Production Process Research Articles

Investigating consumers’ slow fashion purchase decision: role of lack of information and confusion

Purpose This study aims to investigate consumers’ slow fashion purchase decision. Specifically, the research empirically examines the relationship between the attributes of slow fashion products, perceived value, lack of information, confusion and consumer decision (intention, deferral and abandonment of the purchase) about slow fashion products. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative study was carried out on a sample of 323 customers. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was applied to analyze the collected data. Findings Purchase intention was enhanced by perceived value. However, only three attributes of slow fashion products (localism, equity and functionality) had a significant influence on perceived value. Lack of information had a significant negative influence on perceived value, as well as on consumer confusion, which can lead to purchase abandonment or deferral of the purchase of slow fashion products. Practical implications Slow fashion product managers should pay particular attention to the attributes of localism, equity and functionality, which have proven to be significant for creating a favorable perceived value. Getting customers more involved in the production process and using slow communication would be among the practices to be encouraged by professionals. Furthermore, such actions are likely to reduce confusion arising from the lack of information about slow fashion products, and thus, avoid the inhibition of customers’ purchase process. Originality/value Existing literature has focused on consumers’ intentions to purchase slow fashion products. These intentions are mainly related to the attributes of slow fashion products and perceived value. Nevertheless, the prediction of sustainable product consumption, such as slow fashion products, is also influenced by typical external barriers such as lack of information and consumer confusion, which are considered in this study.

Sustainable Fabric Manufacturing: The Crochet Experience

When it comes to the sustainability of fabrics, the materials used in textile production are frequently given more consideration than the manufacturing procedures. But a fabric's sustainability is also determined by its production techniques. One of the sectors of the global economy that has been shown to have the greatest environmental damage is the textile manufacturing sector. As a result, fabrics produced using techniques that leaves little or no negative impacts to the environment are said to be sustainable or eco-friendly. The study’s aim is to promote environmental friendly method of fabric production through the crochet technique and to encourage its exploration in Nigeria. The aim was accomplished by focusing on crochet technique as a sustainable fabric manufacturing technique. The study highlighted ways crochet techniques agrees with sustainability as against the conventional methods of manufacturing fabric. Samples of successful sustainable fabric and other materials produced using the crochet technique were showcased. The economic feasibility and market potentials of sustainable crocheted fabrics were also examined. The study adopted mixture of exploratory and descriptive research methods. In conclusion the study advocated for the acquiring of crochet skill by local textile manufacturers as a way to minimize the negative impact of the production processes of conventional fabric on the environment and also a means of creating jobs for the unemployed youths in Nigeria.

Can the co-creation of local food products be a key factor in rural development?

PurposeThis study aims to comprehensively explore the behaviour of potential consumers in terms of their perception of how local agri-food co-creation activities in rural areas influence the perceived quality of agri-food products and the perceived value of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in rural areas. To do so, it is important to start by answering the research question: Are consumers interested in the co-creation of agri-food products in rural areas?Design/methodology/approachThe methodology consists of two phases, one qualitative and one quantitative. The first phase includes four interviews with experts on gastronomy, rural tourism and services in rural areas and two focus groups with consumers involved in the research topic. In the quantitative phase, a representative sample of almost 700 people in Spain was obtained.FindingsThe first result shows a high level of interest in participating in co-creation activities with agri-food products in rural areas. Other research results suggest that the social integration of consumers with the local community through co-creation activities could improve the appreciation and market position of local foods, as well as their perceived beneficial effect on sustainable development goals. The results also demonstrate how the perceived value of co-creation activities has a positive impact on the intention to undertake and recommend such activities.Originality/valueThis study highlights the importance of co-creation in rural areas, in line with the SDGs and consumer preferences for locally produced sustainable food. Involving consumers in the production process allows small producers to stand out, fostering innovation and rural development. The results show consumers' interest in co-creation, motivated by altruism and the desire to preserve local heritage. The study highlights the indirect impact of co-creation on rural development, emphasising the perceived value and engagement of consumers. Ultimately, it suggests promoting sustainable rural economies through collaborative efforts between producers, consumers and local stakeholders.

Multi-objective classification prediction method for coal gangue based on image feature extraction

ABSTRACT Coal gangue is a solid waste discharged during the coal production process, consisting of rocks and minerals, and is a nonmetal mineral resource with attributes suitable for comprehensive utilization. This study explores the pre-classification issue of coal gangue comprehensive utilization through image recognition methods. Initially, coal gangue was categorized into four types – Residual coal, Gray gangue, Red gangue, and White gangue-based on its appearance, chemical composition, phase composition, and usage characteristics. Subsequently, the color features, texture features, and shape features of different types of coal gangue were analyzed using box plots, correlation coefficients, and cluster analysis. Finally, by comprehensively considering color, texture, and shape features, and by simplifying highly correlated variables, a support vector machine was employed for classification prediction. The overall recognition accuracy rate for multi-target classification reached 89%.

