Manufacture Of Products Research Articles

Global Registry of Adverse Clinical Events (GRACE©): A Prospective, Multicenter, Observational Cohort Evaluating Complications Associated with Aesthetic Injectables.

A review of Health Canada's post-market surveillance database has revealed that the reporting of adverse events (AEs) following aesthetic injectable treatments is significantly underreported. To increase reporting, investigators have recently developed a novel Electronic Data Capture system: The Global Registry of Adverse Clinical Events (GRACE©). To identify the incidence of AEs associated with aesthetic injectable treatments. Aesthetic clinicians from 10 Canadian sites were recruited. Demographic and clinical data were recorded within the database, which included over 45 patient variables. Throughout the active phase of the trial (duration: 27 months), 123,124 injectable treatments were conducted. One hundred and eleven patients, experiencing a total of 235 AEs, were entered into the portal. This equated to an AE incidence rate of 0.19%, per treatment. Thirty unique products were associated with AEs. In total, there were 112/235 (47.66%) mild, 88/235 (37.45%) moderate, and 35/235 (14.90%) severe AEs. The most common complication (n = 48/235; 20.43%) was swelling, with a prevalence of 0.04%. Of the documented AEs, only 5 were reported to other sources, including 1 case being reported to Health Canada and 4 cases to the respective product manufacturer. The initial feasibility of a registry assessing safety outcomes following injectable treatment has been demonstrated. Findings support that the implementation of the GRACE Portal is an effective outreach strategy for increasing AE reporting by health care professionals. The data represent a more accurate depiction of the safety profile of approved aesthetic injectables in Canada.

‘Divide and rule’: employment strategies of Chinese suppliers in supply chain relocation

ABSTRACT The US – China trade friction, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic, has prompted lead firms in the Global North to relocate supply chains out of China. This research employs an explanatory case study approach, involving 51 semi-structured interviews with managerial personnel and workers at a Chinese outdoor leisure products manufacturer during the 2021–23 period. In light of existing employment modes, a supplier devises differentiated employment responses to supply chain relocation, which results in a divide-and-rule approach to employment strategies. Furthermore, relational governance is a prerequisite for the considerable space of supplier agency in employment relations throughout the process of supply chain relocation.

Navigating Regulatory Frameworks and Compliances for Bacteriophages as Therapeutic Agents.

The emergence of multiple antibiotic resistance in recurrent bacterial infections has led to exploring alternative therapeutic options, including using bacteria lysing viruses [bacteriophages] to control recalcitrant infections. Bacteriophages [Phage] and their end products such as enzymes, virus-like particles, and vectors are being used for varied applications such as basic and applied research for the field of phage therapeutics. Phage-based products and services such as viral vectors for gene therapy/vaccines, imaging agents, diagnostics as well as drug delivery agents form a wide range of useful innovative therapeutics that are under development. Regulatory compliances are hence essential for safely implementing phage in varied applications. Product compliances ensure safety, efficacy, stability, and quality control in preclinical as well as manufacturing and marketing processes. A well-established regulatory framework ensures innovative product development with high rates of successful clinical translation and development of phage therapeutics as effective alternatives to antibiotics or for consideration in integrated pathogen management strategies. This review highlights the importance of regulatory standards in different stages of phage therapy- during preclinical research as well as different regulatory bodies in the manufacturing, clinical evaluation, and market approval of phage-based products. Global trends in facilitating phage therapeutics' regulatory frameworks and compliances are discussed.

