application of the produced biofuel is not analyzed: a cradle-to-gate analysis is presented. As functional unit, 1MJ of anhydrous ethanol at biorefinery is chosen. Two life cycle impact assessment methods are selected to perform the study: Eco-indicator 99 and ReCiPe. SimaPro is the life cycle assessment software used. The influence of the perspectives on the model is analyzed by sensitivity analysis for both methods. The two selected methods identify the same relevant processes. The use of fertilizers and resources, seeds production, harvesting process, corn drying, and phosphorus fertilizers and acetamide-anillide-compounds production are the most relevant processes in agricultural system. For refinery system, corn production, supplied heat and burned natural gas result in the higher contributions. The use of distiller's dried grains with solubles has an important positive environmental impact. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Microbial production of polyhydroxybutyrate with tailor-made properties: an integrated modelling approach and experimental validation.

PubMed

Penloglou, Giannis; Chatzidoukas, Christos; Kiparissides, Costas

2012-01-01

The microbial production of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a complex process in which the final quantity and quality of the PHB depend on a large number of process operating variables. Consequently, the design and optimal dynamic operation of a microbial process for the efficient production of PHB with tailor-made molecular properties is an extremely interesting problem. The present study investigates how key process operating variables (i.e., nutritional and aeration conditions) affect the biomass production rate and the PHB accumulation in the cells and its associated molecular weight distribution. A combined metabolic/polymerization/macroscopic modelling approach, relating the process performance and product quality with the process variables, was developed and validated using an extensive series of experiments and measurements. The model predicts the dynamic evolution of the biomass growth, the polymer accumulation, the consumption of carbon and nitrogen sources and the average molecular weights of the PHB in a bioreactor, under batch and fed-batch operating conditions. The proposed integrated model was used for the model-based optimization of the production of PHB with tailor-made molecular properties in Azohydromonas lata bacteria. The process optimization led to a high intracellular PHB accumulation (up to 95% g of PHB per g of DCW) and the production of different grades (i.e., different molecular weight distributions) of PHB. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
A critical review on characterization strategies of organic matter for wastewater and water treatment processes.

PubMed

Tran, Ngoc Han; Ngo, Huu Hao; Urase, Taro; Gin, Karina Yew-Hoong

2015-10-01

The presence of organic matter (OM) in raw wastewater, treated wastewater effluents, and natural water samples has been known to cause many problems in wastewater treatment and water reclamation processes, such as treatability, membrane fouling, and the formation of potentially toxic by-products during wastewater treatment. This paper summarizes the current knowledge on the methods for characterization and quantification of OM in water samples in relation to wastewater and water treatment processes including: (i) characterization based on the biodegradability; (ii) characterization based on particle size distribution; (iii) fractionation based on the hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties; (iv) characterization based on the molecular weight (MW) size distribution; and (v) characterization based on fluorescence excitation emission matrix. In addition, the advantages, disadvantages and applications of these methods are discussed in detail. The establishment of correlations among biodegradability, hydrophobic/hydrophilic fractions, MW size distribution of OM, membrane fouling and formation of toxic by-products potential is highly recommended for further studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Opportunities for bio-based packaging technologies to improve the quality and safety of fresh and further processed muscle foods.

PubMed

Cutter, Catherine Nettles

2006-09-01

It has been well documented that vacuum or modified atmosphere packaging materials, made from polyethylene- or other plastic-based materials, have been found to improve the stability and safety of raw or further processed muscle foods. However, recent research developments have demonstrated the feasibility, utilization, and commercial application of a variety of bio-based polymers or bio-polymers made from a variety of materials, including renewable/sustainable agricultural commodities, and applied to muscle foods. A variety of these bio-based materials have been shown to prevent moisture loss, drip, reduce lipid oxidation and improve flavor attributes, as well as enhancing the handling properties, color retention, and microbial stability of foods. With consumers demanding more environmentally friendly packaging and a desire for more natural products, bio-based films or bio-polymers will continue to play an important role in the food industry by improving the quality of many products, including fresh or further processed muscle foods.
Novel active driven drop tower facility for microgravity experiments investigating production technologies on the example of substrate-free additive manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lotz, Christoph; Wessarges, Yvonne; Hermsdorf, Jörg; Ertmer, Wolfgang; Overmeyer, Ludger

2018-04-01

Through the striving of humanity into space, new production processes and technologies for the use under microgravity will be essential in the future. Production of objects in space demands for new processes, like additive manufacturing. This paper presents the concept and the realization for a new machine to investigate microgravity production processes on earth. The machine is based on linear long stator drives and a vacuum chamber carrying up to 1000 kg. For the first time high repetition rate and associated low experimental costs can provide basic research. The paper also introduces the substrate-free additive manufacturing as a future research topic and one of our primary application.
Development of an Ointment Formulation Using Hot-Melt Extrusion Technology.