Visual Detection of Methylglyoxal in Multiple Scenarios via NIR-Excitable Reversible Ratiometric Fluorescent Hydrogel Sensor.

Methylglyoxal is considered a key indicator in evaluating wine flavor and quality, as well as an important marker for diabetic pathological syndromes. Rapid and accurate quantitative detection of methylglyoxal is essential in scenarios of wine production standards and human health monitoring. Herein, we report a visual method for detecting methylglyoxal via an NIR-excitable reversible ratiometric fluorescent hydrogel sensor, where NIR-excited upconversion nanoparticles serve as energy donors and eosin B acts as the energy acceptor, together forming an integrated ratiometric nanophotonic probe that ensures the accuracy of detection without being affected by various background fluorescence interference in different scenarios. The integrated optical probe is combined with a 3D network hydrogel to design a sensing patch that can be easily regenerated through simple treatment, exhibiting a distinct optical color response. Upon the addition of methylglyoxal, the G/R value of the sensing patch changes, enabling the real-time quantitative detection of methylglyoxal. Additionally, we combined the hydrogel sensing patch with a smartphone to create a portable sensing platform for the convenient visual detection of methylglyoxal. The probe and hydrogel sensing patch have detection limits for methylglyoxal as low as 59 and 75.4 nM, respectively. The portable sensing patch designed here provides an effective strategy for standardizing the wine production process and monitoring patient health.

Investigation of Vapor Pressure and Infrared Spectroscopic Analysis of Phosphoric Acid Extract Evaporation after Desulfation with SrCO₃

Ammophos-Maxam JSC is renowned for the production highly concentrated phosphorus fertilizers such as ammophos, ammonium sulfate phosphate, and suprephos, using thermally concentrated phosphorites sourced from the Central Kyzylkums. The production process heavily relies on wet-process phosphoric acid (WPA), which typically contains 16–18 % phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5). However, converting low P2O5 WPA into these high-phosphorus fertilizers during the stages of evaporation, drying, and granulation stages significantly increases the heat and energy consumption per unit of the final product. To address these challenges, extensive initiatives are currently underway in the republic. These efforts are aimed at improving the production of various phosphorus fertilizers, including ammophos, suprephos-NS, ammonium sulfate phosphate, PS-Agro, enriched superphosphate, and feed ammonium phosphates. These products are derived from the processing of washed burnt phosphoconcentrate (WBP-26) obtained from Kyzylkum phosphorites. This paper describes the results of recent studies on the evaporation process of WPA at Ammophos-Maxam JSC. The research focuses on examining the boiling point of WPA solutions, vapor pressure, and the composition of the resulting precipitates. Additionally, infrared (IR) spectroscopy was conducted to provide deeper insights into the material properties. These investigations are crucial for optimizing production processes and reduce energy costs.

Millet Cultivation in North-east Hill Region of India: A Review

The millets are climate resilient, most efficient in use of water, adopted to grown in marginal and sub marginal area, suitably grown in hilly and rainfed area, nutrient dense and having low carbon and water footprint. Considering their significance in present context of agriculture, it is important to know about their region-specific cultivation practices and intervention in it. The North East Hill (NEH) region is known for its diversity in terms of soil and climatic condition as well as crop and plant diversity. The marginal and sub-marginal area with different slope, topography and soil related constraints for production, the millets will be one of the important options for arable crop cultivation. The production practices followed by the farmers and recommended practices were highly diverse due to different agro-climatic condition. At the same time, in several locations production practices were even not developed due to cultivation on very less area with less economic impact at regional or state agriculture. Hence it is informative and knowledge impacting exercise to review the production practices followed and interventions made at institutional and stakeholders level for millets cultivation in NEH region. The present review summarizes the interventions in production practices such as seed and sowing requirement, nutrient, water and weed management as well as insect-pest and disease management in context of NEH region. Besides that, interventions from NEH region at post-harvest and value addition were also discussed in this review. The cost effective and high enumerative interventions in production processes such as substitution of low yielding upland rice cultivation partly or completely with millets, transplanting, fertilization, micronutrient foliar feeding, use of herbicide for weed management and promotion/ up gradation of millets cultivation in new areas (North-East Hill region) are important at production level. The interventions at policy level such as promotion for incorporation of millets in public distribution system, inclusion of millets in school age children diet and different schemes related with supply of nutritious food to children and adolescence are important for NEH region. Increase in diversity of product prepared from millets, initiation of organic seed production of millets, exploring export potential of traditional products prepared from millets to different domestic and international market are important interventions at policy level. At research level, the standardization of production practices for different states in NEH region was initiated and need to be further emphasized rather than using recommendation as it is from other part of India.