Effectiveness of Digital Technology in Enhancing Blue Tourism Sustainability in Tanzania

The study examined the effectiveness of digital technology in enhancing blue tourism sustainability in Tanzania. Specifically, the study examined the use of solar panel technology, use of artificial intelligence and use of health technologies. The study employed a desk research method which involves the collection of data from various literature sources such as documents, scripts, previous research findings, journals, and related books. Qualitative content analysis was utilized as the method for analyzing the data. The findings revealed that solar panel technology is one of the most renewable and green energy sources in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change. The findings also revealed that Artificial Intelligence has released up new tourism opportunities with positive effects on the economy, society, and environment. The study concludes that integration of solar power reduces Carbon footprints and increased appeal to budget conscious travelers. Artificial Intelligent enhances visitor’s management, safety, and eco-friendly experiences. Online platforms improve access to information about overseas care and empower patients to make informed decisions. The study recommends that the development and integration of renewable energy sources, like solar, wind, and hydropower, into the energy mix should be given top priority by government and tourism companies. Programs supporting sustainable agriculture and forestry conservation/reforestation should be put into place. Strategies to economic development and environmental sustainability should also be put into place such as encouraging eco-tourism, efficient manufacturing, and sustainable urban planning. The Ministry of Tourism of Tanzania should promote the use of AI technologies in the creation, use, and manufacturing of tourism products.

Carbon footprint of private dental clinics in Egypt: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundClimate change is a global challenge, caused by increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Dental clinical practice contributes to these emissions through patient and staff travel, waste, energy and water consumption and procurement. Carbon footprinting quantifies GHG emissions. This study assessed the Carbon Footprint (CFP) of private dental clinics in Egypt.Materials and methodsData were collected from private dental clinics in Alexandria and Elbeheira, in Northwestern Egypt from July to August 2024 through interview questionnaires. A CFP calculator was used to estimate carbon emissions from patient and staff travel, waste, energy and water consumption, and procurement. To determine the average CFP per clinic and per patient visit, the CFP of all clinics was averaged, both with and without considering the depreciation of dental equipment.ResultsData from 27 dental clinics were collected. The average CFP of an Egyptian private dental clinic, which, per year, received 3,322 patient visits, and where 5 personnel worked 279 days was 14,426.8 kg CO2e, or 4.3 kg CO2e per patient visit. The largest contributor to the CFP was patient travel (45.6%), followed by staff travel (19.6%), energy consumption (18%), procurement (12.4%), waste (4.2%), and water consumption (0.3%). After considering the yearly depreciation of dental equipment, the CFP per clinic in a year increased by 12.2%.ConclusionPrivate dental clinics in Egypt produce substantial carbon emissions. Patient travel was the major contributor to the CFP. While there was a high CFP of electricity consumption, the CFP of gas was zero. The high CFP of waste was likely due to improper segregation and the lack of recycling. Country-specific CFP calculators are needed to accurately measure the carbon emissions of dental clinics in various settings. Preventing oral diseases, raising public awareness to sustainable practices, promoting walking and cycling, improving public transportation, implementing waste recycling, shifting to renewable sources of energy, and local manufacturing of dental products are important to reduce carbon emissions in dental clinics.

Designing a microbial factory suited for plant chloroplast-derived enzymes to efficiently and green synthesize natural products: Capsanthin and capsorubin as examples.

Specific cellular microenvironment, multi-enzyme complex and expensive essential cofactor make the biological manufacturing of plant chloroplast natural products (PCNPs) extremely challenging. The above difficulties have hampered the biosynthesis of capsanthin and capsorubin in the past 30 years. Here, we take capsanthin and capsorubin as examples to design an innovative microbial factory to promote the heterologous synthesis of PCPNs. Our main strategy is mimicking the microenvironment of chloroplasts in microbial factory. First, accumulation of violaxanthin, which is the key precursor, was increased by 587.9%, through introducing oxidative microenvironment and thioredoxin. The initial capsanthin-producing strain with 0.28mgg-1 DCW were obtained by introducing capsanthin/capsorubin synthase (CCS). Subsequently, chloroplast-derived chaperones Cpn60α, Cpn60β and Cpn20 created a folding-promoting microenvironment for CCS. At the same time, by imitating the quasi-natural CCS, an artificial homotrimer was constructed and obtained 5.15mgg-1 DCW capsanthin, and 1.62mgg-1 DCW capsorubin. Finally, sufficient FADH2 was provided for CCS by feeding 20mM formate. This process was realized by the continuous catalysis of formate dehydrogenase and flavin reductase. The engineered strain accumulated 6.77mgg-1 DCW of capsanthin and 2.18mgg-1 DCW of capsorubin. Compared with the initial strain, the yield of capsanthin was increased by 24.18 times, and 13.54 times of the highest yield reported so far. Artificially designed microbial cell factory and low-cost cofactor supply methods are in line with the current sustainable and green wave of biochemicals. This work not only provides a platform strain for low-cost and sustainable biosynthesis, but also provides a paradigm for heterologous expression of chloroplast-derived enzymes.

