Product Lifetime Research Articles

P‐146: Research on Optical Model of Quantum Dot Color Conversion and Blue Backlight Device Architecture

Due to its high quantum yield and unique spectral characteristics, quantum dots (QDs) color conversion materials have attracted great attention in the application of luminescent display products. However, there is a lack of effective optical model for QD color conversion materials, especially for the propagation and distribution of light, when the QD ink contains scattering particles. In this paper, a full‐view optical model of QD conversion and blue backlight device architecture is established. The model can not only output the spectral information in the front view, but also predict the spectral information of the QD color conversion device in other different views. At the same time, the effects of QD concentration, thickness, particle size and refractive index on the luminous efficiency of the device structure are also studied by using this optical model. On the other hand, the influence of conversion efficiency of QD and EL backlight on the power consumption and lifetime of QD products is also studied by using this optical model. The model can realize the output of the optical influence on the future products by the parameters related to QD color conversion materials and backlight without actual device fabrication, which can greatly reduce time and labor cost.

IoT Frameworks for Digital Twin in Underwater Sensor Networks – A Review

A digital twin is a computerised representation of a planned or existing real-world physical framework or operation (a physical twin) that functions as a nearly identical digital equivalent system for practical reasons such as an imitation, amalgamation, evaluation, observation and administration. The digital twin was initially designed since its creation to be the basic concept for product life span management and lives throughout the whole lifespan of the physical thing it represents. This article will explain the concept of digital twin in underwater wireless sensors. The article examines various research works employing the digital twin in UWSN (Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks), and the research work explains the fundamentals of digital twins and their applications.

EE271 Lifetime Productivity Loss Due to HIV Mortality in the United States

EE271 Lifetime Productivity Loss Due to HIV Mortality in the United States

Optimal design of variables switch-based sampling scheme for verifying Weibull distributed product lifetimes

Ensuring products maintain their normal function during the warranty period is essential for companies to control warranty costs and sustain their brand reputation. A variables acceptance sampling (VAS) plan based on the lifetime performance index (LPI) is a practical technology for verifying product lifetimes because it can provide the number of failures required for life testing and the acceptance criterion for lot disposition. Recently, an LPI-based variables quick-switch sampling (VQSS) system has been developed to improve the sampling efficiency. The VQSS system manipulates the normal and tightened VAS plans for a series of lot dispositions. However, the existing LPI-based VQSS system only alters acceptance criteria to build normal and tightened VAS plans, which may limit its applicability. In this paper, we propose an LPI-based VQSS system with a mechanism that can alter the required number of failures. Compared to the existing LPI-based VQSS system, the proposed method has superior discriminatory power and moderate cost-effectiveness. Finally, we illustrate a lifetime verification of an electric vehicle’s battery as a case study to demonstrate the practicality of the proposed method.

Academic Productivity at Orthopedic Spine Surgery Fellowships is Positively Correlated With Nonresearch Lifetime Industry Earnings: A Retrospective Study.

Retrospective Analysis. The objective of the study was to assess the impact of academic productivity at both individual and program levels on lifetime industry earnings within US orthopedic spine fellowships. Physician-industry transparency was codified by the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (PSSA) in 2010. No study has explored the relationship between academic productivity and industry earnings at the fellowship level. Inclusion criteria encompassed physicians with complete academic and industry data from orthopedic spine fellowship programs listed on the North American Spine Society (NASS) 2022-2023 fellowship directory. Academic productivity was defined via H-index on the Scopus website, and industry productivity by total lifetime earnings on the Open Payments Database (OPD). This analysis included 75 orthopedic spine fellowship programs with 320 individual physicians. Median individual physician lifetime earnings were $86,852.71 (mean: $666,580.23 ± $1,887,734.64; minimum-maximum: $10.86-$27,164,431.49) and the median individual physician (n=320 physicians) H-index was 17.0 (mean: 21.82 ± 19.28; minimum-maximum: 0-109). Median combined physician H-index per fellowship (n=75 fellowships) was 65.0 (mean: 93.08 ± 85.67; minimum-maximum: 3-434) and median combined physician lifetime earnings was $927,771.60 (mean: $2,844,075.64 ± $4,942,089.56; minimum-maximum: $1,112.32-$29,983,900.69). A positive correlation was observed between academic productivity and industry productivity at an individual level (P<0.001; Spearman's rho = 0.467). This correlation was stronger at the fellowship level (P<0.001; Spearman's rho = 0.734). There was no significant difference in total lifetime earnings (P=0.369) or H-index per fellowship (P=0.232) when stratified by region of the fellowship program in the United States. Orthopedic spine surgery fellowship programs in the United States exhibit a positive correlation between academic productivity and nonresearch industry lifetime earnings at both individual and program levels. This correlation is stronger at the program level, and regional differences among fellowship programs do not significantly impact academic or industry productivity.

