New Production Paradigm Research Articles

Ultrasmall Pd nanoparticles supported on a metal–organic framework DUT-67-PZDC for enhanced formic acid dehydrogenation

The highly dispersed ultrasmall palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) (1.7 nm) were successfully immobilized on a N-containing metal–organic framework (MOF, DUT-67-PZDC) using a co-reduction method, and it is used as an excellent catalyst for formic acid dehydrogenation (FAD). The optimized catalyst Pd/DUT-67-PZDC(10, 10 wt% Pd loading) shows 100% hydrogen (H2) selectivity and formic acid (FA) conversion at 60 °C, and the commendable initial turnover frequency (TOF) values of 2572 h−1 with the sodium formate (SF) as an additive and 1059 h−1 even without SF, which is better than most reported MOF supported Pd monometallic heterogeneous catalysts. The activation energy (Ea) of FAD is 43.2 KJ/mol, which is lower than most heterogeneous catalysts. In addition, the optimized catalyst Pd/DUT-67-PZDC(10) maintained good stability over five consecutive runs, demonstrating only minimal decline in catalytic activity. The outstanding catalytic performance could be ascribed to the synergistic corporations of the unique structure of DUT-67-PZDC carrier with hierarchical pore characteristic, the metal-support interaction (MSI) between the active Pd NPs and DUT-67-PZDC, the highly dispersed Pd NPs with ultrafine size serve as the catalytic active site, as well as the N sites on the support could act as the proton buffers. This work provides a new paradigm for the efficient H2 production of FAD by constructing highly active heterogeneous Pd-based catalysts using MOF supports.

Costs and benefits of synthetic nitrogen for global cereal production in 2015 and in 2050 under contrasting scenarios

Cereals are the most important global staple crop and use more than half of global cropland and synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizer. While this synthetic N may feed half of the current global population, it has led to a massive increase in reactive N loss to the environment, causing a suite of impacts, offsetting the benefits of N fertilizers for food security and agricultural economy. To address these complex issues, the NBCalCer model was developed to quantify the global effects of N input on crop yields, N budgets and environmental impacts and to assess the associated social benefits and costs. Three Shared Socioeconomic Pathway scenarios (SSPs) were considered with decreasing N agri-environmental ambitions, through contrasting climate and N policy ambitions: sustainability (SSP1H), middle-of-the-road (SSP2M) and fossil-fueled development (SSP5L). In the base year the contribution of synthetic N fertilizer to global cereal production was 44 %. Global modelled grain yield was projected to increase under all scenarios while the use of synthetic N fertilizer decreases under all scenarios except SSP5L. The total N surplus was projected to be reduced up to 20 % under SSP1H but to increase under SSP5L. The Benefit-Cost-Ratio (BCR) was calculated as the ratio between the market benefit of increased grain production by synthetic N and the summed cost of fertilizer purchase and the external cost of the N losses. In base year the BCR was well above one in all regions, but in 2050 under SSP1H and SSP5L decreased to below one in most regions. Given the concerns about food security, environmental quality and its interaction with biodiversity loss, human health and climate change, the new paradigm for global cereal production is producing sufficient food with minimum N pollution. Our results indicate that achieving this goal would require a massive change in global volume and distribution of synthetic N.

A CONCEPTUAL MFARM BUSINESS MODEL: MOSQUE AS A SUSTAINABLE FARMING CENTRE, RESKILLING AND NURTURING B40 AS AGRO-PRENEURS

This business model paper explores the potential of utilising mosque space for farming with the aim of assisting low-income and B40 communities. The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual business model including a digital platform and application as well as to assess the feasibility of this concept and address the growing demand for locally grown and organic produce, while also providing an opportunity for the mosque to generate additional revenue streams. The paper outlines the methodology used, which is Design Thinking, by conducting literature review (LR), benchmarking and survey to further understand the problem that later helps in creating our own business case model (BMC) and Value Proposition Canvas (VPC). It also highlights the potential social and environmental benefits of this model, such as increased community engagement and the reduction of carbon footprints through localised food production. The proposed business model aims to create a new paradigm for sustainable food production, with mosques serving as community hubs for education, training, and innovation in the field of urban farming. The paper concludes by outlining the potential challenges and risks involved in this venture and proposes strategies to mitigate them. Ultimately, this business paper represents an exciting opportunity for mosques to become leaders in sustainable food production and community engagement. This conceptual business model would also provide educational opportunities for members of the community to learn about urban farming, nutrition, and healthy eating habits. By focusing on serving low-income and B40 communities, the business aims to address food insecurity and promote equitable access to healthy, locally grown produce. This would help to improve the overall health and well-being of the community, while also providing economic opportunities for low-income individuals to participate in the farming and distribution of produce.

