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Since the 1970s, a defining feature of advanced economies has been industrial plant closures, stemming from the broader process of economic restructuring. Plant closures have been extensively covered by the media due to their adverse effects on localities. However, no media analysis of closures has been conducted in the plant closure literature. In addition to providing a wealth of information, such an analysis can provide insight into media narratives of closures. Media profoundly affects economies by disseminating narratives that influence society, institutions, and politics. To bridge the plant closure and media literature, this paper conducts a media analysis of closures in Ontario, Canada, from 2000 to 2019. Like other advanced economies, the province has experienced many plant closures over the past several decades. The paper found that the overarching narrative presented by the media was that 'no one is responsible' for plant closures and therefore 'no one can or should act'. Also, it was found that differences in media narratives of closures were primarily due to the political slant of news outlets, not city size or scale of news outlets or whether news outlets were independently owned or part of a media conglomerate. Lastly, the paper found that the dissemination of media coverage on plant closures throughout the province was primarily based on the number of job losses, resulting in media coverage of smaller closures remaining localised, while media coverage of larger closures spreading throughout the province. The paper found that the overarching narrative presented by the media was that 'no one is responsible' for plant closures and therefore 'no one can or should act'. Also, it was found that differences in media narratives of closures were primarily due to the political slant of news outlets. Lastly, the paper found that the dissemination of media coverage on plant closures throughout the province was primarily based on the number of job losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digitizing existing structures is essential for applying digital methods in architecture, engineering, and construction. However, the adoption of data‐driven techniques for transforming point cloud data into useful digital models faces challenges, particularly in the industrial domain, where ground truth datasets for training are scarce. This paper investigates a solution leveraging synthetic data to train data‐driven models effectively. In the investigated industrial domain, the complex geometry of building elements often leads to occlusions, limiting the effectiveness of conventional sampling‐based synthetic data generation methods. Our approach proposes the automatic generation of realistic and semantically enriched ground truth data using surface‐based sampling methods and laser scan simulation on industry‐standard 3D models. In the presented experiments, we use a neural network for point cloud semantic segmentation to demonstrate that compared to sampling‐based alternatives, simulation‐based synthetic data significantly improve mean class intersection over union performance on real point cloud data, achieving up to 7% absolute increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mixed metal oxide W-TiO2 nanopowder photocatalyst was prepared by using the sol–gel method with a broad range of elemental compositions x = CW/(CW + CTi), including TiO2 and WO3. The material was structurally characterized and evaluated in adsorption and photocatalytic processes by testing its removal capacity of a representative pollutant methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solutions and under UV-A and sunlight illuminations. The nanopowders appeared to be more effective adsorbents than pure TiO2 and WO3 materials, showing a maximum at 15 mol% W, which was set as the tungsten solubility limit in anatase titania. At the same time, the photocatalytic decomposition of MB peaked at 2 mol% W. The examination of different compositions showed that the most effective MB removal took place at 15 mol% W, which was attributed to the combined action of adsorption and heterogeneous photocatalysis. Moreover, MB decomposition under sunlight was stronger than under UV-A, suggesting photocatalyst activation by visible light. The pollutant removal efficiency of the material with 15 mol% W was enhanced by a factor of ~10 compared to pure TiO2 at the beginning of the process, which shows its high potential for use in depollution processes in emergency cases of a great pollutant leak. As a result, a Wx=0.15-TiO2 catalyst could be of high interest for wastewater purification in industrial plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In over 40 factories in Tunisia, female sorting workers transform container loads of imported Western used clothing into comparable value categories that are packaged for re-export or sale on the local market. The dominance of women on these factory shopfloors indicates the feminisation of sorting work, typically implying a process of devaluation of labour power. However, this article shows how feminisation has situated outcomes and meanings that are specific to a given labour process. Through an ethnographic account of a Tunis sorting factory, it argues firstly that feminisation cannot be understood separately from the particular production process of used clothes sorting, in which the heterogeneity of used commodities requires female sorters to engage in highly contingent practices of value creation. Situated knowledge is necessary to separate the valuable from the valueless, and to assemble new product categories. Second, the article holds that these hierarches of skill in the factory result in processes of gendered identity construction associated with the vernacular profession 'farazat' (pl. sorters). Derived from the activity of sorting, and used exclusively in its feminine form, the identity is collectively asserted to convey a sense of professional pride and authority. Despite the lack of formal recognition, this professional designation is then used to mobilise a language of 'respect' that positions the farazat as both 'workers' and 'women'. Far from devaluation, the feminisation of sorting here opens possibilities for women to assert their indispensability to the production process and to challenge the formal bounds of factory work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The field of warp research has been dominated by analytical methods to investigate potential solutions. However, these approaches often favor simple metric forms that facilitate analysis but ultimately limit the range of exploration of novel solutions. So far the proposed solutions have been unphysical, requiring energy condition violations and large energy requirements. To overcome the analytical limitations in warp research, we introduce Warp Factory: a numerical toolkit