Application of a simulation model to the prognosis of material loss in wood processing.

The article discusses the influence of a sample size on the credibility of a simulation model created for the estimation of material loss in the production of a middle layer of a wooden floorboard. The study was conducted in a production company operating in the wood processing industry. Geometric characteristics of input material were captured and used to derive statistical distributions, which were then included in the simulation model. The conducted experiments indicated that the quality of the simulation model was significantly affected by the quality and quantity of the sample, on the basis of which the stochastic model is estimated. It was shown that small sample for wood processing data was insufficient to capture process variability. On the other hand, excessive sample size (80 or more observations) for the material with high natural geometric variability, involves taking into account outliers, which may lower the overall prognostic quality of the simulation model. Based on the conducted simulation experiments, the recommended sample size which allows development of a reliable model for estimation of material loss in the analyzed manufacturing process, ranges from 40 to 60 measurements.

ElectroPen: An ultra-low-cost, electricity-free, portable electroporator.

Electroporation is a basic yet powerful method for delivering small molecules (RNA, DNA, drugs) across cell membranes by application of an electrical field. It is used for many diverse applications, from genetically engineering cells to drug- and DNA-based vaccine delivery. Despite this broad utility, the high cost of electroporators can keep this approach out of reach for many budget-conscious laboratories. To address this need, we develop a simple, inexpensive, and handheld electroporator inspired by and derived from a common household piezoelectric stove lighter. The proposed "ElectroPen" device can cost as little as 23 cents (US dollars) to manufacture, is portable (weighs 13 g and requires no electricity), can be easily fabricated using 3D printing, and delivers repeatable exponentially decaying pulses of about 2,000 V in 5 ms. We provide a proof-of-concept demonstration by genetically transforming plasmids into Escherichia coli cells, showing transformation efficiency comparable to commercial devices, but at a fraction of the cost. We also demonstrate the potential for rapid dissemination of this approach, with multiple research groups across the globe validating the ease of construction and functionality of our device, supporting the potential for democratization of science through frugal tools. Thus, the simplicity, accessibility, and affordability of our device holds potential for making modern synthetic biology accessible in high school, community, and resource-poor laboratories.

Towards a common framework for defining ancillary material quality across the development spectrum.

Ancillary materials (AMs) play a critical role in the manufacture of cell and gene therapies, and best practices for their quality management are the subject of ongoing discussion. Given that the final product cannot be sterilized, AM quality becomes increasingly critical to the clinical advancement of cell and gene therapies. Despite a lack of direct legislative direction regarding AM quality, internationally harmonized guidance is available from several industry-standard bodies that describe the principles and application of a risk-based approach to AM qualification and related supply-chain risk management. According to a best-practice risk-based approach, AMs must be adequately qualified to a degree that reflects the level of risk the material presents to patient safety and the drug product's specification. This general approach can be implemented in different ways, and balancing quality with cost of goods is critical to the cost-effective manufacture of advanced therapy medicinal products. In some cases, it may be preferable or necessary to use AMs that are produced in compliance with current Good Manufacturing Practice. However, developers may be able to suppress manufacturing costs without undermining safety or regulatory compliance in the case that a material presents a lower risk profile. Despite a great deal of attention and interest in the quality of AMs in the cell and gene therapy space, there is still a need for greater harmonization to create a shared understanding of what constitutes a risk-based approach to AM production and sourcing. In this article, we propose a staged approach to AM quality that achieves a balance between the competing demands of risk mitigation and cost of goods containment at the various stages of AM quality development. Our novel, heuristic framework for communication among AM suppliers, users and regulators aims to bring down development and manufacturing costs and lessen the workload around regulatory compliance.

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (scCO2) Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) Flowers: A Box-Behnken Experimental Optimization.

