Modelling flexible manufacturing systems through discrete event simulation

As customisation and product diversification are becoming standard, industry is looking for strategies to become more adaptable in responding to customer’s needs. Flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) provide a unique capability where there is a need to provide efficiency through production flexibility. Full potential of FMS development is difficult to achieve due to the variability of components within this complex manufacturing system. It has been recognised that there is a requirement for decision support tools to address different aspects of FMS development. Discrete event simulation (DES) is the most common tool used in manufacturing sector for solving complex problems. Through systematic literature review, the need for a conceptual framework for decision support in FMS using DES has been identified. Within this thesis, the conceptual framework (CF) for decision support for FMS using DES has been proposed. The CF is designed based on decision-making areas identified for FMS development in literature and through industry stakeholder feedback: set-up, flexibility and schedule configuration. The CF has been validated through four industrial simulation case studies developed as a part of implementation of a new FMS plant in automotive sector. The research focuses on: (1) a method for primary data collection for simulation validated through a case study of material handling robot behaviour in FMS; (2) an approach for evaluation of optimal production set-up for industrial FMS with DES; (3) a DES based approach for testing FMS flexibility levels; (4) an approach for testing scheduling in FMS with the use of DES. The study has supported the development of systematic approach for decision making in FMS development using DES. The approach provided tools for evidence based decision making in FMS

Capturing composites manufacturing waste flows through process mapping

The necessity of high performance materials has become latent in high technology sectors such as aerospace, automotive, renewable energy, nuclear engineering and sports. The expanding impact on future manufacturing of the EU waste management legislation and increasing price of current waste management methods stress the importance of an efficient and sustainable way of recycling waste generated in the composites industry. Aerospace companies estimated that 30e50% of materials in aircraft production are scrapped due to the way it is manufactured. Companies need to pay for landfilling the composite materials that otherwise can be a valuable resource. In a view that looking at individual production waste outputs could maximise the material reuse or recycling capability, gaining information about the type of scrap materials could inform the development of composite reuse/recycling supply chain. This research paper focuses on understanding the scale of scrap created in individual composites manufacturing processes to assess its potential value in terms of reuse/recycle capabilities. A Material flow analysis based data collection workshop has been performed with four composite manufacturers. Through the case studies it has been identified that there are three fibre related waste outputs captured: dry fibres, fibre material sheet off-cuts, and curried composite off-cuts. The captured information allows for the material specification development. This allows bridging the gap between the manufacturers and the waste processors in composites to address the lack of infrastructure and lack of waste material specification barriers outlined by the Composites Strategy 2009

IRT Measurement Models for Conjoint Analysis

Conjoint analysis and discrete choice models are widely accepted methods for preference measurement in marketing research. However, in all of these methods, the measurement of overall consumer preferences is based on binary, nominal or ordinal scales without implying any measurement model of these overall preferences. The aim of the paper is to propose Item Response Theory (IRT) latent variable models of overall preference measurement model for conjoint analysis. The model–based overall preference index (as a factor or ability scores) may be introduced into traditional conjoint analysis, instead of ordinal or choice-based preferences measured on weak scales without evidence of measure reliability. Two classes of models, Rasch-conjoint and nominal response-conjoint models, are developed and compared in the paper. The advantage of model-based preferences is to control for error of measurement and reliability (via standard error of measurement and test information function) of preference measurement model and the size of potential distortions related to preference scale unreliability and part-worth parameters bias. The comparative analysis based on the banking products described with 5 binary attributes was done on the sample of 542 respondents from 172 households in the southern part of Poland

Koncepcja „Społeczeństwa wychowującego” i ciągłej edukacji w realiach współczesnej szkoły = The idea of upbringing society and permanent education in modern school