Unlocking the Potentials of Vegetable Production and Marketing of Kumbaney Women Vegetable Producers in Central River Region South of the Gambia

The Government entirely depends on agriculture for its socio-economic development of horticulture in which maximum attention to improve on food and nutritional security. The women and youths do participate in vegetable production and marketing as their main source of income in order to improve on their lives and livelihood. The new paradigm of vegetable production is modern market-oriented and commercialize agriculture. The sample and sampling method was non-probability using the purposive sampling method of data collection. A checklist questionnaire developed for the data collection mainly on yield, price and income. The women producers encounter numerous production challenges such as poor quality seeds, inadequate production technologies and access to markets. The objective of the research findings is to evaluate the cost-benefits analysis. The result shows that, out of 2,500 kg of onion, equivalent to125 bags/20 kg were sold at D500/bag with a total cash income of D62, 500 followed by tomato with an amount of D30, 175 and D21, 850 for cabbage respectively. In conclusion, vegetable production in the rural community of Kumbaney brought immense changes in their lives and livelihood, as they solve most of their domestic engagements at household level. Therefore, recommending to the government to formulate and design bankable horticulture policies and strategies that would have impact on the lives and livelihood of women producers.

The rivalry trap – plant-based foods as transformers and destroyers

Purpose The purpose of this paper, applying concepts in the plant-based food sector, is a focus on the competitive rival trap for startup firms, with their initial advantage for under-served market segments, only to be overtaken by scale, speed, and brands of incumbent brand firms. As a case study of industry transformation, the food production sector illustrates how organizational innovation brings new forms of rivalry, from the farm gate to the kitchen plate. As a result, startups face a rivalry trap, if unable to scale quickly, as incumbents reframe their strategic response with startup acquisitions, corporate incubators or alliance partnerships consumer demand. Design/methodology/approach This paper outlines the features of precision agriculture, a new paradigm for agriculture and food production, requiring new competences and skillsets in the protein revolution, including issues like virus, bacteria and the molecular structure of food groups, animal breeding and veterinary medicine. Plant-based foods is used as a case study for startups and the rivalry trap. Findings The emergence of plant-based foods is a case study of market opportunity and creative destruction, where the potential market varies from $25bn to $72bn, and growing faster in the dairy sector. However, food incumbents bring new strategic responses and a rivalry trap, where startups must gain scale quickly in capabilities, talent and marketing prowess, often exploiting demand in market niches unimpeded by incumbent rivals. Research limitations/implications Startups in biological sciences face massive challenges to increase scale and scope, even with unique intellectual property. Practical implications Startup firms need multidisciplinary management teams with a global outlook. Social implications Plant-based foods form part of the protein revolution but face challenges of scale, cost competitiveness and taste, despite advantages for climate mitigation. Originality/value The impact of technological and science applications has blurred the traditional concept of industry boundary, with huge variations in the intangible knowledge component in their core activities and capabilities. Underlying variations imply that not all industries have similar supply demand conditions, with variations in input costs, capital intensity and innovation needs, with strategic implications for the rivalry trap.

A New Cross-Flow Type Turbine for Ultra-Low Head in Streams and Channels

In the last few decades, hydropower production has been moving toward a new paradigm of low and diffused power density production of energy with small and mini-hydro plants, which usually do not require significant water storage. In the case of nominal power lower than 20 kW and ultra-low head H (H < 5 m), Archimedes screw or Kaplan type turbines are usually chosen due to their efficiency, which is higher than 0.85. A new cross-flow type turbine called Ultra-low Power Recovery System (UL-PRS) is proposed and its geometry and design criteria are validated in a wide range of operating conditions through 2D numerical analysis computed using the ANSYS Fluent solver. The new proposed solution is much simpler than the previously mentioned competitors; its outlet flow has a horizontal direction and attains similar efficiency. The costs of the UL-PRS turbine are compared with the costs of one Kaplan and one cross-flow turbine (CFT) in the case study of the main water treatment plant of the city of Palermo in Italy. In this case, the UL-PRS efficiency is estimated using a URANS 3D numerical analysis computed with the CFX solver.