Maternal genetic effects throughout the life of the dam in Pirenaica beef cattle. a random regression model approach

In beef cattle, dams play a crucial role in shaping the pre- and postnatal environment for the growth of their offspring. Acknowledging the substantial impact of maternal influence on the early development of calves, researchers utilize maternal animal models. These models take into account both maternal genetic and permanent environmental effects, operating under the assumption that these influences remain constant throughout the productive life of the cow. Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that these genetic and environmental effects may evolve throughout the lifespan of the cows. Therefore, this study aims to describe the changes in genetic and environmental maternal effects over the productive lifespan of cows. To accomplish this goal, we utilized random regression models, incorporating the age of the dam effect, maternal genetic effects, and environmental permanent effects using Legendre orthogonal polynomials. Additionally, the analytical model incorporated a covariate to adjust for the calf’s age at recording, a two-level sex effect, a random herd-year-season effect, and an additive direct genetic effect associated linked to the calf. The dataset comprised information from dams aged between 2 and 16 years, resulting in a final database that comprised weight records of 58 332 calves from 21 673 dams. The average weight at 90 days was 135.0 ± 39.3 kg, and the mean age of the dam at calving was 7.03 ± 3.41 years. We evaluated models incorporating 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 orthogonal polynomials alongside the standard maternal animal model. Afterward, we selected the model with five orthogonal polynomials based on the Akaike Information Criteria. The Restricted Maximum Likelihood estimates within this model indicated a direct heritability of around 0.50, and a maternal heritability ranging between 0.15 and 0.25, exhibiting a consistent increase between 4, 5 to 13 years. The genetic correlation estimates between direct and maternal genetic effects remained stable at approximately −0.55 across the lifespan of the cows. Furthermore, maternal genetic correlations between different ages of the dam decreased to around 0.7 for more distant age points. The maternal permanent correlations were notably lower, occasionally even reaching negative values, suggesting variability in environmental influence on maternal effects over the productive lifespan of the cow. Finally, the model enables the prediction of breeding values for the maternal genetic effects of the cow across its lifespan, providing opportunities for innovative selection strategies on the maternal side.

Formation of Repetitive Group Sampling Plan for Life Tests Based on Percentiles using Odd Frechet Inverse Rayleigh Distribution

Objectives: This paper presents the idea of Repetitive Group Sampling Plans using Odd Frechet Inverse Rayleigh Distribution, when the life test is truncated at a pre-specified time. The main objective of the proposed sampling plan is to minimize the sample size because the analogous inspection time and inspection cost will be reduced. Methods: A truncated life test may be conducted to evaluate the smallest sample size to insure certain percentile lifetime of products. The minimum sample size and its ratio for the specified lifetime percentile were derived for the producer’s risk. The operating characteristic values are also obtained for the proposed sampling plan. The corresponding table values are obtained through Monto Carlo Simulation technique. Findings: The results from the sampling plan developed in this research can easily be adaptable in practical situation with small sample sizes and fewer experimental times and hence the plan yields a better result for reliability sampling plan. Novelty: The work designed and developed with the aim that sampling plan in this paper may be helpful for the engineers and statistical plan developers in the field of statistical quality control especially in attribute reliability sampling plan. The tables are generated which is useful for both producer and consumer. This plan can highly recommendable since the products are randomly sampled and also the procedure for sampling involves less experiment time and with minimum sample size. Keywords: Odd Frechet Inverse Rayleigh Distribution, Percentiles, Repetitive Group Sampling Plan (RGS), Producer’s risk

