Material Allocation Research Articles

Process redesign in development of forest biomass supply for energy

Wood plays an important role in the production of renewable energy in the EU which is going to grow further in the future. The economics of operations, however, are still critical. The aim of the present thesis was to investigate the potential of process improvement measures to increase the performance of biomass to energy supply operations. Article I and II investigated the organizational structure and business process for forest biomass procurement of a German integrated roundwood and energy wood procurement chain by means of business process mapping. The business process was then analyzed and redesigned by the method of business process reengineering. Furthermore, two new business processes were developed which are to be applied in procurement operations only for energy wood. Article III analyzed the raw material allocation process currently in use by supply chains from roadside storage to plant in the Finnish region of North Karelia. It developed an alternative, information-based process using data on the transportation distance, drying models for forecasting the moisture content and data on the volume of the storages. Discreteevent simulation was used to compare current and new processes and to analyze their effects on the economics of operations. Article VI investigated the cost-saving potential of improving data management and information logistics through the application of information and communication technology. Its profitability was analyzed by a cost-benefit analysis. The economic analysis of the business process reengineering showed that the reengineered To-be process can potentially cut costs by up to 39% relative to the currently applied business process. The information-based raw material allocation process could the energy content delivered by the supply chain by up to 9% over the entire year and by up to 29% during the peak period in winter when the fuel demand of the plant is highest. Applying ICT in to investigated cases in Finland showed a net present value of 212 739 € over a time span of ten years at an annual production of 150 000 loose-m in the first case. In the second case the net present value was even 969 841 € which seemed to be very high at an annual production of 37 000 loose m. This thesis demonstrates that process improvement can considerably increase the productivity and cost-efficiency of existing forest biomass supply chains.

Review of Relief Demand Forecasting Problem in Emergency Logistic System

Demand forecasting on relief is the premise and basis of material allocation scheme in emergency logistic system. Reasonable demand forecasting method can facilitate relief distribution, thus avoiding the phenomenon that supply-demand imbalance and relief distribution delay. In this paper, relief will be categorized from point view of government and academia, to explain the relationship between relief categorization and demand forecasting. Then introduce the characteristics of relief-demand from several aspects, such as sudden, uncertainty, timeliness, and stage. Finally, this paper gives an overall conclusion on current development of relief demand forecasting method. And elaborate the application of case-based reasoning, information entropy theory, considering safety stock in the field of relief-demand forecasting in detail, to provide reference for relief distribution.

Custo da instalação e desligamento de hemodiálise em pacientes com cateter venoso central

The objective was to identify the average total cost (ATC) for installing and turning off hemodialysis on patients with central venous catheters. This quantitative, exploratory, and descriptive research, in the mode of a single-case study, was conducted in a public university hospital. The non-probabilistic sample corresponded to the observation of 100 installations and 100 terminations of hemodialysis on 42 patients during 23 days of collection. The ATC was calculated by multiplying the time spent by nurses by the unit cost of direct labor, and adding the cost of materials, solutions, and medications. The Brazilian currency (R$) was used for the calculations. The ATC for installation was R$ 80.10 and for shutting off was R$ 13.04, totaling R$ 93.14 per hemodialysis session. The results obtained will facilitate a better planning of the allocation of human, material, and financial resources enabling the increase of managerial strategies aimed at economic efficiency. doi: 10.5216/ree.v16i4.23044.

Correlation between productivity traits forms of different origin perennial grass poa family

Purpose is to identify relationships between different morphological and biological properties and economically valuable signs and allocation of valuable breeding material. Methods. Study on correlation of level interpopulation when using hay was carried out on samples that were allocated by the complex agronomic traits: Dactylis glomerata L. s. Drogobythanka, s. Dainava, Lolium perenne L. s. Drogobythskiy 16, № 716, № 3477, Phleum pretense L. s. Pidgyrianka, № 2806, Festuca rubra L. № 1009, № 1007, № 1008. Results. In the selection of plants Dactylis glomerata L. to raise and forage productivity features to be used length and seed of grains and in and seed weight ear. Between grounds productivity Lolium perenne L. there is a positive correlation, which is determined by the tightness in the complex hierarchy of relations with the resulting feature, varietal characteristics, duration of the growing season. Selection of varieties Pidgyrianka Phleum pretense L. to improve forage productivity can be made on the basis of plant height and cover of leaves In between samples Festuca rubra L. signs number of grains in the inflorescence and grain yield positive correlation was average, the correlation coefficient r = 0,47-0,73. Selected samples can serve genetic resources in breeding programs to create high-yielding varieties of integrated use. Conclusions. Established relationship between forage and productivity and their elements to interpopulation equal signs productivity in samples Dactylis glomerata L., Lolium perenne L., Phleum pretense L., Festuca rubra L. Revealed that productivity is closely correlated with indicators such as the structure of panicle weight, ear, Sultan; of generative shoots in the bush; weight of 1000 grains and in panicle, ear and sultans.

