Regular Production Research Articles

Plant growth analysis describing the soybean plants response on dryland field to seed co-inoculation

ABSTRACT: Plant growth analysis can be used for soybean plants evaluation to identify morphologic changes caused by soil microbes after seed inoculation. The objective was to measure changes of inoculated soybean plants grown under regular field Brazilian production conditions. The experiment was carried out to compare 5 inoculation treatments: T1 (Bradyrhizobium japonicum and B. diazoefficiens), T2 (T1 and Azospirillum brasilense), T3 (T1 and Trichoderma asperellum), T4 (T1 and T. virens, and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens) and T5 (T1 and Penicillum bilaiae). Leaf area, shoot and root dry matter were measured at vegetative and reproductive growth stages. Results of this study validate the contribution of plant growth analysis of soybeans plants for identifying their responses promoted by the combined inoculation of their seeds with selected microbes. Also, the microbial effects on plant growth vary not only between microbes but also between parts of the plants and through the plant development stages. The introduction of different microbes in soybean rhizosphere combined with Bradyrhizobium sp. strains can contribute to increase crop dry matter productivity during its growing cycle.

Failure analysis of AISI 440C strand dies used in twin screw extruders during polymer compounding

In view of excellent wear and corrosion resistance, AISI 440C Martensitic Stainless steel finds wide use as Dies in Twin Screw Extruders in Polymer, Food and Pharma applications, especially when either additives, which could be corrosive, are added to aid compounding of polymers or moisture and/or free radicals are present in the processing material. Two AISI 440C Die Plates part of Strand Die Assembly in a φ40 mm size Twin Screw Extruder abruptly cracked during operation in succession disrupting regular production with the second failure occurring after about two years of the Extruder in service. While visual examination of the failed Die Plates showed presence of surface / sub-surface cracks and marks of corrosion, the sectioned Die Plate revealed multiple internal cracks. The hardness survey on the failed Die Plates confirmed values between 30 and 36 HRC, which are about 20–25 HRC lower than the hardness measured in as-supplied condition. Macro-examination of the sectioned Die Plate revealed multiple micro-crack origin locations together with strong evidence of corrosion. The microstructural examination showed carbide network along grain boundaries in a matrix consisting of tempered martensite and revealed intergranular fracture. Fractographic observations using Scanning Electron Microscopy on the cracked Die Plate clearly revealed segregation of fine carbides along crack boundaries. Based on detailed analyses, which included site data collection and investigation, the failure of Die Plates was attributed to Stress Corrosion Cracking. Finally, recommendations were proposed to prevent recurrence of such failures in service.

Virtual reality training platform for a computer numerically controlled grinding machine tool

In-depth training of machine tool (MT) operators is crucial to avoid machine damage due to faulty operation. However, machine-hours are costly and during the training, the MT is unavailable for regular production purposes. Here, virtual real-size models offer a solution by providing basic operation principles to future operators. In this context, it is yet unknown whether a virtual teaching enhanced by real walking is similar to a real teaching scenario regarding the learning efficiency and long-term memory retention. This paper describes a study comparing the learning efficiency of a virtual training session with traditional instructions on a real MT. The learning success of both training groups is objectively and subjectively assessed on a real MT a week later. In this assessment, the task completion time and the number of errors are recorded. We observed that the virtually taught group slightly outperformed trainees taught in reality regarding both objective measurements.

The canal system of Ju-i Dokhtar: new insight into water management in the eastern part of the Pasargadae plain (Fars, Iran)

Within the territory of the ancient province of Persia, which corresponds approximately to the present-day region of Fars in southern Iran, numerous remains of hydraulic structures are known and reported. These have rarely benefitted from detailed studies, however, which results in functional uncertainties and unconfirmed chronological suggestions, including in particular hasty attributions to the Achaemenid period. The territory of the plain of Pasargadae, situated at the center of this province, was well suited to irrigated agriculture, exemplified by the famous gardens created in the capital of Cyrus in the first period of the Achaemenid Empire. As the region is situated in a mountainous and semi-arid environment, irrigation is necessary for regular agricultural production throughout the year. The region of Pasargadae contains many hydraulic features that are relatively well preserved. However, their dating and their functions still remain unclear, which has stimulated new research and examination of all the evidence concerning the hydraulics, using a combination of methods and approaches, including systematic regional mapping, photo-interpretation, precise topographic readings, and dating experimentation through OSL analyses. This article presents a synthesising study of the remains of the Ju-i Dokhtar canal and the dam of Sa’adatshahr, which is located at the outlet of the canal. These structures probably formed the backbone of a system of water exploitation, that included all of the south-east part of the plain of Pasargadae and the plain of Sa’adatshahr further downstream.

