A Total Product System Concept - a case study of the smart (tm) automobile

Increasing demand from consumers plus EU legislation has raised awareness within the automotive production sector of the urgent need to reduce the environmental impacts from the three main stages in vehicle life – car manufacture, car use and end-of life vehicle processing. The paper reviews how the originator and manufacturer of the smart automobile has worked directly with its main system partners to address environmental issues in these three stages while optimizing performance across the parameters of commercial viability. This required the creation of strategic relationships within the supply chain. Overall, this innovative approach is viewed in the context of a total product system. The smart car highlights the following critical areas: use of modularity in product design and production facility layout; emphasis on partner participation from product creation to after-sales; and the use of highly customised build-to-order product system to 'green' the entire supply chain. In particular, the case study compares the process characteristics empoyed at the smart car factory, called 'smartville', with more traditional approaches to vehicle manufacture. It exmaines these issues in a preliminary attempt to establish the actual or potential reduction of environmental impact in the three stages of vehicle life, including the role of main suppliers in this process

Zone production system for cotton: soil response

In a three-year study, the major advantage of a zone cotton production system with controlled traffic was determined to be reduction in tractor operations for field preparation and crop management without a reduction in yield. The study indicates that tillage is required under any surface where wheels are operated to return the soil to a low impedance for root exploration and to a conductive state for water infiltration. However, the soil managed with a zone system, with no traffic or tillage after initialization, was stable with lower soil impedance and higher water infiltration than soil in tilled and trafficked plots. Adoption of these findings will reduce unit production costs

Fine root development of alfalfa as affected by wheel traffic

Root development in alfalfa (Medicago satire L.) is dependent of many factors including the soil environment which is influenced by crop management procedures. Soil compaction, which is unavoidable under current management procedures, can have a detrimental effect on root development. The purpose of this field experiment was to compare the effects of controlled and conventional traffic management on alfalfa fine root growth in a Wasco sandy loam (coarse-loamy, mixed, nonacid thermic Typic Torriorthent). No wheel traffic and traffic only before planting were compared to two conventional systems that varied in the amount of traffic applied during crop production. Twenty months after planting, there was a significant decrease in fine root density (FRD) from single passes of traffic after each harvest down to a 0.45-m depth while several passes after each harvest significantly decreased FRD down to 1.8-m depth. Regardless of treatment, root density was greatest in the upper 0.1 m of soil decreasing to 1.8 m in the first summer. By the second summer FRD showed bimodal distribution with significantly fewer roots at 0.3 to 0.6 m compared to layers above and below this depth. Seasonally there was a significantly higher root density during the winter than the summer in the upper 0.3 m of soil. The results of this study shows that alfalfa fine roots more thoroughly exploit the soil volume in the absence of wheel traffic and that compaction from traffic diminished root growth to different depths depending on its intensity

Changes in infiltration under alfalfa as influenced by time and wheel traffic

Infiltration rates were measured for alfalfa, (Medicago saliva L., cv. WL514) subjected to treatments where wheel traffic was varied in terms of area covered and time of application on a Wasco sandy loam (coarse-loamy, mixed, nonacid thermic Xeric Torriorthent). Traffic treatments were (i) No-traffic, (ii) Preplant, (iii) Repeated, and (iv) traffic similar to what a grower would apply. Infiltration rates increased for all treatments, with increases being 240% for treatments without harvest traffic and 140% for treatments with harvest traffic Increases in infiltration were related to decreases in stand density. Slight packing (traffic) applied before the soil was flood-irrigated in 1983 increased infiltration rates 20% compared to flooding loosened soil (no traffic). Harvest traffic resulted in slower water movement in the soil

Alfalfa yield as affected by harvest traffic and soil compaction in a sandy loam soil

Harvesting alfalfa (Medicago saliva L.) results in plants being subjected to traffic at different times during the growth cycle with equipment having different wheel sizes and loads. The affect of this traffic could have important ramifications on yield. The objectives of this study were to determine the long-term effects of harvest traffic and soil compaction on alfalfa yield. In the first experiment, two conventional traffic systems were compared to alfalfa production with no traffic. A single traffic event, that covered 100% of the plot area 3 to 5 d after each swathing, compared to no traffic significantly decreased yield by 20% in the 1st yr, 16.5% in the 2nd yr, 14% in the 3rd yr, with no significant difference the 4th yr. There was no difference in total yield between nontrafficked and a typical grower's traffic pattern the 1st yr, but in the succeeding 3 yr there was a 5 to 17% reduction. The effects of soil compaction and harvest traffic on yield were separated in the second experiment. Alfalfa grown in moderately and heavily compacted soil had a 12 and 26% decrease respectively in seasonal total yield compared to the yield from plants grown in noncompacted soil the 1st yr. Annual yields were the same regardless of the degree of soil compaction in the 3rd yr. When harvest traffic was applied to alfalfa grown in extremely compacted soil there was an additional decrease in yield. It was not statistically significant the 1st yr, but in the following 2 yr, 1987 and 1988, yield was significantly reduced by 17.8 and 19.1%, respectively. Alfalfa yields were significantly reduced both by harvest traffic and compacted soil. To achieve optimum long-term alfalfa yields compacted soil must be tilled before planting and operations that reduce the area of the field subjected to traffic must be implemented

