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The high prediction accuracy of FEM calculations is an important prerequisite for their growing use in the field of crash load cases for vehicle body design. Although the simulation accuracy of crash calculations for steel structures already is at a high standard, continuous improvements and a further development of the simulation models are crucial in the field of vehicle design. Existing studies on the simulation accuracy for steel structures under crash load focus on the deformation behaviour of idealized component-like structures. These studies do not allow for conclusions on the simulation accuracy of crash calculations based on vehiclerelated components with increased geometric complexity as well as with different material combinations, joining techniques and bead structures. This was the reason for conducting the experimental and numerical investigations on crash boxes outlined in this paper. The goal was to investigate whether the FE code is capable of increasing the accuracy of the simulation of the experimental results by considering the information obtained from technical measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corrugated fibreboard packages (cartons) must support considerable mechanical loads during long term transport of fresh produce in refrigerated freight containers (RFCs). Fresh produce are transported under high relative humidity to reduce fruit moisture loss and preserve quality. However, these conditions can progressively reduce carton mechanical strength over time as a result of mechano-sorptive creep. Little is known regarding the actual moisture dynamics in stacked cartons in RFCs, which is important for mechanical strength assessments. To this end, a portion of a fully loaded RFC was investigated using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, with respect to moisture transport in the air and the corrugated fibreboard. Simulations included the effects of loading, defrost cycles, fruit respiration and transpiration.Results showed relatively low moisture content gradients in fibreboards through the stacked cartons under optimal shipping conditions. However, the initial activation of the RFC considerably accelerated the development of moisture content gradients in the cartons. Additionally, the most significant factor influencing spatial moisture gradients through the cartons was heat conduction from outside through the container wall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Sustainable purchasing can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at healthcare facilities (HCF). A previous study found that converting from disposable to reusable sharps containers (DSC, RSC) reduced sharps waste stream GHG by 84% but found transport distances impacted significantly on GHG outcomes and recommended further studies where transport distances are large. This case-study examines the impact on GHG of nation-wide transport distances when a large US health system converted from DSC to RSC. Methods. The study's scope was to examine life cycle GHG emissions during 12 months of facility-wide use of DSC and RSC at Loma Linda University Health (LLUH). The facility is an 1100-bed US, 5-hospital system where: the source of polymer was distant from the RSC manufacturing plant; both manufacturing plants were over 3,000 km from the HCF; and the RSC processing plant was considerably further from the HCF than was the DSC disposal plant. Using a "cradle to grave" life cycle GHG tool we calculated the annual GHG emissions of CO2, CH4 and N2O expressed in metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (MTCO2eq) for each container system. Primary energy input data was used wherever possible and region-specific energy-impact conversions were used to calculate GHG of each unit process over a 12-month period. The scope included Manufacture, Transport, Washing, and Treatment & disposal. GHG emissions from all unit process within these four life cycle stages were summed to estimate each container-system's carbon footprint. Emission totals were workload-normalized and analysed using CHI2test with P ≤ 0.05 and rate ratios at 95% CL. Results. Converting to RSC, LLUH reduced its annual GHG by 162.4 MTCO2eq (−65.3%; p < 0.001; RR 2.27-3.71), and annually eliminated 50.2 tonnes of plastic DSC and 8.1 tonnes of cardboard from the sharps waste stream. Of the plastic eliminated, 31.8 tonnes were diverted from landfill and 18.4 from incineration. Discussion. Unlike GHG reduction strategies dependent on changes in staff behavior (waste segregation, recycling, turning off lights, car-pooling, etc), purchasing strategies can enable immediate, sustainable and institution-wide GHG reductions to be achieved. This study confirmed that large transport distances between polymer manufacturer, container manufacturer, user and processing facilities, can significantly impact the carbon footprint of sharps containment systems. However, even with large transport distances, we found that a large university health system significantly reduced the carbon footprint of their sharps waste stream by converting from DSC to RSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to improve the tolerability of Codiaeum variegatum plants to transport and postharvest handling by using chitosan. It was conducted at Antoniades Research Branch, during the seasons of 2017 and 2018. Three concentrations of chitosan (0.0, 500 and 750 ppm) were used as a foliar spray on the plants, then packing in carton box and stored at 15.5 ° C and 73%RH for different periods (0-time, 5, 10, 15 and 20 days).The results cleared that the foliar spray of chitosan at 500 ppm recorded the highest decrease in water loss rate (WLR), relative water loss (RWL), intensity of transpiration, leaves drop percentage (LDP), proline and reducing sugars content. Also this treatment gave the highest chlorophyll a and b content. However RWL, LDP and proline content were increased by increasing the storage period. The lowest intensity of transpiration was recorded after the 10th day of storage. Also chlorophyll a and b were decreased by increasing storage period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cartons and chicken feathers are common wastes which we need to dispose in one way or another. Disposal problems associated with these wastes can be solved by processing them into useful products such as insulation and ceiling boards. In this study, chicken feather reinforced ceiling board was developed from waste carton and Portland cement. The quantity of the chicken feather was kept constant at 10% based on previous findings, while the cement and waste carton contents were varied to produce 5 samples of different compositions. The density of the board was found to range between 337.8 and 700.7 kg/m², while the thickness swelling ranges between 0.81 and 9.02%. Water absorption values of the samples varied between 7.16 and 24.41%, while the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity values varied from 4.8 - 10.3 N/mm² and 1.03 - 1.60 GPa, respectively. The values of modulus of rupture ranges between 1.34 and 2.2 MPa while the thermal conductivity of the samples ranges from 0.951 to 1.077 W/m.K. Density, compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, modulus of rupture and thermal conductivity of the samples increased as the cement content increased, while the thickness swelling and water absorption decreased with increase in cement