Dimension reduction and 2D-visualization for early change of state detection in a machining process with a variational autoencoder approach

In this paper, we applied a variational autoencoder approach to an industrial machining problematic. We proposed a model based on a two-steps training process and a two-dimensional latent space. This two-dimensional latent space has better dimension reduction capability compared to a principal component analysis, which would require 24 components to express 90.0% of the variation. Moreover, the proposed model is shown capable of classifying a cutting operation based solely on data obtained from sensors mounted on a CNC machine, with an accuracy of 99.24%. The suggested model is also shown capable to be an efficient visual process monitoring tool capable of detecting early changes of state in a machining process. We show that this approach can visually identify defect caused by an increase of less than 1% of the energy in the signal, which is earlier than conventional monitoring methods. Additionally, our work is based on an industrial dataset acquired during regular production. This increases the opportunity for technological transfer when it comes to better understanding and better monitoring early changes in a machining process.

Can sex influence the neurocognition of language? Evidence from Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD), which involves basal ganglia degeneration, affects language as well as motor function. However, which aspects of language are impaired in PD and under what circumstances remains unclear. We examined whether lexical and grammatical aspects of language are differentially affected in PD, and whether this dissociation is moderated by sex as well as the degree of basal ganglia degeneration. Our predictions were based on the declarative/procedural model of language. The model posits that grammatical composition, including in regular inflection, depends importantly on left basal ganglia procedural memory circuits, whereas irregular and other lexicalized forms are memorized in declarative memory. Since females tend to show declarative memory advantages as compared to males, the model further posits that females should tend to rely on this system for regulars, which can be stored as lexicalized chunks. We tested non-demented male and female PD patients and healthy control participants on the intensively studied paradigm of English regular and irregular past-tense production. Mixed-effects regression revealed PD deficits only at regular inflection, only in male patients. The degree of left basal ganglia degeneration, as reflected by right-side hypokinesia, predicted only regular inflection, and only in male patients. Left-side hypokinesia did not show this pattern. Past-tense frequency effects suggested that the female patients retrieved regular as well as irregular past-tense forms from declarative memory, whereas the males retrieved only irregulars. Sensitivity analyses showed that the pattern of findings was robust. The results, which are consistent with the declarative/procedural model, suggest a grammatical deficit in PD due to left basal ganglia degeneration, with a relative sparing of lexical retrieval. Female patients appear to compensate for this deficit by relying on chunks stored in declarative memory. More generally, the study elucidates the neurocognition of inflectional morphology and provides evidence that sex can influence how language is computed in the mind and brain.

Towards a methodological framework for estimating present population density from mobile network operator data

The concept of present population is gaining increasing attention in official statistics. One possible approach to measure present population exploits data collected by Mobile Network Operators (MNO), from simple Call Detail Records (CDR) to more informative and complex signalling records. Such data, collected primarily for network operation processes, can be repurposed to infer patterns of human mobility. Two decades of research literature have produced several case studies, mostly focused on to CDR data, and a variety of ad-hoc methodologies tailored to specific datasets. Moving beyond the stage of explorative research, the regular production of official statistics across different MNO requires a more systematic approach to methodological development. Towards this aim, Eurostat and other members of the European Statistical System are working towards the definition of a general Reference Methodological Framework for processing MNO data for official statistics. In this contribution we report on the methodological aspects related to the estimation of present population density, for which we present a general and modular methodological structure that generalises previous proposals found in the academic literature. Along the way, we define a number of specific research problems requiring further attention by the research community. We stress the importance of comparing different methodological options at various points in the data workflow, e.g. in the geolocation of individual observations and in the inference method. Finally, we present illustrative results from a case-study based on real signalling data from a European operational network, complemented by numerical results from a simple simulation scenario.

