Cleaner production technology for the NDT industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Relunia, Estrella D.; Mateo, Alejandro J.

2001-01-01

This paper discusses te wastes generated from the conduct of nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques and operations like NDT film processing and the systems to reduce water pollution and the film system quality control. Discussions on clean technology production concepts and philosophy is also discussed. A case study on cleaner production technology where a process and equipment modifications and a product substitution were implemented is presented. The equipment modification and product substitution eliminated the use of 1,1,1-trichloroethane in its cleaning operation. (Author)

Mitigation effects of radon decay products by air cleaner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kazuki Iwaoka; Tetsuo Ishikawa; Hidenori Yonehara; Shinji Tokonami

2013-01-01

One of the most effective methods for reducing exposure is the use of air cleaners. In this study, a dose mitigation of a commonly-used Japanese air cleaner under conditions in which aerosols are continuously supplied was investigated. Although the values of the EERC during an operation of air cleaner decreased, values of the f p increased with the use of air cleaner. An effective dose was calculated on the basis of our experimental results, resulting in the dose mitigation of about 40 % by the air cleaner. Air cleaners can be regarded as an effective tool for the dose mitigation under with conditions in which aerosols are continuously supplied. (author)

Sustainability and cleaner production: a study on the implications competitive advantage in business

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaqueline Guimarães Santos

2015-08-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses the relationship between the adoption of environmental management system in the business and the competitive advantages that can result from this process. Therefore, the effects are discussed the emergence of a model of sustainable development and the role and opportunities of the company that perspective. Being theoretical, the aim of this paper is to discuss the potential contributions that the implementation of cleaner production technology can offer to the enterprise competitive strategy. To elucidate these relationships are discussed concepts relating to the introduction of an environmental management system, which emphasized the use of environmental measures, specifically the inherent Cleaner Production that aim to reduce the environmental impacts of industrial production, eliminating waste and reducing costs. Moreover, the concept of competitive advantage is crafted light of assumptions Porter on profitability from cost reduction and product differentiation. The findings indicate that the introduction of the Cleaner Production to reduce costs and add value to the image of the product, is an instrument of competitiveness that allows the company to differentiate and gain competitive advantage.

Cleaner production for solid waste management in leather industry ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Cleaner production for solid waste management in leather industry. ... From the processes, wastes are generated which include wastewater effluents, solid wastes, and hazardous wastes. In developing countries including Ethiopia, many ... The solid waste inventory of the factory has been carried out. The major problems ...

7 CFR 2902.34 - Carpet and upholstery cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... procurement applies are: (i) General purpose cleaners. Carpet and upholstery cleaners formulated for use in... PROCUREMENT Designated Items § 2902.34 Carpet and upholstery cleaners. (a) Definition. (1) Cleaning products... upholstery cleaners shall be based on the amount of qualifying biobased carbon in the product as a percent of...

Third quarterly report and final report within the counterpart subcontract no. 97/219: Support to the National Cleaner Production Centre, Tanzania

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

1999-01-01

The report analyses barriers and incentivres to cleaner production in Tanznaia based on experiences in three demonstration projects with around 25 companies.An outline for a policy study on cleaner production in Tanzania and for the strengthening of cleaner production in Tanzania is given....

Back to Office Report. Mission no.1 to Tanzania as counterpart institution to Cleaner Production Centre of Tanzania

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

1996-01-01

A presentation of some important actors and institutions in the capacity building within cleaner production in Tanzania......A presentation of some important actors and institutions in the capacity building within cleaner production in Tanzania...

7 CFR 2902.49 - Industrial cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Industrial cleaners. 2902.49 Section 2902.49... Items § 2902.49 Industrial cleaners. (a) Definition. Products used to remove contaminants, such as..., floors, walls, and other production-related work areas. The cleaning products within this item are...

Workshop on Indian Chemical Industry: perspectives on safety, cleaner production and environment production

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ham, J.M.

1996-01-01

A Workshop on "Indian Chemical Industry: Perspectives on Safety, Cleaner Production and Environmental Protection" was held on 3, 4 and 5 January 1996, in Bombay, India. The main objective of the workshop, which was organised jointly by the Government of India, UNIDO/UNDP and the Indian Chemical

Cleaner production analysis in a company of the red ceramic segment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dayanna dos Santos Costa Maciel

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The present study had as objective to analyze the productive process of a red ceramic segment industry in relation to the Cleaner Production (CP, based on the theoretical model proposed by National Center of Clean Technologies (CTNL, 2003b. As for the methodology, is classified as exploratory and descriptive, using the case study method. For this purpose, data was collected primary and secondary, the primers were obtained through semi-structured interviews with the owner and manager of production and a questionnaire administered to the owner. As for the secondary data, they were obtained through the company's environmental license, reports, documents, audits, standards and web searches, among others. As results were found in a waste around 10% of manufactured products (bricks, tiles and blocks;  Emission of pollutants such as ash and gases (CO2; High consumption of natural resources such as clay, water, electricity and firewood. This situation is being modified in the function of actions which are taken to obtain a cleaner production.

Evaluation of cleaner production options in dyeing and printing industry: Using combination weighting method

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Hong; Zhang, Yun; Hou, Haochen; Sun, Xiaoyang; Qin, Chenglu

2018-03-01

The textile industry has a high environmental impact so that implementing cleaner production audit is an effective way to achieve energy conservation and emissions reduction. But the evaluation method in current cleaner production audit divided the evaluation of CPOs into two parts: environment and economy. The evaluation index system was constructed from three criteria of environment benefits, economy benefits and product performance; weights of five indicators were determined by combination weights of entropy method and factor weight sorting method. Then efficiencies were evaluated comprehensively. The results showed that the best alkali recovery option was the nanofiltration membrane method (S=0.80).

Implementing Cleaner Technologies as a means of minimising waste production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wenzel, Henrik

2002-01-01

This article gives an overview of how Cleaner Production methods may contribute to minimising waste formation as well as showing energy and resource savings. It introduces the tools and procedures used when working in this field. It also illustrates the theoretical approach by using examples from...

Sustainability in pelletizing iron ore through the Industrial Ecology and Cleaner Production Program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristiano Farias Coelho

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This study aims to analyze the practices of a pelletizing iron ore industry with respect to adoption of pollution prevention measures, suggested by applying the concepts of Cleaner Production and Material Flow Analysis. The technical procedure adopted was the case study, the data collection was done through direct observation, with field research and literature review. The main results were obtained from analysis of company reports available to the public, but require a more detailed quantification of data. The study concludes that the identification of environmental opportunities is possible through the proposed implementation of Cleaner Production program, which provides better results when combined with the precepts of the industrial ecology tool, the Material Flow Analysis.

Cleaner production at pharmaceutical industry: first steps assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edilaine Conceição Rezende

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The Cleaner Production (CP is an environmental management system effective to comply the environmental obligations and promote sustainable development of enterprises. In this study, the implementing possibilities of CP practices were evaluated to pharmaceutical industry, through prior identification procedures for Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Practices. The study was conducted in a scientific and health care institution, which produces pharmaceutical drugs and makes assistance for public health. The production process was evaluated and made a survey of the main points of waste and sewage generations in each stage, in order to diagnose the measures of CP established and propose new actions. Thus, by using this tool, it was possible to demonstrate the reduction of environmental impacts associated with pharmaceutical production. The Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Practices also contributed to the implementation of measures CP, preserving the final product quality, and generating environmental and economic benefits.

7 CFR 2902.48 - General purpose household cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 15 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false General purpose household cleaners. 2902.48 Section... PROCUREMENT Designated Items § 2902.48 General purpose household cleaners. (a) Definition. Products designed... procurement preference for qualifying biobased general purpose household cleaners. By that date, Federal...

Incorporation of occupational health and safety in cleaner production projects in South Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hedlund, Frank Huess

2002-01-01

The purpose of this research is to reveal ways in which occupational health and safety can be integrated in environmental cleaner production projects. Of particular interest are those cleaner production projects that are run by the Danish government's environmental assistance agency, Danced......, in South Africa.The study explores two main avenues of integration. First, integrating through better planning, focussing at the tools and procedures in use by Danced for project management -- integrating occupational health and safety into the project specification, so to speak.Second, integrating...... occupational health and safety into the environmental activities that take place at company level. Two ways of doing so are explored, the main distinction being company size. For large companies, integration of management systems may be attractive. For small companies, integration into a less formal network...

Application of cleaner production tools and failure modes and effects analysis in pig slaughterhourses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. M. Fonseca

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Cleaner production programs (CP and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA are tools used to improve the sustainability of industries, ensuring greater profitability, quality, reliability and safety of their products and services. The meat industry is among the most polluting industries because of the large amounts of organic waste produced during meat processing. The objective of this study was to combine the CP and FMEA tools and to apply them in a pig slaughterhouse in order to detect critical points along the production chain that have a major environmental impact and to establish corrective and preventive actions that could minimize these problems. The results showed that water is the most consumed resource by the industry and also the main producer of waste due to microbiological contamination with animal feces and blood and meat residues. All impacts were found to be real due to their daily occurrence in the industry. Their severity, occurrence, detection and coverage were classified as moderate and high, high, low and moderate, and moderate and high, respectively. The application of the CP and FMEA tools was efficient in identifying and evaluating the environmental impacts caused by the slaughter and processing of pork carcasses. Liquid slaughter effluents and solid wastes (blood and bones are the factors that pose the greatest risks to the environment. The substitution of treatment plant chemicals with decomposing microorganisms, composting, and the production of animal meal and feed from solid waste are appropriate measures the industry could adopt to minimize the contamination of water resources and soil.

Materials Compatibility Testing in RSRM ODC: Free Cleaner Selection

Science.gov (United States)

Keen, Jill M.; Sagers, Neil W.; McCool, Alex (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Government regulations have mandated production phase-outs of a number of solvents, including 1,1,1-trichloroethane, an ozone-depleting chemical (ODC). This solvent was used extensively in the production of the Reusable Solid Rocket Motors (RSRMs) for the Space Shuttle. Many tests have been performed to identify replacement cleaners. One major area of concern in the selection of a new cleaner has been compatibility. Some specific areas considered included cleaner compatibility with non-metallic surfaces, painted surfaces, support materials such as gloves and wipers as well as corrosive properties of the cleaners on the alloys used on these motors. The intent of this paper is to summarize the test logic, methodology, and results acquired from testing the many cleaner and material combinations.

Cleaner Technology in Denmark - support measures and regulatory efforts

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Ulrik

2005-01-01

Danish cleaner technology support policies have been successful in fostering innovations that reduce the invironmental impact of products and production. But the lack of enforcement support for cleaner technology in environmental permits has limited the overall impact....

Fatal accidental inhalation of brake cleaner aerosols.

Science.gov (United States)

Veit, F; Martz, W; Birngruber, C G; Dettmeyer, R B

2018-04-23

Brake cleaner liquid is commonly used for cleaning of engines and motor parts. The commercially available products usually contain mainly volatile organic compounds. As a consequence brake cleaner evaporates fast and almost completely from the cleaned surface. This case report presents a fatal accidental inhalation of brake cleaner liquid aerosols due to the attempted cleaning of a boat engine. A 16year old boy was found lifeless in the engine compartment of a boat engine. In close proximity to the body, the police found cleanings wipes soaked with brake cleaner as well as a pump spray bottle filled with brake cleaner. Essentially the autopsy revealed a cerebral oedema with encephalomalacia, no coagulated blood as well as increased blood and tissue fluid content of the lung. Toxicological analysis revealed brake cleaner fluid in the lung, gastric content and heart blood. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electronic air cleaners and the indoor environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krafthefer, B.

1986-01-01

The growing awareness over the quality of air in the indoor environment is driving the search for effective control methods for the contaminants of concern. Electronic air cleaners can control such pollutants as dust, pollen, tobacco smoke, radon decay products, and other particulates. This paper presents an examination of the various types of electronic air cleaners and their effects on indoor pollutants. It also examines the mechanism for contaminant removal, the relationship of the efficiency to the characteristics of the contaminant, and what type of contaminants can be controlled with the electronic air cleaner, with particular emphasis placed on the removal of radon decay products. From a study on radon product removal in residences, the electronic air cleaner was found to have an efficiency of up to 70%. Not only was there a reduction in the residential working level, but the fluctuations in the working level were also reduced. With this information, they can better understand how to solve the air treatment problem of the inhabited space. 17 references, 8 figures

Analysis of the potentiality for implementing of the cleaner production and adopting a sustainable consumption in the Cuban entrepreneurial system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tortosa Ferrer, Barbara Ivette; Orue Valdes, Sonia; Mena Ulecia, Karel

2007-01-01

The world economic development has conduced to increase the worsening of the environment as result of the natural resources pollution. The tendency has been toward the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, to increasing of the goods and services production, as well as, to elevated consumption. In this sense, many countries have planed environmental policies addressed to reducing of pollution introducing cleaner production practices and promoting the adoption of responsible consumption. This article shows the existing potentiality in a selected Cuban companies group for introducing and applying of the cleaner production, as well as, the adoption of a sustainable consumption start from analysis of the obtained results in short-term assessments (quick scans) carried out by the Cuban Environment Agency Focal Point of the National Cleaner Production Network in the period between 2004 and 2007

[Effectiveness and limits of the cleaners steam in hospitals].

Science.gov (United States)

Meunier, O; Meistermann, C; Schwebel, A

2009-05-01

We assessed bactericidal activity of the cleaners steam used for the bio-cleaning of the hospital surfaces. We performed of samples (Rodac) before and after use of cleaner steam and compared with bactericidal effect of disinfecting detergent used in hospital for surfaces. We studied this effectiveness for different time of steam contact. Finally, we wanted to prove, by air sampling, that aero-bio-contamination was possible generated by using cleaners steam. We show that bactericidal effect of the cleaner steam is superior of some tested disinfecting detergent, for the treatment of one square meter till 2 min. This effectiveness diminishes to be just identical in that some disinfecting detergent when use of the cleaner steam is up to two or four square meters surfaces till 2 min. On the other hand, the cleaner steam is less efficient in terms of bacterial destruction when the time of contact steam-soil is superior in 2 min for six square meter surface. The air bacterial pollution, generated by the use of the cleaner steam, is restricted and not significantly augmented if measured in 44 cm above the soil in the course of cleaning. The cleaner steam is indeed a very good equipment for the cleaning of surfaces but it is necessary to respect a time of minimal contact of 2 min for four square meters surfaces treaties to acquire an antibacterial effect at least so important as that acquired with used disinfecting detergent. The disinfection of surfaces is then user-dependent and the time of requested contact is can be not compatible with hospital obligations.

Water resources protection today: end-of-pipe technology and cleaner production. Case study of the Czech Odra River watershed.

Science.gov (United States)

Chour, V

2001-01-01

This paper reports on integrated watershed-based protection and sustainable use of water resources to increase the effectiveness of water pollution abatement. The approach includes improvements in end-of-pipe waste-water treatment technologies and implementation of Cleaner Production (CP) principles and policies within the watershed. An example of the general effectiveness of this approach is illustrated by the Czech Odra River Cleaner Production Project where reductions in pollution were achieved with improved industrial production. The CP theme is worth considering as an important challenge for the IWA.

Field evaluation and health assessment of air cleaners in removing radon decay products in domestic environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Chih-Shan.

1990-01-01

In this study, field evaluations of two types of air cleaners were conducted in three single-family houses. The measurements included radon concentration, particle number concentration, and concentration and size distribution of radon decay products. The influence on the behavior of radon decay products by various indoor particles both with and without the air cleaning systems was investigated. A room model was used to calculate the changes in the aerosol parameters caused by the operation of the air cleaners. Using the James dosimetric models (1989 and 1990), the changes in the hourly bronchial dose rate per Bq m -3 radon for men, women, and children can be estimated for various domestic environments. 94 refs., 60 figs., 28 tabs

Effects of 12 months aerobic exercise intervention on work ability, need for recovery, productivity and rating of exertion among cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lidegaard, Mark; Søgaard, Karen; Krustrup, Peter

2018-01-01

PURPOSE: This study assessed the effects of a worksite aerobic exercise intervention among cleaners on: work ability, need for recovery, productivity, and rating of exertion. METHODS: In a monocentric randomised controlled trial in Denmark, 116, of 250 invited, cleaners were cluster-randomised (w......PURPOSE: This study assessed the effects of a worksite aerobic exercise intervention among cleaners on: work ability, need for recovery, productivity, and rating of exertion. METHODS: In a monocentric randomised controlled trial in Denmark, 116, of 250 invited, cleaners were cluster......-randomised (work location; sex; age; length of service) to aerobic exercise [N = 57, 44.9 years, 75.4% female, body mass index (BMI) 26.2], receiving 2 weekly aerobic exercise sessions during 12 months, or a reference group (N = 59, 45.7 years, 76.3% female, BMI 27.1), receiving health-promoting lectures. Self.......2) in the aerobic exercise group compared to the reference group. Productivity and rating of exertion were unaltered. Analysis stratified on age showed significant effects only among the participants aged ≤ 45 years. CONCLUSIONS: After 12 months work ability improved and need for recovery decreased. A period of 4...

COREXIT 9580 shoreline cleaner: Development, application, and status

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Canevari, G.P.; Fiocco, R.J.; Lessard, R.R.; Fingas, M.

1995-01-01

This paper will describe research on chemical beach cleaners for treatment of oiled shorelines that was initiated in support of the cleaning activities in Prince William Sound (PWS) following the Valdez oil spill in March 1989. The concept for using beach cleaners for shoreline cleanup is to apply a pre-soak to the weathered crude oil on shore and then flush with sea water to wash the oil into a boomed area for subsequent recovery. Criteria imposed on the use of chemical beach cleaners for the cleanup of the Valdez spill were: (1) effective rock cleaning agents should have very little or no toxicity to marine and terrestrial life, (2) there should be no dispersion of the oil washed from the shoreline into the water column; oil was to be recovered by techniques such as skimming or sorbents, and (3) the agents should be on the EPA National Contingency Plan (NCP) list. A laboratory-scale rock washing test was developed to measure cleaner effectiveness and dispersion. A large number of commercially available formulated products were evaluated, as well as development formulations. The commercial products included all of the available NCP-listed products which could function as cleaners. None of the commercial products completely satisfied all the requirements established by the agencies for beach cleaning. However, a new formula, called COREXIT 9580, consisting of two surfactants and a solvent was developed. It exhibited low fish toxicity, low dispersancy and effective rock cleaning capability. The paper reviews the laboratory and field testing to explore the potential use of the COREXIT 9580 to save and restore oiled vegetation

Preservatives in Personal Hygiene and Cosmetic Products, Topical Medications, and Household Cleaners in Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Pastor-Nieto, María Antonia; Alcántara-Nicolás, Francisco; Melgar-Molero, Virginia; Pérez-Mesonero, Raquel; Vergara-Sánchez, Aránzazu; Martín-Fuentes, Adriana; González-Muñoz, Patricia; de Eusebio-Murillo, Ester

2017-10-01

Preservatives are added to cosmetic, household cleaning, and other industrial products to prevent the growth of microorganisms. Unfortunately, exposure to these substances can cause sensitization. Between January and June 2015, we analyzed the ingredients of 2300 products commercially available in Spain to identify the frequency of a wide variety of preservatives in different product categories. We analyzed 1093 skin care and cosmetic products sold exclusively in pharmacies (dermocosmetics), 458 household cleaning and personal hygiene and cosmetic products sold in supermarkets, 636 topical medications, and 113 cosmetic products sold in a herbal shop. Phenoxyethanol, citric acid, sodium benzoate, and potassium sorbate were very common in all the cosmetic product categories. Parabens were present in 16.1% of dermocosmetic products, 14.45% of cosmetic products available in supermarkets, 0.88% of cosmetic products available in the herbal shop, 5.18% of topical medications, and in none of the cleaning products. Isothiazolinones were identified in 2.56% of dermocosmetic products, 18% of cosmetic products in supermarkets, 7.9% of cosmetic products in the herbal shop, 63.63% of household cleaners, and in none of the topical medications. Formaldehyde releasers were detected in 5.76% of dermocosmetic products, 6.42% of cosmetic products sold in supermarkets, 7.96% of cosmetic products sold in the herbal shop, 3.93% of topical medications, and 16.74% of household cleaners. Evaluation of the presence of preservatives in everyday products allows us to indirectly estimate exposure levels to each one. Measures restricting the use of the most problematic preservatives need to be strengthened. Copyright © 2017 AEDV. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Swimming pool cleaner poisoning

Science.gov (United States)

Swimming pool cleaner poisoning occurs when someone swallows this type of cleaner, touches it, or breathes in ... The harmful substances in swimming pool cleaner are: Bromine ... copper Chlorine Soda ash Sodium bicarbonate Various mild acids

Overview of cleaner production as a result of clean technology research in Vietnam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sam, D.V.; Nhan, T.V.; Lan, N.N. [Hanoi Univ. of Technology (Viet Nam)

1996-12-31

Vietnam is beginning its industrialization process, and it currently lacks the capital necessary for expensive pollution control and treatment systems. Pollution strategies are critical for the country. This study evaluates the present status of industry and the pollution problems associated with industrial development in Vietnam. The purpose of the study is to identify sectors that may have potential for promoting cleaner production practices. 4 refs.