Rogozińska Arleta Magdalena, Karwowska Małgorzata, Rybicka Justyna, Klimczyk Mariusz. Koncepcja „Społeczeństwa wychowującego” i ciągłej edukacji w realiach współczesnej szkoły = The idea of upbringing society and permanent education in modern school. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2015;5(8):337-342. ISSN 2391-8306. DOI 10.5281/zenodo.29066http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.29066http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/2015%3B5%288%29%3A337-342https://pbn.nauka.gov.pl/works/611806POL-index https://pbn.nauka.gov.pl/polindex/browse/article/article-b5767c3d-a1f7-4d35-9a07-54606e4aa94fFormerly Journal of Health Sciences. ISSN 1429-9623 / 2300-665X. Archives 2011–2014 http://journal.rsw.edu.pl/index.php/JHS/issue/archive Deklaracja.Specyfika i zawartość merytoryczna czasopisma nie ulega zmianie.Zgodnie z informacją MNiSW z dnia 2 czerwca 2014 r., że w roku 2014 nie będzie przeprowadzana ocena czasopism naukowych; czasopismo o zmienionym tytule otrzymuje tyle samo punktów co na wykazie czasopism naukowych z dnia 31 grudnia 2014 r.The journal has had 5 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland parametric evaluation. Part B item 1089. (31.12.2014).© The Author (s) 2015;This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland and Radom University in Radom, PolandOpen Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercialuse, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper.Received: 15.07.2015. Revised 21.08.2015. Accepted: 23.08.2015. Koncepcja „Społeczeństwa wychowującego” i ciągłej edukacji w realiach współczesnej szkołyThe idea of upbringing society and permanent education in modern school Arleta Magdalena Rogozińska, Małgorzata Karwowska, Justyna Rybicka, Mariusz  Klimczyk Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Streszczenie W artykule poruszono problem kształcenia ustawicznego osób dorosłych. Dokonano próby analizy porównawczej w zakresie edukacji dorosłych w celu podniesienia wykształcenia i kwalifikacji zawodowych i kształcenia ustawicznego nauczycieli. Dostrzeżono potrzebę doskonalenia warsztatu nauczyciela w szybko zmieniającym się świecie, w którym człowiek musi zmienić dotychczasowe myślenie o sobie i zbudować w  sobie pokłady motywacji do ciągłej pracy nad sobą, aby być.Słowa kluczowe: społeczeństwo wychowujące, edukacja ustawiczna. Abstract The article addresses the issue of lifelong learning for adults. An attempt was made a comparative analysis of adult education in order to improve educational and professional qualifications and continuing education of teachers. Workshop recognized the need to improve teacher in a rapidly changing world in which man must change the existing way of thinking about ourselves and build decks motivation in itself to continuing work on each other to be.Keywords: politics parents, lifelong learning

Technology readiness level assessment of composites recycling technologies

Composite materials made of glass and carbon fibres have revolutionised many industries. Demand for composites is experiencing rapid growth and global demand is expected to double. As demand for composites grows it is clear that waste management will become an important issue for businesses. Technically composite materials evoke difficult recycling challenges due to the heterogeneity of their composition. As current waste management practices in composites are dominated by landfilling, governments and businesses themselves foresee that this will need to change in the future. The recycling of composites will play a vital role in the future especially for the aerospace, automotive, construction and marine sectors. These industries will require different recycling options for their products based on compliance with current legislation, the business model as well as cost effectiveness. In order to be able to evaluate waste management strategies for composites, a review of recycling technologies has been conducted based on technology readiness levels and waste management hierarchy. This paper analyses 56 research projects to identify growing trends in composite recycling technologies with pyrolysis, solvolysis and mechanical grinding as the most prominent technologies. These recycling technologies attained high scores on the waste management hierarchy (either recycling or reuse applications) suggesting potential development as future viable alternatives to composite landfilling. The research concluded that recycling as a waste management strategy is most popular exploration area. It was found mechanical grinding to be most mature for glass fibre applications while pyrolysis has been most mature in the context of carbon fibre. The paper also highlights the need to understand the use of reclaimed material as important assessment element of recycling efforts. This paper contributes to the widening and systematising knowledge on maturity and understanding composites recycling technologies

Atrial tachycardia ablation in patients with a functional single ventricle after the Fontan surgery