PubMed

Bhagurkar, Ajinkya M; Angamuthu, Muralikrishnan; Patil, Hemlata; Tiwari, Roshan V; Maurya, Abhijeet; Hashemnejad, Seyed Meysam; Kundu, Santanu; Murthy, S Narasimha; Repka, Michael A

2016-02-01

Ointments are generally prepared either by fusion or by levigation methods. The current study proposes the use of hot-melt extrusion (HME) processing for the preparation of a polyethylene glycol base ointment. Lidocaine was used as a model drug. A modified screw design was used in this process, and parameters such as feeding rate, barrel temperature, and screw speed were optimized to obtain a uniform product. The product characteristics were compared with an ointment of similar composition prepared by conventional fusion method. The rheological properties, drug release profile, and texture characteristics of the hot-melt extruded product were similar to the conventionally prepared product. This study demonstrates a novel application of the hot-melt extrusion process in the manufacturing of topical semi-solids.
Processed and ultra-processed food products: consumption trends in Canada from 1938 to 2011.

PubMed

Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Batal, Malek; Martins, Ana Paula Bortoletto; Claro, Rafael; Levy, Renata Bertazzi; Cannon, Geoffrey; Monteiro, Carlos

2014-01-01

A classification of foods based on the nature, extent, and purpose of industrial food processing was used to assess changes in household food expenditures and dietary energy availability between 1938 and 2011 in Canada. Food acquisitions from six household food budget surveys (1938/1939 , 1953, 1969, 1984, 2001, and 2011) were classified into unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, and ready-to-consume processed or ultra-processed products. Contributions of each group to household food expenditures, and to dietary energy availability (kcal per capita) were calculated. During the period studied, household expenditures and dietary energy availability fell for both unprocessed or minimally processed foods and culinary ingredients, and rose for ready-to-consume products. The caloric share of foods fell from 34.3% to 25.6% and from 37% to 12.7% for culinary ingredients. The share of ready-to-consume products rose from 28.7% to 61.7%, and the increase was especially noteworthy for those that were ultra-processed. The most important factor that has driven changes in Canadian dietary patterns between 1938 and 2011 is the replacement of unprocessed or minimally processed foods and culinary ingredients used in the preparation of dishes and meals; these have been displaced by ready-to-consume ultra-processed products. Nutrition research and practice should incorporate information about food processing into dietary assessments.
Integrated butanol recovery for an advanced biofuel: current state and prospects.

PubMed

Xue, Chuang; Zhao, Jing-Bo; Chen, Li-Jie; Bai, Feng-Wu; Yang, Shang-Tian; Sun, Jian-Xin

2014-04-01

Butanol has recently gained increasing interest due to escalating prices in petroleum fuels and concerns on the energy crisis. However, the butanol production cost with conventional acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation by Clostridium spp. was higher than that of petrochemical processes due to the low butanol titer, yield, and productivity in bioprocesses. In particular, a low butanol titer usually leads to an extremely high recovery cost. Conventional biobutanol recovery by distillation is an energy-intensive process, which has largely restricted the economic production of biobutanol. This article thus reviews the latest studies on butanol recovery techniques including gas stripping, liquid-liquid extraction, adsorption, and membrane-based techniques, which can be used for in situ recovery of inhibitory products to enhance butanol production. The productivity of the fermentation system is improved efficiently using the in situ recovery technology; however, the recovered butanol titer remains low due to the limitations from each one of these recovery technologies, especially when the feed butanol concentration is lower than 1 % (w/v). Therefore, several innovative multi-stage hybrid processes have been proposed and are discussed in this review. These hybrid processes including two-stage gas stripping and multi-stage pervaporation have high butanol selectivity, considerably higher energy and production efficiency, and should outperform the conventional processes using single separation step or method. The development of these new integrated processes will give a momentum for the sustainable production of industrial biobutanol.
Process Monitoring Evaluation and Implementation for the Wood Abrasive Machining Process

PubMed Central

Saloni, Daniel E.; Lemaster, Richard L.; Jackson, Steven D.

2010-01-01

Wood processing industries have continuously developed and improved technologies and processes to transform wood to obtain better final product quality and thus increase profits. Abrasive machining is one of the most important of these processes and therefore merits special attention and study. The objective of this work was to evaluate and demonstrate a process monitoring system for use in the abrasive machining of wood and wood based products. The system developed increases the life of the belt by detecting (using process monitoring sensors) and removing (by cleaning) the abrasive loading during the machining process. This study focused on abrasive belt machining processes and included substantial background work, which provided a solid base for understanding the behavior of the abrasive, and the different ways that the abrasive machining process can be monitored. In addition, the background research showed that abrasive belts can effectively be cleaned by the appropriate cleaning technique. The process monitoring system developed included acoustic emission sensors which tended to be sensitive to belt wear, as well as platen vibration, but not loading, and optical sensors which were sensitive to abrasive loading. PMID:22163477
Improving the Product Documentation Process of a Small Software Company

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valtanen, Anu; Ahonen, Jarmo J.; Savolainen, Paula

Documentation is an important part of the software process, even though it is often neglected in software companies. The eternal question is how much documentation is enough. In this article, we present a practical implementation of lightweight product documentation process resulting from SPI efforts in a small company. Small companies’ financial and human resources are often limited. The documentation process described here, offers a template for creating adequate documentation consuming minimal amount of resources. The key element of the documentation process is an open source web-based bugtracking system that was customized to be used as a documentation tool. The use of the tool enables iterative and well structured documentation. The solution best serves the needs of a small company with off-the-shelf software products and striving for SPI.
Proteomics of blood-based therapeutics: a promising tool for quality assurance in transfusion medicine.

