Product Requirements Research Articles

Supplier Selection Utilizing AHP and TOPSIS in a Fuzzy Environment Based on KPIs

In today’s competitive and rapidly changing business landscape, organizations face significant challenges such as resource limitations, fluctuating demand, and evolving customer needs. Addressing these challenges requires effective strategies, with supplier selection playing a vital role in building resilient and efficient supply chains. This study introduces an innovative framework for supplier evaluation and selection, integrating the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) within a fuzzy environment. The AHP method was employed to systematically identify and prioritize key performance indicators (KPIs) critical for evaluating suppliers. Criteria such as transportation cost, flexibility in meeting product requirements, defect reduction, and effective communication and responsiveness were identified as the most significant factors. These priorities formed the foundation for applying the fuzzy TOPSIS method, which facilitated the ranking of suppliers under conditions of uncertainty. The analysis revealed Sepidar Darb, Aram Plastic Sabalan, Sanaye Plastic Markaz, and Amin Avar Plastic as the top-performing suppliers, followed by Pegah Zanjan Company. The relevance of this research is heightened by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted global supply chains and fundamentally altered supplier selection criteria. While pre-pandemic evaluations predominantly focused on cost efficiency and product quality, the pandemic has underscored the importance of additional criteria such as supplier agility, risk management capabilities, geographical proximity, and digital integration. These emerging priorities highlight the necessity of rethinking traditional approaches to supplier selection and adapting to the evolving demands of global supply chains. By incorporating these updated criteria into the AHP-TOPSIS framework, this study offers a robust and practical tool for supplier evaluation in uncertain and dynamic environments. The proposed framework not only improves upon traditional methods but also provides valuable insights for organizations striving to create resilient and adaptable supply chains capable of withstanding future disruptions.

Impact of vial quality on interactions, particle formation, container closure integrity, and gas permeability for frozen drug product storage.

The frozen storage of biopharmaceuticals brings new challenges to the primary packaging material. Due to an increasing demand and the downsides of standard type I glass vials, such as vial breakage, novel vial types for special applications of parenteral drug products have been introduced to the market in the past years. Mechanical stresses due to dimensional changes experienced during freezing and thawing could change the material properties, hence affecting the interaction with the drug product stored in the vial or functionality such as overall integrity. Therefore, we studied the suitability of different vial qualities related to the thermally induced mechanical stresses experienced during frozen drug product preparation and storage. First, the possible failure modes for each vial type were identified. The interaction between vial surface and drug product were investigated considering surface hydrophobicity, surface free energy and surface roughness as well as microscopically visible changes analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. Differences in surface hydrophobicity, roughness and surface free energy between the vial types did not impact the performance upon freeze-thaw stress and did not change with the stress. Screening the vial content for particles originating from the container using light and electron scanning microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy showed only rare cases of particles in coated glass vials. Under extreme stress conditions, including a drop-test in the frozen state, a low number of particles was also detected in coated polymer vials. No quality issues regarding the functionality were observed upon container closure integrity testing, while the oxygen permeability was slightly increased for uncoated and especially coated polymer vials. Overall, the results show that several vial types are appropriate for the frozen storage of drug products and selection should be based on the formulation and other product requirements.

Analysis of the effect of initial hemostasis resuscitation with recombinant human coagulation factor VII a on the treatment of postoperative hemorrhage in cardiac surgery