content. The results revealed that the properties of ceiling boards developed from 80% cement, 10% carton and 10% chicken feather can compete favorably with most ceiling boards available in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen-enriched indoor in the high plateau can validly address the plateau reaction, but increases the probability of fire and the hazards after it occurs. The intention of this article was to estimate the influence of oxygen enrichment in low-pressure environment on the combustion behavior of characteristic combustibles based on indoor corrugated cartons, which is believed to be profitable for high plateau indoor fire safety. The ignition time, mass loss, flue gas properties, heat flux and axial temperature were investigated in comparative trials performed in a hypobaric chamber to emulation the particular environment. A new correlations to predict the burning rate of solid materials under varying pressures and oxygen concentrations was proposed and fitted by experimental data showing a good agreement. The results show that inhibition of solid combustion by low pressure can be significantly weaken by oxygen enrichment. As oxygen concentration increases, flame shape had a thin high type into a wide low type, the color had a blue-yellow gradually turned into a bright color. Moreover, at high oxygen concentration, pressure is weakly correlated with ignition time, mass loss and heat production. The fire performance index and thermal release index indicators show a significant raise in fire hazard of oxygen-enriched atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research aimed to develop a paper box with 10–300 μl of cardamom oil to improve rambutan storage, reduce waste, and explore reuse possibilities. The experiment investigated the delay in mold growth caused by the post-harvest disease, Pestalotiopsis sp., both on the medium and on rambutan fruit under storage conditions of 10 ± 2 °C and approximately 80% RH. The results showed that CM at 300 μl significantly inhibited Pestalotiopsis sp. mycelium and spore germination on the medium, while a lower volume of 30 μl effectively delayed mold incidence on rambutan during the 14-day storage period. The confirmed antifungal mode of action indicated that CM disrupted Pestalotiopsis sp. ergosterol and cell membrane integrity, resulting in mycelium lysis and damaged morphology, thereby inhibiting its growth. The active fruit box can be reused for at least 2 or 3 storage cycles, effectively delaying rambutan decay and preserving its color change parameters. By using the box with 30 μl of CM, rambutan's shelf-life was extended to 14 days compared to the control's shelf-life of around 7 days. Active paper boxes offer a valuable solution for improving post-harvest fruit storage and transportation, benefiting both farmers and consumers. • A paper box with a CM paper pad effectively delayed the growth of Pestalotiopsis sp. • CM vapor released from packaging damaged the conidia and mycelium of Pestalotiopsis sp. • The paper box with CM can be reused at least twice to preserve the quality of rambutans. • CM showed destructive potential in the cell membrane of the fungi. • CM could maintain the quality of rambutan during storage seven to 14 days of storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In conclusion, our paper box fixation method is safe and effective in fixing femur fractures in infants with OI. These results suggest that our paper box fixation method was as effective for our patient as the conventional splint/cast fixation method in correcting the alignment and healing of fractured bones. [Extracted from the article]

A new nanocomposite (SCZ), microspherical carbon (SC) loaded with nanoscale zerovalent iron (ZVI), was fabricated to efficiently remove hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in water. Therein, SC was derived from waste carton through hydrothermal treatment after pretreatment of removing hemicellulose and lignin, and the optimal hydrothermal conditions (200 °C, hydrothermal time of 12 h) for the preparation of SC were obtained. Subsequently, SC could effectively load ZVI nanoparticles which displayed high dispersion on the surface of SC and in the pores among SC particles owing to steric hindrance effect. The obtained SCZ displayed a high removal efficiency of 100% within 5 h on Cr(VI) (20 mg/L), and the resultant SCZ-Cr could be conveniently separated from water because of its magnetism. Importantly, SCZ could be loaded in cardboard, and the obtained system could serve as a stable filter for removal of Cr(VI) in water. This work provides a cheap and effective method for Cr(VI) removal, which also greatly facilitates the recycling of waste carton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cartons are broadly used in the packaging industry and in our daily life. While most traditional packages are axis-aligned cuboids, there is a recent trend of creating paper packages and cartons with more complicated geometries. In this work, we present an interactive system to manipulate 3D cartons from 2D layouts. Two key components, automatic folding and suggestive editing , make our system remarkably easy to use. The automatic folding step computes the 3D coordinates of vertexes in a 3D carton model based on a simple observation. Then, the suggestive editing step determines several geometric constraints, such as vertex merging, merging propagation, and panel pasting, so that users can flexibly manipulate 3D shapes. Moreover, our system supports automatic updating of the corresponding 2D layouts when the user constructs and edits carton shapes in 3D to correct and explore potential layouts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are several factors which have an influence in the selective collection of the municipal waste. To define a selective collection system, the waste generation pattern should be firstly determined and these factors should be analyzed in depth. This paper tries to analyze the economic income level and the seasonal variation on the collection and the purity of light-packaging waste to determine actions to improve the waste management plan of a town. In the first stage of the work, waste samples of the light-packaging containers were collected in two zones of the town with different economic characteristics in different seasons during one year. In the second stage, the samples were characterized to analyze the composition and purity of the waste. They were firstly separated into four fractions: metals; plastic; beverage cartons; and misplaced materials. The misplaced fraction was in its turn separated into cardboard, rubber and leather, inert waste, organic matter, paper, hazardous waste, clothes and shoes, glass and others. The plastic fraction was separated into five types of plastics and the metal fraction into three. In the third stage, the data have been analyzed and conclusions have been extracted. The main result is that the quality of the light-packaging fraction collected in these zones during both seasons were similar. This methodology can be extrapolated to towns with similar characteristics. It will be useful when implementing a system to collect the waste selectively and to develop actions to achieve a good participation in the selective collection of the waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents several equipment for preschool movement activities. Card board boxes; Old sheets; Features of the equipments.