Identifying and Prioritizing Cleaner Production Strategies in Raw Materials’ Warehouse of Yazdbaf Textile Company in 2015

OpenAIRE

Mohammad Taghi Ghaneian; Raziye Montazerolfaraj; Hakime Selsele Vaziri; Mohammad Hassan Ehrampoush; Alireza Arsalan; Tahere Zarabie

2017-01-01

Introduction: Cleaner productions in textile industry is achieved by reducing water and chemicals’ consumption, saving energy, reducing production of air pollution and solid wastes, reducing toxicity and noise pollution through many solutions. The purpose of the present research was to apply Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) and Quality Systems Planning Matrix (QSPM) techniques in identifying and prioritizing production in raw materials’ warehouse of Yazdbaf Tex...

Study on demetalization of sewage sludge by sequential extraction before liquefaction for the production of cleaner bio-oil and bio-char.

Science.gov (United States)

Leng, Lijian; Yuan, Xingzhong; Shao, Jianguang; Huang, Huajun; Wang, Hou; Li, Hui; Chen, Xiaohong; Zeng, Guangming

2016-01-01

Demetalization of sewage sludge (SS) by sequential extraction before liquefaction was implemented to produce cleaner bio-char and bio-oil. Demetalization steps 1 and 2 did not cause much organic matter loss on SS, and thus the bio-oil and bio-char yields and the compositions of bio-oils were also not affected significantly. However, the demetalization procedures resulted in the production of cleaner bio-chars and bio-oils. The total concentrations and the acid soluble/exchangeable fraction (F1 fraction, the most toxic heavy metal fraction) of heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Pb, Zn, and Cd) in these products were significantly reduced and the environmental risks of these products were also relived considerably compared with those produced from raw SS, respectively. Additionally, these bio-oils had less heavy fractions. Demetalization processes with removal of F1 and F2 fractions of heavy metals would benefit the production of cleaner bio-char and bio-oil by liquefaction of heavy metal abundant biomass like SS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cleaner production options for reducing industrial waste: the case of batik industry in Malang, East Java-Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Sirait, M.

2018-01-01

The aim of this research is to conduct cleaner production options for improving the environmental performance during the production of batik industry, the case of UKM batik, Malang, East Java. Batik industry is one of small and medium textile industry which has contribution to economic growth in Malang. However, during production the batik, it generates wastewater that has potential to decrease the environmental performance. Wastewater from Celaket batik industry has BOD, COD, TSS, and pH level is far larger than the threshold of water quality standard as a result of use chemical substance during the dyes processing. In order to prevent generating wastewater, this study utilized cleaner production options, such as substitution of input material.Substitution of input material for dyes process was implemented by replacement chemical dyes (e.g.indigosol, nafthol, rapid) with natural dyes (e.g. Indigofero Tintoria). Modifying of technology/equipment was conducted by developing wastewater treatment equipment to reduce waste of batik production. The implementation of this strategy was carried out by changing input material from chemical dyes with natural dyes. The CP uptake could reduce significantly the environmental impact in term of reduction of COD, BOD, and TSS.

Cleaners in reducing the hazards of indoor radon decay products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montassier, N.; Hopke, P.K.; Shi, Y.; Wasiolek, P.; McCallum, B.

1992-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of three types of air cleaners on the concentration and size distribution of radon progeny in a normally occupied house. Using an automated, semi-continuous, graded-screen array system and a radon monitor, the activity size distribution and radon concentration was measured and the exposure of the occupants of the home to radon could be assessed. The dose model developed as part of the recently released U.S. National Academy of Sciences report was used to related the exposure to deposited dose in the tissue of the bronchial epithelium. Thus, the effectiveness of the air cleaners in reducing both exposure and dose were evaluated. (author)

An overview of cleaner fish use in Ireland.

Science.gov (United States)

Bolton-Warberg, M

2017-11-21

Sea lice infestations represent one of the most significant challenges facing the salmon farming industry, giving rise to lost production, additional costs of treatment and potential negative interactions with wild stocks. At present, cleaner fish, which actively remove lice from salmon, are an effective, biological, long-term option which has been adopted by many countries. In Ireland, several key studies were conducted in the 1990s on the use of wild-caught wrasse (corkwing, goldsinny and rock cook) as cleaner fish in experimental and commercial scale trials. More recently, the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), at their marine research facility in Carna (CRS), has undertaken applied research on ballan wrasse and lumpsucker. Currently, CRS is providing lumpsucker juveniles and research and development for the Irish salmon industry with support from BIM (Ireland's Seafood Development Agency) and Marine Harvest Ireland. There is a large amount of research currently being carried out in this area in all countries that are utilizing cleaner fish technology. The current focus in Ireland is the development of a native lumpsucker broodstock to facilitate its sustainable production. The aim of this article was to provide an overview of the research, challenges and use of cleaner fish in Ireland. © 2017 The Authors Journal of Fish Diseases Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

某精细化工企业清洁生产审核实践研究%Cleaner Production Audit on A Fine Chemical Company

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

冯俊丽; 张时佳

2016-01-01

This paper takes the cleaner production of a company as example to expound the necessity and practical signifi-cance of carrying out cleaner production audit in fine chemical industry. According to eight existing issues of this company, the study provides practical low and high cost clean production project, totally 28 items. After calculating the economic, environmen-tal and social benefit of each project,the practical values of cleaner production audit to a company were pointed out, giving direc-tion of energy-saving emission reduction and low carbon development. This audit discusses the specific practice of cleaner pro-duction in fine chemical industry and it has guiding significance of practicing cleaner production in this domain.%以某企业的清洁生产审核为例,阐述分析精细化工行业开展清洁生产审核的必要性及实践意义.针对该企业存在的八方面问题,提出切实可行的无低费及中高费清洁生产方案共计28项,经核算各方案的经济、环境、社会效益,指出企业开展清洁生产审核的实际价值,为企业节能减排、低碳发展指明方向.本次审核初步探讨了清洁生产在精细化工行业的具体实践,对该行业清洁生产的践行具有一定的指导意义.

Implementing cleaner production in an automotive company: an application of material input per unit of service tool to measure environmental and economic advantages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geraldo Cardoso de Oliveira Neto

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Environmental impact reduction has been a growing concern of the automotive industry. One of the main challenges is to implement Cleaner Production as a tool to reduce environmental impacts and provide financial profits. The purpose of this article was to evaluate the environmental impact and economic gains by implementing Cleaner Production, using an unexplored approach, in a company of the automotive sector. The research approach used was a case study, carried out by observation and semi-structured surveys. The production process chosen was updated, so technologies were changed to reduce biotic and abiotic disposal. For the analysis of environmental impacts, the ‘Material Input Per Unit of Service’ tool (MIPS was used, in which data was used to calculate: annual net profit; return on investment (% and return on investment for a period. The results showed that Cleaner Production implementation focusing on changing technology in the production process caused a 75% reduction in environmental impact, and a 62.7% decrease in production costs. Although of this study considers only one case to test the procedure applicability, it can be easily repeated in other more complex systems, by merely making the necessary adjustments due to the complexity of the processes involved.

Short-term respiratory effects of cleaning exposures in female domestic cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Medina-Ramón, M; Zock, J P; Kogevinas, M; Sunyer, J; Basagaña, X; Schwartz, J; Burge, P S; Moore, V; Antó, J M

2006-06-01

Symptoms of obstructive lung disease in domestic cleaners have been related to the use of bleach and other irritant cleaning products. The short-term effects of cleaning exposures on respiratory symptoms and peak expiratory flow (PEF) were investigated in domestic cleaners with respiratory disorders. In a panel study, 43 female domestic cleaners with a recent history of asthma and/or chronic bronchitis completed a 2-week diary, collecting information on respiratory symptoms, PEF and cleaning exposures. Mixed regression models were used to assess daily changes in symptoms and PEF associated with specific cleaning exposures. The probability of having work-related asthma was individually assessed by a computerised diagnostic system and an occupational asthma expert. Lower respiratory tract symptoms were more common on working days and were predominantly associated with exposure to diluted bleach, degreasing sprays/atomisers and air fresheners. Associations with upper respiratory tract symptoms and PEF were less apparent. Eleven (30%) subjects scored positively for work-related asthma. It is concluded that exposure to certain irritant cleaning products aggravates lower respiratory tract symptoms in female domestic cleaners with asthma or chronic bronchitis.

GUIDE TO CLEANER TECHNOLOGIES: ORGANIC COATING REMOVAL

Science.gov (United States)

A cleaner technology is a source reduction or recycle method |applied to eliminate or significantly reduce hazardous waste generation. Source reduction includes product changes and source control. Source control can be further characterized as input material changes, technology...

Identifying and Prioritizing Cleaner Production Strategies in Raw Materials’ Warehouse of Yazdbaf Textile Company in 2015

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Taghi Ghaneian

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Cleaner productions in textile industry is achieved by reducing water and chemicals’ consumption, saving energy, reducing production of air pollution and solid wastes, reducing toxicity and noise pollution through many solutions. The purpose of the present research was to apply Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT and Quality Systems Planning Matrix (QSPM techniques in identifying and prioritizing production in raw materials’ warehouse of Yazdbaf Textile Factory. Materials and Methods: In this research, effective internal and external factors in cleaner production were identified by providing the required information through field visit and interview with industry managers and supervisors of raw materials’ warehouse. Finally, To form matrix of internal and external factors 17 important internal factors and 7 important external factors were identified and selected respectively.Then, QSPM matrix was formed to determine the attractiveness and priority of the selected strategies by using results of internal and external factors and SWOT matrixes. Results: According to the results, the total score of raw materials’ warehouse in Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE matrix is equal to 2.90 which shows the good situation of warehouse than the internal factors. However, the total score in External Factor Evaluation (EFE matrix is 2.14 and indicates the relative weak situation of warehouse than the external factors. Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, continuity, monitor, and improvement of the general plan of qualitative control (QC of raw materials and laboratory as well as more emphasis on quality indexes according to its importance in the production processes were selected as the most important strategies. 

Integrated Technology Air Cleaners (ITAC): Design and Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fisk, William J.; Cohn, Sebastian; Destaillats, Hugo; Henzel, Victor; Sidheswaran, Meera; Sullivan, Douglas P.

2013-09-13

The primary objective of this project was to design, build, and test an air cleaner for residential use with the potential to substantially improve indoor air quality, or maintain indoor air quality unchanged, when outdoor air ventilation rates are reduced to save energy. Two air cleaners were designed and fabricated. The design targets for airflow rate, fan power, and projected cost were met. In short term laboratory studies, both units performed as expected; however, during field studies in homes, the formaldehyde removal performance of the air cleaners was much lower than expected. In subsequent laboratory studies, incomplete decomposition of some indoor air volatile organic compounds, with formaldehyde as a product of partial decomposition of volatile organic compounds, was confirmed as the explanation for the poor formaldehyde removal performance in the field studies. The amount of formaldehyde produced per unit of decomposition of other volatile organic compounds was substantially diminished by increasing the amount of catalyst on the filter and also by decreasing the air velocity. Together, these two measures reduced formaldehyde production, per unit destruction of other volatile organic compounds, by a factor of four, while increasing the removal efficiency of volatile organic compounds by a factor of 1.4. A company with a southern California office is conducting studies in conjunction with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with the goal of incorporating the ITAC catalytic air cleaning technology in their future commercial products.

Radiation processing of agricultural products: status and potential contribution to a cleaner environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lapidot, M.

1979-01-01

The current status of radiation processing of agricultural products is briefly reviewed with special regard to those processes which may contribute to a cleaner environment. Radurization of poultry feed and poultry meat is shown to be a major contributor to the reduction of a significant public health problem-salmonellosis. Radiation sterilized animal feeds can be produced by processing garbage - a major environmental pollutant. Radicidation and radappertization are effective processes in the treatment of sludges and waste water, to prevent pollution of seas or ground. Radiation processes can effectively replace fungicides and insecticides in the treatment of agricultural crops and thus reduce environmental pollution. (author)

QFD analysis of RSRM aqueous cleaners

Science.gov (United States)

Marrs, Roy D.; Jones, Randy K.

1995-01-01

This paper presents a Quality Function Deployment (QFD) analysis of the final down-selected aqueous cleaners to be used on the Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) program. The new cleaner will replace solvent vapor degreasing. The RSRM Ozone Depleting Compound Elimination program is discontinuing the methyl chloroform vapor degreasing process and replacing it with a spray-in-air aqueous cleaning process. Previously, 15 cleaners were down-selected to two candidates by passing screening tests involving toxicity, flammability, cleaning efficiency, contaminant solubility, corrosion potential, cost, and bond strength. The two down-selected cleaners were further evaluated with more intensive testing and evaluated using QFD techniques to assess suitability for cleaning RSRM case and nozzle surfaces in preparation for adhesive bonding.

Sustainable Industrial Production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brattebö, Helge; Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard; Lorentzen, Børge

The book discusses the concepts of waste minimization, cleaner technology and industrial ecology, including the experiences with employee participation in preventive environmental activities in companies.......The book discusses the concepts of waste minimization, cleaner technology and industrial ecology, including the experiences with employee participation in preventive environmental activities in companies....

7 CFR 2902.18 - Hand cleaners and sanitizers.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GUIDELINES FOR DESIGNATING BIOBASED PRODUCTS FOR FEDERAL PROCUREMENT Designated... the purposes of this rule. (b) Minimum biobased content. The minimum biobased content requirement for all hand cleaners and/or sanitizers shall be based on the amount of qualifying biobased carbon in the...

Evaluation of several air cleaners for reducing indoor radon progeny

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopke, P.K.; Jensen, B.; Montassier, N.

1994-01-01

Over the past several years, studies have been made of the effectiveness of several kinds of air cleaners in removing radon decay products from indoor air using a recently developed automated, semi-continuous measurement system that can determine the activity-weighted size distributions in occupied homes. Measurements of activity-weighted size distributions and radon concentrations were made every 90 min in a home with a high air exchange rate. A week-long series of measurements was made for the home with no cleaner operating and a similar set of measurements were made for each of the air cleaners. Two different types of air cleaners were tested in this study; filtration units (two different designs from two different manufacturers) and two ion generator/fan systems (identical design NO-RAD systems, but from two different manufacturers). It was found that the filtration units resulted in a median reduction in exposure of 15% and 36% for the two units and corresponding dose reductions of 32% and 53%. The two NO-RAD systems produced 37% and 10% reductions in the median exposure, but the reductions in the median dose were 49% and 46%. (author)

Evaluation of the cleaner technology programme

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Mikael Skou; Jørgensen, Ulrik

The report presents an independent evaluation of the Danish development programme for cleaner technology 1986-1989 and of the Action Plan for Cleaner Technology 1990-1992. The evaluation focuses on the results of technology development and implementation projects, on an examination...... of the dissemination of cleaner technology solutions achieved in six industrial branches, and on the overall programme and its effects, in particular environmental impacts, but also results in the form of employment, environmental export, strenghtening of Danish know-how etc....

The theory of inventive problem solving integrated to the cleaner production: theoretical approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flávio Issao Kubota

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Efforts towards to reduction of environmental impact by enterprises are a solving problem process, which often need inventive solutions that generate environmental, technical and economic benefits. Hence, this research aimed to verify, through literature, and discuss the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ integration to cleaner production (CP strategies, in order to structure a new methodology for inventive solutions focused on reduction of effluents, waste and emissions. To perform this study, we proceeded a qualitative and descriptive research, with documentary data collection strategy. The results show predominance of CP level 1 researches, with greater focus on product improvement, a smaller quantity of process modification studies (level 1 and internal recycling (level 2, and no evidence of TRIZ utilization was obtained on level 3 (external recycling and biogenic cycles. The proposed integration is promising, since both methodologies aim ideal situation and problems’ reduction. At the end, opportunities were detected for application of TRIZ in production processes, by means of functional analysis and Ideal Final Result (IFR, being possible to direct teams towards optimization of technical systems.

Parasite infestation increases on coral reefs without cleaner fish

Science.gov (United States)

Grutter, A. S.; De Brauwer, M.; Bshary, R.; Cheney, K. L.; Cribb, T. H.; Madin, E. M. P.; McClure, E. C.; Meekan, M. G.; Sun, D.; Warner, R. R.; Werminghausen, J.; Sikkel, P. C.

2018-03-01

Mutualisms are pivotal in shaping ecological communities. Iconic images of cleaner fish entering the mouths of predatory fish clients to remove ectoparasites epitomize their mutual benefit. Experimental manipulations of cleaner wrasse reveal declines in fish size and growth, and population abundance and diversity of client fishes in the absence of cleaner wrasse. Fishes grow more slowly and are less abundant and diverse on reefs without cleaner wrasse, both for larger species that are regularly cleaned and have high ectoparasite loads ("attractive species"), and for those smaller species that are rarely cleaned and are rarely infested with parasites ("unattractive species"). We therefore considered whether these previously observed declines in individual and population parameters on reefs without cleaners were related to increased ectoparasite infestation using an attractive species ( Hemigymnus melapterus, Labridae) and an unattractive species ( Pomacentrus amboinensis, Pomacentridae). Traps with these fish as a form of bait were deployed to sample blood-sucking gnathiid ectoparasites (Gnathiidae: Isopoda) on reefs from which cleaners ( Labroides dimidiatus, Labridae) have been removed for 13 yr. Cleaner fish could not enter traps to access the clients/hosts, but gnathiids could enter the traps to infest hosts; thus, this method sampled the indirect effect of cleaners on gnathiid infestation of fish. Infestation was higher on reefs without cleaners than on those with them. The effect was only detected during the daytime when cleaners are active and only on the attractive species ( H. melapterus). Thus, cleaner presence indirectly reduced fish exposure to parasites in a species that is highly susceptible to parasites, but not in one that is rarely infested with parasites. This suggests that cleaner presence indirectly reduces exposure of a common fish species to harmful parasites, which may explain some observed benefits in fishes at this location.

