Adaption of the Level of Development to the Factory Layout Planning and Introduction of a Quality Assurance Process

Current developments and trends are causing an increasingly turbulent environment for manufacturing companies. In order to respond to these dynamic market conditions, products and thus also production systems have to be adapted more frequently and much faster. However, time and cost targets are often missed by classic factory planning approaches due to poor communication, inadequate tools, and lack of interfaces. Therefore, new ways have to be found in factory planning to overcome these problems. Building Information Modeling, which is already used in the construction industry, provides a promising method for the collaboration of stakeholders based on digital models. This would allow communication to be structured, new tools to be used, and interfaces to be stabilized to improve the target achievement in factory planning projects. However, which information should be provided in which level of detail in which phase of a factory planning project and how the quality of this information can be ensured has not yet been answered. A possible solution to these questions is addressed in this article. First, the concept of the so-called Level of Development, i.e. the geometric and non-geometric definition of the model contents, is transferred to factory layout planning. Then, based on two use cases, the process of quality assurance is defined

Framework For The Rapid Development And Deployment Of Customized Industrial Robotic Applications

Automation and industrial robots enable today's enterprises to increase productivity. Due to current challenges, such as a shortage of skilled workers, the trend is toward using industrial robots more and more in high-mix low-volume production. For this, enterprises must be able to develop and deploy robotic applications for various products, variants, and tasks easily and quickly. In previous works, we demonstrated the increased flexibility and efficiency of robot programming via a skills-based software framework. In this paper, we expand this framework by considering the overall development and deployment procedure of robotic applications. In addition to modular programming, we address the development of the necessary hardware for the robotic application. Here, we focus on the design of the gripper system. As an exemplary use case we present the handling and testing of variant-rich electronic products. Finally, based on the introduced framework, we show our first implementation results to realize this use case

Towards Smaller Value Creation Cycles: Key Factors and their Interdependencies for Local Manufacturing

The unpredictable occurrence of a global pandemic and trade conflicts have currently shown us the fra-gility of global, industrial value chains. In contrast to this, local value creation structures have numerous potentials to meet present ecological, economic and social challenges (e.g. increasing the resilience of the manufacturing sector, reducing CO2 emissions through smaller loops of value creation, empowering regional stakeholders). This paper presents a study on local manufacturing designed to achieve a better understanding of the internal systematic of value creation in a local context using a sensitivity analysis. By modelling the causal effects, the direct and indirect influences of internal and environmental factors of local production as well as their independencies can be shown. This in turn will enable scenario anal-yses that show possible developments for local production systems arising due to changing social, politi-cal and technological factors. In the future these options may aid in decision-making processes aiming at a sustainable circular economy

Requirements for an IoT-lock enabling asynchronous physical handovers of temi-trailers in road freight relay-transport

In long-distance road freight transport, capacity utilization of semi-trailers is less than 30 % due to mandatory steering and rest periods. Truck parking spaces are overcrowded while resulting parking search traffic leads to additional emissions. At the same time, the acute driver shortage and customers' expectations of ever faster functioning supply chains force the highest efficiency in transport means and personnel. Multi-carrier relay-transport represents an approach to solving these problems and exploiting untapped efficiency potentials: Via a digital platform, long distances are intelligently divided into short route sections which are distributed among different carriers. At predefined switching points, the asynchronous handover of semi-trailers to rested drivers takes place. To enable a secure cross-company physical handover, IoT-locking mechanisms play a crucial role. This paper details the asynchronous handover process and introduces the technical design of an IoT-lock which provides effective theft protection while the trailer is parked and reliably connects tractor and semi-trailer during transport. Based on an analysis of stakeholder requirements, software functionalities and mechanical properties of the IoT-lock are derived, which ensure effective theft protection as well as real-time data transmission for relay transports. In addition, legal requirements for asynchronous transfers are investigated to determine liability in case of damage or loss. These form the basis for digital handover protocols that record the condition of the freight and trailer during the handover process

Identifying pre-bariatric subtypes based on temperament traits, emotion dysregulation, and disinhibited eating: A latent profile analysis

