METHOD FOR PRODUCING FLUORINATED DAMOND-LIKE CARBON FILMS

Fluorinated, diamond-like carbon (F-DLC) films are produced by a pulsed, glow-discharge plasma immersion ion processing procedure. The pulsed, glow-discharge plasma was generated at a pressure of 1 Pa from an acetylene (CH) and hexafluoroethane (CF) gas mixture, and the fluorinated, diamond-like carbon films were deposited on silicon \u3c100\u3eSubstrates. The film hardness and wear resistance were found to be strongly dependent on the fluorine content incorporated into the coatings. The hardness of the F-DLC films was found to decrease considerably when the fluorine content in the coatings reached about 20%. The contact angle of water on the F-DLC coatings was found to increase with increasing film fluorine content and to Saturate at a level characteristic of polytetrafluoroethylene

New Industrial Sustainable Growth: 3D and 4D Printing

The commercial or industrial applications of 3D printing or additive manufacturing are continuously increasing in diverse areas mainly in rapid prototyping. 3D printing has become part of a novel industrial growth area where simplification of assembly, waste minimization, and mass customization are important, such as aerospace, orthopedic and medical research, defense, and jewelry. There has been continuous growth or improvement in additive manufacturing, which includes the type of materials used, metamaterials, and advancements in the printers or the software. 3D printing has explored the areas where materials have been manufactured which are several times lightweight, high strength compared to traditional parts, and also resulted in a reduction in CO2 emissions. Biodegradability and sustainability are the major concern for any industry. The price of conventional thermoplastic filaments is one of the main sources of revenue and profitability for the industry. In addition to its relatively high price, some of the concerns in its wide use are the moisture resistance and VOC emissions, including iso-butanol and methyl-methacrylate (MMA) during 3D printing. These emissions cause voids in the structure which compromises the mechanical strength of the 3D-printed objects. Additives have been added with thermoplastics, such as diatoms and biodegradable materials, such as ceramics, biomaterials, graphene, carbon fibers, binders for metals, sand, and plaster to reduce the cost and VOC emissions. The cost of these additives is relatively less than the thermoplastic filaments. There has been tremendous innovative growth in the field of additive manufacturing, including solutions such as 3D-printed houses and titanium drones. The addition of additives opens the new potential applications in new arising technology, especially in robotics like behavior, mechanisms respond to user demands which are known as 4D printing where new dimension has been added to 3D printing. It is a process where a 3D-printed object transforms itself into another structure over the influence of external energy input, such as temperature, light, or other environmental stimuli. 4D printing is simply referred to as 3D printing transforming over time. 4D printing is an all-new emerging area in the field of additive manufacturing which has diverse applications in biomedical, defense, robotics, etc

How COVID-19 Redefines the Concept of Sustainability

In January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of a new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, to be a public health emergency of international concern. Currently, in several countries globally, this pandemic continues to enforce the temporary closure of all nonessential shops and services aside from supermarkets and pharmacies. Workers in countries that are at a high risk of infection have been asked to work from home, as cities have been placed under lockdown. Even curfews to combat the spread of the virus have been imposed in several countries, with all this signaling an unprecedented disruption of commerce. Companies are facing various challenges regarding health and safety, supply chain, labor force, cash flow, consumer demand and marketing. People in the thousands are dying every day from the virus’s symptoms, while a public health issue has forced the world to come to a halt and rethink what a sustainable future for our planet and existence is. These drastic recent events have raised the deliberation by the authors to redefine the concept of sustainability

METHOD FOR PRODUCING FLUORINATED DAMOND-LIKE CARBON FILMS

Fluorinated, diamond-like carbon (F-DLC) films are produced by a pulsed, glow-discharge plasma immersion ion processing procedure. The pulsed, glow-discharge plasma was generated at a pressure of 1 Pa from an acetylene (CH) and hexafluoroethane (CF) gas mixture, and the fluorinated, diamond-like carbon films were deposited on silicon \u3c100\u3eSubstrates. The film hardness and wear resistance were found to be strongly dependent on the fluorine content incorporated into the coatings. The hardness of the F-DLC films was found to decrease considerably when the fluorine content in the coatings reached about 20%. The contact angle of water on the F-DLC coatings was found to increase with increasing film fluorine content and to Saturate at a level characteristic of polytetrafluoroethylene

Sustainability Benefits of RFID Technology in the Apparel Industry

Digitalization and big data are currently moving many industries forward and creating value-added efficiency improvements, new services, and business models. One area in industrial digitalization is RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and related sensor technologies with benefits in asset visibility, employee productivity, risk management, loss, and theft mitigation. This literature review article is focused on specifically looking at digitalization in the apparel industry. Due to its complex global network, it has been a challenging industry to implement such technological advancements. Recent novel RFID system integrations have included highly innovative solutions in new store concepts, business models, and product traceability in the value chain. Inventory management has been improved by using RFID technology for creating and updating and for more efficient controls. Also, chain of custody of the various products in apparel and fashion can be more traceable and efficient. Improved customer connectivity and, therefore, customization are also important benefits using these technologies. Most benefits in using RFID in the apparel industry are related to economics and efficiencies. Similarly looking at scientific literature, the majority is focused on the more business-related value creation. In this publication, results of a systematically made literature review focusing on the three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, social, and economic systems) is reported. This review is done using value chain analyses, and it focuses on reported case studies to highlight the sustainability benefits of the RFID technology. According to the literature findings, this is the first review article that reports on the broader sustainability impact of RFID in the apparel industry. The findings show a very limited number of articles and the main focus of the articles found was in environmental aspects (44%). Following that was economic benefits (36%), and only a limited amount of research articles was found in social aspects of sustainability (20%). In addition to identifying the sustainability areas that RFID technology is related to, this article shows other areas of improvements using RFID technology in different parts of the apparel value chain

Timing and duration of social assistance receipt during childhood on early adult outcomes

The experience of economic disadvantage during childhood is a major predictor of a variety of negative outcomes during early adulthood. This study provides evidence on the significance of timing of social assistance receipt during childhood on children’s later adjustment problems. The study uses data from the 1987 Finnish Birth Cohort (FBC), which covered all children born in Finland in 1987 (N=59476) and followed them until the age of 25. The data were gathered from Finnish registers that cover health and sociodemographic data for cohort members and their parents. Altogether 11,062 female (38.1%) and 11,537 male (37.9%) cohort members had parents who had received social assistance. Social assistance receipt during childhood increased the risk for all measured adjustment problems: early school leaving (OR 2.37), conviction (OR 1.87), teenage pregnancy (OR 1.89) and mental disorders (OR 1.68) even when adjusting for several social background variables. Economic disadvantage during early childhood (0–2 years) was found to associate with highest risk; all measured adjustment problems compared to exposure to poverty later in childhood. The study concludes that early childhood is a period in which children acquire cognitive and social competencies that form the basis for future wellbeing. Our analysis, based on a total nation-wide birth cohort, indicates that economic disadvantage in early childhood poses the most significant risk for later adjustment problems

The importance of diversity on boards of directors’ effectiveness and its impact on innovativeness in the bioeconomy

Abstract A company’s board of directors plays a critical role in making decisions relating to strategy, high-level structure, and the appointment of the CEO. The role of the board and its impact on corporate performance has been well studied; however, the diversity of the board of directors and the corresponding correlation to the level of corporate innovativeness has not been previously investigated. Here, we provide a critical analysis of board members’ diversity as it relates to innovative corporations in what is considered a mature industry in transition to a bioeconomy: the pulp and paper industry. Our findings contribute to the body of knowledge on the role of board member diversity in shaping company culture and how that drives, shapes, and sustains innovation