designed for modeling warp drive spacetimes. By leveraging numerical analysis, Warp Factory enables the examination of general warp drive geometries by evaluating the Einstein field equations and computing energy conditions. Furthermore, this comprehensive toolkit provides the determination of metric scalars and insightful visualizations in both 2D and 3D, offering a deeper understanding of metrics and their corresponding stress–energy tensors. The paper delves into the methodology employed by Warp Factory in evaluating the physicality of warp drive spacetimes and highlights its application in assessing commonly modeled warp drive metrics. By leveraging the capabilities of Warp Factory, we aim to further warp drive research and hopefully bring us closer to realizing physically achievable warp drives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, linearization technology for nonlinear devices has become a hot topic in many fields. In this study, a linear voltage divider based on metal oxide arresters was designed by combining linearization technology and electrical measurement technology to solve the objective problems of online voltage monitoring. These problems include high difficulty in equipment installation, low measurement accuracy, and poor economic benefits. Based on a summary of linearization theory, the sufficient and necessary conditions for the linearization of the voltage divider were deduced in detail. The relevant circuit simulations were conducted, along with voltage divider experiments under power frequency AC voltage, operating overvoltage, and lightning overvoltage. The results revealed that the voltage divider was able to realize linearized measurements and meet the relevant standards of online voltage monitoring. The measurement errors were concentrated in the transition region between the pre-breakdown region (small current region) and the breakdown region (nonlinear region) in the volt–ampere characteristic curve. The main influencing factor of errors was the consistency of the nonlinear characteristics of the high- and low-voltage arms of the voltage divider. The voltage divider designed in this study can be applied in many scenarios, such as power plants, substations, high-voltage electrical equipment manufacturing plants, and high-voltage laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A monitoring system for induction motors (IMs) is essential for most industrial plants. Bearing faults and shaft misalignment are common mechanical defects in induction motors. Since one fault could cause another fault in the system, multiple faults can occur simultaneously and change the vibration (electrical) behaviour of the induction motors from that of a single fault condition. This paper aims to identify two common faults (shaft misalignment and defective bearing) simultaneously in IMs using data fusion of vibration and current measurements. Sensor fusion of accelerometer and Hall-effect sensor signals is used to combine the vibration and current signals. The proposed method is applied via a laboratory test-rig based on data fusion to detect multiple defects simultaneously in induction motors. Then, by extracting the important features using a principal component analysis (PCA) algorithm, the K-nearest neighbours (KNN) classification algorithm is used to detect defects and make decisions. The results show that the fusion of both current and vibration signal analyses significantly improves the efficiency and reliability of multiple fault detection. Also, bispectrum analysis of the current signal is highly sensitive to misalignment and can be an effective method for detecting such faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes an approach for simultaneously treating fuzziness and randomness when conducting safety risk assessments of nuclear power plant building projects (NPPBPs). First, the interval type-2 fuzzy set (IT2FS) and analytic network process (ANP) were employed to establish an IT2FS-ANP method for modifying the solution for the weight vector and determining the mutual relationships between the assessment indexes and their weights. Second, the IT2FS and cloud model (CM) were used to establish the IT2FS-CM method to modify the solution for the expectation value. Third, the IT2FS-ANP and IT2FS-CM methods were combined to establish a model for ranking the safety risks and determining the overall safety risk level. Finally, the approach was applied to an NPPBP in northeast China to validate its applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mathematical models of genetic evolution often come in pairs, connected by a so-called duality relation. The most seminal example are the Wright–Fisher diffusion and the Kingman coalescent, where the former describes the stochastic evolution of neutral allele frequencies in a large population forwards in time, and the latter describes the genetic ancestry of randomly sampled individuals from the population backwards in time. As well as providing a richer description than either model in isolation, duality often yields equations satisfied by quantities of interest. We employ the so-called Bernoulli factory – a celebrated tool in simulation-based computing – to derive duality relations for broad classes of genetics models. As concrete examples, we present Wright–Fisher diffusions with general drift functions, and Allen–Cahn equations with general, nonlinear forcing terms. The drift and forcing functions can be interpreted as the action of frequency-dependent selection. To our knowledge, this work is the first time a connection has been drawn between Bernoulli factories and duality in models of population genetics. • Bernoulli factories can be used to construct general models of population genetics. • These constructions yield duality relations which can facilitate calculations. • Our approach covers broad classes of Wright–Fisher and Allen–Cahn models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing growth of industrial facilities calls for sustainable planning and design. In this research, the multiple objective optimization model is developed to plan for Eco-Industrial Parks, in which economic, social, and environmental criteria are evaluated. Our proposed optimization model is integrated with the simulation-based risk profile based on emergency scenarios. Varied chemical substances and explosive locations are further analyzed to assess the impact of risk. Then, the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process technique is applied to examine uncertain decisions. Next, this study presents the proposed model with the case study of selective industrial-building types in an industrial park, in which industrial plants, hazardous material plants, warehouse buildings, and office space are included. Our analysis reveals that tradeoffs exist in designing an industrial estate with various industrial plants under conflicting