Improving Electrical Conductivity of Commercially Pure Aluminium: The Synergistic Effect of AlB8 Master Alloy and Heat Treatment.

This study aims to enhance the electrical conductivity of commercially pure aluminium by minimizing impurities and grain boundaries in its microstructure, ultimately improving the efficiency of electric motors constructed from rotors with squirrel cages made from this material. For this purpose, an aluminium-boron (AlB8) master alloy was added to aluminium with a purity of 99.7%, followed by the application of a grain-coarsening heat treatment to the rotors. To obtain commercially pure aluminium with boron additions of 0.05% and 0.1% by weight, specific amounts of the AlB8 master alloy were added into aluminium with a purity of 99.7%. Using these materials, squirrel cage components of rotors were produced via the high-pressure die-casting method. Subsequently, a grain-coarsening heat treatment of the rotors was performed at temperatures of 450 °C, 500 °C, and 550 °C, with holding times of 2, 6, and 10 h. The Box-Behnken design, which is based on statistical experimental design and response surface methodology, was employed to investigate the effects of adding boron and varying the heat treatment temperature and holding time on the electrical conductivity of commercially pure aluminium. The results showed that the synergistic effect of adding boron at 0.05 wt.% and applying the grain-coarsening heat treatment at a temperature of 550 °C for a holding time of 10 h significantly enhanced the electrical conductivity of commercially pure aluminium, increasing it from 60.62% IACS to 63.1% IACS. Correspondingly, the efficiency of the electric motor increased from 90.35% to 91.53%. These findings suggest that this hybrid method not only enhances the electrical conductivity of commercially pure aluminium but also has strong potential to improve its other properties, such as thermal conductivity. This will lead to products composed of components manufactured from the materials exhibiting better performance characteristics, such as increased efficiency and extended service life. Consequently, this innovative method will contribute economically and environmentally by facilitating the manufacture of high-performance products.

Beneficial or troublesome? Revealing the double-edged effects of tourism live streaming affordances on viewers’ engagement

ABSTRACT Tourism live streaming (TLS) empowers streamers to act with destinations, viewers, and products, namely TLS affordance. Underpinning the technology affordance theory, this study unravels the impact of the TLS affordances on TLS engagement of viewers by conducting an online survey. The results show that (1) TLS affordances have double-edged effects on destination brand engagement and viewer engagement; (2) product involvement moderates the Inverted U-shaped (U-shaped) effects of product visibility (guidance shopping) on memorable experiences (consumer skepticism). This study provides theoretical and practical implications for destination managers, live streamers, and product manufacturers in optimizing the efficiency of TLS affordances.

Depolymerization by transition metal complexes: strategic approaches to convert polymeric waste into feedstocks.

At present, plastic pollution is a global environmental catastrophe and a major threat to mankind. Moreover, the increasing manufacture of various plastic products is causing rapid depletion of precious resources. Thus, transforming plastic waste into feedstock, which can maintain a circular economy, has emerged as a significant technique for waste management and carbon resource conservation. Furthermore, the urgent development of effective depolymerization methods is vital to save our planet from man-made plastic pollution. Among various chemical depolymerization techniques developed thus far, cleavage of the polymeric skeleton by transition metal complexes is a highly emerging, effective and exciting strategy. In this context, herein, we have summarized mechanistic approaches for cleaving various polymeric bonds using organometallic catalysts. The recently developed strategies, catalyst design and mechanisms for depolymerization of synthetic and natural polymers with polar (C-N, C-O, C-Cl, and Si-O) and non-polar (C-C) skeletal bonds are systematically discussed in detail.