ObjectiveTo investigate the effectiveness of initial hemostatic resuscitation(IHR) on the treatment of bleeding with recombinant human coagulation factor VIIa after cardiac surgery.MethodsThe clinical data of patients who received rFVIIa hemostatic treatment after cardiac surgery at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021 were retrospectively collected. A total of 152 cases were included in the study. In this study, initial hemostatic resuscitation was defined as a platelet count > 50,000 per µL and fibrinogen > 1.5 g/L when rFVIIa was used. Based on whether initial hemostatic resuscitation was completed during the application of rFVIIa, patients were divided into an initial hemostatic resuscitation group and an un-initial hemostatic resuscitation group. Baseline information, medical history, surgery-related data, postoperative bleeding volume, transfusion product volume, and overall mortality data were collected for each patient, and the postoperative bleeding volume, transfusion volume, and overall mortality rate were compared between the two groups, thus evaluating the effectiveness of initial hemostatic resuscitation on the treatment of postoperative bleeding with recombinant human coagulation factor VIIa in cardiac surgery.ResultIn this study, patients in the initial hemostasis resuscitation group received a lower dose of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa) [29.41 (26.23, 34.63) µg/kg vs. 36.04 (28.57, 59.27) µg/kg, P = 0.002], had lower blood product requirements [41 (40.2%) vs. 31 (62%), P = 0.011], received fewer units of packed red blood cells within 24 h postoperatively [0 (0, 2) U vs. 2 (0, 6) U, P = 0.018], had a lower volume of plasma transfusion [0 (0, 0) ml vs. 0 (0, 400) ml, P = 0.021], exhibited a lower peak value of D-dimer after surgery [756 (415.5, 2140.5) ng/ml vs. 1742.5 (675.25, 3392) ng/ml, P = 0.003], experienced fewer postoperative neurological complications [4 (3.92%) vs. 12 (24%), P < 0.001], had a lower mortality rate [8 (7.84%) vs. 14 (28%), P = 0.001], and had a shorter duration of mechanical ventilation [17 (12, 60.13) hours vs. 39.5 (15.75, 115.13) hours, P = 0.022].ConclusionInitial hemostasis resuscitation can significantly reduce the bleeding volume and blood product requirements in patients with bleeding complications after cardiac surgery who were treated with rFVIIa, thus improving patient prognosis. And it is crucial to closely monitor for symptoms and signs of thromboembolic complications during the application of rFVIIa.

Formulation And Physical Evaluation of Body Scrub Cream From 95% Ethanol Extract of Breadfruit Peel (Artocarpus altilis) as Antioxidants

Background: Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) peel contains many chemical compounds including alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, polyphenols, and steroids/terpenoids. Breadfruit peel has potential as an antioxidant because it contains phenolic compounds, especially flavonoids and polyphenols. Objective: The aim of this study was to formulate and physically evaluate the preparation of a scrub cream from a 95% ethanol extract of breadfruit peel (Artocarpus altilis) and test its antioxidant activity. Methods: Body scrub cream formulations were prepared using different extract concentrations, such as F1 (no extract), F2 1%, F3 3%, F4 5%, and F5 (Vit C as an equalizer for the antioxidant activity test). Body scrub cream was formulated as an oil-in-water type cream preparation using breadfruit starch as a scrub. Physical evaluation of this preparation consisted of organoleptic, homogeneity, viscosity, pH, spreadability, adhesiveness, and room-temperature storage tests. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using the DPPH method. Results: The results of the physical evaluation test showed that the body scrub cream produced good results and complied with the requirements of cream products. Antioxidant activity test results show the IC50 value of each formula is F1 (without extract) 107.8 µg/mL, F2 (1%) 72.48 µg/mL, F3 (3%) 56.54 µg/mL, F4 (5%) 43.40 µg/mL and F5 (vitamin C K+) 38.94 µg/mL. Conclusion: Based on these observations, the best formula is Formula 3 because the antioxidant test results are classified as strong, and the physical evaluation tests are considered stable.

Formulation and Evaluation of Red Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) Leaf Antidiabetic Capsules

Red sweet potato, or Ipomoea batatas L (IBL), has the potential to be developed as a herbal medicine to treat diabetes mellitus. Capsules were chosen for the formulation of IBL. The finished products are required to undergo a series of test in accordance with compendial standards and regulatory requirements for single-dose capsule products. To meet the quality and safety requirements of traditional medicines, efforts are needed to obtain an optimal capsule formula that ensures quality and safety. Mg stearate as a lubricant can be used to improve the flow properties of granules. The aims of this study are to formulate IBL into capsule dosage form and determine the influence of mg stearate in the formulation of IBL capsules. Two formulations were made using dry extract of IBL leaf (F1) and dry extract of IBL leaves with the addition of magnesium stearate (F2). The next stage was to evaluate the capsules with flowability parameters, including compressibility, weight uniformity and disintegration time. The next stage was to evaluate the capsules with several parameters, namely weight uniformity and disintegration time. The results obtained show that the F1and F2 capsule have met the quality and safety requirements set for traditional medicine preparations according to the quality and safety requirements of traditional medicine Compared to the formula without magnesium stearate (F1), the formula with magnesium stearate (F2) had a better compressibility index, which improved flowability, more uniformity of weight, and a longer disintegration time. However, there was no significant difference between the two formulas.