objectives. Finally, tradeoffs are investigated using Pareto analysis resulting in sustainable planning for an industrial estate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pneumatic systems use the energy of compressed air to carry out manufacturing automation processes through the implementation of complex handling and motion tasks. However, these systems are energy intensive: it is estimated that pneumatic systems in manufacturing plants consume approximately 10% of all electricity consumed in the industrial sector. At the same time, the energy efficiency of the whole pneumatic system is observed to be 6–10%, due to the compression process, oversizing, and overconsumption. There are numerous solutions in the literature focusing on improving efficiency at the compression stage of utilization; however, for the utilization stage, there is a lack of systematization and grouping of these solutions. The following review will summarize current knowledge about the utilization stage and methods for improving oversizing and energy overconsumption. In addition, a method of exergy analysis for pneumatic systems will be presented, which is a very useful tool to assess the efficiency of these systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the current status of collaborative manufacturing for tool and die development in the Malaysian manufacturing industry. Collaborative manufacturing is one of the characteristics that contribute to Industrial Revolution 4.0. Therefore, it is crucial to improve the current status of collaborative manufacturing in the Malaysian industry. Factory visits were conducted to observe the practices of manufacturing companies that use tools and dies, and the data collected from the observations were analyzed and compared to understand the present status of the industry. The findings suggest that the local industries are not significantly different from the overseas industries in most areas. However, some issues need to be addressed, particularly in terms of technology, quality, and management, to further improve the current status of collaborative manufacturing. Most importantly, the management's participation and initiatives are crucial in establishing an ideal collaborative environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of work is a crucial consideration for production workers in terms of performance, satisfaction, and motivation. This aspect has garnered increasing attention in research, particularly with the rise of automation and the transition to Industry 4.0-enabled smart factories. Work design is influenced by both internal and external performance-shaping factors (PSFs). Internal factors include human, machine and task elements and traits, which HR specialists can structure to enhance efficiency and productivity in manufacturing. External PSFs, such as physical, psychological, social and organizational factors, also play a significant role in shaping production work. This study aims to understand the impact of personal characteristics of production workers in an automated factory. The research findings are extrapolated on an Industry 4.0 framework to establish a productive work design. Data collection is conducted through a quantitative survey, and non-parametric analysis of variance tests are employed to assess significant relationships. The results indicate a better perception of the pace of operations (µ = 4.19) and feedback (µ = 4.47) among elder workers. Additionally, educated workers express significant perceptions regarding external PSFs such as supervision (µ = 4.39), health and safety (µ = 4.25), job rotation (µ = 3.91) and pay and welfare (µ = 3.58). Aspiration, motivation and organizational commitment emerge as crucial work design attributes for experienced and married workers. These findings contribute to understanding the structure of modern work design in the context of Industry 4.0, aiming to enhance performance and worker productivity. The study proposes an advanced Industry 4.0 work design framework, empowering HR specialists to develop effective strategies and optimize work distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modeling and simulation of industrial mineral processing operations are traditionally used for cyclone sizing and optimizations of industrial operations. However, the main models used are based on the total population of particles in the pulp, thus not distinguishing the individual minerals. This article presents the results of an innovative method that investigated the optimization of the metallurgical recovery of P2O5 in the desliming circuit of a phosphate ore processing plant in Brazil. A survey campaign was carried out in the existing industrial circuit, followed by determining the partition curves for the overall particles and specifically for the hydroxyapatite particles. The results were used to calibrate the Narasimha–Mainza cyclone model. From a Base Case determined with reference to the industrial survey, three optimization scenarios were simulated through cyclone geometries and respective operating conditions changes. Simulated scenarios indicated the possibility of P2O5 metallurgical recovery increasing from 9.4% to 12.7% compared to the Base Case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Definition: With the rise of individualism as a social trend and the wide use of the Internet and social media, today's customers increasingly want to design and build unique products that fit their individual preferences and needs. Mass individualization is defined as a manufacturing paradigm that aims to produce individualized products cost-effectively. This paradigm differs from the previous paradigms in which the manufacturing company designed and manufactured the products, and the customer chose a product. In the mass individualization paradigm, the customers will be actively involved in product design, and the manufacturer will produce a unique product for each customer at a reasonable cost and of reliable quality. Due to the need for smooth communication and interactions between the buyer and the factory, new factories for individualized products will be located near potential buyers, which will have a significant impact on local economies. This entry explores the relationship between mass individualization and other emerging manufacturing paradigms and concepts in the Industry 4.0/5.0 era, and discusses how smart factories can improve manufacturing efficiency and facilitate the realization of the mass individualization paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: The accessibility and relatively low cost of nitrogen (N) fertilizers have been a gift to humankind and made it possible to feed the exponentially growing world population. The excessive use of N, in combination with a poor N use efficiency (NUE) in crop production, is associated with severe environmental impacts, and the scientific community has repeatedly