Analysis of Requirements to Quality of Jet Fuels for Military and Civil Use

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the current state in availability of military and civil jet fuels, their quality requirements and production prospects to meet growing needs. The brief outline about the history of development and use of aviation fuels is provided. The paper presents general classification of aviation fuels, which are used today, their designation and area of application. It is shown how the conditions of aircraft exploitation determine requirements to quality of jet fuels. From other side the interconnection between production processes, composition and quality parameters of available today civil and military aviation fuels is analyzed. The performed analytical study gives grounds for further theoretical and experimental works related to production, use and quality assessment of aviation fuels.

Evaluation of 1,3‐propanediol and lactic acid production via the biotechnological route: Technoeconomic and environmental analysis

Abstract1,3‐Propanediol (1,3‐PDO) and lactic acid (LA) are valuable chemical products that can be used as monomers for synthesizing important polymers such as polytrimethylene terephthalate and poly(lactic acid), respectively. In this study, a new integrated process for the production of 1,3‐PDO and LA from renewable feedstocks is proposed and analyzed using modeling and simulation tools. Limosilactobacillus reuteri was selected for this application due to its capability to co‐ferment both glycerol and glucose, resulting in the production of 1,3‐PDO, LA, and other byproducts. A conceptual process was developed and simulated using Aspen Plus software, focusing on the bioreactor, multistage evaporation, and vacuum distillation for separation. The bioreactor was designed using a kinetic model that had been developed previously, which was validated with experimental data. A technoeconomic and environmental analysis was conducted, along with a multi‐criteria analysis using the GREENSCOPE methodology. The proposed process was compared with a study from the literature that reproduced metrics of a commercial 1,3‐PDO production process, providing a benchmark for evaluation. The results of the economic assessment, particularly in the Brazilian market, estimate the minimal selling prices at US$6.70/kg for 1,3‐PDO and US$5.49/kg for LA. Overall, the proposed process presents a potential technical solution for integrated LA and 1,3‐PDO production; however, further studies should focus on increasing L. reuteri tolerance to higher substrate concentrations and developing low‐cost culture media to ensure process sustainability.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Nutritional, Physicochemical, and Volatile Profiles of Selected Bovine Head Muscles

This study analyzed the nutritional composition, physicochemical properties, and volatile profiles of three major bovine head muscles—medial pterygoid, masseter, and buccinator—to reduce byproduct resource waste and increase the utilization rate of bovine head to establish a foundation for its industrial use. Compared to tenderloin, which is popular among consumers, these head muscles were found to be rich in collagen (4.90–13.1 mg/g), low in fat (0.39–1.61%), and abundant in free amino acids (143.93–223.00 mg/100 g). Their compact fiber structures, with minimal gaps between myocytes, resulted in lower cooking and press losses, making them suitable for various production processes. Notably, the medial pterygoid and masseter muscles contained high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and lower saturated fatty acids (SFAs), with a PUFA/SFA ratio exceeding 0.45. The buccinator muscle, while containing more volatile organic compounds associated with undesirable odors and bitter amino acids, was not indicative of spoilage. Overall, this study confirmed that bovine head muscles possess high collagen, low fat, and diverse nutritional qualities, making them suitable as premium raw materials for value-added meat products, and their returns will be most economically equal to the meat derived from cattle.

Water Electrooxidation Kinetics Clarified by Time‐Resolved X‐Ray Absorption and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy for a Bulk‐Active Cobalt Material

AbstractWater oxidation, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), is the anodic process in electrocatalytic production of hydrogen and further green fuels. Transition‐metal oxyhydroxides with bulk‐phase OER activity of the complete material or amorphized near‐surface regions are of prime application interest, but their basic electrochemical properties are insufficiently understood. Here the timescale of functional processes is clarified by time‐resolved X‐ray absorption spectroscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for a thickness‐series of cobalt oxyhydroxides films (about 35–550 nm). At the outer material surface, an electric double‐layer is formed in microseconds followed by clearly cobalt‐centered redox‐state changes of the bulk material in the low millisecond domain and a slow chemical step of O2‐formation, within hundreds of milliseconds. Conceptually interesting, the electrode potential likely controls the OER rate indirectly by driving the catalyst material to an increasingly oxidized state which promotes the rate‐limiting chemical step. Rate constants are derived for redox chemistry and catalysis from EIS data of low‐thickness catalyst films; at higher thicknesses, catalyst‐internal charge transport limitations become increasingly relevant. Relations between electrochemically active surface area, double‐layer capacitance, and redox (pseudo‐)capacitance are discussed. These results can increase the power of EIS analyses and support knowledge‐guided optimization of a broader class of OER catalyst materials.

