Carousel System Research Articles

Evaluating the impact of an automated drug retrieval cabinet and robotic dispensing system in a large hospital central pharmacy.

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time. To determine the impact of implementing 2 technologies in succession, the Carousel system and XR2 robot, in a hospital central pharmacy. The study examined the technologies' impact on workload shifted from fully human-involved, labor-intensive filling from shelves to Carousel and/or XR2, prevention of dispensing errors, and efficiency. Implementation occurred in 3 phases from August 2021 through October 2022. In phase I, medications were manually filled from the shelves for immediate doses and automated dispensing cabinet stock. RobotRx was used for unit-dose (UD) carts. In phase II, the Carousel system was introduced, while RobotRx was used for UD carts. In phase III, the XR2 robot was added and RobotRx was decommissioned. Epic data and time studies were utilized and analyzed with ANOVA. Over the 3 phases of implementation, workload shifted away from filling from the shelves, with 2,479, 1,044, and 864 orders filled from the shelves for phase I through phase III, respectively. The Carousel workload was 1,234 orders (phase II) and 348 orders (phase III). Nearly 71% of the workload was shifted to the XR2. The overall prevented error rate did not significantly change from phase I to phase II, remaining at 0.5%. In comparison, the error rate significantly decreased to 0.41% in phase III. Use of the Carousel system resulted in a significant reduction in dispensing errors compared to manual filling from the shelves. Use of the XR2 robot resulted in a dispensing error rate of 0%. The savings in time when using both Carousel and XR2 led to a decrease in full-time equivalents of 0.77 for pharmacists and 1.76 for pharmacy technicians. Carousel and/or XR2 significantly shift workload from manual filling to automated technologies, decrease dispensing errors, and improve efficiency, reducing pharmacist and technician workload. Time saved could allow staff to spend more time on patient-centric tasks.

Decreasing Waiting Time for Outpatient Chronic Prescriptions Pickup Using Drive through 24/7 Automated Dispensing Carousel System at King Salman Military Hospital (KSAFH)

Extended waiting periods have an effect on healthcare accessibility and delivery. The main purpose of drive through 24/7 automated dispensing carousel system is reducing the necessity for patient to visit the hospital to dispense his/her chronic medications, increasing patient's convenience and relieving congested parking spaces in the hospital. Several methods have been implemented in other countries to reduce patient waiting time. Some of which include automated dispensing system, staff scheduling plan, postal-delivery prescription, and redesign of pharmacy workflow [1-4]. In SAUDI ARABIA, one of the methods adopted was implementation of drive through 24/7 automated dispensing carousel system (DAD). DAD was developed to make patients' chronic prescription pickups easier. The hospital has implemented Capsa Healthcare’s RoboWall as a drive-through model for the first time in the global market at King Salman Armed Forces Hospital (KSAFH) to facilitate the convenient delivery of prescription drugs to patients. DAD is a collection of innovative dispensing systems that offers patients new concepts for dispensing their prescription. Pharmacy tech workstations generally have barcode-driven internal workstations, flat screen displays facing patients, Robowall software, and SMS (text messaging) modules. This project will assess were to (1) assess the effectiveness of drive through 24/7 automated dispensing carousel system in improving waiting time for outpatient chronic prescriptions pickup and determine the feasibility of this system in a busy tertiary military hospital. Data will be extracted from routinely queuing system, hospital information systems, and patient experience. The aim of this study will focus on and explore the current practice and its barriers to waiting time for outpatient chronic prescriptions pickup. Where possible, generalize the study to other military hospitals among the Ministry of Defense and other health care providers at Saudi Arabia.

Digital design of an integrated purification system for continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing

In this work dynamic models of the continuous crystallization, filtration, deliquoring, washing, and drying steps are introduced, which are developed in the open-source pharmaceutical modeling tool PharmaPy. These models enable the simulation and digital design of an integrated continuous two-stage crystallization and filtration-drying carousel system. The carousel offers an intensified process that can manufacture products with tailored properties through optimal design and control. Results show that improved crystallization design enhances overall process efficiency by improving critical material attributes of the crystal slurry for downstream filtration and drying operations. The digital design of the integrated process achieves enhanced productivity while satisfying multiple design and product quality constraints. Additionally, the impact of model uncertainty on the optimal operating conditions is investigated. The findings demonstrate the systematic process development potential of PharmaPy, providing improved process understanding, design space identification, and optimized robust operation.