O conceito de compensação no diálogo de Vigotski com Adler:desenvolvimento humano, educação e deficiência

Atualmente, é ampla a divulgação dos estudos de Lev Semenovitch Vigotski e dos impactos que esses causaram no âmbito da educação, repercutindo no modo de pensar o ensino e o desenvolvimento de crianças. Entretanto, a obra desse autor referente ao tema da deficiência ainda permanece sem tradução para o português. Por essa razão, ainda é pouco conhecida no país. O conceito que Vigotski elabora quando aborda o desenvolvimento nas condições orgânicas adversas é o de compensação. Diante disso, a proposta deste trabalho é apresentar a história de elaboração conceitual da compensação na perspectiva histórico-cultural, compreendendo a emergência e o movimento das ideias e dos argumentos produzidos por Vigotski na interlocução com os seus contemporâneos, sobretudo com o psicanalista austríaco Alfred Adler. Trata-se de um estudo teórico-conceitual em que foram realizadas leituras de livros de Adler e dos principais textos de Vigotski e de autores contemporâneos que versam acerca do tema. As discussões apontam para os pontos de acordos e a explicitação das diferenças das perspectivas desses autores, além de dar a ver o modo como Vigotski redimensiona o conceito de compensação com orientação para a formação social da mente. Como conclusão, mostra-se a concepção da sustentação da vida do indivíduo pelo outro, a crença nas possibilidades de desenvolvimento para além da deficiência e a compreensão dos diferentes modos de humanização. A implicação dessas proposições é a responsabilidade social de organização do meio educacional de modo a projetar a formação do novo no processo de desenvolvimento da criança (com deficiência), investindo na formação, disponibilização e apropriação de recursos materiais e humanos.

Modeling the Material Allocation System for TFT-LCD Module Factories Based on Make-to-Stock Production

The thin flim transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) module factories are in charge of the last process of the TFT-LCD supply chain, i.e., assembling LCD panels (produced from the former process in the supply chain) as well as electronic components into TFT-LCD panels or the finished products using TFT-LCD panels. Since the variation of machine processes and production techniques at the former process of the supply chain results in a variety of qualities of LCD panels, the finished products assembled with those LCD panels of different qualities are also of different qualities, according to which they are classified into different grades. This paper models the material allocation system for a TFT-LCD module factory based on the make-to-stock (MTS) production, in which one of the main designs is to allow the flexibility that the finished products of higher grades are able to be downgraded to respond to the drastic variation of customer requirements for each grade of finished products. The system is modelled in detail by an integer programming approach that takes into account not only downgraded products but also the customer requirements for the quality qualification rate and the lower bound of non-dot-defect rate of products, to maximize the total profit of the product portfolio. The model is evaluated by conducting an experimental study for a numerical example, which turns out that the proposed system looks promising as it determines a feasible product portfolio that decreases both the inventory of LCD panels and the volume of unqualified products while maintaining a high profit.

Genetic and molecular basis of symbiotic adaptations

We examined the population and molecular mechanisms of symbiotic adaptations contributing to the structural, functional, and genetic integration of nonrelated organisms. These adaptations are determined by group selection processes operating at the levels of integral super-species systems (holobionts) and their internal microbial communities. This type of selection is responsible for an increase in symbiosis integrity, which is dependent at the early stages of partners’ coevolution on their signaling interactions (cross-regulation of genes) and at the late stages on a allocation of hereditary material between partners (endosymbiotic gene transfer). The resulting increase in the adaptive potential of symbiotic systems is attributed to (i) intra- and interspecies partners’ altruism as a consequence of their mutualistic interactions; and (ii) the inheritance of microsymbionts by hosts as beneficial genetic determinants acquired from the environment in the course of adaptive coevolution. The first mechanism is attributed to the involvement of the host in cooperative adaptations arising within microbial populations and communities in the course of the inoculation and colonization of symbiotic niches. The second mechanism is attributed to realization of the pangenesis hypothesis, proposed by Ch. Darwin as a possible strategy for direct adaptation of organisms to the environment—an alternative to natural selection. In the course of symbiogenesis, this adaptation is implemented on the basis of ontogenetic programs that ensure transitions from an unstable (pseudo-vertical) transmission of facultative symbionts in host progenies towards a stable (transovarian, cytoplasmic) inheritance of obligatory symbionts and cellular organelles.