Multi-dimensional Dataset of Stress Measurements based on Performance, Behavioural, and Perceptual Indicators

The role of humans in industry is changing due to the technological transformation of production processes, which represents a potential source of stress for workers. In this context, the NO-STRESS project aims to combine objective and subjective data collected during task execution to explore causes of work-related stress and propose solutions to mitigate them. This paper describes the within-subjects study design used in the project, where each participant was exposed to all experimental conditions, and outlines the workflow developed during the study. Moreover, it describes the behavioural, performance and perceptual indicators of participants’ stress collected during the execution of full-kitting, component quality control, assembly and product quality monitoring tasks. The data collection sessions were conducted in different manufacturing contexts. The collected data may be reused to compare stress intensity among different subjects considering individual factors and experimental conditions. In addition, the results of stress in manufacturing may be compared to the intensity of this phenomenon in other sectors. The consequent outcomes may have practical implications for work contexts and benefits for society as a whole.

Nutrient Stability in NASA Spaceflight Experiment Rodent Food Bars

The Nutrient-upgraded Rodent Food Bar (NuRFB) is the standard diet for mice in NASA’s Rodent Research Project aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Given the nature of spaceflight and the lengthy production process of the food bars, a shelf-life assessment was conducted to evaluate nutritional stability over time (ranging from 0 to 27 months) and under different storage conditions (refrigerated, ambient, and refrigerated + ambient), where ambient is 22–23 °C. Lipid oxidation markers and fat- and water-soluble vitamins were assessed under various time and temperature conditions using AOAC International methods. Vitamin D levels showed a minor decrease, and riboflavin fluctuated slightly over time, but all vitamin levels remained above National Research Council (NRC) minimum requirements. Food bars stored at 4 °C showed significantly higher thiamine levels than the bars that underwent some degree of ambient temperature storage, but all met the NRC guidelines. Minimal lipid oxidation was observed for up to 18 months, and no mold or yeast growth occurred despite the high moisture content of the bars. This study confirms that NuRFBs maintain stable vitamin and lipid oxidation indices, ensuring adequate nutrition for rodents during spaceflight.

Production of Starch-Based Flexible Food Packaging in Developing Countries: Analysis of the Processes, Challenges, and Requirements

Biodegradable packaging offers an affordable and sustainable solution to global pollution, particularly in developing countries with limited recycling infrastructure. Starch is well suited to develop biodegradable packages for foods due to its wide availability and simple, low-tech production process. Although the development of starch-based packaging is well documented, most studies focus on the laboratory stages of formulation and plasticization, leaving gaps in understanding key phases such as raw material conditioning, industrial-scale molding, post-production processes, and storage. This work evaluates the value chain of starch-based packaging in developing countries. It addresses the challenges, equipment, and process conditions at each stage, highlighting the critical role of moisture resistance in the final product’s functionality. A particular focus is placed on replacing single-use plastic packaging, which dominates food industries in regions with agricultural economies and rich biodiversity. A comprehensive analysis of starch-based packaging production, with a detailed understanding of each stage and the overall process, should contribute to the development of more sustainable and scalable solutions, particularly for the replacement of single-use packages, helping to protect vulnerable biodiverse regions from the growing impact of plastic waste.

A high-speed camera-based measurement system for monitoring and controlling the induced jet break-up fabrication of advanced ceramic breeder pebbles

AbstractThe production of lithium-rich ceramic pebbles is crucial for future fusion reactors, as they are one of the most important components of the tritium-breeding blankets. In order to produce high-quality pebbles, a melt-based fabrication process KALOS (KArlsruhe Lithium OrthoSilicate) has been developed at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), which produces pebbles utilising the break-up of a molten laminar jet. Since the production of the pebbles is very precise (with diameters of hundreds of micrometres) and significantly influenced by process parameters, a system that monitors and regulates the fabrication in real-time is essential. This paper elaborates on a high-speed camera-based measurement system for automatically monitoring and controlling the production process. Experimental proof demonstrates that the presented measurement system can provide the real-time sizes, locations and distance distribution of the molten ceramic droplets accurately. In addition, the system is also designed to enable the control of the pebble production by adjusting a production parameter, i.e. the driving frequency, based on the real-time output of the proposed measurement system.