Beyond symbiosis: cleaner shrimp clean up in culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Militz, Thane A; Hutson, Kate S

2015-01-01

Cleaner organisms exhibit a remarkable natural behaviour where they consume ectoparasites attached to "client" organisms. While this behaviour can be utilized as a natural method of parasitic disease control (or biocontrol), it is not known whether cleaner organisms can also limit reinfection from parasite eggs and larvae within the environment. Here we show that cleaner shrimp, Lysmata amboinensis, consume eggs and larvae of a harmful monogenean parasite, Neobenedenia sp., in aquaculture. Shrimp consumed parasite eggs under diurnal (63%) and nocturnal (14%) conditions as well as infectious larvae (oncomiracidia) diurnally (26%). Furthermore, we trialled the inclusion of cleaner shrimp for preventative parasite management of ornamental fish, Pseudanthias squamipinnis, and found shrimp reduced oncomiracidia infection success of host fish by half compared to controls (held without shrimp). Fish held without cleaner shrimp exhibited pigmentation changes as a result of infection, possibly indicative of a stress response. These results provide the first empirical evidence that cleaner organisms reduce parasite loads in the environment through non-symbiotic cleaning activities. Our research findings have relevance to aquaculture and the marine ornamental trade, where cleaner shrimp could be applied for prophylaxis and control of ectoparasite infections.

Life cycle environmental impacts of vacuum cleaners and the effects of European regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallego-Schmid, Alejandro; Mendoza, Joan Manuel F; Jeswani, Harish Kumar; Azapagic, Adisa

2016-07-15

Energy efficiency of vacuum cleaners has been declining over the past decades while at the same time their number in Europe has been increasing. The European Commission has recently adopted an eco-design regulation to improve the environmental performance of vacuum cleaners. In addition to the existing directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), the regulation could potentially have significant effects on the environmental performance of vacuum cleaners. However, the scale of the effects is currently unknown, beyond scant information on greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, this paper considers for the first time life cycle environmental impacts of vacuum cleaners and the effects of the implementation of these regulations at the European level. The effects of electricity decarbonisation, product lifetime and end-of-life disposal options are also considered. The results suggest that the implementation of the eco-design regulation alone will reduce significantly the impacts from vacuum cleaners (37%-44%) by 2020 compared with current situation. If business as usual continued and the regulation was not implemented, the impacts would be 82%-109% higher by 2020 compared to the impacts with the implementation of the regulation. Improvements associated with the implementation of the WEEE directive will be much smaller (impacts would be 2%-21% higher by 2020 relative to the impacts with the implementation of the directive. Further improvements in most impacts (6%-20%) could be achieved by decarbonising the electricity mix. Therefore, energy efficiency measures must be accompanied by appropriate actions to reduce the environmental impacts of electricity generation; otherwise, the benefits of improved energy efficiency could be limited. Moreover, because of expected lower life expectancy of vacuum cleaners and limited availability of some raw materials, the eco-design regulation should be broadened to reduce the impacts from raw materials, production and end

Exploring the Stakeholders Salience for the adoption the Principles and Tools of Cleaner Production in Brazil Companies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geraldo Cardoso Oliveira Neto

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Objective – The key objective of this paper is to show the primary environmental influences exerted by the government, economic agents and society on companies for the implementation of the principles and tools of cleaner production (CP, and the attributes (power, legitimacy and urgency used by stakeholders to coerce companies into adopting these principles. Design/methodology/approach – The research method employed was the application of an exploratory survey in 102 Brazilian companies and the multi-varied evaluation of data by means of multiple correspondent analysis. Findings – The study shows that some principles of CP are little used by companies in Brazil. Concerning the influences on the adoption of CP, the government, economic agents and society are singled out as the important influencers. The government influence is manifest through the adoption of environmental regulating measures (power in conjunction with sincere actions in environmental education (influence. The economic agents possess the power, legitimacy and urgency to influence the adoption of CP. Society’s influences are less relevant, in that Brazilian society has much less awareness of sustainable production and consumption as compared to other countries. Practical implications – This study shows that it is vital that Brazilian society learns more about sustainable production, because a society with no environmental conscience is a society with little means to demand the implementation of CP. Originality/value – The results of the study represent an important theoretical contribution in that, at present, there is little literature on the relationship between stakeholders and Cleaner Production. This is the first study in Brazil to address the subject.

Cleaner Production and Workplace Health and Safety: A combined approach. A case study from South Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hedlund, Frank Huess

Environmental goals may be pursued narrow-mindedly with no attention paid to the workplace. This book examines combined approaches in cleaner production projects. It explores two main avenues. First, integration into the project specification. The planning tools in use by assistance agencies......, integration of management systems is an option. A study on the South African Nosa 5-Star system refutes earlier criticism of dismal performance of top-down systems. It is argued that integration at this level is viable. For small companies, less formalistic approaches are required. ILO's network concept WISE...

RELATION BETWEEN FUNCTION AND FORM IN VACUUM CLEANERS DESIGN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RADU Ștefan

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The paper analyses how robotic vacuum cleaner works, describing their cleaning capabilities and additional features. The paper illustrates advantages of using robotic vacuum cleaners that have intelligent programming and a vacuum cleaning system, the components of a robotic vacuum cleaner. The paper develops aspects concerning to create 2D scale models for the evaluation of specific features of the new components for a prototype robotic vacuum cleaner.

Reconstructing the image of the cleaner

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jorcho van Vlijmen; Toine van den Hoogen

2013-01-01

Purpose: The article shows the relevance of an insider’s perspective on workers in the cleaning industry (cleaners). It explains how the ways in which cleaners create meaning in their work can be explored. These findings help to create added value for FM. Theory: Organisational theory describes a

Life cycle environmental impacts of vacuum cleaners and the effects of European regulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gallego-Schmid, Alejandro, E-mail: alejandro.gallegoschmid@manchester.ac.uk; Mendoza, Joan Manuel F.; Jeswani, Harish Kumar; Azapagic, Adisa

2016-07-15

Energy efficiency of vacuum cleaners has been declining over the past decades while at the same time their number in Europe has been increasing. The European Commission has recently adopted an eco-design regulation to improve the environmental performance of vacuum cleaners. In addition to the existing directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), the regulation could potentially have significant effects on the environmental performance of vacuum cleaners. However, the scale of the effects is currently unknown, beyond scant information on greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, this paper considers for the first time life cycle environmental impacts of vacuum cleaners and the effects of the implementation of these regulations at the European level. The effects of electricity decarbonisation, product lifetime and end-of-life disposal options are also considered. The results suggest that the implementation of the eco-design regulation alone will reduce significantly the impacts from vacuum cleaners (37%–44%) by 2020 compared with current situation. If business as usual continued and the regulation was not implemented, the impacts would be 82%–109% higher by 2020 compared to the impacts with the implementation of the regulation. Improvements associated with the implementation of the WEEE directive will be much smaller (< 1% in 2020). However, if the WEEE directive did not exist, then the impacts would be 2%–21% higher by 2020 relative to the impacts with the implementation of the directive. Further improvements in most impacts (6%–20%) could be achieved by decarbonising the electricity mix. Therefore, energy efficiency measures must be accompanied by appropriate actions to reduce the environmental impacts of electricity generation; otherwise, the benefits of improved energy efficiency could be limited. Moreover, because of expected lower life expectancy of vacuum cleaners and limited availability of some raw materials, the eco-design regulation should

Life cycle environmental impacts of vacuum cleaners and the effects of European regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gallego-Schmid, Alejandro; Mendoza, Joan Manuel F.; Jeswani, Harish Kumar; Azapagic, Adisa

2016-01-01

Energy efficiency of vacuum cleaners has been declining over the past decades while at the same time their number in Europe has been increasing. The European Commission has recently adopted an eco-design regulation to improve the environmental performance of vacuum cleaners. In addition to the existing directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), the regulation could potentially have significant effects on the environmental performance of vacuum cleaners. However, the scale of the effects is currently unknown, beyond scant information on greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, this paper considers for the first time life cycle environmental impacts of vacuum cleaners and the effects of the implementation of these regulations at the European level. The effects of electricity decarbonisation, product lifetime and end-of-life disposal options are also considered. The results suggest that the implementation of the eco-design regulation alone will reduce significantly the impacts from vacuum cleaners (37%–44%) by 2020 compared with current situation. If business as usual continued and the regulation was not implemented, the impacts would be 82%–109% higher by 2020 compared to the impacts with the implementation of the regulation. Improvements associated with the implementation of the WEEE directive will be much smaller (< 1% in 2020). However, if the WEEE directive did not exist, then the impacts would be 2%–21% higher by 2020 relative to the impacts with the implementation of the directive. Further improvements in most impacts (6%–20%) could be achieved by decarbonising the electricity mix. Therefore, energy efficiency measures must be accompanied by appropriate actions to reduce the environmental impacts of electricity generation; otherwise, the benefits of improved energy efficiency could be limited. Moreover, because of expected lower life expectancy of vacuum cleaners and limited availability of some raw materials, the eco-design regulation should

Health disparities between immigrant and Danish cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Marie B; Rasmussen, Charlotte D N; Carneiro, Isabella G

2011-01-01

hundred and fifty-one cleaners, consisting of 166 Danes (88% women) and 179 immigrants (74% women) (6 with unknown ethnicity), from 9 workplaces in Denmark participated in the study. Health and work ability were obtained by objective (e.g., BMI and blood pressure) and self-reported measures (e.g., work......PURPOSE: It is unknown whether immigrants working in the cleaning industry have a poorer health and work ability than cleaners from the native population. The main aim was to investigate differences in objective and self-reported health measures between immigrant and Danish cleaners. METHODS: Three...... ability, self-rated health, and musculoskeletal symptoms). In order to investigate differences between Danish and immigrant cleaners, logistic regression analyses and General Linear Models were performed. RESULTS: When controlling for age, sex, workplace, job seniority, and smoking, more Danish compared...

Evaluation of cleaner production audit in pharmaceutical production industry: case study of the pharmaceutical plant in Dalian, P. R. China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Zhi-dong [Dalian University of Technology, Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian (China); Dalian Cleaner Production Centre, Dalian, Liaoning (China); Dalian Municipal Design and Research Institute of Environmental Science, Dalian, Liaoning (China); Zhang, Shu-shen; Zhang, Yun [Dalian University of Technology, Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian (China); Zhang, Yong; Wei, Li [Dalian Cleaner Production Centre, Dalian, Liaoning (China); Dalian Municipal Design and Research Institute of Environmental Science, Dalian, Liaoning (China)

2011-02-15

The pharmaceutical industry in China makes an important contribution to the national economy. However, the associated pollution problems cause gradual deterioration of the environment and impact adversely on the local community. Cleaner production (CP) technology, an effective way to reduce waste emission and save resources, has been widely employed in the pharmaceutical industry in the developed countries. Such technologies have been applied in a number of factories in China, although there is no integrated assessment and implementation procedure for implementing CP technologies in pharmaceutical plants. To solve such problems, a series of CP options are proposed and assessed here. CP is a powerful tool for decreasing waste production, limiting environmental pollution and natural resource depletion. Moreover, the return on investment in CP is quick, so it would seem that CP activities should be very much in demand by enterprises. Reality is less optimistic: frequently only limited interest is expressed, even after an explanation; business people hesitate to become actively involved. The processes in the pharmaceutical production industry produce a vast amount of waste, including wastewater with high concentrations of organic substances (the principal component), solid waste, and organic off-gas. To solve such problems, a series of CP options are proposed and assessed in this study. Having consideration to environmental impacts and economic efficiency, four groups of medium/high cost CP options were screened in an integrated assessment. To verify the proposed options, a case study was conducted in Degussa Luyuan, Northeast China. The characteristics of resource consumption and waste emission during the production process were identified. The proposed options were evaluated according to different aspects. An integrated CP system based on the proposed options was designed and then implemented in the factory. In three years of practical use, the productivity and

Cleaner bioprocesses for promoting zero-emission biofuels production in Vojvodina

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dodic, Sinisa N.; Vucurovic, Damjan G.; Popov, Stevan D.; Dodic, Jelena M.; Rankovic, Jovana A. [Department of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, Bul. cara Lazara 1, Novi Sad 21000, Vojvodina (RS)

2010-12-15

In this study, the policy, market conditions and food security of biomass energy sources are assessed for supplying the future needs of Vojvodina. The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province in Serbia, containing about 27% of its total population according to the 2002 Census. It is located in the northern part of the country, in the Pannonia plain, in southeastern Europe. Vojvodina is an energy-deficient province. The incentives to invest human and financial resources in the research and development of cleaner bioprocesses are high, considering the benefits which might be achieved in terms of environment protection and manufacturing costs. In the near and medium tenu, the development of bioprocesses for waste recycling and resource recovery might be one of the most viable options, considering much research work has already been done. In Vojvodina, there are technological solutions that biofuels produced in a closed cycle, so that the quantity of waste reduced to a minimum. These solutions include the stillage (remainder after distillation) used for fattening cattle, and cattle excrement to produce biogas and manure as fertilizer. The energy required for the production of bioethanol is obtained combustion lignocelullose residual waste from the production of basic raw materials starch, or biogas. Ash from the burned biomass returned to soil as a source of minerals for plants and replacement of mineral fertilizer. Such a closed cycle is economical for small farms in Vojvodina. (author)

Cleaner bioprocesses for promoting zero-emission biofuels production in Vojvodina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dodic, Sinisa N.; Vucurovic, Damjan G.; Popov, Stevan D.; Dodic, Jelena M.; Rankovic, Jovana A.

2010-01-01

In this study, the policy, market conditions and food security of biomass energy sources are assessed for supplying the future needs of Vojvodina. The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province in Serbia, containing about 27% of its total population according to the 2002 Census. It is located in the northern part of the country, in the Pannonia plain, in southeastern Europe. Vojvodina is an energy-deficient province. The incentives to invest human and financial resources in the research and development of cleaner bioprocesses are high, considering the benefits which might be achieved in terms of environment protection and manufacturing costs. In the near and medium tenu, the development of bioprocesses for waste recycling and resource recovery might be one of the most viable options, considering much research work has already been done. In Vojvodina, there are technological solutions that biofuels produced in a closed cycle, so that the quantity of waste reduced to a minimum. These solutions include the stillage (remainder after distillation) used for fattening cattle, and cattle excrement to produce biogas and manure as fertilizer. The energy required for the production of bioethanol is obtained combustion lignocelullose residual waste from the production of basic raw materials starch, or biogas. Ash from the burned biomass returned to soil as a source of minerals for plants and replacement of mineral fertilizer. Such a closed cycle is economical for small farms in Vojvodina. (author)

Politics design of cleaner production in the electric sector for the energy scenarios of Colombia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Figueroa P, Woody; Smith Q, Ricardo

2001-01-01

Cleaner production (PML) in Colombia has been implemented as an agreement of wills between the companies of different productive sectors and the Colombian environment ministry. In the electric sector, the agreement of PML has been implemented with successes and difficulties. A concern that exists today among the companies of the electric sector involved in the agreement is about its long-term viability. Supported in the planning tool of scenarios, an analysis of the possible futures of PML in the Colombian electric sector, using the energy scenarios for Colombia (UPME, 2000), is made. PML policies are designed that will allow to analyze its long-term implementation. This work seeks to contribute in the long-term analysis about the evolution and tendencies of PML in the Colombian electric sector, according with the markets dynamics, trends and competitiveness that are gaining space in the international community

Regenerating using aqueous cleaners with ozone and electrolysis

Science.gov (United States)

McGinness, Michael P.

1994-02-01

A new process converts organic oil and grease contaminates in used water based cleaners into synthetic surfactants. This permits the continued use of a cleaning solution long after it would have been dumped using previously known methods. Since the organic soils are converted from contaminates to cleaning compounds the need for frequent bath dumps is totally eliminated. When cleaning solutions used in aqueous cleaning systems are exhausted and ready for disposal, they will always contain the contaminates removed from the cleaned parts and drag-in from prior cleaning steps. Even when the cleaner is biodegradable these contaminants will frequently cause the waste cleaning solution to be a hazardous waste. Chlorinated solvents are rapidly being replaced by aqueous cleaners to avoid the new ozone-depletion product-labeling-law. Many industry standard halocarbon based solvents are being completely phased out of production, and their prices have nearly tripled. Waste disposal costs and cradle-to-grave liability are also major concerns for industry today. This new process reduces the amount of water and chemicals needed to maintain the cleaning process. The cost of waste disposal is eliminated because the water and cleaning compounds are reused. Energy savings result by eliminating the need for energy currently used to produce and deliver fresh water and chemicals as well as the energy used to treat and destroy the waste from the existing cleaning processes. This process also allows the cleaning bath to be maintained at the peak performance of a new bath resulting in decreased cycle times and decreased energy consumption needed to clean the parts. This results in a more efficient and cost effective cleaning process.

A Case Study of Air Cleaner by the Intelligent Interaction and Emotion

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Huai; Sun, Yuwen

2018-02-01

The pure and fresh air can not only contribute to our physical and mental health, but also can be beneficial to ease the pressure and relax the mood. The vertical intelligent air cleaner can remove the harmful gases from the air and absorb the suspended particles in the air, especially all kinds of the bacteria and viruses. The air cleaner is good for improving the air quality of the indoor and maintaining the health of the people. The designing of the vertical air cleaner is as follows: The designing of the vertical intelligent make full use of the developed air purification technology. The smart home is inserted into the work. Simultaneously, in the aspect of the design of intelligent products, the intelligent interactive processes are scientifically planned. Moreover, the emotional design and the user experience are fully considered, which can enhance the comprehensive design ability.

Reactive adsorption: A cleaner technology in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marton, G.; Szanya, T.; Hanak, L.

1996-01-01

Cleaner technology prefers work with minimal loss and the wastes cause the less environmental damages. In the spirit of the previous sentence in the present paper reactive adsorption is investigated for the removal of radioactive nuclides from nuclear power plant decontamination solutions. During alkaline, oxidative decontamination of nuclear power plant equipment a radioactive solution is produced. Owing to the storing difficulties of radioactive solutions it is necessary to develop a method for the in situ treatment of radioactive, alkaline, oxidative decontamination solutions, and for the concentration of radioactive components. Reactive adsorption seems to be promising for this purpose. 3 refs., 8 figs., 1 tab

Cleaner Technology in the Hard Disk Drive Manufacturing Industry: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Moolla, Premchai; Chompu-inwai, Rungchat

2010-10-01

The objectives of this research are to improve raw material and energy consumption efficiency, as well as reduce defects and the use of chemicals in the arm coil assembly process of hard disk drive manufacturing in the case study company by applying the Cleaner Technology concepts. The four main sequential steps used in this research were: (1) pre-assessment, (2) assessment, (3) feasibility study, and (4) implementation. In the first step, raw data, such as process flows, raw material usage and defects data were collected. In the second step, the loss during production and causes of loss were analyzed. Opportunities to reduce raw material, chemical and energy wastage could then be recommended. The next step was to evaluate the feasibility and potential benefits of a particular Cleaner Technology opportunity. Finally, in the last step, after a thorough evaluation and implementation of the opportunities to apply Cleaner Technology, the results showed that arm coil defects could be reduced by improving the production process using the ECRS technique. ECRS stands for Eliminate, Combine, Rearrange and Simplify. This improvement reduced arm coil defect rates from 0.48% to 0.15%, thus saving approximately 139,638 Thai Baht per month. In addition, production stoppage decision made by workers was used to increase employee involvement in defect detection. Allowing workers to participate in such a decision was an effective way to reduce defect rate and could motivate workers to produce a better quality job. This resulted in arm coil defects reducing from 0.41% to 0.025%, with about 74,562 Thai Baht per month saving. Additionally, an increase in the efficiency of electricity consumption occurred, by increasing the speed of the infrared oven conveyor belt, improving average productivity from 533 pieces/hour to 560 pieces/hour, without adversely affecting product costs and quality, thus producing products of up to the value of 206,242 Thai Baht per month. Furthermore, the new

Mitigation of the effective dose of radon decay products through the use of an air cleaner in a dwelling in Okinawa, Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kranrod, Chutima; Tokonami, Shinji; Ishikawa, Tetsuo; Sorimachi, Atsuyuki; Janik, Miroslaw; Shingaki, Reina; Furukawa, Masahide; Chanyotha, Supitcha; Chankow, Nares

2009-01-01

Field measurements were conducted to assess the effects of an air cleaner on radon mitigation in a dwelling with a high radon concentration in Okinawa, Japan. The measurements included indoor radon concentration, individual radon progeny concentration, equilibrium equivalent concentration of radon (EECRn), unattached fraction, and size distribution of aerosol-attached radon progeny. These measurements were conducted in a 74 m 3 room with/without the use of an air cleaner. The results showed that the mean radon concentration during the measurement was quite high (301 Bq m -3 ). The operation of air cleaner decreased the radon progeny activity concentration, EECRn and equilibrium factor by 33%, 57% and 71%, respectively, whereas the unattached fraction increased by 174%. In addition, the activity concentration of attached radon progeny in the accumulation mode (50-2000 nm) was obviously deceased by 42%, when the air cleaner was operated. According to dosimetric calculations, the operation of air cleaner reduced the effective dose due to radon progeny by about 50%.