Predicting age at first calving of dairy breed calves using whale optimization-based ensemble learning framework

Dairy product requirement and the demand–supply gap of milk in Ethiopia have been increasing at an alarming rate due to various factors such as shortage of animal’s feeds, feed staffs, feed costs, and poor genetic merits of the local breeds of the country. This problem can be lessened by selecting best breed and modern animal breeding facilities, which require technologies like big data analysis and machine learning. In this study, a prediction model that can predict age at first calving of weaned calves based on their pre-weaning and weaning parameters, including dam’s parity number, season of calving, birth weight, pre-weaning health status, pre-weaning average daily weight gain (ADG), weaning age and weaning weight is developed. Primary data collected by Ardayta Dairy Research Centre; Ethiopia is used for this research. First, different pre-trained models developed using support vector regression (SVR), Linear support vector regression (LSVR) and Nu support vector regression (NuSVR) techniques with their default hyperparameter values in which SVR performed best. Second, a model was developed by tuning hyperparameters of SVR including kernel function, regularization (C-parameter) and gamma parameters, and it resulted in an accuracy of 96.46%. Next, Whale optimization technique is used to select the optimized features of the dataset. Furthermore, an ensemble of SVR, LSVR, NuSVR is designed, and the framework is trained by optimized features of data. The designed model achieved an accuracy of 98.3% superseding the other combinations.

Embrace the Era of Drones: A New Practical Design Approach to Emergency Rescue Drones

To increase user satisfaction with emergency rescue drone products, a product modelling design method based on the fuzzy Kano-QFD-FBS model is proposed. First, the initial user requirements for the emergency rescue drone products are obtained through a questionnaire, and the fuzzy Kano model is utilised and combined with the better–worse coefficient method to categorise the attributes, define the priorities of the user requirements, and screen out the key user requirements. Second, the QFD model is used to construct the quality house, analyse the key user requirements quantitatively, and obtain the design elements and weights of the emergency rescue drone product. The obtained key design elements are subsequently imported into the FBS model to complete the mapping transformation from the functional elements to the structural elements of the emergency rescue drone products and realise the styling design of the emergency rescue drone products. Finally, the user satisfaction scale based on appearance, functionality, and interaction was developed and the System Usability Scale (SUS) was used to evaluate user satisfaction with the emergency rescue drone design scheme. The new design scheme scored higher and showed significant differences in satisfaction ratings compared to the previous scheme. Hefei Jiaxun Technology Co., Ltd. carried out product development for the design scheme. At present, physical products have been sold on the market and have achieved good results. Hefei Jiaxun Technology Co., Ltd. conducted a survey on consumer satisfaction with this product, and the results revealed that customer satisfaction increased by 11.9% compared with that of previous products. Compared with similar products in the market, the consumer satisfaction with this product increased by 13.5%, indicating that it has obvious market competitiveness. This study shows that the method of product styling design based on the fuzzy Kano-QFD-FBS model can comprehensively acquire and analyse user requirements, realise accurate mapping from user requirements to product design elements, and output the specific solution of the emergency rescue drone product styling design. The design scheme performs well in meeting user requirements, verifies the feasibility and effectiveness of the fuzzy Kano-QFD-FBS model in the styling design study of emergency rescue drones, and provides a new paradigm for emergency rescue product design.