Research on blood donation and supply of red blood cell products to medical institutions under the spread of COVID-19 disease in Japan.

Due to the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus infectious disease (COVID-19), blood donation events had to be cancelled, and there were concerns about a decrease in the number of blood donors from late February 2020 in Japan. The purpose of this study is to investigate the numbers of whole blood donation, manufacture and inventory adjustment of red blood cell (RBC) products at the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS), and to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 on the donation of blood and the supply of RBC products to medical institutions for transfusion medicine in Japan. We focused on RBC products, which are the most frequently used blood products and are easily reflected under the spread of COVID-19. The status of whole blood donation and RBC product transfusion was investigated based on the data provided by the JRCS from January 2020 to August 2021 on whole blood donation, manufacture and inventory adjustment of RBC products, and supply to medical institutions. Although there were some fluctuations since January 2020, the amount of estimated donated whole blood, manufactured RBC products, inventory, and supply to medical institutions remained almost stable. The reasons are thought to be the contribution of registered repeaters cooperating in blood donation, the accurate prediction of supply and demand by the JRCS, the call for blood donations in accordance with the prediction, and the timely exchange of products between block centers, and the utilization of a safe supply system established previously by the JRCS. As a result, it can be concluded that the stable provision of medical care was possible without depleting the inventory of RBC products even under the spread of COVID-19.

Dutch Boy Strikes Again!: Lead-Based Watercolors in Paint Books for Children

ABSTRACT ‘Dutch Boy White – Lead’ was the trademark of the National Lead Company, the leading manufacturer of lead products in the United States in the early twentieth century. Though there was ample medical literature linking childhood lead poisoning to lead paint, National Lead continued to promote their products to the American public. Dutch Boy produced color-by-paint booklets for children to build generational brand loyalty, reasoning that the ‘children of today are the grown ups of tomorrow.’ The Winterthur Library has seven of these booklets, one of which, the Dutch Boy Conquers Old Man Gloom, required minor conservation treatment. A watercolor palette of the primary colors is in the center of the booklet, and considering the use of lead in house paint, the composition of the watercolors was called into question. Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and Raman spectroscopy were used to identify the watercolors. Both techniques confirmed the presence of lead (II) chromate in booklets ranging from 1914 to 1929. Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to quantify the amount of friable lead present, informing the conservation treatment approach. Housings were modified for the health and safety of library staff and researchers.

Innovations in isocyanate synthesis for a sustainable future.

Isocyanates play a crucial role as key building blocks in the production of thermoplastic foams, elastomers, adhesives, agrochemicals, and pharmaceuticals. These compounds are essential in the manufacture of various polymeric products, such as polyurethane foams, synthetic rubbers, and surface coatings. Given their significance, and the fact that many isocyanates are highly reactive and toxic, there is an increasing demand for innovative and sustainable methods for their synthesis and detection that emphasize safety, efficiency, and selectivity. Developing processes for isocyanate production that avoid hazardous reagents like phosgene is particularly critical. While several methods exist for the in situ generation of isocyanates, the search for an eco-friendly and sustainable approach for their direct synthesis and isolation continues. Recent advances in isocyanate synthesis promise innovative and efficient strategies with broad industrial and environmental benefits. This review highlights various methods for synthesizing di- and monoisocyanates, emphasizing their isolation and conversion into ureas and carbamates in line with the principles of sustainable and green chemistry.