Ultimate and primary biodegradation of a range of non-polymeric and polymeric surfactants in seawater.

Surfactants are a major class of chemicals commonly used in a wide range of domestic and industrial products. In this study, ultimate biodegradation of 18 surfactants representing different classes (including several polymeric alcohol ethoxylates), was determined in seawater (SW) at 20°C by the OECD306 Closed Bottle test method. After 28 days of incubation, 12 surfactants reached 60% biodegradation and were considered to be readily biodegradable in SW. The results for the 6 additional surfactants indicated that the 60% threshold level may be reached by extended incubation time, or that reduced biodegradation could be associated with toxicity of the chemicals. All these 6 surfactants were biodegraded >20% after 28 days, indicative of primary biodegradation in SW. Polymeric ethoxylates with high numbers of ethylene oxide (EO) groups (40-50 EO groups) were more slowly biodegraded than polyethoxylates with 4 to 23 EO groups. A primary biodegradation experiments of the alcohol ethoxylate (AE) C12-EO9 (3 to 18 EO groups) in a carousel system at 20°C with natural SW and a surfactant concentration of 500 µg/L, showed rapid primary biodegradation by targeted analyses of the AE, with >99% primary biodegradation after 2 days of incubation. The surfactant depletion coincided with temporary formation of polyethylene glycols, suggesting that central fission is an important degradation step in SW. A primary biodegradation experiment in the carousel system with C12-EO9 was conducted in the presence of suspended particulate materials (SPMs; marine phytoplankton and clay particles), showing that the presence of SPMs did not hamper the primary biodegradation of the surfactant. Separation of fractions in 20 µm steel filters indicated some particle association of the surfactant. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;00:0-0. © 2023 SETAC.

LSTM-Autoencoder for Vibration Anomaly Detection in Vertical Carousel Storage and Retrieval System (VCSRS).

Industry 5.0, also known as the "smart factory", is an evolution of manufacturing technology that utilizes advanced data analytics and machine learning techniques to optimize production processes. One key aspect of Industry 5.0 is using vibration data to monitor and detect anomalies in machinery and equipment. In the case of a vertical carousel storage and retrieval system (VCSRS), vibration data can be collected and analyzed to identify potential issues with the system's operation. A correlation coefficient model was used to detect anomalies accurately in the vertical carousel system to ascertain the optimal sensor placement position. This model utilized the Fisher information matrix (FIM) and effective independence (EFI) methods to optimize the sensor placement for maximum accuracy and reliability. An LSTM-autoencoder (long short-term memory) model was used for training and testing further to enhance the accuracy of the anomaly detection process. This machine-learning technique allowed for detecting patterns and trends in the vibration data that may not have been evident using traditional methods. The combination of the correlation coefficient model and the LSTM-autoencoder resulted in an accuracy rate of 97.70% for detecting anomalies in the vertical carousel system.

Mathematical modeling and digital design of an intensified filtration-washing-drying unit for pharmaceutical continuous manufacturing

This paper introduces a comprehensive mathematical model of a novel integrated filter-dryer carousel system, designed for continuously filtering, washing and drying a slurry stream into a crystals cake. The simulator includes models for dead-end filtration, cake washing and convective cake drying, based on dynamic multi-component mass, energy and momentum balances. For a set of feed conditions and control inputs, the model allows tracking the solvents and impurities content in the cake (critical quality attributes, CQAs) throughout the whole process. The filtration and drying model parameters were identified for the isolation of paracetamol from a crystallization slurry. The calibrated model was used for designing the isolation of paracetamol from a multi-component slurry, containing a non-volatile impurity, too. The probabilistic design space, expressing the combinations of the carousel feed conditions and control inputs for which the probability of meeting the target CQAs is acceptable, and the maximum throughput were identified.

Continuous integrated filtration, washing and drying of aspirin: digital design of a novel intensified unit

Abstract Within the recent modernization of pharmaceutical manufacturing, an important milestone consists in developing enabling technologies for end-to-end continuous production of drug products. Continuous filtration, washing and drying of active pharmaceutical ingredients from mother liquors in upstream manufacturing are critical steps for achieving end-to-end continuous production. In this work, we develop a mathematical model for a novel intensified carousel system capable of continuously filtering, washing and drying a slurry stream into a dry crystals cake. The mathematical model consists of detailed dynamic differential mass, energy and momentum balances, capable of tracking the solvents and impurities content in the cake (critical quality attributes) across the entire carousel. We successfully demonstrate the model features by identifying the probabilistic design space in a simulation study for the isolation of aspirin crystals in the carousel, accounting for model uncertainty through Monte Carlo simulations.