EPQ models with bivariate random imperfect proportions and learning-dependent production and demand rates

In this paper, three production inventory models are constructed for an imperfect manufacturing system by considering a warm-up production run, shortages during the hybrid maintenance period, and the rework of imperfect items. The proportions of imperfect items produced during the warm-up and regular production runs are random and they are represented using a bivariate random variable. The shortage quantity is partially backordered and the supply of backorder quantity is planned simultaneously with regular demand satisfaction. The learning models are designed to accommodate the different learning capabilities of workers in unit production time during warm-up and regular production periods. The production and demand rates of these models are made dependent on the learning exponents. As the resulting models are highly nonlinear in the decision variable, they are optimized using a genetic algorithm. The models are illustrated using numerical examples and sensitivity studies are performed to find the influence of the key parameters.

Effect of Regenerated Cellulose Fibers Derived from Black Oat on Functional Properties of PVA-Based Biocomposite Film

In this study, agricultural residue from black oat, a cover crop usually grown to improve soil nutrients between the periods of regular crop production, was used as a source of cellulose fibers. Concentrations of 1, 3, and 5 wt. % of regenerated cellulose (RC) fibers blended in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) solution were used to prepare the reinforced composite films (CFs) by the solvent cast method. Compared to neat PVA film (control), the effects of RC addition on functional properties of CFs, such as water absorption, transparency, thermal stability, and mechanical property were investigated. All CFs with different RC concentrations exhibited improved mechanical property and thermal stability while the swelling property was decreased, and no significant changes were observed in the film transparency as compared with the control film. Among the CFs, films with 3% RC significantly decreased water vapor transmission rate, swelling, and soluble fraction (p < 0.05). In addition, Young’s modulus and tensile strength were increased by 40 MPa and 3 MPa, respectively, while elongation at break was decreased by 4%, compared to the control film. The results indicate that RC from black oat might be feasible as potential bio fillers to improve film properties in a bio-based composite matrix.

A trusted feature aggregator federated learning for distributed malicious attack detection

With the rapid development of IoT technology, millions of physical devices embedded with electronics or software are put into regular production. Each IoT device is connected to the user’s life and property privacy. Without a credible intrusion detection and defense mechanism installed on the device, it may be attacked by hackers, such as monitoring events of home cameras and control of smart devices. These attack events will have a serious impact on users’ production and life. This paper proposes a Blockchained-Federated Learning based cloud intrusion detection scheme. The scheme sends the local training parameters of the IoT intrusion alarm set to the cloud computing center for global prediction, and stores the model training process information and behavior on the blockchain. In order to solve the high probability of false alerts affecting the accuracy of the federated learning model, the scheme proposes an alert filter identification module. At the same time, through the erasure code-based blockchain storage solution, the traditional blockchain storage performance is improved to meet the storage needs of a large number of alert training data in real scenarios.

Chemical industrial kilns used for co-processing of hazardous waste: Low environmental risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Chemical industrial kilns were found to be used for waste treatment, however it is still in the research stage. In our study, field tests were conducted to find the emission and distribution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) during co-processing of hazardous waste in an industrial scale coal-water slurry gasifier (CWSG), which is applied to ammonia production. Changes of temperature, pressure and gas production of CWSG were recorded under both blank condition (i.e., regular production) and test condition (i.e., feedstock mixed with hazardous waste). Concentration of PAHs in all the solid waste, waste water, and exhaust gas under two conditions were analyzed. Results showed that co-processing of hazardous waste has little impact on the operation stability of CWSG, the temperature were ranged at 1330–1350 ℃ in CWSG, the pressure and gas production were stabled at 1.0–1.3 MPa and 12,000–14,000 Nm3/h respectively. Low environmental risks of PAHs in regular production and weren’t increased by the addition of hazardous waste. Distribution trends of PAHs with different molecular weights in solid-liquid-gas three phases were basically the same under both two conditions. 92.96 %−93.68 % low molecular weights (LMW, 2–3rings) PAHs distributed in exhaust gas, 50.84 %−71.66 % middle molecular weights (MMW, 4 rings) PAHs distributed in solid waste, and 85.3 %−86.77 % high molecular weight (HMW, 5–6 rings) PAHs distributed in solid waste, while the content of PAHs in waste water was generally low.