Stipulation of Conditions of CMF with Required Allocation of Tool Materials

The existing production techniques of CMF (changeable multi-faceted plates) are not sufficient for production of tools with enhanced hardness parameters. In order to implement the production technique of composite CMF using layer by layer filling of press mold the research was conducted of the rotation speed of the press mold on the interface form of powdered materials phases. The suggested production method of composite CMF allows to enhance the hardness of cutting plates by 10–15%.

Costs and benefits of reticulate leaf venation.

BackgroundRecent theoretical and empirical work has identified redundancy as one of the benefits of the reticulate form in the evolution of leaf vein networks. However, we know little about the costs of redundancy or how those costs depend on vein network geometry or topology. Here, we examined both costs and benefits to redundancy in 339 individual reticulate leaf networks comprising over 3.5 million vein segments. We compared levels of costs and benefits within reticulate networks to those within analogous networks without loops known as Maximum Spanning Trees (MSTs).ResultsWe show that network robustness to varying degrees of simulated damage is positively correlated with structural indices of redundancy. We further show that leaf vein networks are topologically, geometrically and functionally more redundant than are MSTs. However, increased redundancy comes with minor costs in terms of increases in material allocation or decreases in conductance. We also show that full networks do not markedly decrease the distance to non-vein tissue in comparison to MSTs.ConclusionsThese results suggest the evolutionary transition to the reticulate type of networks found in modern Angiosperm flora involved a relatively minor increase in material and conductance costs with significant benefits in terms of network redundancy.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12870-014-0234-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The use of libraries and information centres by agricultural researchers and extension workers in Zimbabwe

Access to information through libraries and information centres among others, enhances the timeliness and quality of such information. This study sought to establish how information generated by both researchers and extension workers was being managed by the respective divisions for access and posterity. Data was collected through a questionnaire which was distributed to agricultural researchers and extension workers. Data was analysed using SPSS and content analysis. The results showed that the majority of researchers had access to libraries, while the majority of extension workers did not have access to library services. The absence of access to libraries confirms: why the majority of extension workers consulted print sources and departmental collections first, and their preference for using publications in disseminating information to farmers. The respondents also utilised alternative sources of information, including circulars from the ministry’s head office, personal and departmental collections, media sources (newspapers, radio, audio materials), and other libraries. University libraries were the most utilised alternative by 11% of the respondents. Libraries in NGOs, ICRISAT, FAO and SeedCo were also mentioned. The libraries of the ministry were generally not adequately equipped to support the information needs of researchers and extension workers, and although the Central Library’s strength was reflected in the availability of and access to databases, the inability of users to access these resources from other centres or institutes cancelled this advantage. The resources were only concentrated in one locality. The Ministry of Agriculture did not have a “visible policy” regarding the management of information generated by its departments. The study recommended the allocation of resources, both human and material and to maximise use of available electronic resources, which are otherwise underutilised.

An algebraic approach for supply network synthesis

Abstract This paper presents a novel algebraic technique of supply network synthesis and analysis. A case study of biomass processing for supply network synthesis using three techniques (i) mathematical modelling (ii) supermatrix scoring concept and (iii) algebraic analysis with graphical visualisation is demonstrated. The results and performances of three techniques are compared. Comparable modelling results are obtained for all three approaches. The introduction of quantitative cum graphical analysis of supply network allows the performance overview of each possible choice of supply network in one picture. Besides, the algebraic method allows the concurrent set-up of material allocation and ranking of possible supply network choices. This outweighs the mathematical modelling technique that allows for optimal supply network synthesis but giving no insight to the performance of next network choices; and the supermatrix scoring technique that ranks the general supply network choices in a whole picture yet incapable to capture the optimal selection which involves only part of the players, especially in supply network problem.