Longevity of dairy cows depending on the age of first calving

Research to study the traits of duration of use and cows productive longevity of Ukrainian Black-andWhite dairy (UBWD) and Holstein breeds, depending on the age of frst calving, was carried out in the herd of PE "Burynske" Pidlisniv branch of Sumy district. The division of animals into gradations, depending on the age of frst calving, established that higher indicators of the duration and efciency of lifelong use were observed in animals of both breeds that frst calved at the age of 25.1-26 months. Early, before 24, and late, over 26 months, frst calving shortened lifetime, productive period, number of calvings, and reduced lifelong milk yield and milk fat. With an increase in the age of frst calving in UBWD and Holstein cows, a gradual reduction in lifetime and productive use reached a difference in these indicators between the best (25.1-26 months) and the frst calving group of more than 30 months, respectively 332 and 491 and 523 and 628 days (P&lt;0.001). The influence of the age of frst calving on the lifetime productivity of cows of the UBWD breed was evidenced by a signifcant difference in favor of animals with the frst calving at 25.1-26 months, compared to the group of frst calving before 24 months, which was 3432 and 127 kg, respectively, in terms of lifetime milk yield and milk fat (P&lt;0.001). The difference when comparing the groups of the frst calving older than 26.1 months by lifetime milk yield and milk fat was, respectively, 2082-12896 and 70-486 kg (P&lt;0.001). The highest indicators of traits characterizing the longevity of Holstein cows, lifetime and productive use, were also obtained from the group of animals of the frst calving at the age of 25.1-26 months. According to these traits, there was a signifcant difference in their favor compared to the group of frst calving up to 24 months (282 and 173 days; P &lt;0.05) and groups older than 26.1 months. (247-523 days; P&lt;0.05-0.001 and 337-628 days; P&lt;0.01-0.001). Animals of the frst calving at the age of 25.1-26 months, with a milk yield during life of 29337 kg, exceeded in this trait cows that frst calved earlier 24 months of age, with a difference in 3679 kg of milk (P &lt;0.001) and animals with an age of frst calving older 26.1 months with a difference of 1790-12990 kg (P&lt;0.05-0.001). By lifetime milk fat yield, the difference between these comparisons was 135 kg (P&lt;0.001) and 56-486 kg (P&lt;0.05-0.001), respectively. Key words: Ukrainian Black-and-White dairy, Holstein, lifespan, productive use, frst calving, lifetime productivity.

Characterizing and Predicting Early Reviewers for Effective Product Marketing on E-Commerce Websites

Online reviews have become an important source of information for users before making an informed purchase decision. Early reviews of a product tend to have a high impact on the subsequent product sales. In this project, we take the initiative to study the behaviour characteristics of early reviewers through their posted reviews on two real-world large e-commerce platforms, i.e., Amazon and Yelp. In specific, we divide product lifetime into three consecutive stages, namely early, majority and laggards. A user who has posted a review in the early stage is considered as an early reviewer. We quantitatively characterize early reviewers based on their rating behaviours, the helpfulness scores received from others and the correlation of their reviews with product popularity. We have found that (1) an early reviewer tends to assign a higher average rating score; and (2) an early reviewer tends to post more helpful reviews. Our analysis of product reviews also indicates that early reviewers’ ratings and their received helpfulness scores are likely to influence product popularity. By viewing review posting process as a multiplayer competition game, we propose a novel margin-based embedding model for early reviewer prediction. Extensive experiments on two different e-commerce datasets have shown that our proposed approach outperforms a number of competitive baselines. In our project we have used algorithms like Decision Tree (DT) and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP). All are measured in terms of accuracy

Environmental assessment of used refrigerating appliances: Why does an import ban make sense and what could other countries learn from Ghana?

Ghana has been a pioneer in energy efficiency in the sub-Saharan region, becoming the first country to introduce minimum energy performance standards and energy labelling for lighting, air conditioners and refrigerating appliances in 2008. It also introduced an innovative and not yet widely adopted policy of banning the import of used air conditioners and refrigerating appliances, mostly from Europe. While the impact of this policy package has already been assessed in terms of energy savings in Ghana, it is still unclear whether the import ban on used products makes sense in terms of environmental impact. Ghana's ban may seem surprising given that current European product policies in the context of the Green Deal aim to extend the lifetime of products and encourage their reuse to make them more sustainable. In this paper, different scenarios covering new and used refrigerating appliances as well as different end-of-life management options were examined in a life cycle analysis. The results show that exporting used refrigerators from Europe to West Africa increases their environmental impact per functional unit in many categories, even if it extends the lifetime of the product. The informal end-of-life treatment of refrigerators by open burning has a massive impact on human toxicity. As energy consumption during the use phase is the main determinant of most environmental impacts, energy efficiency policies (minimum energy efficiency performance standards and labelling) combined with an import ban on used refrigerating appliances are the best approach to reduce these impacts. It is therefore recommended that the Ghanaian policy package be replicated in other countries in the region, but also that exporting countries take action, as the fight against environmental dumping is a shared responsibility.