Evaluation of electrolytic alkaline cleaners by evaporative-rate analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamilton, C.B.

1975-01-01

A method has been developed by which electrolytic alkaline cleaners used in large volumes in steel mills can be evaluated for their ability to clean rolling oil from steel strip without the necessity of large-scale mill trials. The method is evaporative-rate analysis, which can be used to determine the relative amount of residual oil on steel strip after cleaning. The procedure consists in placing a droplet of a solution of a volatile, radioactive, carbon-14 tagged organic compound dissolved in a more volatile solvent, on the surface of the metal, where it forms a ternary solution with any oil on the surface. The amount of oil in this ternary solution affects the rate of evaporation of the tagged compound. The rate of evaporation, monitored by a Geiger-Mueller detector, is a measure of the cleanliness of the surface. A number of commercial alkaline cleaners, both solids and liquids, were evaluated over a range of concentrations. Results indicated that the effectiveness of commercial alkaline cleaners varies greatly, and is a function of the cleaner concentration, cleaner composition, and polarity of cleaning. The presence of antifoaming agents also affects cleaning ability. The results of this study indicate that evaporative-rate analysis is a rapid and effective method for evaluating cleaners

Hospital trash: cleaners speak of their role in disease prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Messing, K

1998-06-01

Feminist researchers have contrasted the caring provided by women in hospitals with a more fragmented "curing" approach, which they identify with the predominantly male professions of medicine and surgery. The author spoke with hospital cleaners about their jobs and their health. Several themes emerged: the invisibility of the cleaning function, lack of respect for cleaners, representations of cleaning as undemanding, and assumptions that women's work in cleaning is particularly easy. Cleaners use various strategies to combat these stereotypes but receive little help from administrators or fellow employees. There is a hierarchy in the status of Québec hospital workers with curing (doctors) at the top, followed by caring and healing (nurses, therapists, and attendants), and hygiene (cleaners, sterilizers, and launderers) at the bottom. Authority hierarchies in health care are not related to gender in a simple way, although there is discrimination against women cleaners. The fact that cleaning, especially cleaning performed by women, is invisible to managers, other hospital personnel, and patients has important consequences for cleaners' and for patients' health.

Evaluation of the efficiency of denture cleaners for removing denture adhesives.

Science.gov (United States)

Harada-Hada, Kae; Hong, Guang; Abekura, Hitoshi; Murata, Hiroshi

2016-12-01

We developed a new scoring index for assessing the removability of denture adhesives and evaluated the removal efficiency of denture cleaners. Although our understanding of the importance of denture care is increasing, little is known about the effectiveness and efficiency of denture cleaners on denture adhesives. Therefore, guidelines for proper cleaning are necessary. We used five denture cleaner solutions on two cream adhesives, one powder adhesive and one cushion adhesive. After immersion in the denture cleaners for a designated time, we evaluated the area of the sample plate still covered by denture adhesive. Cream adhesives were removed more completely after immersion in majority of the denture cleaners than in water. Powder adhesive was removed more quickly than cream adhesives. Cushion adhesive was not removed by immersion in either the denture cleaners or water control. Some denture cleaners could liquefy cream adhesives more than water, but these differences were not observed in case of powder and cushion adhesives. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S and The Gerodontology Association. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Occupational exposures and health outcomes among Latina hotel cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Yu-Chin Jerrie; Apostolopoulos, Yorghos; Hatzudis, Kiki; Sönmez, Sevil

2014-01-01

The poor working conditions of Latina hotel cleaners render them particularly vulnerable to elevated occupational hazards that lead to adverse health outcomes. This article presents a comprehensive review of occupational risks (including physical, chemical, biological, and psychosocial risk factors) and health outcomes (including musculoskeletal disorders, respiratory diseases, dermatological diseases and allergies, and psychological disorders) for Latina hotel cleaners, within their unique sociocultural contexts. Preventive interventions for improving Latina hotel cleaners' work and health conditions are recommended.

Cutting cleaner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elsen, R.P.H. van; Smits, M.

1991-01-01

This paper presents the results of a long term field test of the Cutting Cleaner, which is used for the treatment of wet oil contaminated cuttings (WOCC) produced when drilling with Oil Based Mud (OBM). It was concluded that it is possible to reduce the oil content of cuttings to an average of 1 - 2%. The recovered base oil can be reused to make new oil based mud

Metal cleaner poisoning

Science.gov (United States)

... do so by poison control or a health care provider. If the chemical is on the skin or in the eyes, flush with lots of water for at least 15 minutes. If the person swallowed the metal cleaner, give them water or milk right away, unless a provider tells you not ...

Epidemiology of occupational injury among cleaners in the healthcare sector.

Science.gov (United States)

Alamgir, Hasanat; Yu, Shicheng

2008-09-01

The cleaning profession has been associated with multiple ergonomic and chemical hazards which elevate the risk for occupational injury. This study investigated the epidemiology of occupational injury among cleaners in healthcare work settings in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Incidents of occupational injury among cleaners, resulting in lost time from work or medical care, over a period of 1 year in two healthcare regions were extracted from a standardized operational database and with person-years obtained from payroll data. Detailed analysis was conducted using Poisson regression modeling. A total of 145 injuries were identified among cleaners, with an annual incidence rate of 32.1 per 100 person-years. After adjustment for age, gender, subsector, facility, experience and employment status, Poisson regression models demonstrated that a significantly higher relative risk (RR) of all injury, musculoskeletal injury and cuts was associated with cleaning work in acute care facilities, compared with long-term care facilities. Female cleaners were at a higher RR of all injuries and contusions than male cleaners. A lower risk of all injury and allergy and irritation incidents among part-time or casual workers was found. Cleaners with >10 years of experience were at significantly lower risk for all injury, contusion and allergy and irritation incidents. Cleaners were found to be at an elevated risk of all injury categories compared with healthcare workers in general.

Metal-Detergent/Cleaner Compatibility

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hindin, Barry

1994-01-01

...) such as CFC-1 13 or 1,1,1 Trichioroethane (TCA) in their cleaning and degreasing procedures. During the last few years, AGMC has been evaluating alternative, environmentally acceptable chemicals to replace their ODC cleaners...

Control of respirable particles and radon progeny with portable air cleaners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Offermann, F.J.; Sextro, R.G.; Fisk, W.J.; Nazaroff, W.W.; Nero, A.V.; Revzan, K.L.; Yater, J.

1984-02-01

Eleven portable air cleaning devices have been evaluated for control of indoor concentrations of respirable particles and radon progeny. Following injection of cigarette smoke and radon in a room-size chamber, decay rates for particles and radon progeny concentrations were measured with and without air cleaner operation. Particle concentrations were obtained for total number concentration and for number concentration by particle size. In tests with no air cleaner the natural decay rate for cigarette smoke was observed to be 0.2 hr -1 . Air cleaning rates for particles were found to be negligible for several small panel-filters, a residential ion-generator, and a pair of mixing fans. The electrostatic precipitators and extended surface filters tested had significant particle removal rates, and a HEPA-type filter was the most efficient air cleaner. The evaluation of radon progeny control produced similar results; the air cleaners which were effective in removing particles were also effective in removing radon progeny. At low particle concentrations plateout of the unattached radon progeny is an important removal mechanism. Based on data from these tests, the plateout rate for unattached progeny was found to be 15 hr -1 . The unattached fraction and the overall removal rate due to deposition of attached and unattached nuclides have been estimated for each radon decay product as a function of particle concentration. While air cleaning can be effective in reducing total radon progeny, concentrations of unattached radon progeny can increase with increasing air cleaning. 39 references, 26 figures, 9 tables

Risk assessment of amorphous silicon dioxide nanoparticles in a glass cleaner formulation

Science.gov (United States)

Scheel, Julia; Karsten, Stefan; Stelter, Norbert; Wind, Thorsten

2013-01-01

Since nanomaterials are a heterogeneous group of substances used in various applications, risk assessment needs to be done on a case-by-case basis. Here the authors assess the risk (hazard and exposure) of a glass cleaner with synthetic amorphous silicon dioxide (SAS) nanoparticles during production and consumer use (spray application). As the colloidal material used is similar to previously investigated SAS, the hazard profile was considered to be comparable. Overall, SAS has a low toxicity. Worker exposure was analysed to be well controlled. The particle size distribution indicated that the aerosol droplets were in a size range not expected to reach the alveoli. Predictive modelling was used to approximate external exposure concentrations. Consumer and environmental exposure were estimated conservatively and were not of concern. It was concluded based on the available weight-of-evidence that the production and application of the glass cleaner is safe for humans and the environment under intended use conditions. PMID:22548260

Inhomogeneous electric field air cleaner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuster, B.G.

1976-01-01

For applications requiring the filtration of air contaminated with enriched uranium, plutonium or other transuranium compounds, it appears desirable to collect the material in a fashion more amenable to recovery than is now practical when material is collected on HEPA filters. In some instances, it may also be desirable to use an air cleaner of this type to substantially reduce the loading to which HEPA filters are subjected. A theoretical evaluation of such an air cleaner considers the interaction between an electrically neutral particle, dielectric or conducting, with an inhomogeneous electric field. An expression is derived for the force exerted on a particle in an electrode configuration of two concentric cylinders. Equations of motion are obtained for a particle suspended in a laminar flow of air passing through this geometry. An electrical quadrupole geometry is also examined and shown to be inferior to the cylindrical one. The results of two separate configurations of the single cell prototypes of the proposed air cleaner are described. These tests were designed to evaluate collection efficiencies using mono-disperse polystyrene latex and polydisperse NaCl aerosols. The advantages and problems of such systems in terms of a large scale air cleaning facility will be discussed

Cleaner technology diffusion: case studies, modeling and policy. Editorial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Montalvo Corral, C.; Kemp, R.

2008-01-01

The development and application of cleaner technologies (environmental technologies) offer multiple benefits for the adopter: reduced emissions, less waste and cost savings from reduced resource use and savings on waste costs. The question here is: if cleaner technologies offer such great benefits

Self-Compensation of Astigmatism in Mode-Cleaners for Advanced Interferometers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barriga, P; Zhao Chunnong; Ju Li; Blair, David G [School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA6009 (Australia)

2006-03-02

Using a conventional mode-cleaner with the output beam taken through a diagonal mirror it is impossible to achieve a non-astigmatic output. The geometrical astigmatism of triangular mode-cleaners for gravitational wave detectors can be self-compensated by thermally induced astigmatism in the mirrors substrates. We present results from finite element modelling of the temperature distribution of the suspended mode-cleaner mirrors and the associated beam profiles. We use these results to demonstrate and present a self-compensated mode-cleaner design. We show that the total astigmatism of the output beam can be reduced to 5x10{sup -3} for {+-}10% variation of input power about a nominal value when using the end mirror of the cavity as output coupler.

Successes emerge in search for cleaner processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

Faced with mounting public and regulatory pressures, many chemical producers have long adopted pollution reduction efforts. But increasingly, firms are eyeing fundamental process changes to achieve cleaner technologies. In addition to environmental benefits, the promised economic payoffs are clear: higher yields and an escape from soaring waste treatment and disposal costs. Having such technologies, says Paolo Galli, Montecatini's (Milan) director/corporate research, is a tremendous tool. It's becoming an increasingly important competitive element. Indeed, suggests David Hyde, ICI's (London) manager/environmental technology, everyone is looking to use cleaner technologies for a competitive advantage. A number of leading technology groups, including UOP (Des Plaines, IL), are working on replacing hydrofluoric acid (HF) with solid catalysts in alkylation processes. Although it is technologically tough to replace HF or alternative sulfuric acid technology, the rewards could be huge in producing high-octane fuel additives. Catalytica (Mountain View, CA), for one, is building a pilot plant with partners Neste (Helsinki) and Du Pont's Conoco. The company has developed a process to manufacture high-purity DMC by direct synthesis from carbom monoxide, methanol, and oxygen. The medium-pressure process uses a copper salts catalyst system; EniChem says the only significant by-product is carbon dioxide, and there are no chlorinated impurities

Cleaner metallurgical industry in Serbia: a road to the sustainable development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Panias

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Since the sustainable development has been a global and fundamental objecttive, a metallurgical industrial sector faces some of the most difficult sustainability challenges of any industrial sector. On the other hand, the metallurgical production in Serbia is a very important part of the economy. Due to present facilities and technologies, metallurgical companies face a great challenge to fulfill the requirements introduced by legislature referring to the cleaner production and sustainable development. The state of art in the production, facilities, pollution with some answers to imposed challenges is presented.

STUDI PENERAPAN PRODUKSI BERSIH UNTUK INDUSTRI KERUPUK

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Banun Diyah Probowati

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Cleaner productionwas minimize waste and emissions and maximize product output. The aimed of research were to identified and to analysed application of cleaner production from crackers industry. By analysing the flow of materials and energy in this industry and then to identify options to minimize waste industrial processes. Improvements of organisation and technology help to reduce or suggest better choices in use of materials and energy, and to avoid waste, waste water generation, and gaseous emissions, and also waste heat.. Application of this cleaner production were a good house keeping, recycle, reduce and reuse. Modified a fireplace and smoked funnel were the choice of alternative to application the cleaner production. The benefit from application of cleaner production was 5% efficiency wood to be burn. There was the complete process of burning with value of efficiency.

Sudden death involving inhalation of 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a) with spray cleaner: three case reports.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakai, Kentaro; Maruyama-Maebashi, Kyoko; Takatsu, Akihiro; Fukui, Kenji; Nagai, Tomonori; Aoyagi, Miwako; Ochiai, Eriko; Iwadate, Kimiharu

2011-03-20

Spray cleaner is a cleaning product containing compressed 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a) to blow dust off electric devices and other sensitive equipment; however, it is also inhaled to induce euphoria. This report describes three cases of death involving HFC-152a inhalation with spray cleaner under different circumstances. In case 1, death was during inhalation for euphoria with which led to having frostbite. In case 2, death may have been associated with suicidal intention. Case 3 was also considered an accidental autoerotic death. In all three cases, HFC-152a was detected at 99.2-136.2mg/l in blood samples, 94.5-191.9 mg/l in urine samples and 3.6-18.4 mg in the gastric contents according to gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. To prevent death associated with HFC-152a inhalation from spray cleaner, the danger of the sudden death should be announced to people, given the ready availability of commercial products containing HFC-152a. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of self-running underwater cleaner for nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Haruo; Mizutani, Takeshi; Miki, Masamichi

1979-01-01

A self-running underwater cleaner for removing sediment accumulated on the bottoms of water tanks in nuclear power stations by remote operation was developed. This cleaner is used in the state maintaining the shielding effect of water against radiation as water is filled in equipment pits, and by the remote operation using cables, it runs freely in water and sucks bottom sediment. The sediment is transported through a drain hose to a treating facility in a power station, and treated in a lump. The cleaner is composed of the carriage with electric steering wheels and driving wheels and a high head submerged pump. Front and rear suction mouths are provided, and suck sediment with high speed water flow while scraping with rubber boards. The cleaner can be used in the water depth of 7 m, and as the results of practical test, it was confirmed that the decontaminating effect and maneuverability were very good so that the sediment at the corner was scarcely left behind, and the effects of labor saving and the reduction of exposure of employees were large. The fundamental experiments were carried out on the running mechanism, the coefficient of friction in water, and the construction of suction mouth. The trial manufacture of the under water cleaner, the water tank experiment and the test in the Mamaoka No. 1 plant are reported. (Kako, I.)

Development of a Modified Vacuum Cleaner for Lunar Surface Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Toon, Katherine P.; Lee, Steve A.; Edgerly, Rachel D.

2010-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mission to expand space exploration will return humans to the Moon with the goal of maintaining a long-term presence. One challenge that NASA will face returning to the Moon is managing the lunar regolith found on the Moon's surface, which will collect on extravehicular activity (EVA) suits and other equipment. Based on the Apollo experience, the issues astronauts encountered with lunar regolith included eye/lung irritation, and various hardware failures (seals, screw threads, electrical connectors and fabric contamination), which were all related to inadequate lunar regolith mitigation. A vacuum cleaner capable of detaching, transferring, and efficiently capturing lunar regolith has been proposed as a method to mitigate the lunar regolith problem in the habitable environment on lunar surface. In order to develop this vacuum, a modified "off-the-shelf' vacuum cleaner will be used to determine detachment efficiency, vacuum requirements, and optimal cleaning techniques to ensure efficient dust removal in habitable lunar surfaces, EVA spacesuits, and air exchange volume. During the initial development of the Lunar Surface System vacuum cleaner, systematic testing was performed with varying flow rates on multiple surfaces (fabrics and metallics), atmospheric (14.7 psia) and reduced pressures (10.2 and 8.3 psia), different vacuum tool attachments, and several vacuum cleaning techniques in order to determine the performance requirements for the vacuum cleaner. The data recorded during testing was evaluated by calculating particulate removal, relative to the retained simulant on the tested surface. In addition, optical microscopy was used to determine particle size distribution retained on the surface. The scope of this paper is to explain the initial phase of vacuum cleaner development, including historical Apollo mission data, current state-of-the-art vacuum cleaner technology, and vacuum cleaner testing that has

Cleaner shrimp use a rocking dance to advertise cleaning service to clients.

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Justine H A; Curtis, Lynda M; Grutter, Alexandra S

2005-04-26

Signals transmit information to receivers about sender attributes, increase the fitness of both parties, and are selected for in cooperative interactions between species to reduce conflict [1, 2]. Marine cleaning interactions are known for stereotyped behaviors [3-6] that likely serve as signals. For example, "dancing" and "tactile dancing" in cleaner fish may serve to advertise cleaning services to client fish [7] and manipulate client behavior [8], respectively. Cleaner shrimp clean fish [9], yet are cryptic in comparison to cleaner fish. Signals, therefore, are likely essential for cleaner shrimp to attract clients. Here, we show that the yellow-beaked cleaner shrimp [10] Urocaridella sp. c [11] uses a stereotypical side-to-side movement, or "rocking dance," while approaching potential client fish in the water column. This dance was followed by a cleaning interaction with the client 100% of the time. Hungry cleaner shrimp, which are more willing to clean than satiated ones [12], spent more time rocking and in closer proximity to clients Cephalopholis cyanostigma than satiated ones, and when given a choice, clients preferred hungry, rocking shrimp. The rocking dance therefore influenced client behavior and, thus, appears to function as a signal to advertise the presence of cleaner shrimp to potential clients.

16 CFR 501.3 - Replacement bags for vacuum cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Replacement bags for vacuum cleaners. 501.3... REQUIREMENTS AND PROHIBITIONS UNDER PART 500 § 501.3 Replacement bags for vacuum cleaners. Replacement bags for..., provided: (a) The quantity of contents is expressed in terms of numerical count of the bags; (b) A...

Reputation management promotes strategic adjustment of service quality in cleaner wrasse.