Application of Dynamic System to Improve the Efficiency of Operational Activities in PT. Indo Trisula Karya

PT Indo Trisula Karya is a company engaging in the field of industrial manufacturing within subdivision of textile goods, producing made-to-order t-shirts. In the past few production periods, the company has been undergoing opportunity loss that is caused by incapability of regular production capacity to fulfil production demand. Meagre fund in an attempt to expand the business such as addition of equipment and tools to support operational activities, as well as addition to manpower, are the cause of the deprivation. The purpose of this research is to retrieve the performance of company’s operational activities to which every production period and production demand converge by applying system dynamic model, using overtime and subcontract production system approach, and data is processed using vensim software. The outcome is by applying 3 systems simultaneously production system regular, overtime, and subcontract, the company is able to fulfil its highest demand achieved in production period of May 2017 as much as 9.760 t-shirts with 42 t-shirts in excess at the end of simulation.

Optimization of Technology for Performing Liquidation Measures at Chemical Weapons Destruction Facilities

In accordance with the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation, the implementation of the Russian Federation's conventional obligations in the field of chemical disarmament assumes, after the completion of the destruction of chemical weapons, the involvement of former chemical weapons destruction facilities (CWDFs) in the economic turnover in the interests of the industries, connected with defense and state security, and other industries. The aim of this work is to consider the optimal technologies of the destruction of former CWDFs. In order to obtain objective information about the effectiveness and sufficiency of heat treatment of scrap metal products and spent sorbents, potentially contaminated with toxic substances, the FSBE «FUBKHUHO» experts conducted an experimental study of the possibility of using only regular production facilities for thermal neutralization of emptied cases of chemical ammunition and other waste, located at the CWDFs «Maradykovsky», «Leonidovka» and «Pochep». It is established during this study, that the use of standard heat treatment complexes allows to ensure the sanitary and epidemiological safety of the neutralized materials when using their design modes in the temperature range 500–700 °C. This approach allows to reduce the time required for full implementation of liquidation activities at the CWDFs at the expense of the refusal from the creation of new and/or reconstruction of existing facilities of heat treatment, necessary for the neutralization of potentially dangerous fragments of metal constructions and other solid waste, and to increase the efficiency of using financial, material and human resources to ensure the implementation of abandonment operations in general. A timely solution to the problem of the elimination of the consequences of CWDFs' activities will create safe conditions for the development of traditional and new industries on the basis of former CWDF complexes and increase their investment attractiveness.

Better to Bend than to Break: Sharing Supply Risk Using the Supply-Flexibility Contract

Problem definition : We analyze a contract in which a supplier who is exposed to disruption risk offers a supply-flexibility contract comprising of a wholesale price and a minimum-delivery fraction (“flexibility” fraction) to a buyer facing random demand. The supplier is allowed to deviate below the order quantity by at most the flexibility fraction. The supplier’s regular production is subject to random disruption, but she has access to a reliable expedited supply source at a higher marginal cost. Academic/practical relevance : Despite the prevalence of supply-flexibility contracts in practice, to the best of our knowledge, there is no previous academic literature examining the optimal design of supply-flexibility contracts. As such, the level of flexibility in practice is usually set on an ad-hoc basis, with buyers typically reluctant to share risk with suppliers. Our analysis of supply-flexibility contracts informs practice in two ways: First, using analytically supported arguments, it educates managers on the effects of their decisions on the economic outcomes. Second, it shows that the supply-flexibility contract benefits both the supplier and the buyer, regardless of which player chooses how supply risk is allocated in the supply chain. Methodology : Non-cooperative game theory, non-convex optimization. Results : We derive the supplier-led optimal contract and show that supply chain efficiency improves relative to the price-only contract. More interestingly, even though the buyer lets the supplier decide how the two share supply risk, profits of both the players increase by the introduction of flexibility into the contract. Further, supply flexibility may be even more valuable for the buyer compared with the supplier. Interestingly, the flexibility fraction is not monotone in supplier reliability and a more reliable supplier may even prefer to transfer more risk to the buyer. The robustness of these findings is established on two extensions: one where we study a buyer-led contract (i.e., the buyer chooses the flexibility fraction) and the other where the expedited supply option is available to both the supplier and the buyer. Managerial implications : The supply-flexibility contract is mutually beneficial for both players and yet retains all the advantages of the price-only contract—it is easy to implement, it requires minimal operational and administrative burden, and there is evidence of the use of such contracts in practice. While our focus is not on supply chain coordination, we note that the combination of two mechanisms—the supply-flexibility contract derived in this paper to share supply risk and a buyback contract to share demand risk—yields a coordinating contract.