Tradeoffs between herd turnover rate and milk production for marginal cash flow and enteric methane intensity

Longevity, productive lifespan, and culling are discussion top­ics among veterinarians, farmers, milk buyers and third par­ties such as NGOs. Further, the number of heifers to be raised as replacements is also of industry interest. It is sometimes proposed that having less replacement heifers and thus a lower herd turnover rate can lead to higher cash flow and lower enteric methane intensity associated with dairy production. Recently, some investigators have reported that cow culling de­cisions are made for farm investment decisions as opposed to poor health status (Owusu-Sekyere et al., 2023). Some European workers (Grandl et al., 2019) have investigated the association of length of productive life with greenhouse gas emissions and profit but included milk yields below what is observed on many U.S. dairy farms. There are likely trade-offs between replacing less productive cows with younger cows that possess greater potential for herd cash flow and enteric methane production at commonly ob­served or advocated turnover rates and milk production levels. Therefore, the objective of this work was to produce a math­ematical model using typical market prices, milk production levels, and turnover rates observed currently in the U.S. that examines these trade-offs.

Validation of genomic tools to improve production efficiency, health resilience and the carbon footprint of beef production

Genomic tools and accuracy of molecular breeding values (MBVs) for economically important traits continue to improve and are being applied in commercial crossbred beef cattle. Ge­nomic breed composition and retained heterozygosity of an individual animal can be used to further improve female fertil­ity, stayability, lifetime productivity and calf health resilience. But this is just the first step. Within specific crossbred popula­tions, researchers at Livestock Gentec have used large numbers of cattle phenotypes and genotypes, combined with advanced statistical genomic analyses to generate MBVs for 18 traits with moderate to moderately-high accuracy (0.35 to 0.60). This accu­racy is equivalent to 10 to 20 progeny records. These MBVs are economically balanced into multi-trait profit indices such as the Replacement Heifer Profit Index Score and the Feeder Profit In­dex. The use of these genomic tools will improve the sustainabil­ity of beef production by improving profitability, lowering the carbon footprint, and improving an animal’s ability to adapt to changing environments. The following paper outlines the valida­tion of these genomic tools and their potential benefits.

Towards carbon neutrality: Transition pathways for the Chinese ethylene industry

Ethylene is one of the most important products in the emissions-intensive petrochemical industry. Decarbonizing the ethylene industry is thus important for achieving global carbon neutrality. This study is the first to explore future long-term zero-emissions production pathways for the ethylene industry in China, the world's biggest ethylene producer. An optimization model was built in the context of China's carbon neutrality target of 2060. Four scenarios were developed where the policy ambitions for climate mitigation and for plastic management including waste were varied. Based on this, authors assessed the cumulative total emissions, technology options, future geographical location of ethylene production, and policy challenges associated with each scenario. This is also the first time that scope 3 emissions from waste incineration are included, motivated by the short lifetime of most ethylene products. Results show the cumulative CO2 emissions for the scenarios differ considerably, ranging from 4.3 to 7.8 Gt, even if carbon neutrality by 2060 is achieved in all scenarios. The results suggest that ambitious plastic focused policies can result in lower costs and less cumulative emissions compared to ambitious climate focused policies. The results demonstrate the importance of adopting CCS for waste incineration. This reduces cumulative CO2 emissions by up to 2 Gt. However, reduced overall demand and increased recycling rates should be priority options due to CCS challenges. Results suggest Chinese ethylene industry should adopt a mixed portfolio of production technologies, where the share of emission-intensive coal-based methanol-to-olefins is limited. These findings on decarbonization pathways can contribute to achieving the Paris agreement.