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) water use efficiency as affected by harvest traffic and soil compaction in a sandy loam soil

Traffic during alfalfa harvest operations can cause soil compaction and damage to newly growing stems. Root exploration for soil water and nutrients, forage growth dynamics, and final yield can all be affected. The objectives of this study were to determine the long-term effects of harvest traffic and soil compaction on water-use efficiency (WUE) of alfalfa grown in a Wasco sandy loam (coarse-loamy, mixed, nonacid, thermic Typic Torriorthents). Alfalfa was planted into tilled soil and managed with or without harvest traffic. Plants subjected to traffic during harvest had a significantly lower WUE two out of the three years studied compared to plants that were never subject to traffic. The second experiment examined whether planting alfalfa into compacted soil and managed with or without harvest traffic altered WUE. Soil compaction had no affect on alfalfa WUE. It was significantly lower when grown in compacted soil and subjected to harvest traffic. It is suggested that the decrease in WUE caused by harvest traffic may be explained by plants allocating carbohydrates to damaged shoots and crowns instead of to above ground forage production. The area of the field affected by harvest traffic, which damages newly growing stems, should be minimized to increase crop water use efficiency

Stochastic Model for Surface Erosion Via Ion-Sputtering: Dynamical Evolution from Ripple Morphology to Rough Morphology

Surfaces eroded by ion-sputtering are sometimes observed to develop morphologies which are either ripple (periodic), or rough (non-periodic). We introduce a discrete stochastic model that allows us to interpret these experimental observations within a unified framework. We find that a periodic ripple morphology characterizes the initial stages of the evolution, whereas the surface displays self-affine scaling in the later time regime. Further, we argue that the stochastic continuum equation describing the surface height is a noisy version of the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation.Comment: 4 pages, 7 postscript figs., Revtex, to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Instabilities in the two-dimensional cubic nonlinear Schrodinger equation

The two-dimensional cubic nonlinear Schrodinger equation (NLS) can be used as a model of phenomena in physical systems ranging from waves on deep water to pulses in optical fibers. In this paper, we establish that every one-dimensional traveling wave solution of NLS with trivial phase is unstable with respect to some infinitesimal perturbation with two-dimensional structure. If the coefficients of the linear dispersion terms have the same sign then the only unstable perturbations have transverse wavelength longer than a well-defined cut-off. If the coefficients of the linear dispersion terms have opposite signs, then there is no such cut-off and as the wavelength decreases, the maximum growth rate approaches a well-defined limit.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

The role of interparticle heterogeneities in the selenization pathway of Cu Zn Sn S nanoparticle thin films a real time study

Real time energy dispersive X ray diffraction EDXRD analysis has been utilized to observe the selenization of Cu Zn Sn S nanoparticle films coated from three nanoparticle populations Cu and Sn rich particles roughly 5 nm in size, Zn rich nanoparticles ranging from 10 to 20 nm in diameter, and a mixture of both types of nanoparticles roughly 1 1 by mass , which corresponds to a synthesis recipe yielding CZTSSe solar cells with reported total area efficiencies as high as 7.9 . The EDXRD studies presented herein show that the formation of copper selenide intermediates during the selenization of mixed particle films can be primarily attributed to the small, Cu and Sn rich particles. Moreover, the formation of these copper selenide phases represents the first stage of the CZTSSe grain growth mechanism. The large, Zn rich particles subsequently contribute their composition to form micrometer sized CZTSSe grains. These findings enable further development of a previously proposed selenization pathway to account for the roles of interparticle heterogeneities, which in turn provides a valuable guide for future optimization of processes to synthesize high quality CZTSSe absorber layer