IMPROVING THE TECHNOLOGY OF MANUFACTURING CRANKSHAFTS BY FORGING

The article discusses the methods of manufacturing crankshafts by various methods and focuses on the forging method. Different approaches to producing crankshafts are considered, taking into account the requirements for the final product. A study of the crankshaft forging process was carried out by modelling forging schemes using the technological tool vestiges. This made it possible to visualise various aspects of the technological process and find out which methods and transmission schemes are the most rational for producing a crankshaft by forging. Based on the data obtained, conclusions were drawn that indicate which approaches and methods of crankshaft production are rational while reducing the number of technological transitions. The results of the study can be useful for industries engaged in crankshaft forging, helping them to choose the most rational methods and schemes of metal transfer during crankshaft forging to improve the production process and reduce costs.

Proposed Product Requirement to Increase Adoption Rate of PT XYZ Campaign Management System

The ever-increasing use of social media presents a huge opportunity for the marketing industry to leverage digital channels as a key strategy. PT XYZ, a company that focuses on data analysis, developed a Campaign Management System to help companies monitor marketing campaigns using internal influences such as employees. Despite its potential, the adoption rate of this system has not yet met the minimum expectations of customers. The research aims to identify the key needs of users and determine features that can increase adoption rates. This research method uses a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews with selected customers and internal document analysis. The data is analyzed to find patterns of user needs for relevant features. The results show that the adoption rate of the platform is closely related to features that increase user motivation, such as transparency of program information, integrated insight reports, and gamification. The addition of educational features and artificial intelligence-based content generators is also proposed to help influencers create creative content. In conclusion, increasing the adoption of Campaign Management Systems requires the development of features that are relevant to the needs of users, both from the admin and influencer sides. This research implies that PT XYZ can improve product competitiveness and sustainability in the industry through a platform that is more responsive to user needs

The Emergence of a Novel Synthetic Nicotine Analog 6-Methyl Nicotine (6-MN) in Proclaimed Tobacco- and Nicotine-Free Pouches Available in Europe.

A new nicotine delivery system in the form of tobacco-free nicotine pouches was introduced in Europe in 2019. These nicotine bags did not fall under the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) II, which brought forward regulatory requirements for both cigarettes, related products, and e-liquids. As these pouches did not fall under the scope of the TPD, it was up to the member states to decide which action to be taken if any. Some EU member states banned these nicotine pouches, while others put restrictions on the amount of nicotine, warning messages, and presentation and packaging of the product, and some member states did not take any action. Likely as a result of the ban or restrictions, soon after also, tobacco and nicotine-free pouches became available in the European Union (EU). Early 2024, "NoNIC" pouches, claiming to be tobacco- and nicotine-free, became available on the European market. These pouches are promoted online and clearly target a younger population with a youth-appealing package design and enticing flavors. Upon analysis of different samples utilizing gas chromatography coupled to MS (GC-MS), liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HRAM LC-MS2), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), it was demonstrated that these pouches were indeed devoid of nicotine but contained the synthetic nicotine homolog 6-methyl nicotine (6-MN) and this up to 20 mg per pouch. Nonetheless, a part of a likely unaware/misled young adult subpopulation has easy access to these products, containing a novel molecule for which limited to no clinical effects are known.

Forty-eight-hour cold-stored whole blood in paediatric cardiac surgery: Implications for haemostasis and blood donor exposures.

Cold-stored whole blood (CS-WB) in paediatric cardiac surgery is making a resurgence, given its identified benefits compared to conventional blood component therapy (CT). A single-centre retrospective study was conducted from January 2018 to October 2018 by including children <18 years of age undergoing cardiac surgery requiring cardiopulmonary bypass. ABO-compatible CS-WB from non-directed random donors was leukoreduced with platelet-sparing filters and compared with CT. Fifty-seven patients (30, 53% CS-WB; 27, 47% CT) were studied. Patient demographics were similar, although CT patients were cooled to a lower intra-operative temperature. Blood product requirements 24 h post operation were less in the CS-WB group (11.1 vs. 26.7 mL/kg, p = 0.048). Twelve (40%) patients in the CS-WB cohort had more than one donor exposure versus 25 (93%) in the CT group (p < 0.001). CT patients compared to CS-WB patients had a greater decrease in pre-operative versus 48-h post-operative haemoglobin, platelets and prothrombin time. Patients who received CT compared to CS-WB had a trend towards higher median (interquartile range [IQR]) chest-tube output (mL/kg/h) in the first 4 h post cardiac intensive care unit (ICU) admission (2.1 [0.8, 3] vs. 1.6 [0.8, 2.2], p = 0.197). There was no difference in antifibrinolytic use, length of stay, sepsis, acute kidney injury or wound infection. Survival to discharge was similar. CS-WB in paediatric cardiac surgery may reduce donor exposure and improve haemostatic balance. Future multi-centre prospective studies are needed to validate these findings and identify patients who would benefit from CS-WB in paediatric cardiac surgery.