CTGCT, Centre of Excellence for the Technologies of Gene and Cell Therapy: Collaborative Translation of Scientific Discoveries into Advanced Treatments for Neurological Rare Genetic Diseases and Cancer

The emerging field of precision medicine relies on scientific breakthroughs to understand disease mechanisms and develop cutting-edge technologies to overcome underlying genetic and functional aberrations. The establishment of the Centre of Excellence for the Technologies of Gene and Cell Therapy (CTGCT) at the National Institute of Chemistry (NIC) in Ljubljana represents a significant step forward, as it is the first centre of its kind in Slovenia. The CTGCT is poised to spearhead advances in cancer immunotherapy and personalised therapies for neurological and other rare genetic diseases. The centre’s overarching mission is to extend beyond the NIC’s scientific excellence in basic research and bring new therapeutic solutions toward clinical application. The CTGCT aims to develop a broad pipeline of biomedical tools, including innovative synthetic biology tools, gene editing and splicing technologies, RNA-based technologies, immune regulation engineering and novel viral and non-viral delivery systems. The CTGCT is supported by partner institutions from the UK, the Netherlands and Germany, which already have academic good manufacturing practice (GMP) facilities for the manufacture of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) and is committed to active collaboration with clinicians and patient organizations at all stages of development to improve access to gene and cell therapies (GCTs) for patients. The Centre also seeks to collaborate with national and international academic and industrial partners, and the newly established GMP facilities will address a critical bottleneck in the translation of GCTs from research to practice. Finally, CTGCT's translational research and technology transfer units will ensure the impactful dissemination of research and innovation activities in Slovenia, throughout the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe region, and beyond. With its comprehensive approach and forward-looking vision, the CTGCT will drive transformative advances in gene and cell therapies for the benefit of patients on a global scale.

Modeling regional private income and its embedded carbon emissions: sources, flows and inequalities.

Composing regional total income jointly with government income, private income represents levels of development and affluence from the household perspective. Considering the need for fair carbon emission reduction responsibility distributions among regions with divergent income levels, private income-embedded emission (PIEE) and the inter-regional inequalities remain to be explored. Combining input-output analysis and the Gini coefficient, this study traces the sources and disposals of regional private income in China, as well as their embedded carbon emission flow, and quantifies the distribution and inequality of PIEE across industrial sectors and provincial regions. Results indicate that the sectors of power and heat, smelting and pressing of metals, and manufacture of non-metallic mineral products contribute the most to PIEE. Hebei and Inner Mongolia have larger PIEE, while emissions embedded in private income disposals are primarily driven by consumption of products from agriculture, light industry, and services. Regions clustering at the beginning (Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin) of the C-Lorenz curve of PIEE account for 19.3% of private income, while 8.2% in PIEE, with the percentages for those clustering at the end (Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Xinjiang) as 10.0% and 28.5%. The findings provide insights into strategizing emission reduction along the entire value flow and coordinating carbon emissions, income and emission reduction responsibility.

Assessing the chemical interactions and biological effects of a petrochemical and bio-based plastic with a common plastic flame retardant and solvent.

Microplastic pollution remains a persistent environmental challenge for aquatic environments. Yet, health impact assessments of microplastics focus largely on the polymers themselves. It is important to understand the chemical behaviour and biological effects of both plastics and chemicals associated with their production, such as additives and solvents. Here, the individual and interactive chemical behaviour and biological impacts of two microplastics and two associated chemicals are assessed: polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a traditional petroleum-based plastic; polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) a novel bio-based plastic; triphenyl phosphate (TPhP), a common plastic flame retardant; and a widely use solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Thermogravimetric analysis and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance revealed no significant polymer chemical adsorption and desorption of TPhP or DMSO nor any evidence of reaction products between TPhP and DMSO. Biological assays on a freshwater fish host-parasite system, assessed fish growth, feeding, disease resistance and parasite survival. Both microplastics, the TPhP and solvent DMSO individually and interactively had no significant impact on fish growth. However, PVC alone and PHA+TPhP + DMSO significantly inhibited feeding behaviour of fish and increased mortality. Fish exposed to the solvent DMSO alone experienced the highest disease burdens. Interestingly, off-host survival of parasitic worms exposed to DMSO or TPhP + DMSO was higher than unexposed control worms. This study highlights the complex effects of microplastics and plastic associated chemicals on biological systems, and that novel bio-based plastics are not necessarily 'better' especially when associated with the same chemicals. Industry must be required to declare which chemicals are used in the manufacture of plastic products.