Due to their numerous health benefits associated with various diseases and anti-oxidation properties, the phenolic compounds collectively referred to as phytochemicals have attracted a lot of interest, however, a single extraction method for polyphenols has not been developed yet. Supercritical fluid extraction, a green extraction method, provides the final product without organic solvent residues. In this work the extraction of lavender was performed using supercritical carbon dioxide. A statistical experimental design based on the Box-Behnken (B-B) method was planned, and the extraction yields and total phenolic contents were measured for three different variables: pressure, temperature and extraction time. The ranges were 200-300 bar, 40-60 °C and 15-45 min. The extracts yields from scCO2 extraction were in the range of 4.3-9.2 wt.%. The highest yield (9.2 wt.%) was achieved at a temperature of 60 °C under the pressure of 250 bar after 45 min. It also corresponded to the highest total phenolic content (10.17 mg GAE/g extract). Based on the study, the statistically generated optimal extraction conditions to obtain the highest total phenolic compounds concentration from flowers of Lavandula angustifolia were a temperature of 54.5 °C, pressure of 297.9 bar, and the time of 45 min. Based on the scavenging activity percentage (AA%) of scCO2 extracts, it is concluded that the increase of extraction pressure had a positive influence on the increase of AA% values.

A multiscale simulation framework for the manufacturing facility and supply chain of autologous cell therapies.

BACKGROUND AIMS: Autologous cell therapy (AuCT) is an emerging therapeutic treatment that is undergoing transformation from laboratory- to industry-scale manufacturing with recent regulatory approvals. Various challenges facing the complex AuCT manufacturing and supply chain process hinder the scale out and broader application of this highly potent treatment. METHODS: We present a multiscale logistics simulation framework, AuCT-Sim, that integrates novel supply chain system modeling algorithms, methods, and tools. AuCT-Sim includes a single facility model and a system-wide network model. Unique challenges of the AuCT industry are analyzed and addressed in AuCT-Sim. Decision-supporting tools can be developed based on this framework to explore "what-if" manufacturing and supply chain scenarios of importance to various cell therapy stakeholder groups. RESULTS: Two case studies demonstrate the decision-supporting capability of AuCT-Sim where one investigates the optimal reagent base stocking level, and the other one simulates a reagent supply disruption event. These case studies serve as guidelines for designing computational experiments with AuCT-Sim to solve specific problems in AuCT manufacturing and supply chain. DISCUSSION: This simulation framework will be useful in understanding the impact of possible manufacturing and supply chain strategies, policies, regulations, and standards informing strategies to increase patient access to AuCT.

Evaluating the consumption of chemical products and articles as proxies for diffuse emissions to the environment.

In this study we have evaluated the use of consumption of manufactured products (chemical products and articles) in the EU as proxies for diffuse emissions of chemicals to the environment. The content of chemical products is relatively well known. However, the content of articles (products defined by their shape rather than their composition) is less known and currently has to be estimated from chemicals that are known to occur in a small set of materials, such as plastics, that are part of the articles. Using trade and production data from Eurostat in combination with product composition data from a database on chemical content in materials (the Commodity Guide), we were able to calculate trends in the apparent consumption and in-use stocks for 768 chemicals in the EU for the period 2003-2016. The results showed that changes in the apparent consumption of these chemicals over time are smaller than in the consumption of corresponding products in which the chemicals are present. In general, our results suggest that little change in chemical consumption has occurred over the timespan studied, partly due to the financial crisis in 2008 which led to a sudden drop in the consumption, and partly due to the fact that each of the chemicals studied is present in a wide variety of products. Estimated in-use stocks of chemicals show an increasing trend over time, indicating that the mass of chemicals in articles in the EU, that could potentially be released to the environment, is increasing. The quantitative results from this study are associated with large uncertainties due to limitations of the available data. These limitations are highlighted in this study and further underline the current lack of transparency on chemicals in articles. Recommendations on how to address these limitations are also discussed.

Young consumers' considerations of healthy working conditions in purchasing decisions: a qualitative examination.

Research has suggested that products manufactured under healthy work conditions (HWC) may provide a marketing advantage to companies. This paper explores young consumers' considerations of HWC in purchasing decisions using data from qualitative interviews with a sample of 21 university students. The results suggest that interviewees frequently considered the working conditions of those who produced the products they purchased. Participants reported a willingness to pay 17.5% more on a $100 product if it were produced under HWC compared to not. Their ability and willingness to act on this issue was, however, hampered by  a lack of credible information about working conditions in production, the limited availability of HWC goods and a presumed higher price of HWC goods. While caution should be applied when generalising from this targetable market segment to a general population, these results provide actionable direction for companies interested in using a HWC brand image to gain a strategic sales advantage. Practitioner Summary: This interview study shows that young consumers are interested in, and willing to pay a premium for, goods made under healthy working conditions (HWC). Reported barriers to acting on this impulse include a lack of credible information on working conditions. Ergonomics can help provide a strategic marketing advantage for companies.