Lithic perspectives on the Late Upper Palaeolithic in the French Pyrenees

This work deals with Late Upper Palaeolithic (Azilian and Laborian) lithic industries in the French Pyrenees. Assemblages are compared at an interregional level in order to contextualize and clarify this period. Since its discovery at the end of the 19th century, the Azilian was characterized by its specific lithic industry (backed points), osseous artefacts (harpoons) and artistic remains (painted pebbles). However, new discoveries have shed new light on our understanding the Azilian. Six lithic assemblages were examined in this study: Rhodes II (Ariège), Troubat (Hautes-Pyrénées), La Tourasse (Haute-Garonne), Le Poeymaü (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), Gouërris (Haute-Garonne) and Pagès (Lot), allowing us to investigate the evolution of the Azilian and Laborian technocomplexes and to comparatively evaluate this process at the scale of Western Europe. The beginning of the Azilian in the Pyrenees differs from what is observed in the northern Aquitain Basin; the Magdalenian seems to persist until 14 200 cal. BP, while the Early Azilian is only observed in the Basque Country. However, during the recent phase some common traits are identified at a larger scale (France, Pyrenees, Cantabria), most notably a technological simplification. Still, the Pyrenean Azilian (between 14 200 and 12 500 cal. BP) preserves its regional lithic signature, defined by the presence of double backed points, small scrapers and the use of bipolar reduction on an anvil. The Laborian, sporadically present in the Pyrenees, may indicate a later technical reinvestment, characterized by a more regular and straight production of lamino-lamellar blanks, which is a trend that appears to be observed in the whole Western Europe around 12 500 cal. BP.

Study on Productivity Improvement in Medium Scale Manufacturing Industry by Execution of Lean Tools

In current scenario, all the manufacturing industries are placing constant efforts for their endurance in the current global volatile economy. Manufacturing industries are annoying to implement new and professional techniques in their regular production processes. Some of the recognized tools are applied and their awareness has been growing among the industries, especially in production sector. Last two decades have witnessed an explosion in the area of quality and productivity improvement initiatives in the manufacturing industries by different tools and techniques such as lean manufacturing, total quality management, total productive maintenance, six sigma implementation etc. The objective of this study is to enlighten the importance of lean techniques implementation in a medium scale belt manufacturing industry. This research study helps to exhibit the existing hidden potential in the selected industry as well as a selection of appropriate techniques for productivity improvements. Also, it aims to eradicate wastes and non-value added activities at every stage in order to enhance the overall productivity. From the results after implementation of appropriate lean techniques it was found that, the lead time was reduced about 1256 minutes and the overall production was increased by about 9%.

