Production Chain Research Articles

Evaluation and Characterization of Lytic Phages and their Recombinant Endolysins for Control of Staphylococcus aureus aiming to mitigate bovine mastitis

As a natural alternative to conventional antimicrobials, bacteriophages are emerging as highly effective biocontrol agents against Staphylococcus aureus and other pathogenic bacteria. Due to the wide diversity of S. aureus types and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains, the search for highly lytic and prevalent bacteriophages against S. aureus is justified. In this study, we sought to characterized the lytic Phage 2 and Phage 4 biologically and morphologically and their recombinant endolysins EndF2 and EndF4. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that these phages exhibited a structure with a polyhedral head and non-contractile tail, typical characteristics of the Siphoviridae family. Host spectrum identification showed that Phage 2 lysed 62.2% (N=90) of S. aureus strains and Phage 4 lysed 51.1% (N=90). In vitro tests with extracorporeal cow teats indicated that Phage 2 reduced the S. aureus load by up to 78.7%. Furthermore, recombinant endolysins EndF2 and EndF4 have catalytic and recognition/binding domains in their structures related to lytic activity, and both endolysins do not present critical aspects of allergenicity. Furthermore, EndF2 lysed 71.4% (N=42) and EndF4 lysed 76.2% (N=42) of the S. aureus strains tested. These findings indicate that Phages 2 and 4 and their recombinant endolysins EndF2 and EndF4 could potentially be used as tools for the prevention and control of S. aureus, suggesting they are potentially valuable biocontrol agents to mitigate the spread of S. aureus in the dairy industries and production chain.

Sustainable glazes for ceramic tiles: Exploiting inertized man-made vitreous fibres waste as a resource

Traditional ceramic tiles, and especially porcelain stoneware, are still one of the top building materials in the world. In view to fulfil the current need to produce ceramic tiles in a less impactful way for the environment along with the increasing difficulty in providing natural raw materials, the attention of the ceramic sector has been focusing on optimizing resources.The solution can be found in a circular economy model, in which the virgin raw materials exploitation is minimized through the recycling of materials that otherwise would be disposed as waste in landfills. The ceramic industries are able to internally reuse most of their residues created during the production steps, in fact, most of the discarded materials are reinserted into the ceramic production cycle. The next step for the sector must be to adopt a circular economy model that use “extramuros waste” corresponding to waste derived from other production chains. We have developed a ceramic glaze by utilizing the thermal inertization product of Man-Made Vitreous Fibers (MMVF) as a secondary raw material. This waste material, characterized by being completely amorphous, serves as an ideal melting component in ceramic products. We have experimented with various formulations of ceramic glazes, incorporating between 40 % and 50 wt% of this glassy material. The most promising formulation involves 44 wt% of waste, resulting in a shiny, dark ceramic glaze. This outcome underscores the suitability of this waste material as a valuable secondary raw material for the manufacture of traditional ceramic glazes.

Assessment of Sustainability in the Supply Chain of Sweet Red Pepper Paste Production With Exergy and Life Cycle Analyses

ABSTRACTThis study examines cumulative energy (CEnC), exergy (CExC), CO₂ emissions (CCO₂C), and life cycle assessment of sweet red pepper (SRP) paste production. A whole system approach in five improvement scenarios including different packaging materials and precision farming encompasses the supply chain from farm to fork and cradle to gate. The largest impact on SRP farming is caused by the use of diesel oil, the excessive use of chemical fertilizers, and the use of electricity. In SRP farming step, the CEnC is mainly caused by 86.5% fertilizer and 11% diesel usage. Hotspot impact categories were determined as abiotic (fossil) depletion potential, global warming potential, and human toxicity potential. The base case scenario has the greatest values for CEnC, CExC, and CCO₂C and impact assessment results. A CEnC value reduction of 48.6%, 50%, and 30% in the factory processing, packaging‐transportation step and whole process, respectively, is observed when the biodiesel scenario is performed. With a 40% reduction in global warming potential value, the combination of polyethylene terephthalate packaging, biodiesel, and precision farming scenario yielded the best results for each impact category analyzed in this study.

Measuring Global FDI-Embodied Carbon Emissions

ABSTRACT Foreign direct investment (FDI) significantly impacts global carbon emission patterns through the production and supply chains of transnational corporations (TNCs), influencing climate change governance. This study measures FDI-embodied carbon emissions from 2000 to 2019, using multi-regional input-output and hypothetical extraction methods, and analyzes changes via complex network analysis. Findings reveal a 61% increase in global FDI-embodied carbon emissions, with an upward trend since 2016, mainly due to developing countries. The 2008 financial crisis and Copenhagen Accord shifted carbon flows from concentrated to decentralized patterns. Clustering of these flows continues to rise. Strengthened international cooperation and guidelines are needed to promote green investment, guide TNCs, and achieve the Paris Agreement goals.