In-line imaging and recognition of flip chip fabrication defects by real-time photoacoustic remote sensing system

Microscopic defects in flip chips, originating from manufacturing, significantly affect performance and longevity. Post-fabrication sampling methods ensure product functionality but lack in-line defect monitoring to enhance chip yield and lifespan in real-time. This study introduces a photoacoustic remote sensing (PARS) system for in-line imaging and defect recognition during flip-chip fabrication. We first propose a real-time PARS imaging method based on continuous acquisition combined with parallel processing image reconstruction to achieve real-time imaging during the scanning of flip-chip samples, reducing reconstruction time from an average of approximately 1134 ms to 38 ms. Subsequently, we propose improved YOLOv7 with space-to-depth block (IYOLOv7-SPD), an enhanced deep learning defect recognition method, for accurate in-line recognition and localization of microscopic defects during the PARS real-time imaging process. The experimental results validate the viability of the proposed system for enhancing the lifespan and yield of flip-chip products in chip manufacturing facilities.

PSIII-13 Putative metabolites for sow lifetime opportunity and production traits

Abstract Identifying females with favorable lifetime born alive (opportunity) and weaned (wn; production) traits requires extended observation. Estimate of lifetime (4 parities) difference in the economic margin over genetic cost between a high producing female (48 pigs weaned; wn) and a low producing female (31 wn) is approximately $1,000. Determining metabolic compounds present from females with favorable or unfavorable longevity traits may provide profiles that could be assessed in younger females prior to entry within the breeding system to indicate their potential productivity. Females within the USMARC breeding system were retained through four parities then harvested between 12 to 15 d following their post-weaning estrus. Liver, skeletal muscle, and subcutaneous adipose tissues were collected and stored at -80° C for later analyses. Females were categorically identified by the level of opportunity (born alive; ba) and production (wn) over their lifetime. Females with consistent opportunity and production traits at each parity were categorized as high (H; 61 ba), medium (M; 50 ba), or low (L; 39 ba) opportunity and H (50 wn), M (42 wn), or L (34 wn) production resulting in six categories (HH, HL, MH, ML, LH, LL). Tissue extracts were subjected to positive mode UPLC-MS and numerous features were detected. Using Progenesis Q software features were annotated and those with a fold-change ≥ 2.0 and P &amp;lt; 0.05 by category were then tested using a mixed model in SAS to determine LS Mean differences of raw abundances among the six categories. Of those compounds tested in SAS, a significance threshold was set at P &amp;lt; 0.01 as a false discovery adjustment. Within liver 877 compounds were analyzed with 152 yielding a significant (P &amp;lt; 0.01) categorical effect. Of those, 43 compounds predominantly identified either HH or LL from other categories. Within skeletal muscle 359 compounds were subjected to mixed models, 221 compounds had significance for a category effect, and 105 compounds were predominantly different for HH or LL from all other categories. Within adipose tissue, 406 compounds were submitted to mixed model testing, 186 compounds had a categorical effect with 44 compounds predominantly different for HH or LL categories. Annotation of these compounds suggest differences in metabolites associated with, but not limited to, bacteria by-products (pradmicin, adifolin, lactobacillic acid), alkyloids, sapogenins, amino acids (lysine, tyrosine), minerals (calcium, copper), lipids (sphingomyelin), and fatty acids (mono-, di-, tri-acylglycerol). Future confirmation and evaluation of these metabolites in young pre-breeding females will need to be done. Establishing a metabolic profile panel that could discern young pre-breeding gilts with a likelihood of becoming a LL female will improve economic productivity and animal welfare concerns.