warned that the safe operating space for N within the planetary boundaries has been exceeded. In the light of these considerations, a global player and India's largest fertilizer manufacturer, the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO), has recently developed and patented a nanotechnology-based fertilizer marketed as Nano Urea (liquid). Strikingly, the producers state that it is now possible to replace a 45 kg bag of conventional urea, containing 21 kg N, by foliar application of just 20 g N in the form of nano urea (NU). If so, N from this novel high-tech fertilizer product should be able to increase the NUE of crops more than 1000 times compared to conventional urea. This year, the Indian government and IFFCO announced plans to massively boost production by building 10 new factories, with an annual production capacity of 440 million bottles NU by 2025 and to expand export of the product to another 25 countries, mainly situated in Asia, Africa and South-America. In the marketing of NU, IFFCO states that there is scientific evidence for distinct beneficial properties in terms of higher crop yields and reduced negative environmental impacts. Similar ambitions have recently been presented for Nano Zinc, Nano Copper, and Nano Di-Ammonium-Phosphate, a product that entered the market in March 2023. Methods: In this Opinion Paper, we compare the claims made by IFFCO scientists to the existing scientific evidence in the field of foliar nanofertilizers. Results: We observe that NU is a poorly described product with no scientifically proven effects. The product is marketed with misleading and wrong statements about its fertilizer efficiency, the underlying plant uptake pathways, and the environmental friendliness. Conclusion: The expectations raised by IFFCO are far from reality and may lead to large-scale yield losses with serious consequences for food security and the livelihood of farmers. At the same time, the confidence in innovative sustainable products as well as the science behind them may be threatened. Based on the IFFCO case, and considering the booming emergence of novel nano based fertilizers appearing all over the world these years, it is clear that much more priority should be given to scientifically prove their efficacy and mode of action, before they are launched on the markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic resilience focuses on how localities react and respond to shocks. A recent conceptual advancement, known as the agency perspective and rooted in evolutionary thinking, highlights that economic actors (e.g., practitioners, firms, and institutions) play an essential role in localities' resilience. However, empirical investigations into the role of economic actors have been scarce. To address this shortcoming, in this study we conducted in‐depth interviews with 22 practitioners (economic development officials) from various cities in Ontario, Canada. Through an evolutionary lens, we examine practitioners' perceptions of and responses to endogenous shocks—notably, major industrial plant closures over the past 20 years. We find that practitioners influence localities' resilience through each dimension of the resilience process. Most notably, they support their localities' adaption through various short‐ and long‐term adaptive strategies. Also, we find that economic actors have different capacities and resources at their disposal to respond to shocks depending on the size of their city and its geographical location. Regarding the latter, we reiterate a commonly noted north‐south divide in the province. In addition, we find that economic actors are constrained by multi‐scalar policies, and thus operate in the confines of existing power and political structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The roof of Melin Daron, a derelict Grade II listed mill building in Aberdaron, on the Llŷn Peninsula in northwest Wales, had succumbed to leakages over two decades, which left some structural timbers exposed to the elements with some section decayed beyond repair. Mortar joints to the mill building's exterior walls had almost perished with sections of the internal walls of the corn dryer section partially collapsed, leaving the structure in a precarious situation. In the short term some of the most important structural timber elements had to be repaired, along with repointing masonry and patch repairing the roof with a limited pot of money secured by the client while they sourced a larger funding pot through the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) to fully repair and preserve this unique building in the long term. This paper seeks to explain the thinking behind the steps taken to make the mill building weathertight while preserving and sympathetically altering historic details that give its unique character. It examines the identification and assessment of defects, before considering various options for conservation and repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In deconstructing lignocellulosic biomass, processing solvents directly and indirectly influence the process efficiency by reducing recalcitrance, fractionating target components, preserving/modifying biomass components, etc. Hydrotropic solvents have shown effective biomass fractionation performance due to their unique amphiphilic structure. In particular, these hydrotropes effectively separate lignin from the cellulose-rich fraction with minimum modification and maximum recovery, which aligns well with the biorefinery strategy by enhancing the recovered lignin quality and quantity. Hydrotropic solvent functions as a catalyst in biomass fractionation/degradation and also as a solvent via aggregation and clustering for the dissolution of target components such as lignin. Moreover, this solvent approach has great potential in eco-friendly manufacturing in plant biomass utilization because of aqueous processing. In this review, chemical structure, amphiphilicity, roles and mechanism of hydrotropic solvents are discussed along with their recent applications in plant biomass utilization. Current challenges in their industrial applications and perspectives on the direction of future research directions are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of biostimulants and biofilms in agriculture is constantly increasing, as they may support plant growth and productivity by improving nutrient absorption, increasing stress resilience and providing sustainable alternatives to chemical management practices. In this work, two commercial products based on Trichoderma afroharzianum strain T22 (Trianum P®) and a seaweed extract from Ascophyllum nodosum (Phylgreen®) were tested on industrial tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum var. Heinz 5108F1) in a field experiment. The effects of single and combined applications of microbial and plant biostimulants on plants grown on two different