Effect of release timing on apparent survival of juvenile fall run Chinook Salmon from Coleman National Fish Hatchery

Hatchery production of Pacific salmon for release into the environment is a common tool for conservation and supplementation of depleted stocks. Hatchery conditions are controlled to support high survival rates; however, once released into the environment, managers have little control over conditions experienced by juveniles. Thus, release timing is a critical decision in hatchery operations. This 3-year study used acoustic telemetry to estimate release timing effects on migration survival of fall run Chinook Salmon from the largest hatchery in California: the Coleman National Fish Hatchery. Juvenile Chinook Salmon implanted with JSATS transmitters were released in two or more groups each year, concomitant with the regular hatchery production. Arrays of acoustic monitors were deployed at six locations within the 517 km migration route to estimate reach-specific survival of each release. Mark-recapture models identified both year and release timing effects on reach-specific survival. In years when release effects were well-supported, survival was higher in the earlier release group. Survival in subsequent releases was similar or significantly lower indicating that conditions in the river may decline or stay the same but improvement was not observed. Survival was consistently high in the first 92 km of the migration route and may be related to predator swamping from the release of millions of hatchery fish. Survival declined, and became more variable, within the lower 425 km of the river with the lowest rates observed in the tidal bay-delta. These results indicate that both year and release timing can strongly influence survival and that time between releases likely influences the magnitude of the effect.

A vendor–buyer inventory model with lot-size and production rate dependent lead time under time value of money

The paper studies an integrated vendor–buyer model with shortages under stochastic lead time which is assumed to be variable but depends on the buyer’s order size and the vendor’s production rate. The replenishment lead time and the market demand uncertainty are assumed to be reduced by changing the regular production rate of the vendor at the risk of paying additional cost. Shortages are partially backlogged and the backlogging rate depends on the length of the buyer’s replenishment lead time. The proposed model is formulated to obtain the net present value (NPV) of the expected total cost of the integrated system through optimization of (i) the buyer’s order quantity, (2) the buyer’s safety factor, and (3) the vendor’s production rate. Theoretical results are derived to demonstrate the existence and uniqueness of the optimal solution. Through extensive numerical study, some valuable managerial insights are obtained.

Probing LHC halo dynamics using collimator loss rates at 6.5 TeV

Halo diffusion measurements at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) were conducted with beams for physics at 6.5 TeV by means of collimator scans, carried out between 2016 and 2018. From the time evolution of the beam losses recorded during a collimator scan, in which collimator jaws are moved in steps toward the beam core cutting beam tails, one can extract information on the halo diffusion and its population as a function of the transverse amplitude. In this paper, results of the first scans performed at different beam intensities for both planes and both beams using the primary collimators of the betatron-cleaning system are presented. The scans were performed with squeezed optics and colliding beams after a few hours of regular physics production, during so-called end-of-fill measurements. Beam losses are measured with ionization chambers close to the collimators, which enable 1 and 100 Hz acquisitions, as well as diamond beam loss monitors, which enable turn-by-turn and bunch-by-bunch acquisitions. Parametric fits of a diffusion model are applied to the time profile of losses, for both total and individual bunch intensity. The analysis of the measurements performed in various conditions was used to estimate the diffusion coefficient as a function of the transverse amplitude and the population of LHC beam tails.

Assessing Emissions from Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Based on Temporal High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry Data.

This study presents a nontarget approach to detect discharges from pharmaceutical production in municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents and to estimate their relevance on the total emissions. Daily composite samples were collected for 3 months at two WWTPs in Switzerland, measured using liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry, and time series were generated for all features detected. The extent of intensity variation in the time series was used to differentiate relatively constant domestic inputs from highly fluctuating industrial emissions. We show that an intensity variation threshold of 10 correctly classifies compounds of known origin and reveals clear differences between the two WWTPs. At the WWTP receiving wastewater from a pharmaceutical manufacturing site, (i) 10 times as many potential industrial emissions were detected as compared to the WWTP receiving purely domestic wastewater; (ii) for 11 pharmaceuticals peak concentrations, >10 μg/L and up to 214 μg/L were quantified, which are clearly above typical municipal wastewater concentrations; and (iii) a pharmaceutical not authorized in Switzerland was identified. Signatures of potential industrial emissions were even traceable at the downstream Rhine monitoring station at a >4000-fold dilution. Several of them occurred repeatedly, suggesting that they were linked to regular production, not to accidents. Our results demonstrate that small wastewater volumes from a single industry not only left a clear signature in the effluents of the respective WWTP but also influenced the water quality of one of Europe's most important river systems. Overall, these findings indicate that pharmaceutical production is a relevant emission source even in highly developed countries with a strong focus on water quality, such as Switzerland.