A retrospective multivariate case-control approach to investigate factors influencing the sanitary quality of raw milk cheeses

A retrospective case control study conducted in France between 2022 and 2023, involving 20 farms (10 case and 10 control farms), investigated the factors influencing the sanitary quality of raw milk cheeses, focusing on the agricultural aspect and the bacterial microbiota characterised using 16S rRNA short reads metabarcoding from cheese production and the environment during manufacturing. The microbiological quality of raw milk cheeses is defined in Europe by Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005. In this study, a set of food safety criteria related to the presence of food-borne pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and virulence factors of STEC in cheese for a long-time period (2017 - 2022) prior to sampling was used to select the case farms. Using multivariate analysis, this study identified multiple bacterial species and critical sampling points such as raw milk, milking machines and wooden shelves that contribute to food-borne contamination of cheeses and highlights the importance of farm management practices such as additional vaccination or transhumance, hygiene and manufacturing practices to ensure the safety of raw milk cheeses. The bacterial species from raw milk cheeses or contact materials along the production chain contributing to the case or control farms were diversified in winter and summer. This study confirms the value of multi-block analysis for managing complex datasets and suggests that 16S rRNA markers from metabarcoding can help to identify critical control points and risk factors.

Activities for exploiting Italian vegetable germplasm of interest for innovating vegetable production chains

Activities for exploiting Italian vegetable germplasm of interest for innovating vegetable production chains

Deciphering the Impact of miR-92a-3p on Controlling BCL11A Gene Expression and Its Implication in Easing Thalassemia Symptoms

Deciphering the Impact of miR-92a-3p on Controlling BCL11A Gene Expression and Its Implication in Easing Thalassemia Symptoms

Effects of heating rate and sintering temperature on the tensile properties of sintered γ-Ti/Al nanoparticle chains

Abstract This paper presents the results of molecular dynamics simulations that were performed to numerically study the laser sintering process and mechanical behavior of γ-Ti/Al bimetallic alloy nanoparticles (NPs). The study systematically investigates the effects of heating rate and sintering temperature on the resultant uniaxial tensile performances of the sintered NPs. A chain model was formed by connecting three pre-equilibrated Ti/Al NPs via necks during solid-state sintering. The solid-state sintered chain samples were heated to 1798 K using four different heating rates (0.04, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 K/ps). After high-temperature relaxation of selected sintering temperature cases (e.g., 398 K, 598 K, etc. with a 200 K interval) for 10 ns, the heat sintered chain samples underwent a solidification process with a cooling rate of 0.08 K/ps and maintained at 298 K for an additional 1 ns. The resulting sintered chain products were then subjected to uniaxial tension at a strain rate of 0.0001/ps. The thermodynamic properties and crystallographic deformation were investigated during the sintering and subsequent tension processes. Analysis of the yield strengths obtained from the tension tests revealed a statistically significant correlation between the tensile strength of the sintered NPs and the pre-established sintering temperatures at each temperature. This observation indicates that higher sintering temperatures strengthen the neck connections within the NP-chains, leading to greater tensile strength. The higher sintering temperatures can reinforce the neck during high-temperature relaxation. It is worth noting that the effect of heating rates on mechanical properties was less pronounced when the sintering temperature was constant.

Vibration Signal Analysis for Intelligent Rotating Machinery Diagnosis and Prognosis: A Comprehensive Systematic Literature Review