Second generation anticoagulant rodenticide residues in red kites 2022

•Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) can be toxic to all mammals and birds if consumed. Various studies have shown that, in Britain, there is widespread exposure to SGARs in a diverse range of predatory mammals and birds, including red kites (Milvus milvus) which scavenge dead rats, a target species for rodent control. The Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS) and the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS) have shown that some mortalities result from this secondary exposure. •In the present study, we analysed liver SGAR residues in 14 red kites that had been found dead in Britain in 2022. One bird collected in 2021 was also chemically analysed and added to the time trend analysis of this report. The carcasses were submitted to and necropsied by the Disease Risk Analysis and Health Surveillance (DRAHS) programme, the PBMS, and the WIIS for England & Wales. In 2022, there were no birds received from Scotland (i.e., no bird from the WIIS for Scotland and the Raptor Health Scotland study). All these organisations are partners in the WILDCOMS (Wildlife Disease & Contaminant Monitoring & Surveillance Network) network that promotes collaboration among surveillance schemes that monitor disease and contaminants in vertebrate wildlife in the UK. •The UK Rodenticide Stewardship Regime (hereafter referred to as the stewardship scheme) began to come into force in mid-2016 as re-registration of products for use in the UK was approved by the HSE; full implementation of the scheme was in early 2018. The key aim of this stewardship initiative is to support competence among all users of professional SGAR products. A potential benefit of this may be the reduced exposure of non-target wildlife to anticoagulant rodenticides. However, the number and density of SGAR-contaminated rats may remain unchanged although diligent searching, removal, and safe disposal of poisoned rats, as promoted by the stewardship regime, might be expected to reduce the availability of poisoned dead rats to red kites (and other scavengers) and thereby reduce the proportion of birds that are exposed and/or the magnitude of exposure. Concomitant with the stewardship scheme was a relaxation of the indoor-use-only-restriction applied to brodifacoum, flocoumafen, and difethialone, the three most acutely toxic SGARs to use indoor and outdoor around buildings. Any consequent increase in outdoor use of these three SGARs could increase the risk of secondary exposure in red kites. We therefore compared the data in the current report with that collected in 2015 and 2016 to determine if there was any evidence of a change in pattern or magnitude of exposure in red kites that might be connected to stewardship and/or change in usage restriction. •All of the 14 red kites from England & Wales in 2022 had detectable liver residues of at least one type of SGAR. Brodifacoum, difenacoum, and bromadiolone were each detected in 13, 13 and 6 red kites, respectively. Difethialone was found in two individuals while flocoumafen was detected in no bird. •The proportion of analysed red kites exposed to SGARs in 2015 (91%), 2016 (90%), 2017 (96%), 2018 (100%), 2019 (91%), 2020 (88%), 2021 (98%), and 2022 (100%) was similar at circa 90% or more; the higher percentages in 2017 and 2018 were principally due to a greater proportion of birds from Scotland containing residues than observed in other years. However, all red kites from England and Wales were exposed to SGARs in 2022. Difenacoum, brodifacoum, and bromadiolone were the most prevalent compounds (detected in 87%, 87%, and 75% of red kites across the eight years for each compound, respectively). On average, there were detectable residues of two different SGARs in each red kite liver likely demonstrating multiple exposures. •Sum liver SGAR concentrations in birds from 2022 ranged between 30 and 988 ng/g wet weight (arithmetic mean: 380 ng/g wet weight, median 257.9 ng/g wet weight). Necropsy examinations indicated that two red kites showed signs of being poisoned by SGARs (i.e., showing internal haemorrhaging that is not associated with detectable trauma and also having detectable liver SGAR concentrations). These samples accounted for 17% of the red kites of the year excluding uncertain poisoning cases. These two birds had sum SGAR liver concentrations of 544.2 and 661.6 ng/g wet weight. SGARs were considered a contributory cause of death resulting from unspecified use in these cases. SGARs were a contributory cause of death in 16% of the red kite cases examined across all eight years. Over the period 2015 to 2022, a reduction has been observed in the percentage of red kites examined that were diagnosed as birds in which SGARs were implicated as a contributory cause of death. However, given that the WIIS scheme specifically examines suspected poisoning incidents, it is likely that poisoned birds are over represented in this sample compared to the population as a whole in all eight years. Due to these reasons, caution should be used when interpreting evident changes in poisoned bird rates due to the opportunistic sampling methods used in this study that may lead to over reporting of poisoned birds. Those rates being subject to variations in relative contribution of the WIIS and PBMS to each year’s sample. It should be noted that sub-lethal poisoning due to SGAR exposure is not considered in this report. •There were statistically significant differences between years in median summed SGAR residues for non-poisoned birds and in all red kites combined with poisoned and non-poisoned birds. The magnitude of accumulated summed SGAR residues, particularly sum of brodifacoum, flocoumafen, and difethialone concentrations, was significantly higher in 2022 than in 2019. Given low occurrence and low concentrations of flocoumafen and difethialone residues, it is demonstrated that the magnitude of brodifacoum residues has increased over recent years. •Data on presence/absence of detectable brodifacoum, flocoumafen or difethialone residues were compared for 2015/2016 and 2017/18/19/20/21/22. The proportion of red kites with detectable residues of these three SGARs was not significantly different between 2015/2016 (82%) and 2017/18/19/20/21/22 (89%). Similarly, there was no significant difference in the proportion of red kites with detectable liver difenacoum or bromadiolone residues (90% in 2015/2016 vs. 94% in 2017/18/19/20/21/22). Since the implementation of the stewardship regime, no difference in exposure pattern relating to active ingredients has been detected with the exception of an increase in the concentrations of brodifacoum. •Spatial analysis by county/region indicated that across the monitoring period highest exposure to SGARs in red kites appeared to be around the Berkshire/Hampshire and, to a lesser extent, North Yorkshire. •Our findings do not indicate that there has been a consistent broad scale change in exposure in red kites to SGARs following implementation of stewardship in terms of either the proportion of the sample exposed or the magnitude of sum SGARs residues detected. However, there is evidence that the proportion of red kites in which SGARs were implicated as a contributory mortality factor has decreased in more recent years. Alternative approaches to monitoring SGARs in red kites could be considered that analyse a random but representative sample, and as part of such a programme there may also be value in monitoring SGARs in the blood of tracked individuals. Brodifacoum exposure has increased in recent years, but whether this change in exposure has been caused by the relaxation of usage restrictions on brodifacoum, difethialone and flocoumafen is still a question to be addressed