biodegradable mulch films were evaluated in terms of changes in the metabolic profiles of leaves and berries. Untargeted metabolomics analysis by LC-MS Q-TOF revealed the presence of several significantly accumulated compounds, depending on the biostimulant treatment, the mulch biofilm and the tissue examined. Among the differential compounds identified, some metabolites, belonging to alkaloids, flavonoids and their derivatives, were more abundant in tomato berries and leaves upon application of Trichoderma-based product. Interestingly, the biostimulants, when applied alone, similarly affected the plant metabolome compared to control or combined treatments, while significant differences were observed according to the mulch biofilm applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A workshop, as a crowded place, is quite easy to cause serious casualties and economic losses once there is a fire. In this paper, Pathfinder software was used to simulate fire emergency evacuation in a workshop of a large factory with building structural symmetry. According to the simulation results, several obstacles to the evacuation were discovered and further analyzed. The results showed that the main factors affecting the evacuation were the width of exits, the distribution of occupants and the effective evacuation width of stairs. Among them, only changing the width of exits had little influence on shortening evacuation time. While changing the effective evacuation width of stairs could greatly relieve the evacuation pressure, every increase of 0.5 m in the width of the staircase could shorten the evacuation time by 30.0 s. Meanwhile, the larger the number of people in high-rise buildings, the longer the evacuation time was. Therefore, the means of restricting people from entering the high-rise buildings in batches could be used to prevent personnel from being evacuated in time when a fire incident occurs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leslie Kaplan's Excess – The Factory (1982, translated in 2018 by Julie Carr and Jennifer Pap) and Joseph Ponthus's On the Line: Notes from a Factory (2019, translated in 2021 by Stephanie Smee) are rare poetic depictions of industrial environments. Kaplan dwells on the manufacturing setting as exemplifying overproduction, whereas Ponthus attends to how precarious work in globalized supply chains gives rise to localized pressures. The two from-within stagings of labor offer testimony of dehumanizing infrastructure by pointing up intensities and ruptures in the margins of everyday capitalist cycles. They thereby demonstrate how poetry can perform a "critical unsiting" of the factory-site. In the light of this out-of-the-ordinary concept, our article identifies key aspects of (a) absence, (b) dispersal, and (c) density so as to show how poetic language can spark collective awakening and resistance to dehumanizing conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentration in dry meat products is a priority safety requirement, mainly in those processed under the traditional smoking procedure. In order to investigate the levels occurred in traditional dry fermented sausages manufactured by regional home producers, samples were collected in region of Central-East part of Portugal for comparison with those from one micro industrial plant situated in the same geographical area. In the former products, mean total PAHs level (1364.0 µg/kg) almost doubled that of industrial counterparts (750 µg/kg) with PAH8 representing 2.9 and 1.65% of those total contaminations, respectively. In both product groups, BaA and CHR were the most concentrated compounds within the PAH8 indicator (15.39 µg/kg and 13.66 µg/kg vs 5.67 µg/kg and 5.15 µg/kg). In home made products the BaP concentration surpassed the limit value of 5.0 µg/kg in 31.3% of the samples, with 3 of these cases more than doubling that amount. In addition, more than 93% of samples showed a BaP contamination higher than 1.0 µg/kg. By the contrary, among products processed under the industrial conditions that limit was never surpassed and 81.3% of the samples presented a BaP level lower than 1.0 µg/kg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Exhausted coffee capsules are mechanically recycled in new bio-compounds (EP) • EP compound has mechanical and rheological properties better than neat polypropylene. • Recycled bio-compounds can be injected moulded in new capsules shells. • An industrial plant able to recycle up to 190 million of capsules is designed. • The Net Present Value (NPV) of the plant ranges between 800 k€ and 2000 k€. The objective of this paper is to present the technical and feasibility analysis of an innovative mechanical recycling system for exhausted coffee capsules. This recycling process involved the sorting of spent coffee grounds (SGC) and the subsequent drying and melt-mixing of a portion of these grounds with the remaining capsule components, mainly composed of polypropylene (PP), along with optional virgin PP. These newly developed composite materials exhibited mechanical and rheological properties comparable or even surpassing those of virgin PP. They were also successfully utilized for the injection of new capsule shells, thus alignin with the principles of the circular economy. In addition to the technical aspects, this paper present a comprehensive Techno-Economic Analysis (TEA) of the proposed recycling processes, considering the inclusion of virgin PP (0–20 %) and the initial moisture content (M SGC) of SGC(5–55 %) as varying factors. An industrial plant, designed to handle up to 190 million exhausted coffee capsules and produce up to 1500 tons of recycled compund was appropriately sized. The analysis revealed that processes are profitable across all examined scenarios and that the Net Present Value ranged between 800 k€ (for vPP = 20 % and M SGC = 55 %) and 2000 k€ (for vPP = 0 % and M SGC = 5 %). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Introduced SWM 4.0 by considering Industry 4.0 technologies in waste management. • Reviewed I4.0 role in waste types, processes, and strategies of waste management. • Developed SWM 4.0 framework through smart factories, cities, businesses, and people. Smart Waste Management (SWM) discusses the waste management process for different types of waste while introducing an intelligent approach to controlling the amount of waste. This paper introduces SWM4.0, which applies Industry4.0 (I4.0) technologies in various related events. First, the paper presents a systematic literature review on the role of I4.0 technologies in SWM activities regarding waste types, waste management processes, and 5R strategies. Then, existing solutions supporting SWM4.0 are extracted to develop a framework for exploring the use of I4.0 technologies. This framework includes sharing the four main pillars that contribute to the success of SWM4.0, namely smart people, smart cities, smart enterprises, and smart factories. Furthermore, this review suggests the possibility of unifying and extending existing solutions and identifying the necessary links and interfaces for researchers. For managerial implications, the framework identifies future strategies to fulfill specific SWM tasks and to foster new technological solutions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, constantly changing and developing technology has brought many applications for individuals and businesses. However, integrating these applications into the supply chain and production process may create additional costs as well as create the need for additional labor. Such reasons may affect the decisions of companies in adopting technology. This study aims to test the effect of Industry 4.0 applications on supply chain performance. In accordance with this purpose, a questionnaire was applied to a total of 103 manufacturers. Data obtained from surveys collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Statistics 22.0 (IBM Corp.; Armonk, NY, USA) program. By using factor analysis, the dimensions were obtained. Obtained data was then subjected to tests for percent-frequency analysis and regression analysis and obtained findings. As a result of the regression analyses, it is found that there are positive and significant impacts of artificial intelligence and cloud computing dimensions on the consumer performance dimension and cloud computing dimension on the cost performance dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrolysis is fundamental to meet the Paris agreement targets, as it serves as an energy storage technology, with hydrogen being a major energy vector to decarbonize the industry sector. In particular, proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis is well suited for coupling with renewables such as wind turbines and PV. The worldwide objectives for hydrogen ramping up are very ambitious and can only be satisfied with rapid and efficient production. This paper describes how the giga‐factory from Siemens Energy installed in Berlin will play a significant role in satisfying the rising demand of PEM stacks for the company. In addition, challenges such as catalytic material shortage and the need for industrial eco‐systems are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To use residual biomass in industrial plants it is necessary to fulfill conditions that have proven challenging when developing production processes based on renewable sources. Relatively recent efforts to produce second‐generation ethanol (2GE) have led to some caveats regarding obstacles that can arise in the large‐scale conversion of residual lignocellulosic biomass to biofuel. Even after years of research to develop technological packages that would make the production of 2GE feasible, the first plants installed could not operate continuously within the design, and they failed to meet market expectations. By interviewing managers from the 2GE pioneer plants, the research reported in this paper identified the methods used by the 2GE pioneers, from decision‐making processes to startup and plant operation. Analyzing the challenges they faced and their relationships with innovation processes, it found that industrial handling of lignocellulosic biomass was the main reason for the relative operational failure of the pioneer 2GE production plants. It also found that changes of policy and lack of efficient communication between the equipment suppliers and the users might also lead to the failure of the pioneer plants. Based on these findings, this paper considers the significance of these projects for biobased industries using lignocellulosic biomass in pioneer plants. The conclusions suggest that filling the knowledge gap related to the industrial handling of lignocellulosic biomass, as well as understanding that new relationships between biorefineries and their equipment suppliers may generate new paths for innovation processes, should be fundamental for the implementation of first‐of‐a‐kind plants within the scope of bioeconomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the best integration point to integrate information technology and manufacturing technology, the digital factory is the basis for the intelligent transformation of manufacturing companies. This article will discuss how to build it and discuss the digital world. When companies develop, integrate, share, apply and update different knowledge, create more added value and benefits, and make significant contributions to the sustainable development of knowledge management companies, they pay more and more attention to improving their own competitiveness. Therefore, this article proposes a method to improve knowledge management based on the actual situation of the enterprise, and proposes a strategy for recent development. In the knowledge management applications of the digital factory, the high-speed transmission and processing of data becomes crucial. But the traditional network technology has been unable to meet the increasing demand for data. This paper explores the potential application and advantages of optical network transmission based on 5G network in the application of knowledge management in digital factory, studies the optical network transmission technology based on 5G network, and discusses its feasibility and advantages in the application of knowledge management in digital factory. The study found that the optical network transmission technology based on 5G network can greatly improve the data transmission speed and bandwidth, and meet the needs of digital factories for efficient data transmission. Optical network transmission technology also has the advantages of low latency, high reliability and low energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial plants are complex structures, highly vulnerable with respect to seismic loading. Past seismic events have demonstrated the devastating impact and huge economic losses that an industrial plant can experience not only due to physical damage of equipment, but also due to interruption of the production processes. In order to quantify these economic losses, plant seismic resilience evaluation is required. The current paper presents a probabilistic process flow-based framework for assessment of industrial plant resilience and economic losses in case of seismic events. Uncertainties are considered in the ability of plant equipment to withstand the perturbation, and also in the recovery process including equipment recovery durations and recovery costs. Monte Carlo Simulation is used to account for the uncertainties of the model. A black carbon plant is used as a case study to show the applicability of the model. Results and capability of the proposed model shows that it can be a useful tool for decision makers, plant owners, insurance companies, emergency managers and plant designers in their decision