Foreign expe rience of management in the sphe re of solid househ old waste

Rapid growth of the population and its concentration in the cities — the most important tendencies of the come century. Respectively concentration in the cities of various waste, first of all the solid household waste demanding timely removal from the places of residence of the population and safe utilization increases also. One of the important directions in the field of formation complex systems addresses with solid household waste is need of introduction in practice of the European mechanisms of selective collecting TBO in the cities, focused on razkdelny collecting different types of waste, allocation of secondary raw materials with possibility of its reuse or processing, allocation of dangerous types of waste from the general stream of TBO accumulated by the population.

Improvements in Material-Density-Based Topology Optimization for 3-D Magnetic Circuit Design by FEM and Sequential Linear Programming Method

Topology optimization (TO) makes it possible to obtain new structures for electrical machines. The sensitivity-based method, which can cope with some constraint conditions, is suitable for large-scale three-dimensional TO. However, if the material density is defined by unknown variables in TO, elements with intermediate density (grayscale) occasionally appear. The grayscale cannot clearly show the material allocation within its finite element. Thus, we propose a sigmoid-based filtering function to suppress the generation of grayscale. Moreover, because the constraint condition can be simply taken into consideration, sequential linear programming is occasionally utilized as a topology optimizer. However, the convergence characteristics frequently oscillate and are strongly dependent on the move limit that controls the maximum intensity of the correction vector. To overcome this numerical difficulty, we propose an identification technique for the determination of a quasi-optimal move limit (QOML). This paper demonstrates the performance of both the mathematical function filtering grayscale and QOML.

The effect of delay cultivation on dry matter accumulation and chickpea yield in dry land conditions

Plant yield as a result of the allocation of the photosynthesis material to economic organs is that was obtained through balanced relationships between source and the tank. Exact and correct of physiological processes understanding of controlling yield and proper use of them will be caused to increase crop plants yield. In this case the experiment was done in Islamic Azad University of Kermanshah in 2011. In this study, three cultivars of chickpea such as Flip93-93, 12-60-31 and Hashem in three planting dates such as fall, expended and spring (delay) were compared with complete random blocks factorial in 4 repetitions. Growth indicators such as: total dry matter (TDM), stem dry matter accumulation (SDM), leaf dry matter accumulation (LDM), pod dry matter accumulation (PDM) and grain dry matter accumulation (GDM) plant height, number of seeds per plant, 100seed weight, biological yield, harvest index and grain yield were evaluated. Flip93-93 cultivar in fall cultivation had the highest dry matter accumulation of leaf, stem and the whole plant. Meanwhile Hashem cultivar had the least dry matter accumulation in all of the indexes. Reducing the dry matter accumulation in total plant in delay cultivation (spring) rather than fall cultivation in Flip93-93, 12-60-31 and Hashem in order, were 145, 23, and 47%, which show that superiority of fall cultivation rather than spring cultivation. Finally Flip93-93 cultivar in fall cultivation (1002.1 Kg/ha) had the highest and 12-60-31 cultivar in delay cultivation (336.52 Kg/ha) had the least seed yield.

Virtual reality for operational procedures in radioactive waste deposits

One of the biggest challenges in the nuclear area are still nuclear radioactive waste generated in the various applications of this energy, all these wastes are stored in tanks that are frequently monitored and restructured to better utilization of the same. Considering the routine process of this work and due to the seriousness of the issue, are very useful methods and techniques to predict the radiation dose absorbed by the worker in performing this task. One of the possible ways to accomplish advance planning of these activities is through the use of computer simulators. In this context, this paper presents a methodology based on virtual reality, in order to develop a radioactive waste virtual deposit in order to enable simulations of virtual relocation in these deposits. With the development of deposit becomes possible to simulate virtual/train allocation and reallocation of low and medium level waste materials, since the possibility of displacement for virtual objects and dynamic calculation of the radiation rate in this environment. Through virtual simulations is possible to know the dose accumulated by virtual person in procedures performed in the virtual environment, since each virtual object in the tank is a source of radiation. As a first case study was modeled virtually the nuclear waste repository located at the Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear – IEN/CNEN. This first model was evaluated according to the realism of the environment and computational radiation modeling. The results for the modeling of the virtual environment and the modeling of radiation, proved satisfactory, as the good approach to be compared with the real environment. Therefore this research contributes to show the great potential of virtual simulation tools in the training operation of nuclear facilities, avoiding physical immersion in higher levels radiation.