Wstęp: Częstoskurcze przedsionkowe (AT) są jedną z wiodących przyczyn chorobowości i śmiertelności u pacjentów po operacji Fontana, a skuteczność terapii lekami antyarytmicznymi w tej grupie chorych jest z reguły ograniczona. Cel: Celem pracy była ocena wyników bezpośrednich i odległych ablacji AT u pacjentów po operacji Fontana oraz ocena charakterystyki klinicznej, elektrofizjologicznej i elektroanatomicznej arytmii. Metody: Retrospektywną analizą objęto dane 8 pacjentów (5 mężczyzn, 3 kobiety) po operacji Fontana kierowanych na ablację w latach 2002–2013 z powodu AT. Istotność kliniczną i nasilenie arytmii przed i po ablacji oceniono za pomocą zmodyfikowanego wskaźnika arytmicznego. Jest on sumą czterech składowych wartościujących, takich jak: 1) maksymalny czas trwania arytmii, 2) objawy związane z arytmią, 3) metody przerywania arytmii, 4) terapia antyarytmiczna konieczna do zapobiegania napadom. Wskaźnik ten przyjmuje wartości od 0 (bez istotnej arytmii) do 12 punktów (ciężka arytmia). U wszystkich pacjentów zabiegi ablacji wykonywano z zastosowaniem systemu CARTO, co pozwoliło na półilościową ocenę wielkości obszarów niskoamplitudowych (< 0,5 mV) i blizn w obrębie przedsionka. Wyniki: U 7 chorych obecne było połączenie prawy przedsionek–tętnica płucna, a u 1 chorego — tunel zewnątrzsercowy. Średni wiek pacjentów w trakcie wykonania operacji Fontana wynosił 9,4 ± 3,1 roku, a w trakcie wykonywania pierwszej ablacji — 26,2 ± 4,6 roku. W badanej grupie wykonano łącznie 18 ablacji bez istotnych powikłań, 1–4 ablacje/chorego; mediana 2,5. U pacjentów, u których przeprowadzono więcej niż 1 ablację, odstęp czasu między pierwszym a ostatnim zabiegiem wynosił średnio 34,8 miesiąca (zakres 1–64 miesiące). W trakcie zabiegów u poszczególnych pacjentów obserwowano od 1 do ponad 4 różnych morfologii częstoskurczów (mediana 2,5). Średni cykl AT wynosił 334 ± 95 ms. U 6 pacjentów obszary istotnego uszkodzenia z amplitudą < 0,5 mV zajmowały 25–50% powierzchni prawego przedsionka, a u dwóch kolejnych osób, odpowiednio, 10–25% i < 10% jego powierzchni. Siedem ablacji było w pełni skuteczne (usunięto wszystkie AT — kliniczne i wywołane stymulacją), kolejne 7 ablacji było częściowo skuteczne (nie usunięto wszystkich arytmii, ale usunięto kliniczny AT), a 4 ablacje były nieskuteczne (nie usunięto klinicznego AT). Średnie czasy zabiegu, skopii rentgenowskiej i dostarczania energii o częstotliwości radiowej wynosiły odpowiednio: 176 ± 54,6; 13,7 ± 5,7 i 21,7 ± 11,9 minut. W obserwacji odległej, średnio 58,6 ± 46 (zakres 11–127) miesięcy po ostatniej ablacji, u 4 pacjentów nie stwierdzono arytmii. Mediana wskaźnika arytmicznego przed pierwszą ablacją wynosiła 8 punktów, a po ostatniej ablacji — 4,5 punktu (p < 0.05). Wnioski: Ablacja AT u pacjentów po operacji Fontana jest zabiegiem bezpiecznym, ale jej skuteczność bezpośrednia i odległa jest ograniczona. Wynika to z rozległego i złożonego substratu oraz trudnych warunków anatomicznych. Uzyskanie dobrych efektów może wymagać wykonania więcej niż jednej ablacji. Opanowanie arytmii przyczynia się do poprawy stanu klinicznego pacjentów.Background: Atrial tachyarrhythmias are a leading source of morbidity and mortality after Fontan-type procedures and antiarrhythmic drug therapy is often ineffective in these patients. Aim: To evaluate short- and long-term outcomes of radiofrequency current ablation for atrial tachycardia (AT) in patients after the Fontan procedure, and to report clinical, electrophysiological and electroanatomical characteristics of these arrhythmias. Methods: We retrospectively analysed data obtained in 8 patients (5 males, 3 females) after the Fontan procedure who underwent ablation for AT between 2002 and 2013. In order to compare the clinical impact of arrhythmia before and after ablation, we used the modified arrhythmia score, ranging from 0 (no arrhythmia activity) to 12 (very severe arrhythmia). In all patients, electroanatomical mapping using the CARTO system was performed, allowing semiquantification of low-voltage (< 0.5 mV) areas and scars. Results: Seven patients had an atriopulmonary connection and 1 patient had an extracardiac conduit. The mean patient age was 9.4 ± 3.1 years at the time of the Fontan procedure and 26.2 ± 4.6 years at the time of the first ablation. A total of 18 ablations were performed with no complications, 1 to 4 (median 2.5) procedures per patient. In patients who had more than 1 ablation, the mean time from the first to the last procedure was 34.8 months (range 1–64 months). In individual patients, 1 to 4 (median 2.5) different ATs were observed, with the mean tachycardia cycle length of 334 ± 95 ms. In 6 patients, low-voltage area (< 0.5 mV) comprised 25–50% of the right atrium, and in two others it comprised 10–25% and < 10% of the right atrium, respectively. Seven procedures were fully successful (ablation of all ATs), 7 were partially successful (ablation of only some AT, including clinical arrhythmia, but not of all ATs) and 4 were unsuccessful (failed ablation of clinical AT). The mean procedural, fluoroscopy and ablation times were 176 ± 54.6, 13.7 ± 5.7 and 21.7 ± 11.9 min, respectively. Freedom from arrhythmia during the mean follow-up of 58.6 ± 46 months (range 11–127 months) since the last procedure was obtained in 4 patients. The median arrhythmia score after the last ablation was significantly reduced compared to baseline (4.5 vs. 8; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Catheter ablation of AT in patients after the Fontan procedure is safe but its acute and long-term efficacy is limited. Due to complex and extensive substrate, along with complex anatomy, recurrences are frequent and patients may require repeat ablation procedures. Suppression of arrhythmia is associated with an improved clinical status of the patients

Possible Co-fermentation of Water and Sewage Sludge

The article describes problems related to intensification of energy production at a wastewater treatment plant. The authors analyzed anaerobic co-digestion of sludge from both water treatment plant and sewage treatment plant. Water sludge is produced during coagulation, ozonation and backwashing of rapid anthracite filters. Its characteristic and properties depend on a raw water quality, treatment methods as well as types of chemicals used and their doses. According to the Polish Act of 4 December 2012 (Journal of Laws from 2013, item 21) the water sludge should be treated as hazardous waste. An alternative way to dispose water sludge and reduce its volume may be sludge reuse. The authors suggested a research methodology and analyzed the preliminary results, which showed that co-digestion of sewage and water sludge enhanced biogas production. The authors assume that the results of the study will provide a basis for development of methodology for sludge control and disposal