Can Industry Counteract the Ecological Crisis? An Approach for the Development of a New Circular Bioeconomic Model Based on Biocomposite Materials

The ecological crisis we are facing, in addition to depleting non-renewable raw materials, has driven the emergence of biocomposite (BC) materials as a sustainable alternative that can create new opportunities for industrial product design and development. The use of biological resources in economic processes, as the bioeconomic (BE) model proposes, can lead to a transformation from the traditional linear extractive production logic to a new productive paradigm. This paper analyses technical and scientific information on the valorisation of agri-food waste to which innovative and efficient techniques and technologies have been applied, resulting in natural resource use in new products. Our review aims to explore and assess the production, development and industrial exploitation of renewable biological resources as a way to bridge the transition from the linear economic model to a circular bioeconomy (CBE) paradigm shift. For a detailed exploration and assessment of the research problem, this paper presents a comparative study between two paradigmatic projects organised and financed by different R&D programmes of the European Union (EU). We identify the agents and strategies of a potential BC innovation system, and we propose a conceptual model for the creation of an innovative and alternative industrial-scale productive value chain to replace petrochemical-based composite materials with BC and establish a new paradigm of production and consumption.

The european path towards a new paradigm of energy production and consumption

The European Union has decided to follow a new path in terms of energy production and consumption, migrating as quickly as possible to the production of green energy. This decision came about as an inevitable consequence of climate change and global environmental issues. This article reveals some consequences of the multiple crises (economic, political, monetary, trust in state institutions etc.) and especially of the energy crisis triggered around this decision, in the European Union including Romania, starting from the hesitations of the factors determined to apply the tough but necessary measures for changing the paradigm in the field of energy sectors (this also on the background of the war from Ukraine). The article also discusses Romania's particular situation from an energy perspective. On the one hand, we are talking about a rate of dependence on imports much lower than the average European rate, and on the other hand, we are talking about a population that for many decades has achieved the lowest energy consumption per inhabitant in Europe (and as a result of the massive dislocation of the national industrial branches. Would it therefore be appropriate for the Romanian population to be imposed an additional austerity regime at this time? The article cites some relevant international and Romanian publications in the field, using international statistics documents (from Eurostat, EC, WB etc.) as well as national data (INS, BNR etc.).

Review on Prospects and Constraints of Organic Production in India: A New Paradigm in Agricultural Production

This studies explored the cost-benefit analysis, future demand, health impact and constraints of organic production in India. A reviewed was collected using secondary data from some published and unpublished sources. As per a review of the literature, India is the largest producer of organic produce, with an area of 4.33 million ha and a production of 3.49 million MT in 2021. The majority of Indian farmers were marginal and small; large-scale conversion to organic agriculture may result in a shortage of food with present technology and knowledge because there was a 25 per cent reduction in the yield of an organic system compared to conventional agriculture. A combination of lower input costs and favourable price premiums can balance the reduced yields and make organic farms more profitable than conventional farms. Government played a crucial role in encouraging farmers to practice organic farming nationwide.

Adhesive Interfaces toward a Zero-Waste Industry.

This Feature Article evaluates ongoing efforts to adapt adhesives toward the goal of zero-waste living and suggests the most promising future directions. Adhesives are not always considered in zero-waste manufacturing because they represent only a small fraction of a product and offer no additional functionality. However, their presence restricts the reintegration of constituent parts into a circular economy, so a new generation of adhesives is required. Furthermore, their production often leads to harmful pollutants. Here, two main approaches toward addressing these problems are considered: first, the use of natural materials that replace petroleum-based polymers from which conventional adhesives are made and second, the production of dismantlable adhesives capable of debonding on demand with the application of an external stimulus. These approaches, either individually or combined, offer a new paradigm in zero-waste industrial production and consumer applications.

High Conduction Band Inorganic Layers for Distinct Enhancement of Electrical Energy Storage in Polymer Nanocomposites

HighlightsHigh conduction band inorganic layers are manufactured via simple but efficient methodology.The multilayered nanocomposite possesses an outstanding breakdown strength of 611 MV m−1 and an excellent discharged energy density of 14.3 J cm−3, which are 119% and 177% of the randomly dispersed nanocomposite (515 MV m−1, and 8.1 J cm−3).The current work offers a new paradigm for design and production of high energy density flexible dielectric films.

Vaccine innovation model: A technology transfer perspective in pandemic contexts

This work identifies the innovations that made it possible for the Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz Immunobiological Technology Institute to engage in the entire production of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCov-19) in Brazil, just 1.8 years after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. The results were summarized in a case-based innovation model composed of 11 workstreams, 32 stages, 22 gates, 11 innovations, and 38 events. In terms of research contributions, three were found: (i) the identification of firm and government-level innovations allowing the substantial reduction in the COVID-19 vaccine time-to-market in Brazil; (ii) the presentation of empirical evidence supporting the new Outbreak Paradigm for vaccine research, development, and production; and (iii) the proposition of a conceptual model for describing innovations through the vaccine value chain in pandemic contexts, particularly when technology transfer is involved.