Science.gov (United States)

Binning, Sandra A; Rey, Olivia; Wismer, Sharon; Triki, Zegni; Glauser, Gaétan; Soares, Marta C; Bshary, Redouan

2017-08-21

Adjusting one's behaviour in response to eavesdropping bystanders is considered a sophisticated social strategy, yet the underlying mechanisms are not well studied. Cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, cooperate by eating ectoparasites off "client" fishes, or cheat (i.e. bite) and eat client mucus. Image scoring by bystander clients generally causes cleaners from socially-complex (i.e. high cleaner and client abundance; high client species richness) habitats to increase levels of cooperation. However, some individuals may periodically provide tactile stimulation to small resident clients, which attract bystanders close that are bitten, a form of tactical deception. Cortisol injection can reproduce this pattern. Here, we tested whether cleaners from socially-complex versus simple habitats respond differently to cortisol injections in terms of their cleaning interactions with clients. We found that only cleaners from the socially-complex habitat respond to cortisol injection with strategies functioning as tactical deception: i.e. increased tactile stimulation to small clients and increased cheating of large clients relative to small ones. At the socially-simple site, where reputation management is less important, cortisol-treated fish increased their overall levels of cheating, especially of small clients. Thus, strategic adjustments to cooperative behaviour and tactical deception are likely context-dependent, forming part of general reputation management abilities in cleaner wrasse.

Techno-economic and carbon footprint assessment of methyl crotonate and methyl acrylate production from wastewater-based polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fernandez Dacosta, C.; Posada, John A.; Ramirez, C.A.

2016-01-01

This paper assesses whether a cleaner and more sustainable production of the chemical building blocks methyl crotonate (MC) and methyl acrylate (MA) can be obtained in an innovative process in which resource consumption, waste generation and environmental impacts are minimized by using

Metodologia de checkland aplicada à implementação da produção mais limpa em serviços Cleaner production implementation in services using checkland's methodology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gisele Cristina Sena da Silva

2006-12-01

Full Text Available O programa de Produção Mais Limpa tem sido aplicado com sucesso na indústria manufatureira, entretanto, esta ferramenta está longe de ser adotada por empresas de prestação de serviço. Este artigo tem como principal contribuição caracterizar o desenvolvimento e a aplicação da Produção Mais Limpa na prestação de serviço, a partir da utilização da Metodologia de Checkland para estruturação de problemas. Essa metodologia objetiva a comparação entre sistema real (como a empresa se encontra hoje e conceitual (como a empresa iria funcionar se adotasse a Produção Mais Limpa no sentido de traçar cenários de mudanças e auxiliar os gestores na tomada de decisão sobre adotar ou não adotar este programa.The Cleaner Production program has been applied successfully in the manufacturing industry. However, this instrument is far from service company's adoption. The main contribution of this thesis is to characterize the development and application of the Cleaner Production program in Services using Checkland Methodology for structuring problems. The main objective of this methodology is make a comparison between the real system (the way the company is today and the conceptual system (the way the company would work if it adopted the Cleaner Production as it traces the changing pictures and help managers to decide on adopting this program or not. The aim of the presented Case Studies is to show how the model is applied in service companies.

Application of new pre-isolation techniques to mode cleaner design

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barriga, Pablo [School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia); Woolley, Andrew [School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia); Zhao Chunnong [Computer and Information Science, Edith Cowan University, Mount Lawley, WA 6050 (Australia); Blair, David G [School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia)

2004-03-07

Two very low frequency pre-isolation stages can greatly reduce the residual motion of suspended optical components. In a mode cleaner this can reduce the control forces required on the mirrors, simplifying lock acquisition and reducing noise injection through control forces. This paper describes a 12 m triangular suspended mode cleaner under construction for the AIGO high optical power interferometer. A novel and very compact multistage isolator supports the cavity mirrors. It combines an inverse pendulum in series with a low-mass Roberts linkage, both with pendulum frequencies below 0.1 Hz. The suspension chain is connected to the Roberts linkage via a Euler spring stage and a cantilever spring assembly for vertical isolation. We present an analysis of the mode cleaner, emphasizing the advantage of the improved mode-cleaner suspension and its power-handling capability. The effect of seismic noise on the residual velocity of the mirrors and the predicted frequency stability of the optical cavity are presented.

Application of new pre-isolation techniques to mode cleaner design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barriga, Pablo; Woolley, Andrew; Zhao Chunnong; Blair, David G

2004-01-01

Two very low frequency pre-isolation stages can greatly reduce the residual motion of suspended optical components. In a mode cleaner this can reduce the control forces required on the mirrors, simplifying lock acquisition and reducing noise injection through control forces. This paper describes a 12 m triangular suspended mode cleaner under construction for the AIGO high optical power interferometer. A novel and very compact multistage isolator supports the cavity mirrors. It combines an inverse pendulum in series with a low-mass Roberts linkage, both with pendulum frequencies below 0.1 Hz. The suspension chain is connected to the Roberts linkage via a Euler spring stage and a cantilever spring assembly for vertical isolation. We present an analysis of the mode cleaner, emphasizing the advantage of the improved mode-cleaner suspension and its power-handling capability. The effect of seismic noise on the residual velocity of the mirrors and the predicted frequency stability of the optical cavity are presented

Nuclear criticality safety calculations for a K-25 site vacuum cleaner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shor, J.T.; Haire, M.J.

1997-02-01

A modified Nilfisk model GSJ dry vacuum cleaner is used throughout the K-25 Site to collect dry forms of highly enriched uranium (HEU). When vacuuming, solids are collected in a cyclone-type separator vacuum cleaner body. Calculations were done with the SCALE (KENO V.a) computer code to establish conditions at which a nuclear criticality event might occur if the vacuum cleaner was filled with fissile solution. Conditions evaluated included full (12-in. water) reflection and nominal (1-in. water) reflection, and full (100%) and 20% 235 U enrichment. Validation analyses of SCALE/KENO and the SCALE 27-group cross sections for nuclear criticality safety applications indicate that a calculated k eff + 2σ eff + 2σ ≥ 0.9605 is considered unsafe and may be critical. Critical conditions were calculated to be 70 g U/L for 100% 235 U and full 12-in. water reflection. This corresponds to a minimum critical mass of approximately 1,400 g 235 U for the approximate 20.0-L volume of the vacuum cleaner. The actual volume of the vacuum cleaner is smaller than the modeled volume because some internal materials of construction were assumed to be fissile solution. The model was an overestimate, for conservatism, of fissile solution occupancy. At nominal reflection conditions, the critical concentration in a vacuum cleaner full of UO 2 F 2 solution was calculated to be 100 g 235 U/L, or 2,000 g mass of 100% 235 U. At 20% 235 U for the 20.0-L volume of the vacuum cleaner. At 15% 235 U enrichment and full reflection, critical conditions were not reached at any possible concentration of uranium as a uranyl fluoride solution. At 17.5% 235 U enrichment, criticality was reached at approximately 1,300 g U/L which is beyond saturation at 25 C

Cleaner Coal in China [Chinese Version

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2009-07-01

China’s rapid economic growth has aroused intense interest around the world. Policy makers, industrialists, investors, environmentalists, researchers and others want to better understand the issues that this populous nation faces as it further develops an already thriving economy largely fuelled by coal. This study sheds light on the Chinese coal supply and transformation sectors. China’s rapid economic growth has aroused intense interest around the world. Policy makers, industrialists, investors, environmentalists, researchers and others want to better understand the issues that this populous nation faces as it further develops an already thriving economy largely fuelled by coal. This study sheds light on the Chinese coal supply and transformation sectors. China’s coal, mined locally and available at a relatively low cost, has brought enormous benefits to energy consumers in China and to those outside the country who enjoy the products of its coal-based economy. Yet from another perspective, China’s coal use has a high cost. Despite progress, health and safety in the thousands of small coal mines lag far behind the standards achieved in China’s modern, large mines. Environmental degradation is a real and pressing problem at all stages of coal production, supply and use. Adding to these burdens, emissions of carbon dioxide are of concern to the Chinese government as it embarks on its own climate protection strategy. Technology solutions are already transforming the way coal is used in China and elsewhere. This study explores the context in which the development and deployment of these technologies can be accelerated. Providing a large amount of new data, it describes in detail the situation in China as well as the experiences of other countries in making coal cleaner. Above all, the report calls for much greater levels of collaboration – existing bi-lateral and multi-lateral co-operation with China on coal is found lacking. China’s growing openness

Psychosocial work factors and shoulder pain in hotel room cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Burgel, Barbara J; White, Mary C; Gillen, Marion; Krause, Niklas

2010-07-01

Hotel room cleaners have physically demanding jobs that place them at high risk for shoulder pain. Psychosocial work factors may also play a role in shoulder pain, but their independent role has not been studied in this group. Seventy-four percent (941 of 1,276) of hotel room cleaners from five Las Vegas hotels completed a 29-page survey assessing health status, working conditions, and psychosocial work factors. For this study, 493 of the 941 (52%) with complete data for 21 variables were included in multivariate logistic regression analyses. Fifty-six percent reported shoulder pain in the prior four weeks. Room cleaners with effort-reward imbalance (ERI) were three times as likely to report shoulder pain (OR 2.99, 95% CI 1.95-4.59, P = 0.000) even after adjustment for physical workload and other factors. After adjustment for physical workload, job strain and iso-strain were not significantly associated with shoulder pain. ERI is independently associated with shoulder pain in hotel room cleaners even after adjustment for physical workload and other risk factors. 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

TESTING ANTIMICROBIAL CLEANER EFFICACY ON GYPSUM WALLBOARD CONTAMINATED WITH STACHYBOTRYS CHARTARUM

Science.gov (United States)

Reducing occupant exposure to indoor mold growth is the goal of this research, through the efficacy testing of antimicrobial cleaners. Often mold contaminated building materials are not properly removed, but instead surface cleaners are applied in an attempt to alleviate the prob...

ENERGY STAR Certified Room Air Cleaners

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Certified models meet all ENERGY STAR requirements as listed in the Version 1.2 ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Room Air Cleaners that are effective as of July...

Participation of Danish and immigrant cleaners in a 1-year worksite intervention preventingphysical deterioration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Charlotte D N; Jørgensen, Marie B; Carneiro, Isabella G

2012-01-01

differences in participation among immigrant and Danish cleaners throughout a 1-year randomised controlled study tailored to cleaners and carried out in predominantly female workplaces. No significant differences in ethnicity were found in consent and participation throughout the 1-year intervention. Dropout...... was equally distributed among Danish and immigrant cleaners. This study indicates that a worksite health promotion intervention among a female-dominated, high-risk occupation such as cleaning can be equally appealing for Danes and immigrants. Statement of Relevance: This study provides insight about...... participation of Danish and immigrant cleaners in a worksite health promotion intervention in a predominantly female occupation. For attaining high participation and low dropout in future worksite health promotion interventions among cleaners, the intervention ought to not only target the ethnic background...

Evaluation of room air cleaners for the reduction of exposure and dose to indoor radon progeny

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hopke, P.K.; Jensen, B.; Wasiolek, P.

1994-01-01

Since the proximate source of dose to the cells of the bronchial epithelium is the deposited radon progeny, the exposure and resulting dose could be reduced if the radon decay products were effectively removed from the indoor atmosphere. Thus, room air cleaners could be effective in reducing the risks associated with indoor radon. However, because of the short half-life of 218 Po, it grows back quickly and in the altered aerosol conditions that are produced by the presence of an air cleaner, the exposure/dose conditions as well as the magnitude of the dose can be substantially changed. To examine the nature of the exposure of individuals in normally occupied homes and to determine the effect of various types of room air cleaners on the exposure to and dose from the indoor radon progeny, a series of measurements have been made using an automated graded screen array system. Two extended experiments were performed in homes in Arnprior, Ontario and Parishville, NY, in which filtration systems, a positive ion electrostatic precipitator, and ioniser/fan systems have been tested for their ability to remove both airborne radioactivity and particles. In both experiments, measurements were made over one week periods with an air cleaner operating and the distributions of exposure are compared with measurements of the background conditions when no cleaner is functioning. The doses to both basal and secretory cells of the bronchial epithelium in the first eight generations of the bronchus were calculated using the model developed by James and their distributions are compared among the various exposure conditions. In most cases the presence of the air cleaner reduced the exposure to radon progeny. However, the reductions in dose were generally substantially smaller than the reductions in exposure. In the intercomparisons of the two filtration units and the two identical ioniser/fan systems, the units generally behaved in a similar manner. The results of this substantial set of

Particle production after inflation with non-minimal derivative coupling to gravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ema, Yohei; Jinno, Ryusuke; Nakayama, Kazunori; Mukaida, Kyohei

2015-01-01

We study cosmological evolution after inflation in models with non-minimal derivative coupling to gravity. The background dynamics is solved and particle production associated with rapidly oscillating Hubble parameter is studied in detail. In addition, production of gravitons through the non-minimal derivative coupling with the inflaton is studied. We also find that the sound speed squared of the scalar perturbation oscillates between positive and negative values when the non-minimal derivative coupling dominates over the minimal kinetic term. This may lead to an instability of this model. We point out that the particle production rates are the same as those in the Einstein gravity with the minimal kinetic term, if we require the sound speed squared is positive definite

Environmental Technology Verification: Supplement to Test/QA Plan for Biological and Aerosol Testing of General Ventilation Air Cleaners; Bioaerosol Inactivation Efficiency by HVAC In-Duct Ultraviolet Light Air Cleaners

Science.gov (United States)

The Air Pollution Control Technology Verification Center has selected general ventilation air cleaners as a technology area. The Generic Verification Protocol for Biological and Aerosol Testing of General Ventilation Air Cleaners is on the Environmental Technology Verification we...

Does aerobic exercise improve or impair cardiorespiratory fitness and health among cleaners?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korshøj Larsen, Mette; Lidegaard, Mark; Skotte, Jørgen H

2015-01-01

OBJECTIVE: It is unknown if aerobic exercise overloads or improves the cardiovascular system among workers with high occupational physical activity. This was investigated in a worksite randomized controlled trial (RCT) of aerobic exercise among cleaners. METHODS: We randomized 116 cleaners betwee...

Analysis of socio-environmental benefits from the implementation of cleaner production strategies in the agricultural sector of the middle reaches of the river chinchiná, colombia

OpenAIRE

Florez Yepes, Gloria Yaneth; Calderon Cuartas, Paola Andrea

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to assess the socio-environmental benefits generated by the implementation of cleaner production strategies in the agriculture and livestock sectors, in the middle part of the Chinchina river basin, Colombia. The methodology involves recording of field data on the basis of interviews and semi-structured dialogue; processing and analysis of data on the basis of matrix adaptation and network diagramming; and assessment of socio-environmental benefits, with determina...

76 FR 71342 - Proposed CERCLA Administrative Cost Recovery Settlement; River Forest Dry Cleaners Site, River...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-17

... Settlement; River Forest Dry Cleaners Site, River Forest, Cook County, IL AGENCY: Environmental Protection... response costs concerning the River Forest Dry Cleaners site in River Forest, Cook County, Illinois with... code: C-14J, Chicago, Illinois 60604. Comments should reference the River Forest Dry Cleaners Site...

Matrix factorizations, minimal models and Massey products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knapp, Johanna; Omer, Harun

2006-01-01

We present a method to compute the full non-linear deformations of matrix factorizations for ADE minimal models. This method is based on the calculation of higher products in the cohomology, called Massey products. The algorithm yields a polynomial ring whose vanishing relations encode the obstructions of the deformations of the D-branes characterized by these matrix factorizations. This coincides with the critical locus of the effective superpotential which can be computed by integrating these relations. Our results for the effective superpotential are in agreement with those obtained from solving the A-infinity relations. We point out a relation to the superpotentials of Kazama-Suzuki models. We will illustrate our findings by various examples, putting emphasis on the E 6 minimal model

Ammonium Laurate Surfactant for Cleaner Deposition of Carbon Nanotubes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nilsson, Hanna M. [Department of Material Science and Engineering and ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States; Meany, Brendan [Department of Material Science and Engineering and ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States; Ticey, Jeremy [Department of Material Science and Engineering and ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States; Sun, Chuan-Fu [Department of Material Science and Engineering and ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States; Wang, YuHuang [Department of Material Science and Engineering and ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States; Cumings, John [Department of Material Science and Engineering and ‡Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States

2015-06-15

Experiments probing the properties of individual carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and those measuring bulk composites show vastly different results. One major issue limiting the results is that the procedures required to separate and test CNTs introduce contamination that changes the properties of the CNT. These contamination residues often come from the resist used in lithographic processing and the surfactant used to suspend and deposit the CNTs, commonly sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Here we present ammonium laurate (AL), a surfactant that has previously not been used for this application, which differs from SDS only by substitution of ionic constituents but shows vastly cleaner depositions. In addition, we show that compared to SDS, AL-suspended CNTs have greater shelf stability and more selective dispersion. These results are verified using transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, ζ-potential measurements, and Raman and absorption optical spectroscopy. This surfactant is simple to prepare, and the nanotube solutions require minimal sonication and centrifugation in order to outperform SDS.

Continuous improvement concepts as a link between quality assurance and implementation of cleaner production: Case study in the generic pharmaceutical industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boltić Zorana

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The subject and the research objective presented in this article is establishing of the relationship between quality assurance and implementation of cleaner production in the generic pharmaceutical industry through the comprehensive concept of continuous improvement. This is mostly related to application of Lean and Six Sigma tools and techniques for process improvement and their link to other known concepts used in the industrial environment, especially manufacturing of generic pharmaceutical products from which two representative case studies were selected for comparative analysis, also considering relevant regulatory requirements in the field of quality management, as well as appropriate quality standards. Although the methodology discussed in this conceptual and practice oriented article is strongly related to chemical engineering, the focus is mainly on process industry, i.e. production systems, rather than any specific technological process itself. The scope of this research is an engineering approach to evaluation of the production systems in terms of continuous improvement concepts application, considering both quality aspects and efficiency of such systems. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 34009

The Life, Work and Recreational Physical Activity of Female Cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lenneis, Verena

The main aim of this article-based PhD thesis was to explore the recreational physical activity participation of female cleaners – an occupational group mainly consisting of minority ethnic women from non-western countries. As the PhD project was integrated in and financially supported...... by the Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health, a part of the PhD project was to organize and evaluate a workplace physical activity programme that used team games as the main form of exercise. Via participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 42 cleaners and their supervisors I gained insights...... and employed different theories, they drew a coherent picture: the interviewees’ everyday lives as migrant cleaners in Denmark had a decisive influence on their opportunities to engage in recreational physical activity: most women struggled with the demands of a physically exhausting job and an extensive...

What drives successful implementation of pollution prevention and cleaner technology strategy? The role of innovative capability.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhupendra, Kumar Verma; Sangle, Shirish

2015-05-15

Firms that are dynamic and prepared to implement environmental strategies have a potential competitive advantage over their industry counterparts. Therefore, it is important to understand, what capabilities are required to implement proactive environmental strategies. The paper discusses the attributes of innovative capability required by firms in order to adopt pollution prevention and cleaner technology strategies. Empirical results show that process and behavioral innovativeness are required by firms to implement a pollution prevention strategy. In addition to process and behavioral innovativeness, firms need a top management with high risk-taking ability as well as market, product, and strategic innovativeness to implement a cleaner technology strategy. The paper proposes some important managerial implications on the basis of the above research findings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A study on the sound quality evaluation model of mechanical air-cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ih, Jeong-Guon; Jang, Su-Won; Jeong, Cheol-Ho

2009-01-01

In operating the air-cleaner for a long time, people in a quiet enclosed space expect low sound at low operational levels for a routine cleaning of air. However, in the condition of high operational levels of the cleaner, a powerful yet nonannoying sound is desired, which is connected to a feeling...... of an immediate cleaning of pollutants. In this context, it is important to evaluate and design the air-cleaner noise to satisfy such contradictory expectations from the customers. In this study, a model for evaluating the sound quality of air-cleaners of mechanical type was developed based on objective...... and subjective analyses. Sound signals from various aircleaners were recorded and they were edited by increasing or decreasing the loudness at three wide specific-loudness bands: 20-400 Hz (0-3.8 barks), 400-1250 Hz (3.8-10 barks), and 1.25- 12.5 kHz bands (10-22.8 barks). Subjective tests using the edited...