In-use product stocks link manufactured capital to natural capital.

In-use stock of a product is the amount of the product in active use. In-use product stocks provide various functions or services on which we rely in our daily work and lives, and the concept of in-use product stock for industrial ecologists is similar to the concept of net manufactured capital stock for economists. This study estimates historical physical in-use stocks of 91 products and 9 product groups and uses monetary data on net capital stocks of 56 products to either approximate or compare with in-use stocks of the corresponding products in the United States. Findings include the following: (i) The development of new products and the buildup of their in-use stocks result in the increase in variety of in-use product stocks and of manufactured capital; (ii) substitution among products providing similar or identical functions reflects the improvement in quality of in-use product stocks and of manufactured capital; and (iii) the historical evolution of stocks of the 156 products or product groups in absolute, per capita, or per-household terms shows that stocks of most products have reached or are approaching an upper limit. Because the buildup, renewal, renovation, maintenance, and operation of in-use product stocks drive the anthropogenic cycles of materials that are used to produce products and that originate from natural capital, the determination of in-use product stocks together with modeling of anthropogenic material cycles provides an analytic perspective on the material linkage between manufactured capital and natural capital.

Mechanical behaviour of low-cost dynamic compression plates correlates with manufacturing quality standards.

PURPOSE: This study compares the mechanical properties of low-cost stainless steel dynamic compression plates (DCPs) from developing-world manufacturers, adhering to varying manufacturing quality standards, with those of high-cost DCPs manufactured for use in the developed world. METHODS: Standard-design ten-hole DCPs from six developing-world manufacturers and high-cost DCPs from two manufacturers in the developed world were studied. Nine plates from each manufacturer underwent mechanical testing: six in four-point monotonic bending to assess strength and stiffness and three in four-point bending fatigue. Statistical comparisons of the group means of monotonic bending test data were made, and a qualitative comparison was performed to assess failures in fatigue. RESULTS: Low-cost DCPs from manufacturers with at least one manufacturing quality standard had significantly higher bending strength and fewer failures in fatigue than did those from low-cost manufacturers with no recognised quality standards. High-cost DCPs demonstrated greater bending strength than did those in both low-cost groups. There were no differences in stiffness and fatigue failure between high-cost DCPs and those low-cost DCPs with quality standards. However, high-cost DCPs were significantly less stiff and had fewer fatigue failures than low-cost DCPs manufactured without such standards. CONCLUSION: Significant differences were found in the mechanical properties of ten-hole DCP plates from selected manufacturers in the developing and developed worlds. These differences correlated with reported quality certification in the manufacturing process. Mechanical analysis of low-cost implants may provide information useful in determining which manufacturers produce implants with the best potential for benefit relative to cost.

What price quitting? The price of cigarettes at which smokers say they would seriously consider trying to quit.

BACKGROUND: Deciding on an appropriate level for taxes on tobacco products is a critical issue in tobacco control. The aim of the present study was to describe the critical price points for packs for smokers of each pack size, to calculate what this would equate to in terms of price per stick, and to ascertain whether price points varied by age, socio-economic status and heaviness of smoking. METHODS: In November 2011, 586 Victorian smokers of factory-made cigarettes were asked during a telephone survey about their usual brand, including the size and cost of their usual pack. They were also asked about use of illicit tobacco. Smokers estimated what price their preferred pack would need to reach before they would seriously consider quitting. RESULTS: Three-quarters of regular smokers of manufactured cigarettes could envisage their usual brand reaching a price at which they would seriously consider quitting. Analyses revealed that answers clustered around whole numbers, (AUD$15, $20, $25 and $30), with a median nominated price point of AUD$20 per pack. The median price point at which regular smokers would consider quitting was calculated to be 80 cents per stick, compared to the current median reported stick price of 60 cents.Of the smokers who nominated a price point, 60.1% indicated they would seriously consider quitting if the cost of their usual brand equated to 80 cents per stick or less; 87.5% would seriously consider quitting if sticks reached one dollar each. CONCLUSIONS: These results do suggest a potentially useful approach to setting taxes in Australia. If taxes can be set high enough to ensure that the cost of the smokers' preferred packs exceeds critical price points, then it seems likely that more people would seriously attempt to quit than if the price increased to a level even slightly below the price points. Our study suggests that a tax increase large enough to ensure that a typical pack of 25 cigarettes in Australia cost at least AUD$20 would prompt more than 60% of smokers able to nominate a price point to seriously think about quitting, with particularly strong effects among low-SES smokers.