Systematic Review of the Literature on Family Farming and the Social and Solidarity Economy in Brazil and Latin America

Concerned with the increase in hunger worldwide, as well as unemployment and the lack of equity in the distribution of income, the United Nations began to address genuinely Latin American scientific categories in its agendas, assemblies and task forces. The two main categories are Family Farming, with the recent establishment of the Family Farming decade (2019-2028) and the Social and Solidarity Economy as a tool for transposing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Territories. Together, these categories can be responsible for achieving the SDGs in 78% of the world's territory. There is a need, however, to clarify whether the science produced in Latin America also presents trends of intersection, in the search for the theoretical construction of a new paradigm of production and consumption. In this sense, the objective of this study was to identify trends in scientific production on the categories Family Farming and Social and Solidarity Economy. An adaptation of the PRISMA method was developed as a systematic literature review to identify these trends in the scientific field in Latin America.

Synchroperation in industry 4.0 manufacturing

Industry 4.0 connotes a new industrial revolution with the convergence between physical and digital spaces, which is revolutionizing the way that production operations are managed. The requirement of increased productivity, improved flexibility and resilience, and reduced cost in Industry 4.0 manufacturing calls for new paradigms that comply with the changing of production and operations management. In this paper, a concept of synchroperation, which is defined as “synchronized operations in an agile, resilient and cost-efficient way, with the spatiotemporal synchronization of men, machines and materials as well as data-driven decision-making, by creating, establishing and utilizing cyber-physical visibility and traceability in operations management”, is proposed as a new paradigm of production and operations management for Industry 4.0 manufacturing. A Hyperconnected Physical Internet-enabled Smart Manufacturing Platform (HPISMP) is developed as a technical solution to support manufacturing synchroperation. Graduation Intelligent Manufacturing System (GiMS) with divide and conquer principles is proposed to address the complex, stochastic, and dynamic nature of manufacturing for achieving synchroperation. An industrial case is carried out to validate the effectiveness of the proposed concept and method. This article provides insight into exploring production and operations management in the era of Industry 4.0.

Methodological Transformations in Contemporary Political Science

This article seeks to identify, map, and understand a set of institutions – understood as values, beliefs, and parameters – that structure the scientific knowledge in political science over the past 20 years. Its basic purpose is to map the “fundamental” values that had produced a new paradigm for academic production in the contemporary political science. The central argument of the paper is that Political Science is moving throughout a methodological transformation in which causal inference is pursued by means of several research design types, condition I named as inferential pluralism.

Achieving a long-term stability by self-redox property between Fe and Mn ions in the iron-manganese spinel structured electrode in oxygen evolution reaction

The development of high-efficiency electrode for oxygen evolution reactions (OER) in water-electrolysis systems is an important challenge. Four types of spinel-structural materials (Mn3O4, Fe3O4, MnFe2O4, and Mn2FeO4) are prepared as OER electrocatalysts. The spinel MnFe2O4/NF electrode exhibits the best OER activity in a 1.0 M KOH alkaline electrolyte. The required electrode potential to reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2 is only 1.54 V (with η = 310 mV), and a low Tafel slope of 65 mV dec−1 is obtained. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of MnFe2O4/NF before and after OER found out that OER activity was promoted due to oxygen vacancies in the spinel lattice, and the high catalytic activity was maintained for a long time by the self-redox property between Mn and Fe ions. Finally, the corrosion resistance, which is directly related to the catalytic activity and stability of MnFe2O4/NF, is demonstrated through a 3000th-repeated OER acceleration stability and 1000 h-durability tests, with a high faradaic efficiency of 95.2%. Eventually, this study presents a new paradigm for energy production that enables the continuous and easy generation of hydrogen and oxygen via water electrolysis using high-performance and inexpensive iron-manganese-based electrocatalysts.

Шеринговая экономика: бизнес-модель цифровой экономики в период COVID-19

Received 17.09.2020. The author undertakes an attempt to analyze the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic on the phenomenon of the sharing economy and the viability of this business model in force majeure circumstances. The sharing economy is a business model of the digital economy, born by the fourth industrial revolution during the Great Recession of 2008 and developing in the context of the unprecedented economic crisis of 2020, when the impact of the coronavirus pandemic simultaneously collapsed production, financial markets and consumer demand for goods and services, and the task of “conscious consumption” – to spend money correctly and reduce costs – became vital. The concept does not focus on ownership but rather on the sharing of assets and resources. A predictive construct is given: the sharing economy is not so much the introduction of new technologies to implement the world-old idea of renting on digital platforms, but a new paradigm of production and consumption and as such leads to a circular economy, causes systemic changes that form qualitatively new principles of business organization, the economy and society as a whole. The study concluded that the sharing model has proven its viability not only in a period of stable economic development, but also in a contemporary crisis, which is caused by the COVID‑19 pandemic. Moreover, it was during this period of force majeure that the sharing economy model showed its importance both in everyday life and in business. This allows us to conclude about the further growth of the sharing economy, the creation of new services – both in spite of and thanks to the COVID‑19 pandemic.