Objective: The efficacy of bariatric surgery has been proven; however, a subset of patients fails to achieve expected long-term weight loss postoperatively. As differences in surgery outcome may be influenced by heterogeneous psychological profiles in pre-bariatric patients, previous subtyping models differentiated patients based on temperament traits. The objective of the present study was to expand these models by additionally considering emotion dysregulation and disinhibited eating behaviors for subtyping, as these factors were associated with maladaptive eating behaviors and poor post-bariatric weight loss outcome. Methods: Within a prospective multicenter registry, N = 370 pre-bariatric patients were examined using interview and self-report questionnaires. A latent profile analysis was performed to identify subtypes based on temperament traits, emotion dysregulation, and disinhibited eating behaviors. Results: Five pre-bariatric subtypes were identified with specific profiles regarding self control, emotion dysregulation, and disinhibited eating behaviors. Subtypes were associated with different levels of eating disorder psychopathology, depression, and quality of life. The expanded model increased variance explanation compared to temperament-based models. Conclusion: By adding emotion dysregulation and disinhibited eating behaviors to previous subtyping models, specific pre-bariatric subtypes emerged with distinct psychological deficit patterns. Future investigations should test the predictive value of these subtypes for post bariatric weight loss and health-related outcomes

Potential of multi-species livestock farming to improve the sustainability of livestock farms: A review.

Diversified farming systems are proposed as a major mechanism to address the many sustainability issues of today's agriculture. Multi-species livestock farming, i.e. keeping two or more animal species simultaneously on the same farm, is an option that has received little attention to date. Moreover, most studies of multi-species livestock farming are limited, usually focusing on selected dimensions of farm sustainability and addressing lower organizational levels (i.e. within the farm) and rather limited time horizons (e.g. a few weeks in a grazing season). Thus, a comprehensive assessment of multi-species livestock farming in terms of farm sustainability is lacking. In this context, we outline and discuss potential benefits and limitations of multi-species livestock farming for livestock farm sustainability from existing literature and list issues on multi-species livestock farming requiring further research. We show that multi-species livestock farming has the potential to improve the three dimensions of sustainability reviewed - economic viability for farmers, environmental soundness and social acceptability by being respectful of animals and humans - as long as locally relevant farming practices are implemented, especially an appropriate stocking rate during grazing. If relevant practices are not observed, multi-species livestock farming may produce undesirable effects, such as competition for resource acquisition during grazing, parasitic cross-infection and more intense work peaks. Therefore, we identify four focal research areas for multi-species livestock farming. First, characterizing the management of multi-species livestock farms. To do this, we suggest considering the integration of production enterprises (e.g. cattle and sheep enterprises) within the farm from three perspectives: farming practices (e.g. grazing management), work organization and sales. Second, exploring the complementarity of livestock species on multi-species livestock farms. This is especially true for species combinations that have been largely ignored (e.g. ruminants and monogastrics), even though they may have potential due to complementary diet compositions and resource-acquisition strategies. Third, assessing the sustainability of multi-species livestock farm scenarios (current or alternative) according to the management practices and production conditions, which requires adapting existing methods/models or developing new ones. Fourth, characterizing conditions for success and obstacles for multi-species livestock farming along the value chain from production to consumption, considering stakeholders' objectives, work habits and constraints. Increasing understanding should help prioritize actions and organize them to scale up multi-species livestock farming

The seafloor from a trait perspective:A comprehensive life history dataset of soft sediment macrozoobenthos

Biological trait analysis (BTA) is a valuable tool for evaluating changes in community diversity and its link to ecosystem processes as well as environmental and anthropogenic perturbations. Trait-based analytical techniques like BTA rely on standardised datasets of species traits. However, there are currently only a limited number of datasets available for marine macrobenthos that contain trait data across multiple taxonomic groups. Here, we present an open-access dataset of 16 traits for 235 macrozoobenthic species recorded throughout multiple sampling campaigns of the Dutch Wadden Sea; a dynamic soft bottom system where humans have long played a substantial role in shaping the coastal environment. The trait categories included in this dataset cover a variety of life history strategies that are tightly linked to ecosystem functioning and the resilience of communities to (anthropogenic) perturbations and can advance our understanding of environmental changes and human impacts on the functioning of soft bottom systems

Bitter taste signaling in tracheal epithelial brush cells elicits innate immune responses to bacterial infection