making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of CRISPR base editors, CRISPR prime editors, and EvolvR has enabled more efficient and precise gene editing without relying on double-stranded DNA breaks. Transcriptional CRISPRi and CRISPRa systems have been developed with higher efficiency and tunability, enabling the design of more advanced regulation circuits. The CRISPR toolbox has been expanded to protein-level regulation by the Cas6-enabled dynamic enzyme assembly. The expanded CRISPR toolbox has comprehensively promoted the engineering of various components and cellular processes in microbes, driving the advancement of microbial cell factory construction. Microbial cell factories (MCFs) convert low-cost carbon sources into valuable compounds. The CRISPR/Cas9 system has revolutionized MCF construction as a remarkable genome editing tool with unprecedented programmability. Recently, the CRISPR toolbox has been significantly expanded through the exploration of new CRISPR systems, the engineering of Cas effectors, and the incorporation of other effectors, enabling multi-level regulation and gene editing free of double-strand breaks. This expanded CRISPR toolbox powerfully promotes MCF construction by facilitating pathway construction, enzyme engineering, flux redistribution, and metabolic burden control. In this article, we summarize different CRISPR tool designs and their applications in MCF construction for gene editing, transcriptional regulation, and enzyme modulation. Finally, we also discuss future perspectives for the development and application of the CRISPR toolbox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the treatment of a typical spent Merox caustic waste (SMC) was investigated by three methods of Fenton-like process, foam fractionation and combination of both methods. Immobilised TiO2/Fe0 nanoparticles on modified silica nanoparticles were used as heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst. The characterisation of catalyst was carried out using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) analysis, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The performance of the combined method was evaluated in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) residual parameter. The parameters including pH, gas flow rate to the separator column, concentrations of hydrogen peroxide/catalyst/surfactant/chelate agent, surfactant type, and chelate agent type were investigated to obtain the optimum conditions of the process by response surface methodology (RSM) based on eight-factors central composite design (CCD). Under optimum conditions of combining Fenton-like and foam fractionation methods, the minimum residue of COD was 10.98 ppm, corresponding to a COD removal of 99.7%. However, the measured values for the Fenton-like or foam fractionation methods alone did not exceed 88.9% and 58.4%, respectively. In addition, hydrogen peroxide consumption decreased by 63% compared to the Fenton-like method. Also, another important result shows that the use of cationic surfactants is more effective than anionic and amphoteric for wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As demand for renewable energy is rising, wind power development is rapidly growing worldwide. In its wake, conflicts arise over land use changes converting pristine nature into industrial power plants and its associated adverse biodiversity effects, crowned by one of the most obvious and deadly consequences: bird collisions. Most post-construction studies report low levels of avian mortality, but the majority of these studies are conducted primarily on larger birds. However, the diversity and abundance of small passerine birds are rarely reflected in the carcass surveys, although they in numeric proportion to their abundances should be the most numerous. The assumption that surveys find all carcasses seems thus rarely fulfilled and passerine mortality is likely to be grossly underestimated. We therefore designed an experiment with dummy birds to estimate mortality of small-bodied passerines and other small-bodied birds during post-construction surveys, tested in a medium-sized wind farm in western Norway. The wind farm was surveyed weekly during the migration periods by carcass survey teams using trained dogs to find killed birds. The dogs in the carcass surveys were more successful in locating the large than the small dummy birds (60–200 g), where they found 74% of the large dummy birds. Detecting the smaller category (5–24 g) was more demanding and the dogs only found 17% of the small dummy birds. Correcting the post-construction carcass survey outcome with the results from the experiment leads to an almost fourfold increase in estimated mortality rates, largely due to the low detection rate of the smallest category. The detection rates will naturally vary between wind farms, depending on the specific habitat characteristics, the efficiency of the carcass surveys and the search intervals. Thus, implementing a simple experiment with dummy birds to future post-construction surveys will produce more accurate estimates of the wind turbine mortality rates, and thus improve our understanding of the biodiversity effects of conforming to a more sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of collaborative communication in the physical distribution service quality of soft drinks in beverage manufacturing plants. A desire to learn more about an area that has received little attention in South Africa while contributing information about the variables that influence the performance of soft drink distribution networks prompted this research. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design, which was essential in obtaining a deeper understanding of the relationship between collaborative communication and the physical distribution of beverages as per the study participants' responses. A sample size of 90 participants from thedifferent soft drink manufacturing plants around Limpopo was utilised in this study. The aspects of collaborative communication were significant determinants of physical distribution service quality. Physical distribution service quality was shown to be significantly predicted by incentive alignment and information sharing but not by decision synchronization. Incentive alignment was established as an important aspect of cooperation that predicts the quality of physical distribution services. The study recommended that different aspects of collaborative communication, such as information sharing and incentive alignment, be implemented in manufacturing plants. The study provided essential information about the role of information sharing decision synchronisation, and incentive alignment in enhancing physical distribution service quality. Different manufacturing firms can use this information to improve their physical distribution services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memes and meme