Many industrial processes, from manufacturing to food processing, incorporate rotating elements as principal components in their production chain. Failure of these components often leads to costly downtime and potential safety risks, further emphasizing the importance of monitoring their health state. Vibration signal analysis is now a common approach for this purpose, as it provides useful information related to the dynamic behavior of machines. This research aimed to conduct a comprehensive examination of the current methodologies employed in the stages of vibration signal analysis, which encompass preprocessing, processing, and post-processing phases, ultimately leading to the application of Artificial Intelligence-based diagnostics and prognostics. An extensive search was conducted in various databases, including ScienceDirect, IEEE, MDPI, Springer, and Google Scholar, from 2020 to early 2024 following the PRISMA guidelines. Articles that aligned with at least one of the targeted topics cited above and provided unique methods and explicit results qualified for retention, while those that were redundant or did not meet the established inclusion criteria were excluded. Subsequently, 270 articles were selected from an initial pool of 338. The review results highlighted several deficiencies in the preprocessing step and the experimental validation, with implementation rates of 15.41% and 10.15%, respectively, in the selected prototype studies. Examination of the processing phase revealed that time scale decomposition methods have become essential for accurate analysis of vibration signals, as they facilitate the extraction of complex information that remains obscured in the original, undecomposed signals. Combining such methods with time–frequency analysis methods was shown to be an ideal combination for information extraction. In the context of fault detection, support vector machines (SVMs), convolutional neural networks (CNNs), Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks, k-nearest neighbors (KNN), and random forests have been identified as the five most frequently employed algorithms. Meanwhile, transformer-based models are emerging as a promising venue for the prediction of RUL values, along with data transformation. Given the conclusions drawn, future researchers are urged to investigate the interpretability and integration of the diagnosis and prognosis models developed with the aim of applying them in real-time industrial contexts. Furthermore, there is a need for experimental studies to disclose the preprocessing details for datasets and the operational conditions of the machinery, thereby improving the data reproducibility. Another area that warrants further investigation is differentiation of the various types of fault information present in vibration signals obtained from bearings, as the defect information from the overall system is embedded within these signals.

FEATURES AND PROBLEMS OF FORMATION OF PRODUCTION AND TECHNOLOGICAL CHAINS IN THE DIGITAL SPACE OF INDUSTRY

The purpose of the study: the formation of production and technological chains in Russia of a complex structure, which consist of a set of industries with vertical and horizontal links. It is noted that large integrated structures will allow for the modernization of production based on innovations and ensure the technological security of the country in the context of sanctions from Western countries. Problem areas of activity caused by political and economic factors are identified. In the context of developing crisis trends, it is necessary to search for the most effective forms of interaction between participants within complex production structures, which can increase their competitiveness in the market. Structures with vertical and horizontal links are interested in high production results and increased competitiveness, due to more efficient use of resources and reduced transaction costs. The development of technologies will provide support for the development of new business models, control and develop business, model and automate decision-making processes, and develop cooperation in the ecosystem. The theoretical basis of the scientific work was the use of general scientific methods of cognition to the processes and phenomena under study, and the methodological basis was the synthesis of the theory of industrial production and neoclassical theory. The use of a logical approach allowed us to interpret the results obtained during the study, as well as to draw conclusions and formulate proposals on the use of various mechanisms, tools and models for the development of approaches to the development of a mechanism for managing the activities of production and technological chains. It was concluded that despite the current problems, Russian industry has sufficient resources and all the opportunities for the development and transformation of existing production and technological chains and the creation of new ones based on deepening integration processes and modernization of production.

Construction of Cross-Border E-Commerce Supply Chain of Agricultural Food Products based on Blockchain Technology

The European Union has for several years been a critical export market and a significant source of imports for us, and the US has, in general, kept closed domestic players vis-à-vis the EU. However, given the variety of alternative market conditions and EU forms, the attractiveness of cross-border electronic commerce (CBEC) between China and the EU has fallen far short, and there is an urgency to create a harmonious and uniform environmental environment for the exchange of information to facilitate the convenience of cross border electronic commerce. This study examines the CBEC of agricultural goods and its cooperative management technique inside the logistical supply chain. It details the complete transaction model and fundamental components and presents a theoretical framework for the CBEC distribution network. The Block Chain can effectively bridge the obstacles to CBEC in Chinese and European countries by providing a valuable source of benefits from decentralization, trust, anti-counterfeiting, consensus, innovative procurement, and extraordinary techniques, which will provide the basis for building an Embedded Provider Platform for Electronic Commerce, Risk Management System for Deposit Risk Management, Supply Chain (SC) Management System, Cross Border Logistic System, Customs Supervisory Computer, etc. The paper examines how blockchain science can assemble CBEC SC computing devices for agricultural goods between global places in Central Europe. Firstly, it expounds on the theory and characteristics of the blockchain. Then, the paper introduces the troubles that arise in the CBEC supply chain. Then, the thesis proposes a blockchain-based CBEC SC structure, analyzes the aspects and relations among each other, and provides a framework for developing a China-European blockchain cross-border electronic Commerce. The test findings indicate that the system satisfies the criteria for tracking agricultural items and enhances fresh farm commodities' quality and security.