Decomposition Templates and Joint Morphing Operators for Genetic Algorithm Optimization of Multicomponent Structural Topology

This paper presents a continuum-based approach for multi-objective topology optimization of multicomponent structures. Objectives include minimization of compliance, weight, and cost of assembly and manufacturing. Design variables are partitioned into two main groups: those pertaining to material allocation within a design domain (base topology problem), and those pertaining to decomposition of a monolithic structure into multiple components (joint allocation problem). Generally speaking, the two problems are coupled in the sense that the decomposition of an optimal monolithic structure is not always guaranteed to produce an optimal multicomponent structure. However, for spot-welded sheet-metal structures (such as those often found in automotive applications), certain assumptions can be made about the performance of a monolithic structure that favor the adoption of a two-stage approach that decouples the base topology and joint allocation problems. A multi-objective genetic algorithm (GA) is used throughout the studies in this paper. While the problem decoupling in two-stage approaches significantly reduces the size of the search space and allows better performance of the GA, the size of the search space can still be quite enormous in the second stage. To further improve the performance, a new mutation operator based on decomposition templates and localized joints morphing is proposed. A cantilever-loaded structure is used to study and compare various setups of single and two-stage GA approaches and establish the merit of the proposed GA operators. The approach is then applied to a simplified model of an automotive vehicle floor subject to global bending loading condition.

A New Method for Determining the Reliability Testing Period Using Weibull Distribution

In this paper, we present a calculation methodology of the testing duration of the products' reliability, using the Weibull distribution, which allows the estimation of the mean duration of a censored and/or complete test, as well as of the confidence intervals for this duration. By using these values we can improve the adequate planning and allocation of material and human resources for the specific testing activities. The proposed methodology and the results' accuracy were verified using the Monte Carlo data simulation method.

Research on Industry Manufacturing Materials Based on Managers Compensation and Fair Value Changes

Managers play a decisive role in the allocation and utilization of industry manufacturing materials in industrial enterprises. Research has demonstrated that the profit and loss from fair value changes has significant impact on managers compensation. This article studies the profit and loss from fair value changes and sensitivity of Chinese managers compensation in industrial enterprises and finds out that the current managers compensation design cannot reflect the revenue information and profit and loss changes in fair value measurement effectively, and there is non-equivalence in impact of profit and loss. Therefore, new compensation stimulation mechanism based on performance contribution and weight ratio should be came up with as early as possible, to guide and maintain the positive relationship between profit and loss from fair value changes and managers compensation, and adjust the stickiness between them to avoid the negative impact on the utilization of industry manufacturing materials caused by distorted managers compensation system.

Topological Optimization Design of Top Beam of the Longmen Milling Machine Based on Hyperworks

Topology optimization is a kind of optimized method, which can seek for an optimal allocation of structural material according to the load,constraints and optimization goals .To achieve the lightweight design of the top beam, establishing a minimum strain as the objective function, the volume fraction as the constraint conditions, and the density of design domain as the design variables,implementing the topology optimization for the top beam,the optimal distribution of top beam material is obtained, which provide a basis for the manufacture of top beam.

The roles of light–dark cycles in the growth of Phaeocystis globosa from the South China Sea: The cost of colony enlargement

The allocation of materials to build the mucilaginous matrix of colonies does not impair the growth rate of colonial cells in Phaeocystis, and the matrix provides protection against grazing. We conducted experiments to investigate the effects of darkness on the growth rates of solitary and colonial cells in Phaeocystis globosa from the South China Sea, as well as the potential costs associated with colony enlargement. The growth rates of solitary and colonial cells, colony concentrations and fraction of cells in colonial form were all suppressed under continuous light. Colonial cells had higher growth rates compared to solitary cells only within longer dark periods, and the difference became insignificant under short durations of darkness. In all cases, colonial cell density showed a negative relationship with colony size for P. globosa. We also found clear negative relationships between initial colony diameters and growth rates of individual colonies. The reduced growth rate and colonial cell density would result in a fragile colonial envelope and represent potential cost in colony enlargement for Phaeocystis.