290 Commercial farm evaluation of enzymatically processed soybean meal in lactating sows

Abstract Hyper prolific sows have a high nutritional demand during lactation to produce sufficient milk for their large litters. To meet those requirements, it is common practice to include increased levels of soybean meal (SBM) in lactation diets. Which, considering the amino acid profile of SBM is a good source of protein at a reasonable cost. However, SBM cannot be digested and absorbed very rapidly in the gastrointestinal tract due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors (ANF), like trypsin inhibitors. As most lactation diets are supplemented with synthetic amino acids the incorporation of slowly digestible protein sources causes an asynchrony in release of amino acids into the blood stream. Enzyme-treated soybean meal (ESBM) is a protein source in which ANF are removed and it has been found to be a fast digestible protein source (Bible et al., 2023). It is therefore expected that the replacement of a proportion of SBM by ESBM will result in improved productivity of lactating sows. To test this hypothesis, hyper prolific sows (n = 1,078; Danbred) were enrolled on a commercial farm in Denmark. Data were collected from January 2023 through June 2023. Sows were fed their normal lactation diet from January to March (CON). Then, sows were fed a diet containing ESBM. There was a one for one replacement rate of ESBM for SBM meal. The inclusion rate of ESBM was 3%. The replacement increased the total crude protein level of the diet by less than 0.3%. It should also be noted the ESBM was fed during the summer months, which was uncommonly hot for the area. Sows fed ESBM had 0.2 more pigs per litter born alive than CON sows (19.7 vs. 19.5 pigs, respectively). Sows fed ESBM also weaned 0.1 more pigs than CON sows (16.8 vs. 16.7 pigs, respectively). There was a 5% increase in ESBM sows serviced before d 7 compared with CON sows (82 vs. 77%, respectively). Farrowing rate increased by 1.5% when sows were fed ESBM (88.9 vs. 87.4%, respectively). When pigs per sow per year was calculated, there was an increase of 0.6 pigs per sow by feeding ESBM (37.1 vs. 36.5 pigs, respectively). This on-farm experiment resulted in a 3 to 1 return on investment by feeding ESBM. First indications were that the replacement of SBM with 3% of ESBM can increase sow productivity even in hyper prolific sows. However, more research is needed to further evaluate effects of feeding enzyme-treated soybean meal to sows to see if this increased nutritional support also can help to mitigate negative effects of lactation stress on sow lifetime productivity.

170 Feeding the modern sow: Unlocking the value of dietary fiber

Abstract Our understanding of dietary fiber in sow nutrition is evolving rapidly, shifting from a once-overlooked portion of the diet to a critical component influencing intestinal functionality, gut microbiota, and modulation of digestion and metabolism. Recent advancements in fiber nutrition and analytical methods have highlighted its significance in optimizing sow lifetime productivity and welfare through its impact on nutrient utilization and overall health. Growing evidence supports the benefits of dietary fiber in gestation diets, notably contributing to sow well-being by reducing stress and behavioral issues observed in group housing systems (Sapkota et al., 2016). Accordingly, dietary fiber supplementation in gestation diets has been linked to the reduction of stillborn pigs, heavier piglet weights at birth, increased lactation feed intake, and reduced pre-wean mortality (Feyera et al., 2017). Supplementing dietary fiber during the peripartum phase has been shown to reduce the farrowing duration and the stillborn incidence (Theil et al., 2014); possibly linked to a reduction in constipation (Cardona et al., 2024) and enhanced sow energy status through greater short-chain fatty acids availability (Feyera et al., 2017). Despite the positive evidence, the practical application of dietary fiber supplementation in US sow diets has been limited due to insufficient characterization of fiber components in available ingredients. Recent advancements in analytical techniques, defining fiber components as total dietary fiber (TDF), soluble fiber (SF), and insoluble fiber (ISF), offer improved reliability and accessibility, overcoming previous barriers. Recent studies showed that a high fiber gestation diet (TDF 18% and 9% for high and low fiber diets, respectively) did not affect reproductive performance, liter size, individual piglet weight, or pre-wean mortality but it reduced weight loss during lactation (Paz et al., 2022). Moreover, studies conducted by Martinez et al. (2022) demonstrated that top-dressing dietary fiber during the peripartum phase reduced the wean-to-estrus interval (top-dress 0.45 kg or 0.90 kg/d, TDF 35%, ISF:SF ratios ranging from 2.6 to 7.4). These studies highlight the potential value of dietary fiber in US sow diets. However further research is warranted to determine the optimal level and desirable fiber characteristics to fully unlock its nutritional value in sow diets.

Recycling of mineral wool waste as supplementary cementitious material through thermochemical treatment.