Complicating the Innovative Model of a High-Tech IT Company

This paper examines the combined impact of significant modern trends on competitive processes in the IT industry. These trends include industry digitalization, the use of artificial intelligence tools in software engineering, and the concept of an IT company without physical offices and with fully virtualized production processes. The determination of the level of influence of these trends on the European information technology market is based on the author's research from 2020-2023. It is already obvious that the combination of these trends has a serious impact on the industry, but this impact continues to grow, which requires the management of IT companies to manage timely changes at the strategic level. The article offers an updated list of signs of an IT company achieving high-tech status, defines elements of a corporate strategy that allow using related advantages, and presents tactical steps for implementing timely changes. The article also presents a fundamental route for an IT company to achieve the status of a promising high-tech company with a global level of competitiveness.

Features and Limitations of Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) in Obtaining Textile-like Structures

In contemporary production processes and customisation, 3D printing has emerged as a prominent method for prototyping. It offers flexibility to create objects of diverse shapes, structures, sizes and materials. However, integrating this technology into the textile industry to achieve textile-like structures poses challenges. The fused deposition modelling (FDM) method is currently the closest approach to prototyping such structures due to its ability to extrude monofilaments resembling traditional threads. Regrettably, attempts to produce structures with properties akin to textiles, including flexibility, durability, breathability, lightness and fineness, have been unsuccessful due to various limitations inherent in the technical setups of 3D printers. This study analyses the key features of FDM printing that determine the feasibility of achieving authentic textile-like printed structures while clarifying the underlying logic behind their future purpose. Our aim was to assist future researchers in achieving the production of thin 3D-printed fibres (diameter ~0.1 mm) regardless of structure type.

Influence of Smoking and Paprika Spice on the Content of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the Traditional Spanish Smoked Sausage ‘Botillo del Bierzo’

The content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a traditional Spanish smoked sausage known as ‘Botillo del Bierzo’ was analysed. The determination and quantification of PAH4 (the sum of benzo[a]pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, benzo[b]-fluoranthene and chrysene) in the smoked sausage were performed using GC–MS. The results showed that smoking ‘Botillo del Bierzo’ for 24 h contributes very little to the increase in PAH levels in the product, with no significant differences (p < 0.05). The paprika used in the production of botillo also contributes to PAH content, depending on the paprika’s production process (smoked, low-smoked, mixed paprika (smoked + unsmoked or low-smoked + unsmoked), and unsmoked), with significant differences among them (p < 0.05). Using paprika with a lower PAH content (unsmoked or mixed) enables the production of ‘Botillo del Bierzo’, in accordance with Protected Geographical Indication specifications, with a lower PAH content while maintaining the organoleptic characteristics provided by the paprika. The contamination levels detected in ‘Botillo del Bierzo’ do not pose a risk to consumer health, as the benzo[a]pyrene and PAH4 values are well below the regulatory limits of 5 μg/kg and 30 μg/kg, respectively.

Method of testing the software of spacecraft electronic equipment based on fault injection in the algorithms of orientation and stabilization

The purpose of the work is to develop and describe a new method of testing spacecraft electronic equipment. The article substantiates the relevance of developing new methods and means of testing on-board electronic equipment of spacecraft based on the intentional introduction of faults for the purpose of testing survivability algorithms. It was shown that carrying out such tests makes it possible to increase the completeness of control and reliability of on-board electronic equipment of spacecraft while simultaneously reducing testing costs. A new method for testing spacecraft software based on fault injection is proposed, which is used to solve the specific task of checking orientation and stabilization modes. The proposed method makes it possible to develop semi-natural models of on-board electronic equipment of increased adequacy and reconfigurability due to the use of programmable logic integrated circuits as the basis of hardware and software complexes. The proposed method is implemented on the hardware and software of a ground-based debugging complex for on-board electronic equipment and is distinguished by the ability to simulate a wide range of on-board electronic equipment, low cost and mobility. All technical solutions described in the article were introduced into the production process when creating modern spacecraft for communications, radio navigation and geodesy.

Renovation and revision

Abstract The new millennium has witnessed a widening application of Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to the field of Translation Studies, but the interface of ANT and Museum Translation Studies has so far remained underexplored. This article focuses on the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum as a case study. It attempts to construct the translation-related actor network involved in the renovation of the museum in 2015 and the subsequent two rounds of revisions the bilingual guide scripts have undergone. It also explores the bi-directional agential relations enabling the role change of main actors and the general development of the network. This article argues that translation-related ANT analysis should deem translational relations as neither the center nor the end of an actor network, and highlights the significance of nonhuman and non-translational actors in explaining the process of translation production and revision in the context of Museum Studies.