Attachment of APAM to mineral particles in seawater

Polymer injection is used in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) when an oil field ages and the pressure in the reservoir decreases, or for oil fields with heavy oil. By polymer injection, the viscosity of the water injected for pressure support is increased by mixing with a high concentration of a polymer solution. Polymers used in EOR operations are often high molecular weight polyacrylamides, including anionic polyacrylamide (APAM), which may subsequently enter the marine environment with produced water releases. Since seawater (SW) contains mineral particles (MPs) in low concentrations, and polymers like APAM are known to flocculate MPs, we investigated if APAM at different concentrations (0.5–10 mg/L) would attach and flocculate MPs, when these occurred in concentrations relevant for oceanic SW (1 mg/L). Two types of MPs, diatomaceous earth and kaolin, were exposed to fluorescence-tagged APAM (APAM-TAG). A low-energy carousel system with natural seawater (SW) was used for incubation of MPs and APAM-TAG at a temperature relevant for the Norwegian Continental Shelf (13 °C). Attachment to MPs and aggregates of these were analysed by fluorometry and fluorescence microscopy. Particle analyses showed that only minor fractions of the MPs aggregated. When samples were separated in steel filter with a mesh size of 20 μm, APAM-TAG was mainly measured in the flow-through fraction (<20 μm), and the results therefore showed that the polymer mainly remained in the water-phase, or was attached to small particles (<20 μm). For the small fraction of APAM attaching to aggregated MPs, attraction to kaolin was higher than to diatomaceous earth, and fluorescence microscopy analyses confirmed the presence of fluorescent particles at the higher APAM concentrations. MPs at concentrations relevant for oceanic SW are therefore not expected to significantly contribute to sedimentation of APAM dissolved in the water column.

Interaction between microalgae, marine snow and anionic polyacrylamide APAM at marine conditions

When an oil field ages and the pressure in the reservoir decreases, or for oil fields with heavy oil, there may be a need for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technologies. Polymer injection is a water-based EOR method where the viscosity of the water injected for pressure support is increased by mixing with a high concentration polymer solution. In this project, the potential fate of a synthetic anionic polyacrylamide (APAM) in seawater was investigated, since these EOR polymers may enter the marine environment with the produced water (PW). The main objective of the study was to determine if the APAM will interact with cells or aggregates (marine snow) of microalgae, resulting in potential polymer transport from the euphotic zone to the seabed. Three different species of microalgae with different degree of autotrophy (autotroph, mixotroph and heterotroph) were exposed to fluorescence-tagged APAM. Attachment to algal cells or aggregates formed by active or heat-inactivated algae were analysed by fluorescence microscopy and fluorometry. Our results suggested that attachment of APAM to cells of the algal species included in his study was negligible. A carousel system with natural seawater (SW) was used for formation of algal aggregates, one of the key components of marine snow. When aggregates of the diatom Thalassiosira rotula were formed in the presence of the fluorescence-tagged APAM, and at SW temperatures relevant for the Norwegian Continental Shelf, the polymer was nearly exclusively measured in the water phase after separation from the aggregates. The aggregate measurements therefore confirmed the results from the attachment studies, and we found no evidence of accumulation of APAM in aggregates formed from algae. Marine snow from algae is therefore not expected to significantly contribute to sedimentation of APAM dissolved in the water column.

Biodegradation of dispersed oil in natural seawaters from Western Greenland and a Norwegian fjord

With increasing oil exploration, production and transportation in the Arctic, predictions of the fate of spilled oil become important, including oil compound biodegradation. The use of chemical dispersants may result in increased biodegradation due to the generation of dispersions consisting of small oil droplets, but only few studies have focused on biodegradation of chemically dispersed oil in Arctic seawater. In this study we compared oil biotransformation in Arctic and temperate seawaters collected from Western Greenland (Disko Bay, surface and from 80 m depth) and a Norwegian fjord (Trondheimsfjord, surface). A naphthenic oil, premixed with a dispersant, was dispersed in the seawaters from the different sources, and the dispersions incubated in low concentrations in a carousel system at 4–5 °C for up to 64 days. Targeted oil compounds (n-alkanes, BTEX, naphthalenes and PAHs) were biotransformed in both Arctic and temperate seawaters, although the degradation was faster in the temperate seawater. In the Arctic seawater, transformation was faster in the surface than in the subsurface seawater. Calculations of biotransformation rates and half-lives of oil compound groups representing 70–80% of fresh oils also showed significantly faster depletion in the temperate than the Arctic seawater. Microbial analyses revealed differences between the bacterial communities in the seawater sources during oil biodegradation. The results emphasized, that oil compounds are biodegraded in Arctic seawater, but degradation potential and rates may vary between seawaters from different sources.