Mineral wool is commonly used in construction as thermal insulation material. After the product's lifetime, it is classified as hazardous waste if no trademark of the European Certification Board for Mineral Wool Products (EUCEB) or the German Institute for Quality Assurance and Labelling (RAL) exists. Mineral Wool Waste (MWW) is typically landfilled in Europe, which is challenging due to its low bulk density and dimensional stability. This circumstance highlights the need for alternative recycling methods that increase the recycling rate of construction and demolition (C&D) waste. This article outlines the recycling opportunities of MWW and focuses on the use of thermochemical treatment of different mixtures of input materials to produce a supplementary cementitious material (SCM). The material characterisation results and investigations on the binder suitability demonstrate that the slag fractions after the thermochemical treatment are well-qualified to be used as reactive binder components. Additionally, a material flow analysis was conducted to estimate the substitution potential of MWW as SCM in the Austrian cement industry.

Lifetime milk production of Holstein cattle in the humid tropics compared to Holstein-Gyr and Holstein-Brahman crosses.

Crossbred cattle are commonly used for milk production in the tropics, combining the potential benefits of pure breeds with the heterosis effects of the offspring. However, no comprehensive assessment of lifetime productivity for crossbred versus purebred cattle in low-altitude tropical environments has been carried out. The present study compares the lifetime productivity of purebred Holstein (HO, n = 17,269), Gyr (GY4, n = 435), and Brahman (BR4, n = 622) with crossbreds Gyr × Holstein (GY × HO, n = 5521) and Brahman×Holstein (BR × HO, n = 5429) cows from dairy farms located in low and medium altitude tropical regions in Costa Rica. The production traits of interest were age at first calving (AFC), days open (DO), milk production per lactation (TMP), lactation length (LLEN), age at culling (ACUL), and number of lactations (NLAC). Estimates of heterosis were also calculated. The AFC for GY × HO crosses (33-34 months) was not significantly different (p > .05) from HO (33.8 months). For BR × HO crosses, a significant (p < .05) decrease in AFC (BR3HO1 35.6 months, BR2HO2 34.5 months, and BR1H03 33.3 months) was observed as the fraction of HO breed increased. Estimates of heterosis for AFC were favourable for both crosses, of a magnitude close to 3%. The DO for F1 crosses (GY2HO2 94 days; BR2HO2 96 days) was significantly (p < .05) lower than HO (123 days). Estimates of heterosis for DO were also favourable and above 15% for both crosses. The TMP and LLEN were higher for HO (TMP = 5003 kg; LLEN = 324 days) compared with GY × HO (TMP = 4428 to 4773 kg; LLEN = 298 to 312 days) and BR × HO (TMP = 3950 to 4761 kg; LLEN = 273 to 313 days) crosses. Heterosis for TMP was favourable but low for both crosses, with a magnitude below 3.0%. The NLAC for HO (4.6 lactations) was significantly (p < .05) lower than F1 (GY2HO2, 5.8 lactations; BR2HO2, 5.4 lactations). Heterosis for NLAC was above 6.0% for both crosses. Overall, estimates of lifetime income over feed costs per cow on average were USD 2637 (30.3%) and USD 734 (8.4%) higher in F1 GY × HO and BR × HO, respectively, compared to HO. In conclusion, crossbred animals, specifically those with Gyr and Brahman genetics, extend the productive lifespan, increasing economic returns.

Front glass crack inspection of thin-film solar photovoltaic modules using high-order ultrasonic Lamb waves

Ensuring the structural integrity of solar photovoltaic modules is crucial to maintain power production efficiency and fulfill the anticipated product lifespan. Hence, implementing quality control procedures and structural health monitoring is necessary throughout the stages of manufacture and operation. The ultrasonic examination has some benefits compared to electroluminescence and infrared approaches, namely in identifying mechanical flaws in the front glass. The Lamb waves (LW) method is an auspicious inspection approach among ultrasonic-based methods. This is primarily attributed to its quicker measurement speed than the standard ultrasonic c-scan. The LW method offers an advantage in terms of its ability to provide long-range coverage. The predominant approach in LW inquiry often centers on using fundamental modes within the low-frequency range. Nevertheless, the findings of this investigation demonstrate that the higher-order mode exhibits superior effectiveness for the specific objective of this research, as it displays a higher level of sensitivity towards cracks in the front glass of the module. The current study ultimately showcases the use of the LW scan. A damage indication threshold is determined by the fraction of energy spectral density (ESD) associated with the crack-sensitive mode. This technology effectively produces a comprehensive map of the designated area by comparing the ESD values at various measurement positions with a predetermined threshold. This map provides precise indications of the existence of areas that are affected by cracks.