Simulation-Based Decision Support System to Improve Material Flow of a Textile Company

To remain competitive, companies must continuously improve the processes at hand, be they administrative, production, or logistics. The objective of the study described in this paper was to develop a decision-making tool based on a simulation model to support the production of knits and damask fabrics. The tool was used to test different control strategies for material flow, from the raw material warehouse to the finished product warehouse, and thus can also be used to evaluate the impacts of these strategies on the productivity. The data upon which the decision support tool was built were collected from five sectors of the plant: the raw material warehouse, knit production, damask production, finishing work, and the finished product warehouse. The decision support tool met the objectives of the project, with all five strategies developed showing positive results. Knit and damask production rates increased by up to 8% and 44%, respectively, and a reduction of 75% was observed in the waiting time on the point of entry to the finishing work area, compared to the company’s existing system.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Carboidratos como fonte de compostos para a indústria de química fina

Coal, oil, natural gas, and shale gas are biomass that is formed millions of years ago. These are non-renewable and depleting, even considering the recent discovery of new sources of oil in the presalt and new technologies for the exploitation of shale deposits. Currently, these raw materials are used as a source of energy production and are also important for the production of fine chemicals. Since these materials are finite and their (oil) price is increasing, it is clear that there will be a progressive increase in the chemical industry to use renewable raw materials as a source of energy, an inevitable necessity for humanity. The major challenge for the society in the twenty first century is to unite governments, universities, research centers, and corporations to jointly act in all areas of science with one goal of finding a solution to global problems, such as conversion of biomass into compounds for the fine chemical industry.Non-renewable raw materials are used in the preparation of fuels, chemical intermediates, and derivatives for the fine chemical industry. However, their stock in nature has a finite duration, and their price is high and will likely increase with their depletion. In this scenario, the alternative is to use renewable biomass as a replacement for petrochemicals in the production of fine chemicals. As the production of biomass-based carbohydrates is the most abundant in nature, it is judicious to develop technologies for the generation of chain products (fuels, chemical intermediates, and derivatives for the fine chemicals industry) using this raw material. This paper presents some aspects and opportunities in the area of carbohydrate chemistry toward the generation of compounds for the fine chemical industry

Build-Up an Economical Tool for Machining Operations Cost Estimation

Currently, there is a lack of affordable and simple tools for the estimation of these costs, especially for machining operations. This is particularly true for manufacturing SMEs, in which the cost estimation of machined parts is usually performed based only on required material for part production, or involves a time-consuming, non-standardized technical analysis. Therefore, a cost estimation tool was developed, based on the calculated machining times and amount of required material, based on the final drawing of the requested workpiece. The tool was developed primarily for milling machines, considering milling, drilling, and boring/threading operations. Regarding the considered materials, these were primarily aluminum alloys. However, some polymer materials were also considered. The tool first estimates the required time for total part production and then calculates the total cost. The total production time is estimated based on the required machining operations, as well as drawing, programming, and machine setup time. A part complexity level was also introduced, based on the number of details and operations required for each workpiece, which will inflate the estimated times. The estimation tool was tested in a company setting, comparing the estimated operation time values with the real ones, for a wide variety of parts of differing complexity. An average error of 14% for machining operation times was registered, which is quite satisfactory, as this time is the most impactful in terms of machining cost. However, there are still some problems regarding the accuracy in estimating finishing operation timesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Multi-parametric surface plasmon resonance-based intake quantification of label-free light-activated nanoparticles by therapeutic limbal stem cells for corneal blindness

Abstract Advanced therapies with combined approaches of cell and nanomedicine-based interventions are emerging. Corneal blindness with a severe form of limbal stem cell (LSC) deficiency is an example of defect with unmet clinical need. Towards cell-based therapy, advanced enabling technologies are needed for efficient intracellular delivery of biomolecules both for in vitro disease modeling and for in vivo interventions. For this nanomedicine creates novel possibilities as light activatable polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) hold potential for controlled on-demand cargo delivery with control of light. In this study, we used multi-parametric surface plasmon resonance (MP-SPR) technique in vitro for measuring NP intake in real-time by therapeutic LSCs. Although a variety of NPs has been described, many challenges remain, and one is related to cell uptake of the formulations. Here, three different NP formulations were analyzed, one demonstrating clearly the highest cellular intake by LSCs. Importantly, data demonstrate that the labeling of NPs significantly reduce the cellular intake highlighting the importance of label-free administration and quantification. The MP-SPR based approach hold high potential as a powerful non-invasive platform to be implemented in manufacturing of therapeutic cell- and cargo-based interventions. For any therapy applications, validated non-invasive and label independent NP intake measurement systems would be important.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

Developing a Novel Fully Automated Concept to Produce Bowden Cables for the Automotive Industry

The automotive industry is one of the driving forces of the global industry; thus, it is a very competitive sector which creates a constant need for process improvement, regarding productivity, quality, and flexibility. Automation has proven to be a viable solution for these production problems, with the rising adoption of these automated system by companies that try to design and implement more flexible systems, while reducing costs and improving process quality. Furthermore, the use of automation reduces the manpower factor and its associated variability. In the present work, a new concept for a Bowden cable production process is presented by employing the design science research (DSR) methodology. The project starts with the analysis of the previous production concept, determining possible problems and improvements, as well as setting objectives/requirements for a possible new concept/equipment. This information was used to develop a new automated Bowden cable production equipment, implementing several changes to the old concept and filling a gap in the literature in this field. The developed system was implemented and tested. A considerable reduction in cycle time was registered by 25%, which resulted in an increase of 30% in process productivityinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Using an Artificial Neural Network Approach to Predict Machining Time