Proteomic Approach Using DIA-MS Identifies Morphogenesis-Associated Proteins during Cardiac Differentiation of Human iPS Cells.

Human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes have potential applications in regenerative medicine. The quality by design (QbD) approach enables the efficiency and quality assurance in the manufacturing of hiPSC-derived products. It requires a molecular understanding of hiPSC differentiation throughout the differentiation process; however, information on cardiac differentiation remains limited. Proteins associated with the early stages of cardiac differentiation would be useful in the cardiomyocyte quality assessment. Here, we performed quantitative proteomics of hiPSC intermediate cells in the early phase of cardiac differentiation to better understand their molecular characteristics. Proteomic profiles suggested that day 5-7 cells were in the morphogenetic stage of cardiac differentiation. Trophoblast glycoprotein (TPBG) was the most up-regulated protein in the morphogenetic stage; it was previously shown to be up-regulated during differentiation into neural stem cells. Proteomics of TPBG-knockdown cells revealed that TPBG is involved in cell proliferation and is related to the cardiomyocyte yield, suggesting that it could be used as a marker in QbD development. Our approach helps us understand the molecular basis of hiPSC differentiation and could be a powerful tool in QbD-based manufacturing.

NANOCOMPOSITES BASED ON A HEAT RESISTANT POLYCYANURATE MATRIX

The review article is devoted to a promising and rapidly developing class of thermosetting polymers – polycyanurates created from cyanate ester resins (CER), in particular, to the synthesis and characterization of the structure and physical properties of their nanocomposites obtained by in situ method using inorganic nanoparticles with an organo-functionalized surface. Cyanate ester resins are very easy to use, and the technology of their processing is close to the technology of manufacturing materials based on traditional epoxy resins. Due to their high heat resistance, cyanate ester resins are increasingly replacing epoxy materials, especially in high-tech industries. An important feature of the synthesis of nanocomposites based on polycyanurates is that almost all functionalized nanoparticles used in the published studies catalyze the high-temperature polycyclotrimerization of dicyanates into polycyanurates. Nanoparticles with reactive groups on a surface, such as hydroxy, phenolic, amine, epoxy, etc. are covalently embedded in the forming polymer network during the synthesis process due to their easy chemical interaction with cyanate groups of the cyanate ester resin. The chemical reactions to such hybridization have been thoroughly studied. This phenomenon prevents an aggregation of nanoparticles and leads to their effective distribution in a polymer matrix, which in turn ensures high performance of the resulting nanocomposites. A specific effect of ultra-low (<1 wt.%) nanofiller concentrations on the glass transition temperature, heat resistance and mechanical strength of the resulting nanocomposites has been established: the glass transition temperature of polycyanurate increases by 40–60 °C with the introduction of 0.01 to 1.00 wt.% of epoxy-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS), amino-SiO2, amino-POSS or amino-functionalized montmorillonite (MMT). Increasing the content of nanoparticles above ~2 wt.% usually leads to the opposite effect due to the formation of their aggregates. The areas of industrial application of nanocomposites based on polycyanurates are described. It has been shown that the valuable complex of thermal, dielectric, mechanical, and chemical properties of polycyanurates, as well as their ability for nanostructuring and all kinds of chemical modifications, due to the high reactivity of the cyanate groups of CER, contribute to the wide application of CER, polycyanurates and nanocomposites based on them in various fields of industry instead of traditional epoxy resins. In recent years, the use of CER, its composites and nanocomposites has increased significantly in the aerospace and defense industries, in the manufacture of electrical products and electronics, etc. CER-based products are used as potting resins, binders for carbon, glass and organic plastics, coatings, adhesives in aircraft, helicopters, satellites, antennas, gas turbines, microchips, etc.