J. M. Despréaux' lichens from the Canary Islands and West Africa: an account of a 19th century collection found in an English archive.

This is an historical and descriptive account of 28 herbarium specimens, 27 lichens and an alga, found in the archives of Charles Chalcraft, a descendant of the Bedford family, who were dye manufacturers in Leeds, England, in the 19th century. The lichens comprise 13 different morphotypes collected in the Canary Islands and West Africa by the French botanist J. M. Despréaux between 1833 and 1839. The collections include samples of "Roccella fuciformis", "R. phycopsis" and "R. tinctoria" (including the fertile morphotype "R. canariensis"), "Ramalina crispatula" and "R. cupularis", two distinct morphotypes of "Sticta", "S. canariensis" and "S. dufouri", "Physconia enteroxantha", "Pseudevernia furfuracea var. ceratea" and "Pseudocyphellaria argyracea". The herbarium also includes authentic material of "Parmotrema tinctorum" and a probable syntype of "Seirophora scorigena". Most of these species are known as a source of the purple dye orchil, which was used to dye silk and wool.

Increasing secondary and renewable material use: a chance constrained modeling approach to manage feedstock quality variation.

The increased use of secondary (i.e., recycled) and renewable resources will likely be key toward achieving sustainable materials use. Unfortunately, these strategies share a common barrier to economical implementation - increased quality variation compared to their primary and synthetic counterparts. Current deterministic process-planning models overestimate the economic impact of this increased variation. This paper shows that for a range of industries from biomaterials to inorganics, managing variation through a chance-constrained (CC) model enables increased use of such variable raw materials, or heterogeneous feedstocks (hF), over conventional, deterministic models. An abstract, analytical model and a quantitative model applied to an industrial case of aluminum recycling were used to explore the limits and benefits of the CC formulation. The results indicate that the CC solution can reduce cost and increase potential hF use across a broad range of production conditions through raw materials diversification. These benefits increase where the hFs exhibit mean quality performance close to that of the more homogeneous feedstocks (often the primary and synthetic materials) or have large quality variability. In terms of operational context, the relative performance grows as intolerance for batch error increases and as the opportunity to diversify the raw material portfolio increases.

Remanufacturing and energy savings.

Remanufactured products that can substitute for new products are generally claimed to save energy. These claims are made from studies that look mainly at the differences in materials production and manufacturing. However, when the use phase is included, the situation can change radically. In this Article, 25 case studies for eight different product categories were studied, including: (1) furniture, (2) clothing, (3) computers, (4) electric motors, (5) tires, (6) appliances, (7) engines, and (8) toner cartridges. For most of these products, the use phase energy dominates that for materials production and manufacturing combined. As a result, small changes in use phase efficiency can overwhelm the claimed savings from materials production and manufacturing. These use phase energy changes are primarily due to efficiency improvements in new products, and efficiency degradation in remanufactured products. For those products with no, or an unchanging, use phase energy requirement, remanufacturing can save energy. For the 25 cases, we found that 8 cases clearly saved energy, 6 did not, and 11 were too close to call. In some cases, we could examine how the energy savings potential of remanufacturing has changed over time. Specifically, during times of significant improvements in energy efficiency, remanufacturing would often not save energy. A general design trend seems to be to add power to a previously unpowered product, and then to improve on the energy efficiency of the product over time. These trends tend to undermine the energy savings potential of remanufacturing.