PubMed

Thiele, Thomas; Steil, Leif; Völker, Uwe; Greinacher, Andreas

2007-01-01

Blood-based therapeutics are cellular or plasma components derived from human blood. Their production requires appropriate selection and treatment of the donor and processing of cells or plasma proteins. In contrast to clearly defined, chemically synthesized drugs, blood-derived therapeutics are highly complex mixtures of plasma proteins or even more complex cells. Pathogen transmission by the product as well as changes in the integrity of blood constituents resulting in loss of function or immune modulation are currently important issues in transfusion medicine. Protein modifications can occur during various steps of the production process, such as acquisition, enrichment of separate components (e.g. coagulation factors, cell populations), virus inactivation, conservation, and storage. Contemporary proteomic strategies allow a comprehensive assessment of protein modifications with high coverage, offer capabilities for qualitative and even quantitative analysis, and for high-throughput protein identification. Traditionally, proteomics approaches predominantly relied on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Even if 2-DE is still state of the art, it has inherent limitations that are mainly based on the physicochemical properties of the proteins analyzed; for example, proteins with extremes in molecular mass and hydrophobicity (most membrane proteins) are difficult to assess by 2-DE. These limitations have fostered the development of mass spectrometry centered on non-gel-based separation approaches, which have proven to be highly successful and are thus complementing and even partially replacing 2-DE-based approaches. Although blood constituents have been extensively analyzed by proteomics, this technology has not been widely applied to assess or even improve blood-derived therapeutics, or to monitor the production processes. As proteomic technologies have the capacity to provide comprehensive information about changes occurring during processing and storage of blood products, proteomics can potentially guide improvement of pathogen inactivation procedures and engineering of stem cells, and may also allow a better understanding of factors influencing the immunogenicity of blood-derived therapeutics. An important development in proteomics is the reduction of inter-assay variability. This now allows the screening of samples taken from the same product over time or before and after processing. Optimized preparation procedures and storage conditions will reduce the risk of protein alterations, which in turn may contribute to better recovery, reduced exposure to allogeneic proteins, and increased transfusion safety.
Co-Production of Electricity and Hydrogen Using a Novel Iron-based Catalyst

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hilaly, Ahmad; Georgas, Adam; Leboreiro, Jose

2011-09-30

The primary objective of this project was to develop a hydrogen production technology for gasification applications based on a circulating fluid-bed reactor and an attrition resistant iron catalyst. The work towards achieving this objective consisted of three key activities: Development of an iron-based catalyst suitable for a circulating fluid-bed reactor; Design, construction, and operation of a bench-scale circulating fluid-bed reactor system for hydrogen production; Techno-economic analysis of the steam-iron and the pressure swing adsorption hydrogen production processes. This report describes the work completed in each of these activities during this project. The catalyst development and testing program prepared and iron-basedmore » catalysts using different support and promoters to identify catalysts that had sufficient activity for cyclic reduction with syngas and steam oxidation and attrition resistance to enable use in a circulating fluid-bed reactor system. The best performing catalyst from this catalyst development program was produced by a commercial catalyst toll manufacturer to support the bench-scale testing activities. The reactor testing systems used during material development evaluated catalysts in a single fluid-bed reactor by cycling between reduction with syngas and oxidation with steam. The prototype SIP reactor system (PSRS) consisted of two circulating fluid-bed reactors with the iron catalyst being transferred between the two reactors. This design enabled demonstration of the technical feasibility of the combination of the circulating fluid-bed reactor system and the iron-based catalyst for commercial hydrogen production. The specific activities associated with this bench-scale circulating fluid-bed reactor systems that were completed in this project included design, construction, commissioning, and operation. The experimental portion of this project focused on technical demonstration of the performance of an iron-based catalyst and a circulating fluid-bed reactor system for hydrogen production. Although a technology can be technically feasible, successful commercial deployment also requires that a technology offer an economic advantage over existing commercial technologies. To effective estimate the economics of this steam-iron process, a techno-economic analysis of this steam iron process and a commercial pressure swing adsorption process were completed. The results from this analysis described in this report show the economic potential of the steam iron process for integration with a gasification plant for coproduction of hydrogen and electricity.« less

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.