Analysis of labor employment assessment on production machine to minimize time production

Science.gov (United States)

Hernawati, Tri; Suliawati; Sari Gumay, Vita

2018-03-01

Every company both in the field of service and manufacturing always trying to pass efficiency of it’s resource use. One resource that has an important role is labor. Labor has different efficiency levels for different jobs anyway. Problems related to the optimal allocation of labor that has different levels of efficiency for different jobs are called assignment problems, which is a special case of linear programming. In this research, Analysis of Labor Employment Assesment on Production Machine to Minimize Time Production, in PT PDM is done by using Hungarian algorithm. The aim of the research is to get the assignment of optimal labor on production machine to minimize time production. The results showed that the assignment of existing labor is not suitable because the time of completion of the assignment is longer than the assignment by using the Hungarian algorithm. By applying the Hungarian algorithm obtained time savings of 16%.

Removing seed coat fragments with a lint cleaner grid bar air knife

Science.gov (United States)

Seed coat fragments (SCF) in ginned lint cause spinning problems at the textile mill and undesirable defects in finished goods. Work continued on developing an air knife that may help remove SCF from ginned lint. The air knife is mounted on the 1st lint cleaner grid bar of a saw-type lint cleaner,...

Employee participation and cleaner technology: learning processes in environmental teams

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Remmen, Arne; Lorentzen, Børge

2000-01-01

The approach to pollution prevention in Danish industries in the late-1980s and in the beginning of the 1990s met criticism, because the cleaner technology projects focused too narrowly on technical solutions implemented by experts. The objective of the project “Employee Participation in the Impl...... to improve the firms' environmental activities (e.g. setting up environmental policies, targets and action plans, implementing new procedures and technologies).......The approach to pollution prevention in Danish industries in the late-1980s and in the beginning of the 1990s met criticism, because the cleaner technology projects focused too narrowly on technical solutions implemented by experts. The objective of the project “Employee Participation...... in the Implementation of Cleaner Technology” was to develop a more active role for employees in the environmental activities of companies. Based on practical experiments in five Danish firms within different industrial sectors, the project concluded that employee participation can have a strong effect on changing...

40 CFR 761.378 - Decontamination, reuse, and disposal of solvents, cleaners, and equipment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... of solvents, cleaners, and equipment. 761.378 Section 761.378 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL...-Porous Surfaces § 761.378 Decontamination, reuse, and disposal of solvents, cleaners, and equipment. (a) Decontamination. Decontaminate solvents and non-porous surfaces on equipment in accordance with the standards and...

Prevention and minimization of waste production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noynaert, L.

1998-01-01

The main objective of the program Prevention and Minimization of Waste Production at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK/CEN is to contribute to reducing the volume and costs of nuclear waste. In addition, it aims to provide reliable data and models to the design engineers with a view to determining the final plant characteristics. Main activities in 1997 are described

GUIDE TO CLEANER TECHNOLOGIES: ORGANIC COATING REPLACEMENTS

Science.gov (United States)

This guide describes available and emerging cleaner technologies that can be used to reduce emissions and wastes from paint and coatings applications. Environmental concerns and increasing costs of organic chemicals and metals are leading to changes in the formulation of organic ...

Airborne exposures associated with the typical use of an aerosol brake cleaner during vehicle repair work.

Science.gov (United States)

Fries, Michael; Williams, Pamela R D; Ovesen, Jerald; Maier, Andrew

2018-04-19

Many petroleum-based products are used for degreasing and cleaning purposes during vehicle maintenance and repairs. Although prior studies have evaluated chemical exposures associated with this type of work, most of these have focused on gasoline and exhaust emissions, with few samples collected solely during the use of an aerosol cleaning product. In this case study, we assess the type of airborne exposures that would be expected from the typical use of an aerosol brake cleaner during vehicle repair work. Eight exposure scenarios were evaluated over a two-day study in which the benzene content of the brake cleaner and potential for dilution ventilation and air flow varied. Both short-term (15 min) and task-based (≥1 hr) charcoal tube samples were collected in the breathing zone and adjacent work area and analyzed for total hydrocarbons (THCs), toluene, and benzene. The majority of personal (N = 48) and area (N = 47) samples had detectable levels of THC and toluene, but no detections of benzene were found. For the personal short-term samples, average airborne concentrations ranged from 3.1 - 61.5 ppm (13.8-217.5 mg/m 3 ) for THC and 2.2 - 44.0 ppm (8.2-162.5 mg/m 3 ) for toluene, depending on the scenario. Compared to the personal short-term samples, average concentrations were generally 2 to 3 times lower for the personal task-based samples and 2 to 5 times lower for the area short-term samples. The highest exposures occurred when the garage bay doors were closed, floor fan was turned off, or greatest amount of brake cleaner was used. These findings add to the limited dataset on this topic and can be used to bound or approximate worker or consumer exposures from use of aerosol cleaning products with similar compositions and use patterns.

Visibility and social recognition as psychosocial work environment factors among cleaners in a multi-ethnic workplace intervention.

Science.gov (United States)

Hviid, Kirsten; Smith, Louise Hardman; Frydendall, Karen Bo; Flyvholm, Mari-Ann

2012-12-24

This article focuses on the psychosocial work environment of immigrant cleaners at a Danish workplace. Today, many cleaners working in Danish cleaning jobs are women from the established immigrant communities, but also labour migrants from the newer EU member states have found their way to the cleaning industry. Studies have drawn attention to immigrants' low position in the cleaning industry and their increased risk of work injuries. This article is based on a case study of an intervention called "Make a Difference" designed to improve the work environment among cleaners at a multi-ethnic workplace. We used semi-structured interviews, photo logs, observation and participation to investigate how the cleaners experienced their work environment. The cleaners reported an overload of heavy work, related to the concept of a classroom's "readiness for cleaning", and they expressed strained social relations and communication in addition to a lack of social recognition and invisibility at the workplace, a school. We analysed these psychosocial work environmental problems by investigating the different forms of social relationships and communication within the group of cleaners, and between the cleaners and the teachers and pupils at the school. Moreover, we discussed why the intervention, based on training of language and cleaning skills and social interaction, only partially improved the cleaners' psychosocial work environment problems. In this article, we argue that social divisions based on ethnicity between the new and the established group of cleaners, combined with their marginal position and poor work organisation at the school, reinforced the cleaners' experiences of psychosocial work environment problems. This article suggests that increased effort towards social inclusion at work and improved work organisation, especially for the new labour migrants from newer EU-countries, should be considered.

Aerobic exercise reduces biomarkers related to cardiovascular risk among cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korshøj, Mette; Ravn, Marie Højbjerg; Holtermann, Andreas

2016-01-01

PURPOSE: Blue-collar workers have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Accordingly, elevated levels of biomarkers related to risk of cardiovascular disease, such as high-sensitive C-reactive protein, have been observed among blue-collar workers. The objective was to examine whether...... an aerobic exercise worksite intervention changes the level of inflammation biomarkers among cleaners. METHODS: The design was a cluster-randomized controlled trial with 4-month worksite intervention. Before the 116 cleaners aged 18-65 years were randomized, they signed an informed consent form...

A 24-h assessment of physical activity and cardio-respiratory fitness among female hospital cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Mette Korshøj; Krustrup, Peter; Jespersen, Tobias

2013-01-01

measured. The methods were feasible for the objective 24-h sampling of physical activity and cardio-respiratory fitness among cleaners. Measurements showed that the cleaners walked 20,198 ± 4,627 steps per day. During working hours, the average cardio-respiratory load was 25 ± 6% of heart rate reserve (HRR......). The cleaners had a low estimated cardio-respiratory fitness (34 mlO2/kg/min), a high BMI (50%, >25 kg/m(2)) and blood pressure (50%, >120/>80 mmHg). The high amount of steps, the relatively high cardiovascular load at work and low cardio-respiratory fitness illustrate the need for further investigation...... of the relationship between physical activity at work and in leisure, and cardiovascular health in this population. Practitioner Summary: This study evaluated the feasibility of methods for objective 24-h sampling of physical activity among cleaners; the methods used were found to be feasible. The cleaners had a high...

The effects of crude oil and the effectiveness of cleaner application following oiling on US Gulf of Mexico coastal marsh plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Pezeshki, S R; DeLaune, R D; Jugsujinda, A

2001-01-01

Field studies were conducted in two different marsh habitats in Louisiana coastal wetlands to evaluate the effects of oiling (using South Louisiana Crude oil, SLC) and the effectiveness of a shoreline cleaner (COREXIT 9580) in removing oil from plant canopies. The study sites represented two major marsh habitats; the brackish marsh site was covered by Spartina patens and the freshwater marsh was covered by Sagittaria lancifolia. Field studies were conducted in each habitat using replicated 5.8 m2 plots that were subjected to three treatments; oiled only, oiled + cleaner (cleaner was used 2 days after oiling), and a control. Plant gas exchange responses, survival, growth, and biomass accumulation were measured. Results indicated that oiling led to rapid reductions in leaf gas exchange rates in both species. However, both species in 'oiled + cleaned' plots displayed improved leaf conductance and CO2 fixation rates. Twelve weeks after treatment initiation, photosynthetic carbon fixation in both species had recovered to normal levels. Over the short-term, S. patens showed more sensitivity to oiling with SLC than S. lancifolia as was evident from the data of the number of live shoots and above-ground biomass. Above-ground biomass remained significantly lower than control in S. patens under 'oiled' and 'oiled + cleaned' treatments while it was comparable to controls in S. lancifolia. These studies indicated that the cleaner removed oil from marsh grasses and alleviated the short-term impact of oil on gas exchange function of the study plants. However, use of cleaner had no detectable effects on above-ground biomass production or regeneration at the end of the first growing season in S. patens. Similarly, no beneficial effects of cleaner on carbon fixation and number of live shoots were apparent beyond 12 weeks in S. lancifolia.

Associations between psychosocial work environment and hypertension among non-Western immigrant and Danish cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Kasper Vinther; Carneiro, Isabella G; Jørgensen, Marie B

2012-01-01

INTRODUCTION: Non-Western cleaners have reported better psychosocial work environment but worse health compared with their Danish colleagues. The aim of this study was to compare the association between psychosocial work environment and hypertension among non-Western immigrant cleaners and Danish...

Prevention and Minimization of Waste Production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noynaert, L.; Bruggeman, A.; Rahier, A.

1998-01-01

The general objectives of SCK-CEN's programme on the prevention and minimization of waste production are to contribute to reducing volumes and cost of radioactive waste. It also aims tro provide reliable data and models to the design engineers with a view to determining the final plant characteristics. In the long term, these objectives will be extended to other nuclear applications. Progress and achievements in 1997 are summarised

Increased Participation Among Cleaners as a Strategy to Improve Quality and Occupational Health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Therese Öhrling

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Like many other industries, today the cleaning industry is affected more than ever by competition and pressure toward low prices, which leads to a nonadvantageous situation for cleaners. These days many Swedish municipalities choose to outsource cleaning service in order to save money, although the situation for the cleaners appears to be worsening. The aim of this paper is to evaluate an alternative organizational structure within a Swedish public cleaning division to investigate how good work environment for cleaners can be combined with economical savings for a municipality. Like many other cleaning organizations, both national and international, the present cleaning division has been struggling for a long time with high levels of sick leave and early retirements. After years of unsuccessful attempts to improve the situation by reducing the physical load, cleaning managers made a decision to broaden their strategy by changing the structure of their organization. In this study, both qualitative and quantitative methods have been applied to identify and understand the effects of the organizational change, both on an individual level and on an organizational level. The results show that the organizational change, which leads to increased participation and autonomy for the cleaners, in combination with a high degree of social support, had a positive effect on job satisfaction, work motivation, and pride among the cleaners. Sick leave within the division has decreased, and both the quality and efficiency of the cleaning service have increased. It can be concluded that there are other alternative organizational structures that could be applied within the public sector and prove advantageous, both for the individual cleaners and for the municipality. Further research of similar organizational structures within the private cleaning sector is recommended.

The local implementation of clean(er) fuels policies in Europe. A Handbook with guidelines. Final version

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mulder, F.; Amara, Sliman Abu; Uustal, M.; Pelkmans, L.; Devriendt, N.; Rogulska, M.; Defranceschi, P.

2009-05-01

This handbook aims to guide the local/regional governments all over Europe who are involved in implementing clean(er) fuel policies in transport. The general challenge these governments are facing is how local policies on clean(er) fuels and vehicles can be made operational. Hence, how can the step be made from a vision on the strategic policy level, to a vision on the implementation of these policies. A local/regional policy on clean(er) fuels and vehicles is commonly part of the larger category 'sustainable transport policy', which in itself is part of a broader local environmental policy. The encompassing local/regional sustainable mobility policy will in most cases be based on the three well known main policy aims in this area: CO2 reduction; Improving the local air quality; and Improving the security of supply (locally often less stressed). This handbook will focus on the actual implementation of a clean(er) fuels and vehicles policy. It will describe the main challenges and how these can be overcome. It will describe how the market conditions for clean(er) fuels and vehicles can be created by establishing the vital market elements and which process is required to do so. And it will show how local enterprises can be involved and what the role of the local governments in this process can be. In order to identify the local success factors in overcoming the main challenges for implementation, case studies have been carried out in three European cities, namely Stockholm (Sweden), Graz (Austria) and Lille (France). The choice of these cities was based on their successes in implementing clean(er) fuel policies (although they followed different paths) and the fact that they managed to achieve ambitious clean(er) fuel/ clean(er) vehicle targets. These cities may thus be considered as ?good practice examples?. The case studies are based on existing literature, on multiple stakeholders? interviews in all three cities, and on two small surveys. The objectives of this

Hybrid genetic algorithm for minimizing non productive machining ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

The movement of tool is synchronized with the help of these CNC codes. Total ... Lot of work has been reported for minimizing the productive time by ..... Optimal path for automated drilling operations by a new heuristic approach using particle.

The waste minimization program at the Feed Materials Production Center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blasdel, J.E.; Crotzer, M.E.; Gardner, R.L.; Kato, T.R.; Spradlin, C.N.

1987-01-01

A waste minimization program is being implemented at the Feed Materials Production Center to reduce the generation of uranium-contaminated wastes and to comply with existing and forthcoming regulations. Procedures and plans are described which deal with process and non-process trash, contaminated wood and metals, used metal drums, and major process wastes such as contaminated magnesium fluoride and neutralized raffinate. Waste minimization techniques used include segregation, source reduction, volume reduction, material substitution and waste/product recycle. The importance of training, communication, and incentives is also covered. 5 refs., 11 figs

Ultra-Stable, New Generation Q-Switched Monolithic Laser Cleaners for Fine Art Conservation

Science.gov (United States)

Brioschi, F.; Salvadeo, P.

The increasing use of laser cleaners in fine art conservation boosts the demand on improvements of the laser performances. More power and more wavelengths are required by the current applications, while laser should be more reliable, rugged and compact. The characteristics and performances of a new generation of laser cleaners are presented as a result of a dedicated research and development program.

Research on Duct Flow Field Optimisation of a Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao-bo Lai

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The duct of a robot vacuum cleaner is the length of the flow channel between the inlet of the rolling brush blower and the outlet of the vacuum blower. To cope with the pressure drop problem of the duct flow field in a robot vacuum cleaner, a method based on Pressure Implicit with Splitting of Operators (PRISO algorithm is introduced and the optimisation design of the duct flow field is implemented. Firstly, the duct structure in a robot vacuum cleaner is taken as a research object, with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD theories adopted; a three-dimensional fluid model of the duct is established by means of the FLUENT solver of the CFD software. Secondly, with the k-∊ turbulence model of three-dimensional incompressible fluid considered and the PRISO pressure modification algorithm employed, the flow field numerical simulations inside the duct of the robot vacuum cleaner are carried out. Then, the velocity vector plots on the arbitrary plane of the duct flow field are obtained. Finally, an investigation of the dynamic characteristics of the duct flow field is done and defects of the original duct flow field are analysed, the optimisation of the original flow field has then been conducted. Experimental results show that the duct flow field after optimisation can effectively reduce pressure drop, the feasibility as well as the correctness of the theoretical modelling and optimisation approaches are validated.

Research on Duct Flow Field Optimisation of a Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao-bo Lai

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The duct of a robot vacuum cleaner is the length of the flow channel between the inlet of the rolling brush blower and the outlet of the vacuum blower. To cope with the pressure drop problem of the duct flow field in a robot vacuum cleaner, a method based on Pressure Implicit with Splitting of Operators (PRISO algorithm is introduced and the optimisation design of the duct flow field is implemented. Firstly, the duct structure in a robot vacuum cleaner is taken as a research object, with the computational fluid dynamics (CFD theories adopted; a three‐dimensional fluid model of the duct is established by means of the FLUENT solver of the CFD software. Secondly, with the k‐ε turbulence model of three‐ dimensional incompressible fluid considered and the PRISO pressure modification algorithm employed, the flow field numerical simulations inside the duct of the robot vacuum cleaner are carried out. Then, the velocity vector plots on the arbitrary plane of the duct flow field are obtained. Finally, an investigation of the dynamic characteristics of the duct flow field is done and defects of the original duct flow field are analysed, the optimisation of the original flow field has then been conducted. Experimental results show that the duct flow field after optimisation can effectively reduce pressure drop, the feasibility as well as the correctness of the theoretical modelling and optimisation approaches are validated.

Water Quality Improvement of Media Culture for Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) with Cleaner Production Method

Science.gov (United States)

Haeruddin; Supriharyono; Febrianto, S.

2018-02-01

The tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), is known as a high adaptability and brackish water tolerance fish. This fish is also has a meat with high protein content, that ranges about 65 -75%. Generally the tilapia is cultured using a conventional system with high density. It is caused degradation of water quality of media culture, and finally increase mortality rate of fish cultured. The application of tilapia cultivation with cleaner production method by giving enzyme into the feed to upgrade the efficiency of feed utilization, presumed that could improve the water quality of cultivation media. It is due to the lower of feed and feces residues. Therefore the concentration of toxic compounds, such as ammonia, nitrite and sulfide, will be lower. The experiments were conducted for 35 days with a completely factorial randomized design. The first factor was the dosage of enzyme in the feed, consisting of 4 dosages, and the second factor was the duration of the test fish maintenance (5 weeks). Water quality variables examined included ammonia, nitrite and sulfide. The results showed that enzyme dosage had no significantly impact on ammonia, nitrite and sulfide concentrations in the test media culture. However, the feeding with enzyme in low dosage, resulted less concentration of ammonia, nitrite and sulfide than it was without enzyme). The duration of fish cultured has significantly effect on the concentration of ammonia, nitrite and sulfide in the test media. While it is no significantly correlation between dosage and duration of maintenance.

The association between health and sickness absence among Danish and non-Western immigrant cleaners in Denmark.