Economic Aspects of Sustainable Development: Eco-Branding in Manufacturing Enterprises from Kazakhstan

Economic science provides a rich methodological toolkit for sustainable development combined with the principles of the circular economy and green marketing. The practical adaptation of a set of assessment tools helped the realisation of the goal of this study in the form of the systematisation of interaction factors between economic growth and environmental branding of industrial companies in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Descriptive models were used to assess the economic and technological state of enterprises and to analyse the effectiveness of capital investments for the implementation of green technology projects and social environmental investments. In the course of research of the population’s requests to manufacturers of industrial products, it was found out that the requirements to the environmental characteristics of finished products have increased, and the price of ecological products is of concern. Producers and end consumers can be brought closer together through eco-branding, creation of special platforms for green integration participants. To unlock the reserves of economic growth, it is proposed that green investment flows with the participation of industrial capital should be intensified in order to increase investments in the eco-cultural transformation of eco-consumers of the new generation.

MODELING IN THE DESIGN OF TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSES FOR DRAWING WITH WALL THINNING OF HOLLOW AXISYMMETRIC PARTS FOR VARIOUS PURPOSES

There are a number of products that operate under extremely difficult conditions of complex loading, the manufacture of which by traditional stamping operations does not provide the required properties, which leads to a large number of defects. One of the possible directions for the manufacture of products of increased strength is the introduction into the technological process of methods of intense plastic deformation, which can be either volumetric (equal-channel angular pressing, longitudinal extrusion through a channel of variable cross-section, drawing with wall thinning along the internal contour) or surface (grinding holes, rolling with rollers or balls). The study demonstrates the application of the approximate monotonicity criterion and its relationship with technological parameters, using the example of a deep drawing process with wall thinning. A case is presented where technological parameters, including friction conditions and the degree of deformation, are selected to ensure approximate monotonicity during the thinning process. The findings provide a basis for the rational selection of the "strain-stress" curve, contributing to a more accurate and efficient design of deformation processes.

Algorithm for Searching the Optimal Regulator Supply Mode in the Process of Manufacturing Polymer Products

Introduction. The high demand for polymer products creates the need for constant mo­dernization of the technological aspects of their production, increasing the efficiency of which is impossible without a model description and solving problems of optimization of its main technological stages. The current needs for manufacturing the products with a specified structure and properties make the issue of creating tools for solving optimization problems very relevant. One of the tools for controlling the product molecular weight is using the fractional mode to supply a regulator, the composition and dosage of which are often selected empirically.Aim of the Study. The aim of the study is to develop methods and algorithms to determine the mode for multipoint supplying a regulator in the continuous-running manufacturing of polymer products with specified molecular characteristics.Materials and Methods. To choose the optimal regulator supply mode, there is used a heuristic method represented by a genetic optimization algorithm. This algorithm is based on the mechanism for creating a population of potential solutions that are subjected to the operations of crossing, mutation and selection imitating the processes of inheritance and evolution in nature. To assess the molecular characteristics of the copolymerization pro­duct, there is applied a kinetic modeling approach based on the use of molecular weight distribution moments. For a mathematical description of continuous-running production, there are used recurrent relations characterizing the transfer of the reaction mass between ideally mixed reactors.Results. According to the conditions for organizing continuous-running manufacturing, it is possible to add a regulator at the beginning of the process in the third and sixth poly­merizers along the battery. In order to determine the regulator supply mode, the optimization criterion was developed in the form of a functional reflecting the absolute difference between the calculated and specified values of the number-average and mass-average molecular weights. The software implementation of the developed method and optimization algorithm, and the computational tests carried out made it possible to identify a number of solutions, each of which contributes to manufacturing a product with specified molecular characteristics. Visualization of some resulting solutions demonstrates different molecular weight dynamics throughout the process.Discussion and Conclusion. Through using the developed method and algorithm, there has been solved the problem of identifying the three-point molecular weight control regime for the continuous-running process of producing styrene-butadiene copolymer. The choice of a genetic algorithm for the study and optimization of complex multifactorial physicochemical systems is justified by the fact that it allows searching for one or more system parameters in both a discrete and continuous set of variables and contributes to finding a global optimum due to the random nature in the search for solutions. The variety of solutions obtained for the problem makes it possible to control the process of polymer synthesis in the case of constant monitoring of the physicochemical characteristics of the product.