Effects of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.), Onion (Allium cepa L.) Extracts and their Mixtures on White Leghorn Layers Performance and Blood Profile

Introduction: The consumer’s requirements for the highest quality animal products should be achieved by the application of appropriate health-safe animal diets. The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of rosemary and onion extracts on performances, and some hematological and serum biochemical parameters of White Leghorn. Materials and methods: One hundred twenty White Leghorn layers at 32 weeks of age were randomly allocated to four treatments each replicated three times with ten layers and one cock per replication and managed on a deep litter system for 70 days. The treatments were control group without any addition of feed additives (T1), basal diet supplemented with 4 milliliters of onion extract in water (T2), basal diet supplemented with 4 milliliters of rosemary extract in water (T3), and basal diet supplemented with 4 milliliters of onion and rosemary extract mixture in water (T4). The data on performance parameters such as feed intake, body weight change body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, egg production, egg mass, and serum biochemistry and hematology were evaluated. Results: The daily feed intake of chickens in T2 was significantly higher than the feed intake of chickens in T1, T3, and T4. There was no significant difference in packed cell volume percentage but there was a significant difference in total serum cholesterol in T1 compared to T4. Layers supplemented with onion extract had lower blood total cholesterol levels compared to other groups. Results revealed that the use of onion extract (T2) in drinking water recorded significantly higher daily feed intake, body weight change, and gain compared to other groups. Layers fed on onion blended with rosemary extract in drinking water recorded the highest feed conversion compared to T1, T2, and T3 treatments. Conclusion: The use of rosemary, onion extracts, and their mixtures in drinking water significantly influenced most of the studied hematological and serum biochemical parameters of White Leghorn layers except packed cell volume and serum albumin.

RESULT OF EXPERIMENTAL TESTS CONDUCTED TO EXPAND THE RAW MATERIAL BASE AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF ISOMERATION PLANT PRODUCTS

This article proposes ways to increase the octane number of the isomerate and increase the volume of plant feedstock by isomerizing pentane-hexane hydrocarbons. Modern changes in requirements for petroleum products in the country and coordination of the direction of development of the country's oil refineries and improving the quality of petroleum products, the use of new technologies such as hydrogen purification, alkylation, catalytic cracking, catalytic reforming, isomerization, etc. are becoming a fundamentally important link in oil refining. Over the past ten years, the efforts of the commonwealth of Independent States countries to replace old and obsolete equipment with new ones produced abroad and in distant countries, as well as the transition to European quality of transport fuel, have made it possible to use new methods of processing petroleum raw materials in our country, as well as to offer new domestic methods. The described technological method is aimed at improving the isomerization unit operating in practice; experimental and testing work was carried out in the central laboratory of the plant and tested in the specified production. Relevant research work related to production and the specified technological method was carried out with the participation of highly qualified specialists from the specified plant. The lack of research institutes and centers in the country, the weakness of scientific and business ties between industry and the research center, as well as the weak interest of financial companies supporting new methods invented by individual authors are a significant obstacle to conducting research in various directions. Test work was carried out at the “light naphtha isomerization” installation with an annual capacity of 600 thousand tons/year, which is part of the integrated installation LK-6u, which is an integrated installation of the Shymkent Refinery (Petro Kazakhstan Oil Products LLP). The main goal of the experiment is to obtain high-quality gasoline that meets Euro-4 and Euro-5 requirements by increasing the volume of raw materials and the temperature regime of the splitter column.