Science.gov (United States)

Carneiro, Isabella G; Rasmussen, Charlotte D N; Jørgensen, Marie B; Flyvholm, Mari-Ann; Olesen, Kasper; Madeleine, Pascal; Ekner, Dorte; Søgaard, Karen; Holtermann, Andreas

2013-05-01

The aim of the study is to investigate the association between health and sickness absence among Danish and non-Western immigrant cleaners in Denmark. This study is based on a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 2007 to 2008. The study population includes 276 cleaners, 144 Danish and 132 non-Western immigrant cleaners. Cumulative sickness absences during a 6-month period from administrative records were subdivided into no sickness absence (0 days), low occurrence of sickness absence (1-10 days) and high occurrence of sickness absence (over 10 days). Measures of health consisted of self-report and objective assessments. The relationship between sickness absence and health was analyzed through multinomial logistic regression, stratified by immigrant status. For both Danish and non-Western immigrant cleaners, poor self-reported health was significantly related to high occurrence of sickness absence. Among Danish cleaners, high blood pressure was related to high occurrence of sickness absence. Among non-Western immigrant cleaners, total body pain and having one or more diagnosed chronic disease were related to high occurrence of sickness absence. No association between health and low occurrence of sickness absence was found. The findings confirm the importance of health for high occurrence of sickness absence, in both ethnic groups. Moreover, low occurrence of sickness absence was not related to the health conditions investigated.

On Cleaner Technologies in a Transboundary Pollution Game

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benchekroun, H.; Ray Chaudhuri, A.

2009-01-01

We show that in a non-cooperative transboundary pollution game, a cleaner technology (i.e., a decrease in the emission to output ratio) induces each country to increase its emissions and ultimately can yield a higher level of pollution and reduce social welfare.

Guide to cleaner coal technology-related web sites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Davidson, R; Jenkins, N; Zhang, X [IEA Coal Research - The Clean Coal Centre, London (United Kingdom)

2001-07-01

The 'Guide to Cleaner Coal Technology-Related Web Sites' is a guide to web sites that contain important information on cleaner coal technologies (CCT). It contains a short introduction to the World Wide Web and gives advice on how to search for information using directories and search engines. The core section of the Guide is a collection of factsheets summarising the information available on over 65 major web sites selected from organizations worldwide (except those promoting companies). These sites contain a wealth of information on CCT research and development, technology transfer, financing and markets. The factsheets are organised in the following categories. Associations, research centres and programmes; Climate change and sustainable development; Cooperative ventures; Electronic journals; Financial institutions; International organizations; National government information; and Statistical information. A full subject index is provided. The Guide concludes with some general comments on the quality of the sites reviewed.

Visibility and Social Recognition as Psychosocial Work Environment Factors among Cleaners in a Multi-Ethnic Workplace Intervention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kirsten Hviid

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This article focuses on the psychosocial work environment of immigrant cleaners at a Danish workplace. Today, many cleaners working in Danish cleaning jobs are women from the established immigrant communities, but also labour migrants from the newer EU member states have found their way to the cleaning industry. Studies have drawn attention to immigrants’ low position in the cleaning industry and their increased risk of work injuries. This article is based on a case study of an intervention called “Make a Difference” designed to improve the work environment among cleaners at a multi-ethnic workplace. We used semi-structured interviews, photo logs, observation and participation to investigate how the cleaners experienced their work environment. The cleaners reported an overload of heavy work, related to the concept of a classroom’s “readiness for cleaning”, and they expressed strained social relations and communication in addition to a lack of social recognition and invisibility at the workplace, a school. We analysed these psychosocial work environmental problems by investigating the different forms of social relationships and communication within the group of cleaners, and between the cleaners and the teachers and pupils at the school. Moreover, we discussed why the intervention, based on training of language and cleaning skills and social interaction, only partially improved the cleaners’ psychosocial work environment problems. In this article, we argue that social divisions based on ethnicity between the new and the established group of cleaners, combined with their marginal position and poor work organisation at the school, reinforced the cleaners’ experiences of psychosocial work environment problems. This article suggests that increased effort towards social inclusion at work and improved work organisation, especially for the new labour migrants from newer EU-countries, should be considered.

Evaluation of heat stress in dry cleaner units:A case study in Qom, Iran

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javad Malakouti

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Background & Aims of the Study: Nowadays, heat stress is one of the most harmful physical agents in workplaces. According to the consequences of heat stress and have no information about it in Qom dry cleaner units, Iran, this study have been designed to evaluate the heat stress among workers of dry cleaner units in Qom province of Iran, in Jul-Aug 2011. Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 113 units of active dry cleaner units. WBGT (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature index was selected for heat stress evaluation. In order to measure the requisite parameters, WBGT meter made of Casella Company had been used according to ISO 7243. Data had been analyzed according to Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs with SPSS V.16, using analysis of variance, independent T and LSD tests. Results: The average of WBGT index in Qom dry cleaner units of Iran were 28.98±1.64 °C. The average of WBGT index in 66.4% of units was up to 28°C. The average of relative humidity was 42.86%, the average of wet bulb temperature and globe temperature were 25.56°C and 36.72°C, respectively. The findings showed a significant correlation between the average of WBGT index and the standard recommendation level (p<0.0001. In dry cleaner units with less than 10 m2 area, heat stress was higher than other units  significantly (p<0.05. Conclusions: Heat stress in many dry cleaner units in Qom, Iran, was more than recommended OELs. Because of wet bulb and globe temperature in units were high value, the most important measures to heat controls, are technical engineering controls such as  radiation shield, insulation on boilers and modify the cooling systems.

What characterizes cleaners sustaining good musculoskeletal health after years with physically heavy work?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holtermann, A; Blangsted, A K; Christensen, H

2009-01-01

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this case-control study was to investigate characteristics of cleaners with good musculoskeletal health after years with physically heavy work. METHODS: One hundred and 41 female seniority cleaners participated. Twenty-five reported no musculoskeletal symptoms, whereas 83...... reported severe symptoms in the low back, neck shoulders or upper limbs. The groups were of matching age, height, body weight and seniority (19 years). Muscular strength was recorded by isometric maximal voluntary contractions on a day without pain. Exposure to physical risk factors at work, psychosocial...... work factors, and leisure time physical activity were assessed by a postal questionnaire. RESULTS: Cleaners with good musculoskeletal health were not reporting different exposure to physical risk factors at work or leisure time physical activity, but had higher muscular strength and reported higher...

The Urban Function of the Infraordinary: Dry Cleaners as Social Vertexes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lunde Nielsen, Espen

2015-01-01

of social coexistence that has ‘a function that is separate from their practical use’ (Jorn 1954). A London dry cleaner serves as testing ground, employing critical spatial practices and creative writing as research tools. The dry cleaner does not simply clean clothes, but is a social vertex and physical...... interface through which (non-)events unfold, trajectories thickens and people of the neighbourhood coexists as familiar strangers (Milgram 2010; Paulos and Goodman 2004) through events in real-time and deposits over time. It is a semi-public space and an implosion of the external neighbourhood, partly...

Psychosocial work environment among immigrant and Danish cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Kasper; Carneiro, Isabella G; Jørgensen, Marie B

2012-01-01

Non-Western cleaners have been shown to have poorer health than their Danish colleagues. One reason could be a poorer psychosocial work environment. However, it is unknown if differences in self-reported psychosocial work environment exist between non-Western and Danish workers within the same so...

Influence Factors of Willingness to Pay for Vegetable Cleaner Production Technology Subsidies: Taking the Questionnaire Investigation on the Application of Vegetable Residue Composting Technology as an Example

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ZHOU Ying

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Currently, producing the safe, high quality and nutritious vegetable products has become the common goal of the food producers and consumers. In doing so, Chinese government vigorously promotes clean production technology of vegetables for the source control and production process control. Unfortunately, lots of vegetables residues are still thrown away after the harvest, which has caused severe environmental pollution in producing areas. Vegetable waste composting technology, an important technology of vegetable cleaner production, has low requirements for technology conditions and is suitable for the promotion of rural households. But it needs additional investment costs including retting pond construction costs during application process and its personal income is less than the social benefits brought by the technology itself, which makes it difficult to mobilize the enthusiasm of farmers to adapt cleaner technology and the technology promotion is not smooth. It is of great and practical significance to investigate the influence mechanism of technology application, assess subsides policy effectiveness and encourage farmers environmentally and friendly produce behavior. The goal of this study is thus to use the contingent valuation method(CVM to understand the farmers' willingness to subsidize for heap retting pool construction fee and to analyze the direction and intensity of influence factors of willingness to pay(WTP by using a Logistic econometric model and the 142 questionnaires in Gaocheng City of Hebei Province. The results indicated that the direct cost of production and operation was an important factor to affect the WTP of technology subsidies and individual labor time and social relationship were the internal control factors that affects the WTP, while the policy measures based on technology subsidies was an important factor to affect the WTP and environmental cognition factor of soil pollution presented a reverse relationship with

Pressure pain sensitivity maps, self-reported musculoskeletal disorders and sickness absence among cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Binderup, Asbjørn Thalund; Holtermann, Andreas; Søgaard, Karen

2011-01-01

back regions (27 points). LTSA was defined as ten or more consecutive workdays with sick leave. RESULTS: The PPT maps revealed the spatial heterogeneity in mechanical sensitivity among cleaners. The level of pain in the neck and dominant shoulder and upper back within the last 7 days correlated......BACKGROUND: Pressure pain threshold mapping is a valuable method for the identification of distinct zones of mechanical pain sensitivity. Such approach was applied for the first time in relation to self-reported musculoskeletal disorders and long-term sickness absence (LTSA) within the last 12...... months among cleaners. METHODS: About 29 cleaners filled out a self-administered questionnaire regarding health, work-related measures and musculoskeletal disorders. Subsequently, PPTs were measured at (1) tibialis anterior (control location, 1 point), (2) the neck-shoulder (48 points) and (3) the low...

Breathing easier: Indonesia works towards cleaner air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madsen, Michael Amdi

2015-01-01

Indonesians can look forward to breathing cleaner air following upcoming changes in regulations introduced as a result of a study conducted using nuclear analytical techniques. Lead pollution and other fine particulate matter in the air is now, for the first time, being accurately monitored and is giving Indonesian officials a good understanding of their air pollution problem and how to manage it.

Products of Snowflaked Euclidean Lines Are Not Minimal for Looking Down

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph Matthieu

2017-11-01

Full Text Available We show that products of snowflaked Euclidean lines are not minimal for looking down. This question was raised in Fractured fractals and broken dreams, Problem 11.17, by David and Semmes. The proof uses arguments developed by Le Donne, Li and Rajala to prove that the Heisenberg group is not minimal for looking down. By a method of shortcuts, we define a new distance d such that the product of snowflaked Euclidean lines looks down on (RN , d, but not vice versa.

A radioisotope production cyclotron designed to minimize dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szlavik, F.F.; Moritz, L.E.

1992-01-01

This paper describes a radioisotope production cyclotron which has been designed to minimize the dose to personnel during operation and maintenance. The design incorporates lessons learned from the operation of a CP42 cyclotron and has resulted in a reduction of the dose by a factor of more than 10. (author)

Minimizing inner product data dependencies in conjugate gradient iteration

Science.gov (United States)

Vanrosendale, J.

1983-01-01

The amount of concurrency available in conjugate gradient iteration is limited by the summations required in the inner product computations. The inner product of two vectors of length N requires time c log(N), if N or more processors are available. This paper describes an algebraic restructuring of the conjugate gradient algorithm which minimizes data dependencies due to inner product calculations. After an initial start up, the new algorithm can perform a conjugate gradient iteration in time c*log(log(N)).

Hybrid genetic algorithm for minimizing non productive machining ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Minimization of non-productive time of tool during machining for 2.5 D milling significantly reduces the machining cost. The tool gets retracted and repositioned several times in multi pocket jobs during rough machining which consumes 15 to 30% of total machining time depending on the complexity of job. The automatic ...

Increased participation among cleaners as a strategy to improve quality and occupational health

OpenAIRE

Öhrling, Therese

2014-01-01

Like many other industries, today the cleaning industry is affected more than ever by competition and pressure toward low prices, which leads to a nonadvantageous situation for cleaners. These days many Swedish municipalities choose to outsource cleaning service in order to save money, although the situation for the cleaners appears to be worsening. The aim of this paper is to evaluate an alternative organizational structure within a Swedish public cleaning division to investigate how good wo...

Cleaner Technologies and the Stability of International Environmental Agreements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benchekroun, H.; Ray Chaudhuri, A.

2012-01-01

Abstract: This paper shows that, if countries are farsighted when deciding whether to defect from a coalition, then the implementation of cleaner technologies may jeopardize the chances of reaching an international environmental agreement. The grand coalition may be destabilized by the

Improving China’s Environmental Performance through Adaptive Implementation—A Comparative Case Study of Cleaner Production in Hangzhou and Guiyang

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ting Guan

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper examines local policy implementation of Cleaner Production (CP in China. As the major policy implementer, China’s local government plays a crucial role in promoting CP. A better understanding of the factors affecting local government’s incentives regarding CP and different strategies available to the local government can help policy makers and implementers improve CP practices and other environmental policy outcomes. This paper uses the cases of Hangzhou and Guiyang to demonstrate that local conditions of policy implementation have a direct impact on the success of CP promotion. Based on 35 in-depth interviews, statistical data and internal government reports, we find that the location-based incentives of local government strongly influence their implementation strategies; and that the choices of different strategies can bring out various policy results. From this study, the identified location-based incentives are affected by energy resource endowment, economic development stage and technological competence. The successful implementation strategies involve using different policy instruments synthetically, regulating CP service organizations by controlling their qualifications, differentiating CP subsidizations, and improving transparency of project progress and outcomes.

Screening for common mental disorders and substance abuse among temporary hired cleaners in Egyptian Governmental Hospitals, Zagazig City, Sharqia Governorate.

Science.gov (United States)

Abbas, R A; Hammam, R A M; El-Gohary, S S; Sabik, L M E; Hunter, M S

2013-01-01

Informal employment is common in developing countries, including Egypt. This type of employment may have significant consequences on mental health. To determine the prevalence and risk factors of common mental disorders and substance abuse among temporary hired hospital cleaners. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 242 adult temporary cleaners and 209 permanent cleaners working in 4 governmental hospitals in Zagazig City, Sharqia Governorate, Egypt. All participants were invited to complete a structured questionnaire through a semi-structured interview which included the self-reporting questionnaire 20 items (SRQ-20) and the work stress scale. Assessment of drug use included urine-based screening tests for common substances abused. The prevalence of job stress, common mental disorders and substance abuse, particularly tramadol and cannabis (Bango), was significantly higher in the studied temporary cleaners compared to permanent cleaners. Risk factors associated with increased susceptibility of the temporary cleaners to common mental disorders were family history of substance abuse, high crowding index, history of physical illness, low educational level, and smoking; while being unmarried, male sex, family history of mental disorder, age ≥40 years, smoking, and length of service ≥8 years, were associated with substance abuse among the same group. Temporary hired hospital cleaners suffered from impaired mental health more than permanent cleaners. Therefore, expanding the coverage of current laws and occupational safety and health standards to cover workers in the informal sector especially in developing countries is recommended.

Screening for Common Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse among Temporary Hired Cleaners in Egyptian Governmental Hospitals, Zagazig City, Sharqia Governorate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

RA Abbas

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Informal employment is common in developing countries, including Egypt. This type of employment may have significant consequences on mental health. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of common mental disorders and substance abuse among temporary hired hospital cleaners. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 242 adult temporary cleaners and 209 permanent cleaners working in 4 governmental hospitals in Zagazig City, Sharqia Governorate, Egypt. All participants were invited to complete a structured questionnaire through a semi-structured interview which included the self-reporting questionnaire 20 items (SRQ-20 and the work stress scale. Assessment of drug use included urine-based screening tests for common substances abused. Results: The prevalence of job stress, common mental disorders and substance abuse, particularly tramadol and cannabis (Bango, was significantly higher in the studied temporary cleaners compared to permanent cleaners. Risk factors associated with increased susceptibility of the temporary cleaners to common mental disorders were family history of substance abuse, high crowding index, history of physical illness, low educational level, and smoking; while being unmarried, male sex, family history of mental disorder, age ≥40 years, smoking, and length of service ≥8 years, were associated with substance abuse among the same group. Conclusion: Temporary hired hospital cleaners suffered from impaired mental health more than permanent cleaners. Therefore, expanding the coverage of current laws and occupational safety and health standards to cover workers in the informal sector especially in developing countries is recommended.

Sustainable aggregates production : green applications for aggregate by-products.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

Increased emphasis in the construction industry on sustainability and recycling requires production of : aggregate gradations with lower dust (cleaner aggregates) and smaller maximum sizeshence, increased : amount of quarry by-products (QBs). QBs ...

Indoor fine particles: the role of terpene emissions from consumer products.

Science.gov (United States)

Sarwar, Golam; Olson, David A; Corsi, Richard L; Weschler, Charles J

2004-03-01

Consumer products can emit significant quantities of terpenes, which can react with ozone (O3). Resulting byproducts include compounds with low vapor pressures that contribute to the growth of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs). The focus of this study was to evaluate the potential for SOA growth, in the presence of O3, following the use of a lime-scented liquid air freshener, a pine-scented solid air freshener, a lemon-scented general-purpose cleaner, a wood floor cleaner, and a perfume. Two chamber experiments were performed for each of these five terpene-containing agents, one at an elevated O3 concentration and-the other at a lower O3 concentration. Particle number and mass concentrations increased and O3 concentrations decreased during each experiment. Experiments with terpene-based air fresheners produced the highest increases in particle number and mass concentrations. The results of this study clearly demonstrate that homogeneous reactions between O3 and terpenes from various consumer products can lead to increases in fine particle mass concentrations when these products are used indoors. Particle increases can occur during periods of elevated outdoor O3 concentrations or indoor O3 generation, coupled with elevated terpene releases. Human exposure to fine particles can be reduced by minimizing indoor terpene concentrations or O3 concentrations.

Ethnic Mobilization among Korean Dry Cleaners

OpenAIRE

Thomas, Ward F; Ong, Paul

2015-01-01

Korean immigrants in the U.S. rely heavily on ethnic resources to start small businesses.  Ethnic resources include business networks and knowledge, start-up capital, and access to labor power that are embedded in networks of family, friends, and co-ethnics.  This paper shows how Korean dry cleaners in Southern California used ethnic resources to mobilize in response to an environmental policy initiated by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD).  While Korean immigrants used e...

Actual problems of municipal cleaner’s waste waters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konko¾ová Patrícia

2000-03-01

Full Text Available In paper are evaluated social and economical changes in water economy with emphasis on complex evaluation of municipal cleaner’s waste waters with respect of legislative, position of ownerskip relationskips and financial security of public experiences of water economy.

The association between health and sickness absence among Danish and non-Western immigrant cleaners in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carneiro, Isabella G.; Rasmussen, Charlotte D. N.; Jørgensen, Marie B.

2013-01-01

PURPOSE: The aim of the study is to investigate the association between health and sickness absence among Danish and non-Western immigrant cleaners in Denmark. METHODS: This study is based on a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 2007 to 2008. The study population includes 276 cleaners...

Physical Fitness of Cleaners in Faculty of Medicine Universitas Padjadjaran, November 2012

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adi Wibisono Sulistijo

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Cleaning is an occupation that is carried out worldwide in many different environments. Cleaning workers (cleaners often have low occupational skills and belong to the less advantaged educational and socioeconomic groups. Because of the high physical work demands and low cardiorespiratory fitness, cleaners have the risk to have cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to measure the 5 components of physical fitness (cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle endurance, muscle strength, flexibility and body composition of cleaners in Faculty of Medicine Universitas Padjadjaran. Methods: A descriptive study was carried out to all cleaners (31 persons of Faculty of Medicine Universitas Padjadjaran in November 2012. The subjects were tested for cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle endurance, muscle strength, flexibility and body composition. The results were categorized using the standard of Ministry of Health Republic Indonesia. Results: From 31 subjects, cardiorespiratory endurance was in poor category (50%. Shoulder and hand muscle endurance was in poor category (54.8% and stomach muscle endurance was in very poor category (67.7%. Hand−grip muscular strength was in very poor category: right hand (80.7% and left hand (87.1%. Back muscle strength was in poor category (58.1%. Leg muscular strength was in very poor category (48.4%. Flexibility was in a very good category (97% and body composition was also in a good category (54.8%. Conclusions: From 5 components of cleaners’ physical fitness, 3 components (cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle endurance and muscular strength are in poor and very poor category.