Influence of microalgae-ZnO nanoparticle association on sewage wastewater towards efficient nutrient removal and improved biodiesel application: An integrated approach

Present investigation highlighted the capability of microalgae cultivation in sewage wastewater integrated with nanomaterial, addressing wastewater treatment and consequent improvement in lipid for biodiesel application. Herein, the isolated microalga Chlorosarcinopsis sp. MAS04, was cultured in primary treated wastewater (PTWW) and secondary treated wastewater (STWW) incorporated with Zinc Oxide nanoparticles (ZnO- NPs). The characterizations of ZnO-NPs were performed by analytical technique and cytotoxicity assay of microalga against nanoparticles (NPs) was carried out prior to the experiment. The nutrient reduction rate of Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Total Nitrogen (TN), Total Phosphorous (TP), and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) by microalga was found higher in PTWW as compared to the STWW when incorporated with the ZnO-NPs. Maximum biomass of 3.43 g/L and 2.14 g/L along with 1.9 and 1.5 folds increase in cellular lipid was recorded in the presence of PTWW and STWW respectively as compared to control (BG-11). The cellular lipids were converted to fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) by the process of transesterification and analyzed by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS). The cells developed in PTWW and STWW incorporated with ZnO-NPs were recorded with a higher amount of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) with controlled polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Biofuel properties were found in accordance with American and European guidelines. The present report suggested that the Chlorosarcinopsis sp. MAS04 -ZnO NPs association is capable of better nutrient removal from sewage wastewater. Therefore, the nano-bio hybrid opens a new paradigm for efficient wastewater treatment and consequent quality biodiesel production.

SUSTAINING LOCAL HERITAGE: FIBRE ART AS A NEW PARADIGM TO UPLIFT MALAYSIAN CRAFT PRODUCTION

By putting forward contemporary fibre art as a new paradigm in Malaysian craft production, this study aims to uncover how it is applied involving selection of material, utilization of technique right up to the appraisal of resultant product. The underlying rationale is to ensure incessant appreciation of Malaysian crafts by the society, especially the younger generation. This research utilized the Design Development Research (DDR) that consisted of three (3) phases. Selection of research participants used purposive sampling based on the respondents' expertise in the area. In Phase 1, Needs Analysis was carried out using semi-structured interviews with three (3) textile experts. In Phase 2: Design and Development, the researcher used ADDIE model to develop crafts using fibre art material for Malaysia craft production. In the third and final phase, Implementation and Evaluation, sixty young people from Shah Alam community took part in an assessment of their acceptance of craft using fibre art. However, discussion on this study focuses on the first phase which is the needs analysis. The findings suggest that contemporary fibre art as a new paradigm to Malaysian craft production is relevant and has the potential to be implemented in Malaysia.

Pretreatments for enhancing clarification efficiency of depth filtration during production of monoclonal antibody therapeutics.

High cell density, high product titer mammalian cell culture is the new paradigm for production of recombinant proteins. While the typical motivation is to get a high product titer, additional undesirable outcomes often include an increase in percentage solids in the cell culture fluid (cellular debris and sub-micron colloids), thereby offering new challenges to downstream processing. This article focuses on scouting and comparison of different approaches used for clarification of cell culture fluid. The approaches include centrifugation followed by depth filtration, direct depth filtration without centrifugation and feed pretreatment with use of specially designed density gradient filtration to improve efficiency of clarification and removal of process contaminants from feed stream. The work also evaluates impact of three different pretreatment approaches, namely pH adjustment to acidic condition, metal cation (calcium phosphate) flocculation, and polycationic polymer flocculation (using polymer-I and polymer-II). The results obtained indicate that the use of pretreatment significantly improves the clarification efficiency of depth filtration. Pretreatment options like polycationic polymer-I based flocculation resulted in a >5 fold reduction in filter area requirement as well as >6 fold reduction in HCDNA while retaining acceptable recovery of the IgG (>98%). Thus, pretreatment offers a significant reduction in the depth filtration footprint (~5-6 fold decrease in filter area requirement). However, one must take into consideration the process development time required, capital cost, consumable cost, cost of the pretreatment chemical, cost of testing to demonstrate clearance of treatment agent, ease of scale-ability, and process robustness when finalizing the optimal clarification approach.