Workability and productivity among CTL machine operators - associations with sleep, fitness, and shift work

Operational performance of fully mechanized cut-to-length (CTL) harvesting varies greatly due to the human factor i.e. the machine operator. This study investigated how CTL machine operators' workability index (WAI), personal lifestyle choices, seasons, and shift work affected operational performance. Research evaluated 14 volunteer CTL machine operators for a longitudinal study with continuous data collection of productivity, activity level, sleep, and follow-up on a workability index questionnaire and fitness test every three months over a year. The study analyzed the production of 152 745.5 m(3) of timber combined with self-tracking data. Operators' relative productivity (P-r) had an increasing trend whilst WAI increased, thus WAI seems to work well also for forestry applications. Physical fitness (VO2max) didn't seem to connect with P-r and WAI had only a slightly increasing trend when VO2max increased. The participants slept longer in the evening shift than in the morning shift (p < 0.000) consequently catching up on their sleep deficit from the morning shift period. Furthermore, operators' higher sleep value (SV) in the evening shift increased P-r in the final fellings. The results should be of interest to both practitioners and researchers interested in the productivity of harvesting operations

Mechanical degradation of biomass wood pellets during long term stockpile storage

This paper quantifies and assesses the mechanical degradation of white wood and steam exploded wood pellets in indoor and outdoor stockpile storage over a twenty-one month period in the UK. The indoor stored steam exploded wood pellets on the surface of the pile only exhibited a 3% decrease in durability after twenty months in storage. The outdoor stored pellets demonstrated much higher levels of mechanical degradation. In the summer period with high relative humidity and temperature, the durability of pellets sampled from the surface of the pile dropped from 92 to 22% after three months in storage with a durability of 10% measured after nine months in storage. The degradation of the pellets from the middle of the pile was more gradual and less severe with a maximum durability drop of 34%. The impact on mechanical properties was significant for the indoor stored white wood pellets with pellets quickly degrading to dust. This study shows that while steam exploded pellets could be stored in covered storage, white wood pellets require a fully enclosed storage environment. Short term outdoor storage of steam exploded pellets could be considered if extended periods of low rainfall and relative humidity can be reliably predicted

Rationalization of Product Configurator Output : In the Context of the Case Company

The objective of this study was to rationalize the product structures extracted from the product configurator. Rationalized product structures extracted from the configurator enable easy and understandable comparison of existing products. Well-rationalized product structures are expected to minimize complexity in the company internal operations and provide transparency towards the customers. Eventually, the number of profitable sales is also expected to increase. This study was conducted in five steps. First, the objective was defined. Second, the current state analysis was performed, which summarized the identified strengths and weaknesses of the current practices related to product structures. Third, literature review and the search for best practice was conducted. This resulted in the conceptual framework as a tool to approach the proposal building. Fourth, an initial proposal was built based on the previous steps and the key stakeholder input. Finally, after validation this proposal was finalized. The study indicated that the functionality of already existing system tools were applied rather poorly in the case company. With relatively minor modifications in the existing product configurator, significant results may be achieved in terms of transparency and good command of product management. The resulting proposal, a Configurator output generator, will be implemented to the case company. The initial proposal has already showed the potential which is achievable immediately after the implementation. Improved efficiency, transparency and possibilities to further develop the proposal are expected to differentiate the case company from the competition. Easily configurable and understandable products are also expected to fit most likely to the desired application of the customer

Development of viral & non-viral episomal vectors for gene therapy applications

Gene therapy consists of methods which attempt to repair or replace defective genes responsible for disease, or to add genes to a therapeutic effect. To achieve this, two episomally maintained recombinant viral vectors have shown promising results: integration-deficient lentiviral vectors (IDLVs), and adeno-associated virus (AA V) vectors. The non-integrating nature of these vectors improves their safety profile but also limits transgene retention as nuclear episomes generally get lost during cell division. In the present study, the establishment of stable replicating episomes via transduction with AA V and IDL V gene therapy vectors was examined in CHO cells. Different DNA elements and cell culture conditions were evaluated, and in particular the effects of (i) DNA elements called S/MARs (scaffold/matrix attachment regions) which are involved in chromatin organisation, transcription and replication, and (ii) induction of transient cell cycle arrest in transfected and transduced cell populations. In the case of both AA V and IDL V vectors, the incorporation of S/MAR elements into vector transcription units had only marginal effects on the establishment of stable transgene- positive cell populations, either with or without induction oftransient cell cycle arrest. However, a striking general result was observed in cell populations transduced with IDL Vs and subjected to a transient cell cycle arrest soon after transduction. Under these conditions, following release from cell cycle arrest and in the absence of any selection pressure, substantial populations (10-25%) of proliferating and stably transduced cells emerged and were maintained over at least 100 population doublings. This establishment of stable transduction was seen only with IDLVs, was crucially . dependent on the induction of a period of transient cell cycle arrest, occurred independently of the presence of S/MAR elements, and resulted in transgene-positive cell populations which could be isolated and propagated as stable clonal cell lines. In these polyclonal and clonal IDL V -transduced cell lines, the existence of non-integrated vector genomes in the form of multi-copy nuclear episomes was confirmed by evidence from linear amplification -mediated PCR, deep sequencing, Southern blotting and FISH (fluorescent in situ hybridisation). 2 The cumulative evidence suggests that transduction of eHO cells with IDL Vs followed by a short period of induced cell cycle arrest leads to the establishment of stable IDL V- based nuclear episomes which are transcriptionally active and undergo replication and segregation during cell division without the need for antibiotic-based or other positive selection pressure. Preliminary investigations were also done to test the capacity of combined IDL V transduction and transient cell cycle arrest to establish stable episome Hel.a cells and murine haematopoietic stem cells. However, further experiments are required either to optimise the protocol in these cells or to find other clinically relevant cell types in which the protocol can be implemented. The transfer of this technology to a variety of clinically relevant human stem or progenitor cell populations could improve the safety profile of a range of gene therapy strategies currently under investigation. 3EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Reactions Toward Mental, Physical, and Substance‐Abuse Disorders

In this study, participants read 3 separate vignettes describing a hypothetical sibling with each of the following disorders: substance abuse, schizophrenia, and a physical illness. As hypothesized, and consistent with attribution theory, the hypothetical patient with a substance‐abuse disorder was perceived as having the most control over his or her illness and the associated symptoms, and the patient described as having a physical illness was perceived as having the least control over his or her illness. Also in support of attribution theory, the hypothetical patient described as having a substance‐abuse disorder elicited the most negative emotional reactions from participants, and the patient described as having a physical illness elicited the least negative emotional reactions. Again in support of attribution theory and study hypotheses, participants reported the most willingness to help a physically ill hypothetical sibling

Case Study of Optimal Byproduct Gas Distribution in Integrated Steel Mill Using Multi-Period Optimization

Energy constitutes about 20 % of the total production cost in an integrated steel mill, and therefore energy efficiency is crucial for profitability within the environmental policy context. An integrated steel mill generates high calorific value byproduct gases at varying rates. The differences between gas generation and consumption rates are compensated with gas holders. However, under certain circumstances the imbalances can lead to the flaring of excessive gas or require the purchase of supplementary fuel. This presentation describes a steel mill energy management system with sophisticated monitoring, planning, and optimization tools. It models the complex energy interconnections between various processes of the mill and determines the optimal trade-off between gas holder level control, flare minimization, and optimization of electricity purchase versus internal power generation. The system reduces energy cost, improves energy efficiency, manages carbon footprint, and provides environmental reporting features