EVALUATING THE USE OF A NEW BALANCED CRYSTALLOID SOLUTION (STEROFUNDIN) COMPARED TO RINGER’S LACTATE FOR PRIMING CARDIOPULMONARY BYPASS CIRCUITS

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the effects of using either Ringer’s lactate (RL) or a newer balanced crystalloid solution called Sterofundin (SF) as the priming solution for the heart-lung machine during and immediately after single heart valve replacement surgery. Methods: The study included 260 patients bifurcated into groups of SF and RL. A pulsatile roller pump and a membrane oxygenator were used for cardiopulmonary bypass. The circuit was primed either with 500 mL of the balanced 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 plus 1000 mL of the RL or 1000 mL of balanced crystalloid solution SF. Results: Significant differences were observed between SF and RL groups based on mean blood pressure, central venous pressure, cardiac index, mixed venous oxygen saturation, blood gas parameters, platelet count, and extubation hours. Conclusion: Stable blood flow is key in heart bypass surgery. Fluid management is complex, and the ideal fluid type is debated. Colloids may help patients with weak hearts. Modern non-colloids are also safe. Research conflicts likely arise from study differences and researcher bias. This study suggests that both fluid types are useful, with colloids potentially better in certain cases. In addition, acetate solutions like SF were found to lower lactate levels. SF also maintains hemostasis, colloid oncotic pressure and reduced blood product requirement. Patient outcomes and intensive care unit stay were similarly affected by priming solutions.

The necessity to standardize cocoa bean processing products

Recently, there has been a sharp rise in prices for cocoa beans. In this regard, the problem of falsifi cation of cocoa bean processing products is forecasted. The quality indicators of samples of cocoa mass and cocoa butter from various manufacturers have been analyzed. The technological features of the production of chocolate semi-finished products using the studied raw materials are noted. The need to develop technical requirements for cocoa bean processing products in order to produce high quality chocolate products has been identifi ed.

Thermal management and core-shell construction produced super-low residual monomer and rapid absorbing SAP for hygiene goods

Minimized residual monomer is an essential requirement for mature industry products, particularly in ones such as superabsorbent polymers (SAPs), whose component is constituted sodium polyacrylic acid (PAA-Na). In this study, ternary compounded initiator (V-44, V-50, APS) was used to initiate the polymerisation reaction and effectively control the heat of polymerisation to release rate, which can be of paramount importance to achieve desired swelling and residual monomers performance of PAA-Na used in normal saline. For this purpose, solution polymerizations of acrylic acid (AA) at 75% neutralization and over range of nominal temperatures of 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 ℃ initiated by thermal initiator were carried out and the residual monomers, swelling ratio as well as mechanical properties were measured by means of high performance liquid chromatograph and extended rheometer. A star-shaped surface crosslinker was used to vary surface crosslinking density of SPAs, which strongly affected its absorbing rate. Finally, PAA-Na with quickly absorbing rate was used in personal care products and address the issue of skin irritation brought on by AA residues monomers.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy in trauma patients with grade IV–V duodenal or pancreatic injuries: a post hoc analysis of an EAST multicenter trial

IntroductionThe utility of pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) for high-grade traumatic injuries remains unclear and data surrounding its use are limited. We hypothesized that PD does not result in improved outcomes when compared...

Quality Evaluation of New Types of Core Layers Based on Different Thicknesses of Veneers for Flooring Materials.