SKU arrangement on a unidirectional picking line

AbstractAn order picking system consisting of independent unidirectional picking lines has been investigated in this study. A picking line forms a type of unidirectional carousel as multiple pickers walk in a clockwise direction around a conveyor belt running down the centre of the picking line. There are three decision tiers in this order picking system, namely the assignment of stock keeping units (SKUs) to different waves, the arrangement of SKUs into locations on a picking line for a wave of picking and the sequencing of orders. Each tier has an objective to minimise the total travel distance of pickers. The focus of this paper is on the arrangement of SKUs on a picking line for a wave of picking. An exact mathematical formulation is introduced which is not solvable to optimality for large real‐life instances. Two heuristics known to be optimal for certain carousel systems as well as two further heuristics using SKU correlations are therefore tested. The heuristic approaches are compared against lower bounds generated by relaxing the exact formulation and a set of random solutions. Known algorithms for carousel systems are not optimal in this carousel system and all heuristic approaches perform approximately equally well. It is shown that the gains from addressing the order sequencing decision tier outweighs that of the SKU arrangement decision tier. Moreover, the complexity of addressing the entire system of decision can be reduced by arranging SKUs with a simple heuristic having a negligible impact on solution quality.

Dispersibility and biotransformation of oils with different properties in seawater

Dispersants are used to remove oils slicks from sea surfaces and to generate small oil-droplet dispersions, which may result in enhanced biodegradation of the oil. In this study, dispersibility and biodegradation of chemically dispersed oils with different physical-chemical properties (paraffinic, naphthenic and asphaltenic oils) were compared in natural temperate SW at 13 °C. All selected oils were chemically dispersible when well-known commercial dispersants were used. However, interfacial tension (IFT) studies of the dispersed oils showed different IFT properties of the oils at 13 °C, and also different leaching of the dispersants from oil droplet surfaces. Biodegradation studies of the chemically dispersed oils were performed in a carousel system, with initial median droplet sizes <30 μm and oil concentrations of 2.5–2.8 mg/L. During biodegradation, oil droplet concentrations were rapidly reduced, in association with the emergence of macroscopic 'flocs'. Biotransformation results showed that half-lives of semivolatile total extractable organic carbon (TEOC), single target 2- to 4-ring PAH, and 22 oil compound groups used as input data in the oil spill contingency model OSCAR, did not differ significantly between the oils (P > 0.05), while n-alkanes half-lives differed significantly (P < 0.05). Biotransformation was associated with rapid microbial growth in all oil dispersions, in association with n-alkane and PAH biotransformation. These results have implications for the predictions of biodegradation of oil slicks treated with dispersants in temperate SW.

Serving a video into an image carousel: system design and implementation

Even though video technologies have continuously advanced, playing a video still requires full length of the videos playtime, high volume of data traffic, and appropriate sound play devices. To overcome these limitations, this paper proposes a method to serve a video in an image carousel format. By providing multiple key frame images in carousel form with full script of the video, the proposed image carousel system transforms any playable video content into a readable form so that users can read the content rather than watch. Reading a video make consumers be freed from sound restrictions, and increase the potential and efficiency in the video linkage and usage in other services. In addition, this approach saves both playtime and data traffic. When a video encoded in H.264 codec with 720p resolution is transformed into the proposed image carousel form, in average 90---95 % of the data traffic were saved.

Evaluation of mixed suspension mixed product removal crystallization processes coupled with a continuous filtration system

As the pharmaceutical industry evolves and goes through the paradigm shift from batch to continuous manufacturing, innovative processes need to be developed to replace unit operations that have historically been batch operations. This requires innovation in the continuous crystallization field of study as well as innovation in downstream processes (e.g. filtration, drying, milling, and granulation). Herein a novel and commercially available continuous filter carousel (CFC) system was assessed for its feasibility of continuous filtration while coupled with a continuous mixed suspension mixed product removal (MSMPR) crystallizer. The filtration system was assessed using two different crystallization systems (i.e. cooling and antisolvent) with significantly different kinetics and morphologies to assess the robustness of the integrated platform. With proper optimization of the various filtration parameters for the different crystallization systems a controlled state of operation was achieved in each case. The crystal product from the CFC system shows good consistency with the crystals in the slurry in the MSMPR. Moisture content and productivity of the filtration system were reported and show dependency on crystal properties. The CFC system was equipped with solvent vessels that aided the continuous filtration by acting as a wash or a clean-in-place solvent, preventing or removing filter clogging, respectively.