Constant exposure of the airways to inhaled pathogens requires efficient early immune responses protecting against infections. How bacteria on the epithelial surface are detected and first-line protective mechanisms are initiated are not well understood. We have recently shown that tracheal brush cells (BCs) express functional taste receptors. Here we report that bitter taste signaling in murine BCs induces neurogenic inflammation. We demonstrate that BC signaling stimulates adjacent sensory nerve endings in the trachea to release the neuropeptides CGRP and substance P that mediate plasma extravasation, neutrophil recruitment, and diapedesis. Moreover, we show that bitter tasting quorum-sensing molecules from Pseudomonas aeruginosa activate tracheal BCs. BC signaling depends on the key taste transduction gene Trpm5, triggers secretion of immune mediators, among them the most abundant member of the complement system, and is needed to combat P. aeruginosa infections. Our data provide functional insight into firstline defense mechanisms against bacterial infections of the lung

Antimicrobial use in pediatric oncology and hematology in Germany and Austria, 2020/2021: a cross-sectional, multi-center point-prevalence study with a multi-step qualitative adjudication process

Background Due to the high risk of severe infection among pediatric hematology and oncology patients, antimicrobial use is particularly high. With our study, we quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated, based on institutional standards and national guidelines, antimicrobial usage by employing a point-prevalence survey with a multi-step, expert panel approach. We analyzed reasons for inappropriate antimicrobial usage. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at 30 pediatric hematology and oncology centers in 2020 and 2021. Centers affiliated to the German Society for Pediatric Oncology and Hematology were invited to join, and an existing institutional standard was a prerequisite to participate. We included hematologic/oncologic inpatients under 19 years old, who had a systemic antimicrobial treatment on the day of the point prevalence survey. In addition to a one-day, point-prevalence survey, external experts individually assessed the appropriateness of each therapy. This step was followed by an expert panel adjudication based upon the participating centers’ institutional standards, as well as upon national guidelines. We analyzed antimicrobial prevalence rate, along with the rate of appropriate, inappropriate, and indeterminate antimicrobial therapies with regard to institutional and national guidelines. We compared the results of academic and non-academic centers, and performed a multinomial logistic regression using center- and patient-related data to identify variables that predict inappropriate therapy. Findings At the time of the study, a total of 342 patients were hospitalized at 30 hospitals, of whom 320 were included for the calculation of the antimicrobial prevalence rate. The overall antimicrobial prevalence rate was 44.4% (142/320; range 11.1–78.6%) with a median antimicrobial prevalence rate per center of 44.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 35.9–49.9). Antimicrobial prevalence rate was significantly higher (p < 0.001) at academic centers (median 50.0%; 95% CI 41.2–55.2) compared to non-academic centers (median 20.0%; 95% CI 11.0–32.4). After expert panel adjudication, 33.8% (48/142) of all therapies were labelled inappropriate based upon institutional standards, with a higher rate (47.9% [68/142]) when national guidelines were taken into consideration. The most frequent reasons for inappropriate therapy were incorrect dosage (26.2% [37/141]) and (de-)escalation/spectrum-related errors (20.6% [29/141]). Multinomial, logistic regression yielded the number of antimicrobial drugs (odds ratio, OR, 3.13, 95% CI 1.76–5.54, p < 0.001), the diagnosis febrile neutropenia (OR 0.18, 95% CI 0.06–0.51, p = 0.0015), and an existing pediatric antimicrobial stewardship program (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.15–0.84, p = 0.019) as predictors of inappropriate therapy. Our analysis revealed no evidence of a difference between academic and non-academic centers regarding appropriate usage. Interpretation Our study revealed there to be high levels of antimicrobial usage at German and Austrian pediatric oncology and hematology centers with a significant higher number at academic centers. Incorrect dosing was shown to be the most frequent reason for inappropriate usage. Diagnosis of febrile neutropenia and antimicrobial stewardship programs were associated with a lower likelihood of inappropriate therapy. These findings suggest the importance of febrile neutropenia guidelines and guidelines compliance, as well as the need for regular antibiotic stewardship counselling at pediatric oncology and hematology centers. Funding European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Pädiatrische Infektiologie, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Krankenhaushygiene, Stiftung Kreissparkasse Saarbrücken

Multi-species livestock farming

This CORE Organic Practice Abstract gives practical recommendations for multi-species livestock farming, which has the potential to improve the three dimensions of sustainability – economic viability for farmers, environmental soundness, and social acceptability – by being respectful of animals and humans, as long as locally relevant farming practices are implemented, especially an appropriate stocking rate during grazing