Problems with the availability of raw materials on the Polish market have forced wood industry producers to search for new, previously unused species of wood that meet the functional requirements of the target products. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct research on products whose structure is different from the popular offerings on the market. The goal of this study was to analyze the influence of the thickness of Scots pine veneers, also with Alder interlayer variants, on Young's modulus and stiffness values of plywood-like composites dedicated to flooring applications regarding statistically based quality control of the products. The variables in this research are the thickness of the veneer, which creates the structure of the base layer of flooring materials, and the kind of wood used. This research looked at basic mechanical properties determining the suitability of flooring materials: modulus of elasticity and stiffness. Because both these parameters describe the product quality, the analyses were based on the normal distribution (containing kurtosis) and the creation of Shewart Control Charts for each parameter. Analyses of control charts provide information on whether the projected production process is stable and is able to give predictable results. In turn, the analysis of the kurtosis value allows us to determine whether Young's modulus and stiffness values obtained for the products are as close as possible to the values assumed by the manufacturers. The thickness of veneers in the base layer of flooring composites can be enlarged, allowing production to be simplified and more environmentally friendly. New types of layered composites for flooring, manufactured by rotary cutting, without the need for quality assessment, with a minimum number of layers, and additionally verified with Shewart Control Charts, may be applied to production. Presented studies show that veneers of different quality classes, having plywood-like structures, can be used for flooring materials and that the thickness of the veneers in the base layer can be increased. In this way, wood can be used without the need for quality classification and with fewer production processes.

Mobile base station site as a virtual power plant for grid stability

Energy grids and markets are in transition. Increased use of renewable energy sources (RES) introduces new stability challenges for power grids. Despite the substantial electrical consumption of mobile networks, they are yet to harness their inherent flexibility for aiding in the stability of the power grid. A noticeable research gap exists concerning measuring full activation time for fast frequency reserve (FFR) product while using batteries from mobile network base stations. Our objective is to demonstrate that mobile operators could use their existing infrastructure to participate in the reserve market of a contemporary power grid. Furthermore, it seeks to determine if the full activation time can meet the requirements of an FFR product. The system consists of a live mobile base station site with a mobile connection to the site, local controller, an existing battery, and a power system that, in combination, can function as part of a power grid balancing system. Our main finding indicates that the rectifier reaction time within an installed base station site infrastructure ranges from 5 to 8 s, and the time when the base station is entirely off from the grid varies from 7 to 10 s. This finding is significant since the activation time is too long for the base station power system controller to be used for FFR. The required full activation time for FFR is less than 1.3 s. In conclusion, power system vendors should investigate improvements for their equipment and software products to enable fast reserve market entry for their existing customers and stay competitive.

Research on Sustainable Design of Smart Charging Pile Based on Machine Learning

With the rapid growth of the electric vehicle market, the importance of the user experience and product sustainability requirements for intelligent charging stations has become increasingly significant. However, accurately capturing the complex associations between design features and sustainability elements remains challenging. Therefore, this study aims to balance user needs and environmental standards in designing smart charging piles, ensuring adherence to symmetry principles. This balance addresses the growing demand for personalization and ensures sustainability. In this paper, the semiotic approach to product construction (SAPAD) model is introduced to analyze the user behavioral process in depth and clarify the core needs of users. Subsequently, these core needs are translated into specific technical requirements for products, and a correlation matrix linking user needs with product technical requirements is constructed using fuzzy quality function deployment (FQFD) to identify design features that fulfill the user requirements. The sustainability factors are then comprehensively evaluated and prioritized based on three dimensions: economic, environmental, and social, i.e., the triple bottom line (TBL). Furthermore, a mapping matrix is developed to connect the design features and sustainability factors, which is combined with the particle swarm optimization–random forest (PSO-RF) algorithm to predict the sustainability factors associated with design features that meet users’ needs. The number of branches m and the maximum depth d of the random forest (RF) algorithm are optimized using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) method. The results indicate that the SAPAD-FQFD model effectively identifies the user needs and relevant product design features. In contrast, the PSO-RF model adeptly manages the nonlinear relationships between charging pile design features and various sustainability factors, e.g., aesthetics and material selection, ensuring that the intelligent charging pile meets users’ core needs in terms of form and function, while embodying the principles of design symmetry. This integrated approach effectively bridges the gap between user needs analysis and product functional design, ensuring the sustainability of the design solution. This study contributes a sustainable framework for the development and design of smart charging piles and related products, further promoting the adoption of green design principles and symmetry design concepts within the supporting infrastructure of new energy vehicles.