One of the most critical factors in producing plastic injection molds is the cost estimation of machining services, which significantly affects the final mold price. These services’ costs are determined according to the machining time, which is usually a long and expensive operation. If it is considered that the injection mold parts are all different, it can be understood that the correct and quick estimation of machining times is of great importance for a company’s success. This article presents a proposal to apply artificial neural networks in machining time estimation for standard injection mold parts. For this purpose, a large set of parts was considered to shape the artificial intelligence model, and machining times were calculated to collect enough data for training the neural networks. The influences of the network architecture, input data, and the variables used in the network’s training were studied to find the neural network with greatest prediction accuracy. The application of neural networks in this work proved to be a quick and efficient way to predict cutting times with a percent error of 2.52% in the best case. The present work can strongly contribute to the research in this and similar sectors, as recent research does not usually focus on the direct prediction of machining times relating to overall production cost. This tool can be used in a quick and efficient manner to obtain information on the total machining cost of mold parts, with the possibility of being applied to other industry sectorsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nuclear structure model for double-charge-exchange processes

A new model, based on the BCS approach, is especially designed to describe nuclear phenomena (A, Z) → (A, Z ± 2) of double-charge exchange (DCE). Although it was proposed and applied in the particle-hole limit, by one of the authors [Krmpotić, Fizika B 14, 139 (2005)], it has not yet been applied within the BCS mean-field framework, nor has its ability to describe DCE processes been thoroughly explored. It is a natural extension of the pn-QRPA model, developed by Halbleib and Sorensen [Nucl. Phys. A 98, 542 (1967)] to describe the single β decays (A, Z) → (A, Z ± 1), to the DCE processes. As such, it exhibits several advantages over the pn-QRPA model when used in the evaluation of the double beta decay (DBD) rates. For instance, (i) the extreme sensitivity of the nuclear matrix elements (NMEs) on the model parametrization does not occur; (ii) it allows us to study the NMEs, not only for the ground state in daughter nuclei, as the pn-QRPA model does, but also for all final 0⁺ and 2⁺ states, accounting at the same time for their excitation energies and the corresponding DBD Q values; (iii) together with the DBD-NMEs it also provides the energy spectra of Fermi and Gamow-Teller DCE transition strengths, as well as the locations of the corresponding resonances and their sum rules; (iv) the latter are relevant for both the DBD and the DCE reactions, since the underlying nuclear structure is the same; this correlation does not exist within the pn-QRPA model. As an example, detailed numerical calculations are presented for the (A, Z) → (A, Z + 2) process in ⁴⁸Ca → ⁴⁸Ti and the (A, Z) → (A, Z − 2) process in ⁹⁶Ru → ⁹⁶Mo, involving all final 0⁺ states and 2⁺ states.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasInstituto de Física La Plat

A Novel Robotic Manipulator Concept for Managing the Winding and Extraction of Yarn Coils

Wire rope manufacturing is an old industry that maintains its place in the market due to the need for products with specific characteristics in different sectors. The necessity for modernization and performance improvement in this industry, where there is still a high amount of labor dedicated to internal logistics operations, led to the development of a new technology method, to overcome uncertainties related to human behaviour and fatigue. The removal of successive yarn coils from a twisting and winding machine, as well as cutting the yarn and connecting the other end to the shaft in order to proceed with the process, constitutes the main problem. As such, a mobile automatic system was created for this process, due to its automation potential, with a project considering the design of a 3D model. This novel robotic manipulator increased the useful production time and decreased the winding coil removal cycle time, resulting in a more competitive, fully automated product with the same quality. This system has led to better productivity and reliability of the manufacturing process, eliminating manual labor and its cost, as in previously developed works in other industriesThe authors want to thank Jorge Seabra and Carlos Fernandes from CETRIB/INEGI/LAETA due their continuous support.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Novel o-naphthoquinones induce apoptosis of EL-4 T lymphoma cells through the increase of reactive oxygen species

Novel β-lapachone analogs 2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[h]chromene-5,6-dione (NQ1), 2-p-tolyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[h]chromene-5,6-dione (NQ3) and 2-methyl-2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo[h]chromene-5,6-dione (NQ7), which have trypanocidal activity, were assayed for cytotoxic effects on murine EL-4 T lymphoma cells. The NQs inhibited the proliferation of EL-4 cells at concentrations above 1 μM. Nuclear staining of the EL-4 cells revealed chromatin condensation and a nuclear morphology compatible with the induction of apoptosis. Flow cytometry assays with annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide confirmed the cell death by apoptosis. Using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), a semiquinone radical was detected in EL-4 cells treated with NQs. In addition, a decrease in the GSH level in parallel with reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was observed. Preincubation with n-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) was able to reverse the inhibitory effects of the NQs on cell proliferation, indicating that ROS generation is involved in NQ-induced apoptosis. In addition, the NQs induced a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential and increased the proteolytic activation of caspases 9 and 3 and the cleavage of Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase (PARP). In conclusion, these results indicate that redox cycling is induced by the NQs in the EL-4 cell line, with the generation of ROS and other free radicals that could inhibit cellular proliferation as a result of the induction of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway.Fil: Di Rosso, María Emilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Barreiro Arcos, María Laura. Universidad Catolica Argentina; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Elingold, Igal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; ArgentinaFil: Sterle, Helena Andrea. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de Los Buenos Aires"; ArgentinaFil: Ferreira, Sabrina Baptista. Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro; BrasilFil: Ferreira, Vitor Francisco. Universidade Federal Fluminense; BrasilFil: Galleano, Monica Liliana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Cremaschi, Graciela Alicia. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de Los Buenos Aires"; ArgentinaFil: Dubin, Marta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; Argentin