N-스크린 환경을 위한 CoAP 기반 디지털 캐로절 시스템

본 논문에서는 N 스크린 서버와 클라이언트 시스템 환경을 통하여 데이터의 신뢰성을 향상시키는 모델에 대해서 기술한다. 디지털 캐로절은 사용자들에게 미디어 동기화 메카니즘을 통하여 미디어 객체 공유를 가능하게 한다. 본 시스템은 공동 작업에 참여한 사용자들이 다른 참여자들에게 같은 뷰로써 공유된 미디어 객체들을 참조할 수 있도록 N 스크린 환경을 위한 CoAP(Constrained Application Protocol) 기반 디지털 캐로절 시스템을 제안한다. 이 시스템에 의해서 응용 데이터를 공유할 수 있다. N 스크린의 기술과 CoAP 기반 멀티미디어 공동 작업에서 실행되는 기능에 대한 시스템의 기능 비교도 하였다. In this paper, we discuss a model for increasing reliability of data through N screen server and client model environment. Our Digital Carousel enables user to share media objects through media synchronization mechanism. We suggest the Digital Carousel system based on CoAP(Constrained Application Protocol) for N-Screen so that the users participated in collaborative work may refer shared media objects as the same view to others. With this sharing system, a group cooperating users can share applications data. This paper explained a performance analysis of a system with function comparison running on multimedia collaboration work based on CoAP and N screen techniques.

Selecting between Pick-and-sort System and Carousel System Based on Order Clustering and Genetic Algorithm

A method is presented to select the suitable order picking system between pick-and-sort system, a type of semi-automated put system, and carousel system, a type of parts-to-picker system, for different types of customer orders, mainly determined by density and quantity. As policies of batching and zoning are essentially order clustering, the customer order sheet can be divided into unit grids. Then the time formulation for each system can be derived according to the logical movements in a unit grid and time sequence relationship among all unit grids. Genetic algorithm is adopted to search the optimal order picking time. Subtraction value T

The Retrieval Batch Size for Feasible System in a Bi-directional Carousel System

The Retrieval Batch Size for Feasible System in a Bi-directional Carousel System

TCH-002 Analysis of Dispensing Logistics Processes Carried Out by Semiautomatic Carousel Systems

BackgroundHospital Pharmacy Services work hard at logistics to supply medicinal products to inpatients. This prompted the need to modernise the technical resources and logistical processes with a semiautomatic carousel system...

The impact of batch retrievals on throughput performance of a carousel system serviced by a storage and retrieval machine

Abstract A carousel system is an example of an automated storage and retrieval system that is used in distribution centers and manufacturing facilities. We analyze the impact batch retrieval processing has on throughput performance for horizontal carousel systems that use automated storage and retrieval machines as robotic pickers. By developing an analytical cycle-time model we provide the theoretical base necessary to support the management decision of whether to batch or not. We conduct a computational experiment to test the accuracy of our analytical model, to demonstrate how our approach can guide management decisions, and to illustrate the throughput improvements that can be realized through the use of a batch policy. Testing indicates that batch processing increases carousel throughput performance over sequential processing. For the instances tested, batch processing resulted in an average decrease in cycle time over sequential sequencing of 20%. Our results indicate that with batch retrievals, adding to the carousel's length increases storage capacity with a negligible impact on the carousel's throughput performance.

Pharmacy inventory control ordering web application.

330 Background: Many departments within the hospital system were complaining of errors in the carousel system and the quantity of drugs ordered vs. received. Methods: Development of a communication tool between purchasing, inventory control, materials management, finance and accounts payable to streamline the process of ordering and receiving throughout the hospital system. Results: Communication between the departments in ordering and receiving. Reduction in errors of drug quantities ordered vs drug quantity received. Automating the receiving log system and the packing slip process. The web app cut down the time to process a drug by 50%. Conclusions: The use of IT to reduce waste, increase productivity, and improve quality of the system.