What Literary Universals Are and What Culture Is Not: The Example of Descriptive Ethics

ABSTRACT Most of us would like to think that our ideas and commitments develop in a purely “objective” manner, as if they were the product of simple chains of evidence and inference. But that would be wrong. Our intellectual lives are more contingent and personal than that. In keeping with the biographical background of our intellectual engagements and commitments, the following article begins with a sort of memoir treating some key features of the author’s theoretical and scholarly development. This leads to a discussion of one prominent concern that has been a recurrent focus of Hogan’s research and writing—literary universals, especially story universals. Isolating and explaining universals is a project that is mostly ignored by literary theorists today. Insofar as it is not ignored, it is widely misunderstood. This article attempts to correct some of this misunderstanding. Rather than anything universal, humanists today are particularly enthusiastic about the idea of culture, despite its vagueness and (at best) limited explanatory value. As knowledge about culture is widely seen as undermining the study of universals, the article then turns to some criticisms of culturalism. It concludes by treating the example of how story universals bear on and illuminate the descriptive study of ethics.

Analyzing The Impact Of Combining Lean Six Sigma Methodologies With Sustainability Goals

This study integrates Lean Six Sigma (LSS) methodologies with sustainability frameworks to enhance process efficiency while achieving environmental and social objectives. Using a systematic review approach guided by PRISMA guidelines, 52 peer-reviewed articles were analyzed to provide comprehensive insights into the applications, challenges, and advancements of LSS in sustainability contexts. The findings reveal that LSS tools, such as value stream mapping and the DMAIC framework, are widely implemented across industries to reduce waste, optimize resource utilization, and improve operational outcomes. Advanced technologies, including IoT, AI, and data analytics, are increasingly integrated into LSS practices, enhancing their effectiveness in achieving sustainability goals through real-time monitoring and predictive capabilities. Sector-specific insights highlight the successful application of LSS in manufacturing, healthcare, and supply chain operations, with significant reductions in carbon footprints, material waste, and energy consumption. Furthermore, developing sustainability-focused key performance indicators (KPIs) such as carbon intensity and resource usage metrics is a critical advancement, enabling organizations to quantify and track their sustainability progress. This review underscores the evolving role of LSS as a comprehensive framework for operational excellence and sustainability, offering valuable recommendations for industry and academia to address contemporary environmental and operational challenges.

FISH PRODUCTION AND THE POTENTIAL OF TILAPIA PRODUCTION IN BRAZIL AND IN THE WORLD: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF ITS USE AS ENERGY AND FOOD

The need for new sources of renewable energy is something that is widely studied today. In several countries, the search for new sources of raw materials for biodiesel production is being evaluated and used. Among these sources is the use of animal fat waste. In this context, the use of fish waste is being evaluated and applied as an intensive source in the production of biodiesel. However, the development of technologies that can make the extraction of these fats viable is still a determining factor in the full use of these wastes. This study presents a review of the production of Nile Tilapia, farmed in captivity, as well as its use in the production of and application in the biodiesel production chain. This work, because it is a review of the potential for the use of waste, used a systematic assessment of the collection of studies, market assessments, and government agencies, which made it possible to obtain data on production and waste generation. For this purpose, searches were carried out on journal platforms and websites that involve the fish production chain. Thus, the verification of this new source of biomass in energy generation becomes viable for the development of new technologies that can add value to waste and reduce the environmental impacts caused by fish farming. The study indicates that there is a significant opportunity in the use of fish waste for the production of renewable fuels, specifically those that have a high lipid content, and their use for the production of biodiesel is possible.

Strategical and tactical supply chain optimisation for smart production planning and control 4.0

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies generate new opportunities for developing smart models, algorithms and tools to support supply chain (SC) production planning and control (PPC), or smart PPC (SPPC 4.0). Paired with opportunities, challenges arise in integrating sustainability and resilience in SC network design (SCND) according under I4.0. The main novelty of this paper is to propose two multi-objective models that integrate strategical and tactical PPC decisions into a sustainable-resilient SC under I4.0 towards SPPC 4.0. Sustainability is incorporated in terms of reducing costs and CO2 emissions, and a job creation factor. Resilience is incorporated in terms of contracting support suppliers. To solve the multi-objective models, the augmented epsilon constraint method (AUGMECON) was used. This algorithm minimises a target objective function while it treats the others as constraints. Our experiments indicate that AUGMECON is sensitive to the choice of epsilon values. Furthermore, a synthetic data generation tool called SR1-SR2_SynthDataGenerator was developed. This tool generates input datasets to validate and evaluate our models against benchmarks. A stochastic model (SR2) is also proposed that, with small datasets, takes 8.39 seconds to solve. The proposed models can be useful for industries that seek sustainable and resilient SCs to adapt to changing environments.

Latin America: A hub for agrobiotechnological innovations.