factories are increasingly the new fronts for ageism online. To address the lack of studies exploring memetic expressions of ageism, this study utilized multimodal discourse analysis to analyze 98 image macros from five meme factories in Singapore. Expressions of ageism were consistently found in how the meme visually and discursively portrayed older adults, and three ageist themes of infantilization, barbarization, and fetishization were identified. Memes that infantilized older adults often portrayed them as immature and illiterate despite their age and emphasized their dependence on others. Memes that barbarized older adults portrayed them as being uncultured or having inferior cultural tastes, while memes that fetishized older adults positioned them as an object of sexual fetish. The intersections of ageism with sexism, classism, and racism were also noted. Practical implications of these findings were discussed, and several recommendations were offered for meme factories to reduce visual ageism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The iron and steel industry, which is a highly energy‐intensive sector, seeks to increase energy efficiency and reduce operating costs by optimizing the distributions of byproduct gases, steam, and electricity throughout the production process. The operating costs of an iron and steel plant typically include the purchase cost of liquefied natural gas fuel, electricity, and penalties for byproduct gas holders. Electricity tariffs have a significant impact on energy costs through two factors: the energy charge, which is related to energy consumption varying with time, and the demand charge, which is proportional to the peak power. In this study, the characteristics of electricity tariffs and multi‐energy systems, specifically for iron and steel plants, are considered. In the proposed method, electric arc furnaces are employed as controllable units to flexibly manage the power load. The optimization model utilized in the plant adopts a mixed‐integer linear programming approach to minimize the overall operating costs. Several case studies were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods, and the total costs associated with different cases were compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewaters from power plants is a major concern for environmental protection. After the water is used in thermal power plant, the heated effluent is again discharged in the same water body from where it is taken. This not only disturbs the aquatic life but also affects the balance of the ecosystem. This paper presents the background of the thermal pollution, modelling approach and analysis methods for prediction of thermal pollution. A 2-D model of Sava River is discussed. The thermal power plant Nikola Tesla B was considered. Analysis of thermal discharge into the Sava River for the twelve-year period has been carried out. It was done a comparative analysis of the results obtained using mathematical (Electricity of France - EDF) method and numerical analysis using the CFD software package ANSYS FLUENT. A comparison of these two methods was made in order to show that it is possible to predict thermal pollution precisely and that it is possible to apply these methods in the design of industrial plants and not only in large thermal power plants. Finally, the results showed the matching of the obtained values at greater distances from the water outlet of the thermal power plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current economic scenario has required greater efforts on the part of industries in aspects that refer to sustainability. The adoption of sustainable practices in industrial production processes represents a management strategy that can add several economic benefits. In addition, the alignment of the management model with sustainable development objectives is currently considered an essential condition for the organization to obtain access to sources of financing at reduced costs, to have priority in public notices and to obtain international partners, whether for export. direct or indirect. It is understood that the advancement of emerging technologies, which encompass industry 4.0, represents a great potential for transformation for the industry in terms of productivity, cost reduction, process control, production customization, among other factors, which can contribute to sustainability and Green Manufacturing goals. In this sense, through a theoretical review, the present study aims to present and discuss some of the technologies that comprise the scope of Industry 4.0 and its potential relationship with the promotion of Green Manufacturing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative robots (cobots) have largely replaced conventional industrial robots in today's workplaces, particularly in manufacturing setups, due to their improved performance and intelligent design. In the framework of Industry 5.0, humans are working alongside cobots to accomplish the required level of automation. However, human–robot interaction has brought up concerns regarding human factors (HF) and ergonomics. A human worker may experience cognitive stress as a result of cobots' irresponsive nature in unpredictably occurring situations, which adversely affects productivity. Therefore, there is a necessity to measure stress to enhance a human worker's performance in a human–robot collaborative environment. In this study, factory workers' mental workload was assessed using physiological, behavioural, and subjective measures. Electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals were collected to acquire brain signals and track hemodynamic activity, respectively. The effect of task complexity, cobot movement speed, and cobot payload capacity on the mental stress of a human worker were observed for a task designed in the context of a smart factory. Task complexity and cobot speed proved to be more impactful. As physiological measures are unbiased and more authentic means to estimate stress, eventually they may replace the other conventional measures if they prove to correlate with the results of traditional ones. Here, regression and artificial neural networks (ANN) were utilised to determine the correlation between physiological data and subjective and behavioural measures. Regression performed better for most of the targets and the best correlation (rsq-adj = 0.654146) was achieved for predicting missed beeps, a behavioural measure, using a combination of multiple EEG and fNIRS predictors. The k-nearest neighbours (KNN) algorithm was used to evaluate the accuracy of correlation between traditional measures and physiological variables, with the highest accuracy of 77.8% achieved for missed beeps as the target. Results show that physiological measures can be more insightful and have the tendency to replace other biased parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]