Modern biotechnology is one of the last century's major advances in human science. Particularly in the agronomical field, the landscape of crop improvement technologies has witnessed a great expansion, driven by the integration of molecular and genetic engineering methodologies into the breeding toolbox. Latin America (LATAM) serves as a pioneering region in incorporating such techniques with several countries swiftly embracing these technologies. This review aims to give a comprehensive overview of the elements that influenced agrobiotech acceptance in LATAM countries and how such cases could provide support for upcoming technologies to be considered worldwide. Nearly 50 years of biotech breakthroughs have provided humankind with an impressive portfolio of tools already integrated into several life-sciences areas. The agronomical field has greatly progressed thanks to technologies derived from Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and high promises are being made to also incorporate genome -editing products. LATAM's case is a prime example of how early introduction of novelties in the crop production chain can result in improved yields, paving the way for future developments to be easily integrated into the technological ecosystem of a region. The example set by LATAM can also be useful for the present gene-editing regulatory scenario. With several countries presently on the path to approving these methods in their current crop systems, basing their next steps on the southern continent's example, could represent a safe and practical pathway towards a new agronomical revolution.

Risk and Opportunity of Diageo: PESTEL and SWOT Analysis

This research talks about Diageo, the world-famous wine factory, and analyses the risks and opportunities through PESTEL Analysis and SWOT Analysis. The market capitalization, the timing and results of new projects, and the number of brands and revenue are collected from Yahoo finance and the company’s 2024 annual financial report. According to these analysis methods, this research believes that Diageo still possesses a strong power to keep going toward long-term prosperity as the world economy improves, even though there are some legal disputations. Diageo’s huge number of brands and complete production chain can help Diageo avoid risks to a large extent or stop the risk from expanding further. These capabilities result from Diageo’s long-term accumulation and strong management capabilities. This research provides an investment recommendation to investors interested in Diageo and provides a useful method to evaluate the business’s performance and the risks and opportunities it faces.

Sustainability assessment with the green retrofitting concept for building: A study case in the Gresik regency, Indonesia

In green construction, sustainable resources are essential. One such material is copper, which is widely utilized in electronics, transportation, manufacturing, and residential buildings. As a very useful material, it has many beneficial impacts on human life. Observed from the recent demand spike is in line with the overall trend and the current growing smelter construction in Indonesia. Researchers intend to adapt the existing Copper Smelting Plant Building into an environmentally friendly building as a part of the production chain, in addition to reducing public and environmental concerns about the consequences of this development. We have identified a disparity in cost, where the high cost of green buildings is an obstacle to its implementation to enhance the cost performance with increased renewable energy of the Smelter Construction Building, this study investigates the application of LEED parameters to evaluate green retrofit approaches through system dynamics. The most relevant features of the participant assessments were identified using the SEM-PLS approach, which is used to build and test statistical models of causal models. We have results for this Green Retrofitting study following significant variables according to the following guidelines: innovation, low-emission materials, renewable energy, daylighting, reducing indoor water usage, rainwater management, and access to quality transit.

A preliminary study on the degradation of AFB1 by Tenebrio molitor, Rhizopus oryzae and Trichoderma reesei

Abstract Recently, genus Aspergillus, a fungus capable of producing aflatoxins, secondary highly toxic metabolites, has spread to new areas. These areas became suitable habitats due to the recent climate changes. The use of aflatoxin-contaminated crops is a cause of great concern in guaranteeing food safety and is responsible for major economic losses along the supply chain. For this reason, several strategies have been investigated to utilize these contaminated products as a possible food or feed resource by reducing or eliminating their aflatoxin content, but with limited relevant success. The presented study was aimed to evaluate a combination of biological processes to use aflatoxin B1 contaminated crops for their reintroduction into the production chain. The high tolerance to AFB1 and the apparent lack of accumulation in yellow mealworm larvae, reared on wheat bran substrates, spiked with increasing AFB1 concentration (0, 125, 250, 500 μg/kg) to obtain proteins of high biological value. Subsequently, the aflatoxin-degrading capacity of Rhizopus oryzae and Trichoderma reesei was applied to insect breeding waste (frass) in a fermentation process to ensure further utilization of biohazardous frass as soil conditioner. Individually, each process proven to be able to reduce the AFB1 present by about 80%, while the combination of the two approaches ensured the total degradation of aflatoxin B1-contaminated substrate and frass, which resulted in the possible production of biomass, that could be used for the feed and agricultural industry.

An integrated approach of SCOR and DEMATEL for risk assessment in the cold chain of agricultural products

An integrated approach of SCOR and DEMATEL for risk assessment in the cold chain of agricultural products