Primary DNA Damage in Dry Cleaners with Perchlorethylene Exposure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Azimi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Perchloroethylene is a halogenated solvent widely used in dry cleaning. International agency of research on cancer classified this chemical as a probable human carcinogen. Objective: To evaluate the extent of primary DNA damage in dry cleaner workers who were exposed to perchloroethylene as compared to non-exposed subjects. The effect of exposure modifying factors such as use of personal protective equipment, perceived risk, and reported safe behaviors on observed DNA damage were also studied. Methods: 59 exposed and non-exposed workers were selected from Yazd, Iran. All the 33 exposed workers had work history at least 3 months in the dry cleaning shops. Peripheral blood sampling was performed. Microscope examination was performed under fluorescent microscope (400×. Open comet software was used for image analysis. All biological analysis was performed in one laboratory. Results: Primary DNA damage to leukocytes in dry cleaners was relatively high. The median tail length, %DNA in tail, and tail moment in exposed group were significantly higher than those in non-exposed group. There was no significant difference between smokers and nonsmokers in terms of tail length, tail moment, and %DNA in tail. There was no significant correlation between duration of employment in dry cleaning and observed DNA damage in terms of tail length, tail moment and %DNA in tail. Stratified analysis based on exposed and nonexposed category showed no significant relationship between age and observed DNA damage. Conclusion: Occupationally exposure to perchloroethylene can cause early DNA damage in dry cleaners.

The unattached fraction of radon decay products: Potential effects of in-home air cleaners on lung cancer risk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brady, P.A.

1991-01-01

Radon decay products are a factor in the development of lung cancer. Because of their efficient deposition within the lung, the fraction of decay products not attached to particulate (i.e., the unattached fraction) is very important in lung dosimetry. This study simulated the use of two in-home air cleaning devices to reduce airborne particulate concentrations, measure the effect on the unattached fraction, and estimate the radon lung cancer risk. Radon was released into a chamber having a volume-to-surface-area ratio similar to a small home. At radon-decay product equilibrium, radon and airborne particle concentrations were measured, and the concentration of the unattached fraction was estimated. The effect of particle concentration on the unattached fraction was then determined. The average unattached fractions corresponding to the particle concentration ranges expected for the air cleaning devices were used to calculate the annual alpha radiation dose and annual radon lung cancer for men, women and children at rest and under light activity. The annual doses and related risks were compared to those used in the models published by the Environmental Protection Agency. For particulate concentrations of a home with no particulate generating activities (e.g., smoking, cooking), the electronic air cleaner is predicted to reduce the unattached fraction from seven percent (the value used by the NCRP and confirmed in this study) to four percent. These conditions represent the maximum reduction in the unattached fraction. The decrease in the unattached fraction is tentatively attributed to an increase in plateout. Based on these results, a reduction of less than ten percent in the calculated annual lung cancer risk is found in all cases

A cyclotron isotope production facility designed to maximize production and minimize radiation dose

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dickie, W.J.; Stevenson, N.R.; Szlavik, F.F.

1993-01-01

Continuing increases in requirements from the nuclear medicine industry for cyclotron isotopes is increasing the demands being put on an aging stock of machines. In addition, with the 1990 recommendations of the ICRP publication in place, strict dose limits will be required and this will have an effect on the way these machines are being operated. Recent advances in cyclotron design combined with lessons learned from two decades of commercial production mean that new facilities can result in a substantial charge on target, low personnel dose, and minimal residual activation. An optimal facility would utilize a well engineered variable energy/high current H - cyclotron design, multiple beam extraction, and individual target caves. Materials would be selected to minimize activation and absorb neutrons. Equipment would be designed to minimize maintenance activities performed in high radiation fields. (orig.)

GAS-PHASE AND PARTICULATE EMISSIONS DURING APPLICATION OF A WATER-BASED CLEANER WITH A HAND-PUMP SPRAYER

Science.gov (United States)

The paper gives results of tests in a controlled environment test room to measure concentrations of 2-butoxyethanol and particles during application of a cleaner to realistic surfaces (counter tops, glass, walls). (NOTE: Users of water-based cleaners applied with hand-pump spray...

Effects on musculoskeletal pain, work ability and sickness absence in a 1-year randomised controlled trial among cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Marie B.; Faber, Anne; Hansen, Jørgen V.

2011-01-01

Only a few workplace initiatives among cleaners have been reported, even though they constitute a job group in great need of health promotion. The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the effect of either physical coordination training or cognitive behavioural training on musculoskeletal pain......, work ability and sickness absence among cleaners. A cluster-randomised controlled trial was conducted among 294 female cleaners allocated to either physical coordination training (PCT), cognitive behavioural training (CBTr) or a reference group (REF). Questionnaires about musculoskeletal pain and work...... intervention appeared effective for reducing chronic neck/shoulder pain among the female cleaners. It is recommended that future interventions among similar high-risk job groups focus on the implementation aspects of the interventions to maximise outcomes more distal from the intervention such as work ability...

Strategies to overcome barriers for cleaner generation technologies in small developing power systems: Sri Lanka case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wijayatunga, Priyantha D.C.; Siriwardena, Kanchana; Fernando, W.J.L.S.; Shrestha, Ram M.; Attalage, Rahula A.

2006-01-01

The penetration of cleaner and energy efficient technologies in small power systems such as the one in Sri Lanka has encountered many problems. This has caused major concerns among the policy makers, mainly in the context of the growing need to reduce harmful emissions in the electricity supply industry from the point of view of both local environmental pollution as well as the global warming concerns. This paper presents the outcome of a study involved in identifying and ranking the barriers to the promotion of cleaner and energy efficient technologies and strategies to overcome these barriers in Sri Lanka. Barriers for renewable energy based systems such as wind and wood fuel fired plants (dendro thermal power) and cleaner technologies such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) fired combined cycle and IGCC (coal) were identified based on a survey. A direct assessment multi-criteria decision making method called Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to rank the barriers. The most effective strategies are proposed to address the three major barriers for each of these technologies based on extensive discussions with all the stakeholders in the electricity industry. It was found that lack of financing instruments, high initial cost and lack of assurance of resource supply or availability are the main barriers for renewable technologies. As for cleaner fuel and technology options associated with conventional generation systems, the lack of a clear government policy, uncertainty of fuel supplies and their prices and the reliability of the technologies themselves are the major barriers. Strategies are identified to overcome the above barriers. Establishment of a proper feed in tariff, geographical diversification of installations and capacity building in commercial banks are suggested for wind power. Investment incentives, streamlining of wood production and research on site identification are proposed for wood fuel fired plants. Also the study suggests delayed

Hydrogen production from sewage sludge by steam gasification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aye, L.; Klinkajorn, P. [Melbourne Univ. International Technologies Centre, Melbourne, Victoria (Australia). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering

2006-07-01

Because of the shortage of energy sources in the near future, renewable energy, such as biomass, has become an important source of energy. One of the most common approaches for producing gaseous fuels from biomass is gasification. The main product gases of gasification are hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and low molecular weight hydrocarbons. Because of the capability of very low emission at the point of use, the interest in using hydrogen for electrical power generation and in electric-vehicles has been increasing. Hydrogen from biomass steam gasification (SG) is a net zero green house gas emission fuel. Sewage sludge (SS) has a potential to produce hydrogen-rich gaseous fuel. Therefore, hydrogen production from sewage sludge may be a solution for cleaner fuel and the sewage sludge disposal problem. This paper presented the results of a computer model for SSSG by using Gibbs free energy minimization (GFEM) method. The computer model developed was used to determine the hydrogen production limits for various steam to biomass ratios. The paper presented an introduction to renewable energy and gasification and discussed the Gibbs free energy minimization method. The study used a RAND algorithm. It presented the computer model input parameters and discussed the results of the stoichiometric analysis and Gibbs free energy minimization. The energy requirement for hydrogen production was also presented. 17 refs., 1 tab., 6 figs.

Blood cleaner on-chip design for artificial human kidney manipulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suwanpayak N

2011-05-01

Full Text Available N Suwanpayak1, MA Jalil2, MS Aziz3, FD Ismail3, J Ali3, PP Yupapin11Nanoscale Science and Engineering Research Alliance (N'SERA, Advanced Research Center for Photonics, Faculty of Science, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology, Ladkrabang, Bangkok, Thailand; 2Ibnu Sina Institute of Fundamental Science Studies (IIS, 3Institute of Advanced Photonics Science, Nanotechnology Research Alliance, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru, MalaysiaAbstract: A novel design of a blood cleaner on-chip using an optical waveguide known as a PANDA ring resonator is proposed. By controlling some suitable parameters, the optical vortices (gradient optical fields/wells can be generated and used to form the trapping tools in the same way as optical tweezers. In operation, the trapping force is formed by the combination between the gradient field and scattering photons by using the intense optical vortices generated within the PANDA ring resonator. This can be used for blood waste trapping and moves dynamically within the blood cleaner on-chip system (artificial kidney, and is performed within the wavelength routers. Finally, the blood quality test is exploited by the external probe before sending to the destination. The advantage of the proposed kidney on-chip system is that the unwanted substances can be trapped and filtered from the artificial kidney, which can be available for blood cleaning applications.Keywords: optical trapping, blood dialysis, blood cleaner, human kidney manipulation

Evaluation of ozone generation and indoor organic compounds removal by air cleaners based on chamber tests

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Kuo-Pin; Lee, Grace Whei-May; Hsieh, Ching-Pei; Lin, Chi-Chi

2011-01-01

Ozone can cause many health problems, including exacerbation of asthma, throat irritation, cough, chest ache, shortness of breath, and respiratory infections. Air cleaners are one of the sources of indoor ozone, and thus the evaluation of ozone generated by air cleaners is desired significant issue. Most evaluation methods proposed are based on chamber tests. However, the adsorption and desorption of ozone on the wall of test chamber and the deposition of ozone resulted from the surface reaction can influence the evaluation results. In this study, we developed a mass balance model that took the adsorption, desorption and deposition of ozone into consideration to evaluate the effective ozone emission rates of six selected air cleaners. The experiments were conducted in a stainless steel chamber with a volume of 11.3 m 3 at 25 °C and 60% relative humidity. The adsorption, desorption and deposition rate constants of ozone obtained by fitting the model to the experimental data were k a = 0.149 ± 0.052 m h -1, k d = 0.013 ± 0.007 h -1, and k r = 0.050 ± 0.020 h -1, respectively. The effective ozone emission rates of Air Cleaners No. 1, 2, and 3 ranged between 13,400-24,500 μg h -1, 7190-10,400 μg h -1, and 4880-6560 μg h -1, respectively, which were more stable than those of No.4, 5, and 6. The effective ozone emission rates of Air Cleaners No. 4, 5, and 6 increased with the time of operation which might be relevant to the decrease of ozone removal by the "aging" filter installed in these cleaners. The removal of toluene and formaldehyde by these six air cleaners were also evaluated and the clean air delivery rates (CADRs) of these two pollutants ranged from non-detectable to 0.42 ± 0.08 m 3 h -1, and from non-detectable to 0.75 ± 0.07 m 3 h -1, respectively. The CADRs showed an insignificant relationship with the effective ozone emission rates. Thus, the removal of toluene and formaldehyde might be resulted from the adsorption on the filters and the

Screening for Common Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse among Temporary Hired Cleaners in Egyptian Governmental Hospitals, Zagazig City, Sharqia Governorate

OpenAIRE

RA Abbas; RAM Hammam; SS El-Gohary; LME Sabik; MS Hunter

2012-01-01

Background: Informal employment is common in developing countries, including Egypt. This type of employment may have significant consequences on mental health. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of common mental disorders and substance abuse among temporary hired hospital cleaners. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 242 adult temporary cleaners and 209 permanent cleaners working in 4 governmental hospitals in Zagazig City, Sharqia Governorate, Egyp...

Frequency and longitudinal trends of household care product use

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, Rebecca E.; Bennett, Deborah H.; Tancredi, Daniel J.; Wu, Xiangmei (May); Ritz, Beate; Hertz-Picciotto, Irva

2012-08-01

The use of household cleaning products and air fresheners exposes people to a variety of chemicals, including some that have been shown to be irritants, potential carcinogens and endocrine disrupting compounds. In addition, some react with ambient ozone infiltrating to the indoor environment to form potentially toxic secondary pollutants. Although realistic estimates of usage patterns are necessary for modeling potential exposures in risk assessments, few studies have documented cleaning habits and product usage to characterize how they vary between households and over time. In addition, understanding within-household temporal variability of use is important to assess the reliability of exposure questionnaires used in epidemiological surveys and improve the cost-efficiency of data collection. In the SUPERB (Study of Use of Products and Exposure-Related Behavior) study, frequencies of use of eight types of household cleaning products and air fresheners and the performance of different types of cleaning tasks are collected in three annual telephone and six quarterly web-based surveys. All-purpose and glass cleaners were the products most frequently used among all products surveyed. Use frequencies differed by demographic and other household characteristics for some products. Product usage was internally consistent, with over 75% of pairwise cross-sectional correlations between product types statistically significantly different from zero. In addition, each product type was correlated with at least one cleaning habit. Frequency of cleaning product use and performing cleaning tasks did not vary by season. An examination of intra-household variability showed moderately to highly consistent usage patterns over time, with lower temporal consistency observed among products used more frequently, such as all-purpose cleaners. Frequency of household care product usage was consistent enough that in epidemiologic studies, participants can be classified, for example, into three

Early retirement among Danish female cleaners and shop assistants according to work environment characteristics and upper extremity complaints

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Lone Donbæk; Bonde, Jens Peter Ellekilde; Christensen, Michael Victor

2016-01-01

-year cohort study with registry-based follow-up of 1430 female cleaners and 579 shop assistants. In subsequent analyses of female cleaners, disability pension and voluntary early retirement were modeled according to work characteristics and upper extremity complaints. RESULTS: The adjusted hazard rate...

Field Performance Test of an Air-Cleaner with Photocatalysis-Plasma Synergistic Reactors for Practical and Long-Term Use

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tsuyoshi Ochiai

2014-10-01

Full Text Available A practical and long-term usable air-cleaner based on the synergy of photocatalysis and plasma treatments has been developed. A field test of the air-cleaner was carried out in an office smoking room. The results were compared to previously reported laboratory test results. Even after a treatment of 12,000 cigarettes-worth of tobacco smoke, the air-cleaner maintained high-level air-purification activity (98.9% ± 0.1% and 88% ± 1% removal of the total suspended particulate (TSP and total volatile organic compound (TVOC concentrations, respectively at single-pass conditions. Although the removal ratio of TSP concentrations was 98.6% ± 0.2%, the ratio of TVOC concentrations was 43.8% after a treatment of 21,900 cigarettes-worth of tobacco smoke in the field test. These results indicate the importance of suitable maintenance of the reactors in the air-cleaner during field use.

Laser cleaner development for decontamination of the primary water cooling system at nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minehara, Eisuke

2010-01-01

We recently have performed the feasibility studies to develop laser cleaners utilizing several laser oscillator and amplifier systems like femto-second free-electron lasers, water-jet guided lasers, Q-switched YAG lasers, fiber lasers. Whenever we used to clean the RI-contaminated surface using the lasers, we should focus enough laser power in the surface to evaporate instantly without melting. Therefore, as the contaminated being deeply located into the surface could be removed using any one set of the lasers, we found that every trial of laser cleaning could remove very well the RI contamination being located deeply. Our cold decontamination test using a model sample being Cobalt plated successfully has been performed to show a very high decontamination factor. In order to develop an usable laser cleaner, we plan to develop the prototype laser cleaner next year. (author)

A compilation of life cycle studies for six household detergent product categories in Europe: the basis for product-specific A.I.S.E. Charter Advanced Sustainability Profiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Golsteijn, Laura; Menkveld, Rimousky; King, Henry; Schneider, Christine; Schowanek, Diederik; Nissen, Sascha

2015-01-01

A.I.S.E., the International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products, launched the 'A.I.S.E. Charter for Sustainable Cleaning' in Europe in 2005 to promote sustainability in the cleaning and maintenance products industry. This Charter is a proactive programme for translating the concept of sustainable innovation into reality and actions. Per product category, life cycle assessments (LCA) are used to set sustainability criteria that are ambitious, but also achievable by all market players. This paper presents and discusses LCAs of six household detergent product categories conducted for the Charter, i.e.: manual dishwashing detergents, powder and tablet laundry detergents, window glass trigger spray cleaners, bathroom trigger spray cleaners, acid toilet cleaners, and bleach toilet cleaners. Relevant impact categories are identified, as well as the life cycle stages with the largest contribution to the environmental impact. It was concluded that the variables that mainly drive the results (i.e. the environmental hotspots) for manual dishwashing detergents and laundry detergents were the water temperature, water consumption (for manual dishwashing detergents), product dosage (for laundry detergents), and the choice and amount of surfactant. By contrast, for bathroom trigger sprays, acid and bleach toilet cleaners, the driving factors were plastic packaging, transportation to retailer, and specific ingredients. Additionally, the type of surfactant was important for bleach toilet cleaners. For window glass trigger sprays, the driving factors were the plastic packaging and the type of surfactant, and the other ingredients were of less importance. A.I.S.E. used the results of the studies to establish sustainability criteria, the so-called 'Charter Advanced Sustainability Profiles', which led to improvements in the marketplace.

Life-History Traits and Population Structure of Pederson Cleaner Shrimps Ancylomenes pedersoni.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilpin, Jessica A; Chadwick, Nanette E

2017-12-01

Cleaner organisms perform key functional roles in reducing rates of parasitism in marine communities. Pederson cleaner shrimps Ancylomenes pedersoni are major cleaners of reef fishes in the tropical western Atlantic and form obligate symbioses with host sea anemones. Information about their life-history traits would contribute to understanding how symbiosis impacts life-history evolution in crustaceans, but little is known about patterns of growth and reproduction in this anemone shrimp. We quantified growth, sexual reproduction, senescence, and mortality in individuals of A. pedersoni under laboratory conditions and their abundance and population size structure on coral reefs in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Von Bertalanffy growth curves were fitted to the data to determine age-size relationships, and the Beverton-Holt model was used to estimate mortality rates and size at maximum yield. Individuals grew rapidly when young, then slowed their growth after reaching sexual maturity at ~6 months. Individuals were gonochoric, with males attaining significantly smaller body sizes and shorter life spans than did females. Prior to death at <2 years, members of both genders exhibited senescence during which they ceased reproducing, shrank (females only), and decreased their activity levels over ~1-4 weeks. Field populations were abundant and composed mostly of juveniles during both years examined. Populations appeared to be stable but highly dynamic in terms of individuals, reaching maximum yield at 4 months of age. We conclude that obligate symbiosis with large sea anemones and cleaner mutualism with reef fishes both contribute to explaining aspects of the life history of Pederson shrimps, especially their apparent mating system of pure-search polygynandry. This life-history information also provides a scientific basis for sustainable fishery management and aquaculture of this key coral reef organism.

Region specific changes in nonapeptide levels during client fish interactions with allopatric and sympatric cleaner fish.

Science.gov (United States)

Soares, Marta C; Cardoso, Sónia C; Mazzei, Renata; André, Gonçalo I; Morais, Marta; Gozdowska, Magdalena; Kalamarz-Kubiak, Hanna; Kulczykowska, Ewa

2017-01-01

Social relationships are crucially dependent on individual ability to learn and remember ecologically relevant cues. However, the way animals recognize cues before engaging in any social interaction and how their response is regulated by brain neuromodulators remains unclear. We examined the putative involvement of arginine vasotocin (AVT) and isotocin (IT), acting at different brain regions, during fish decision-making in the context of cooperation, by trying to identify how fish distinguish and recognize the value of other social partners or species. We hypothesized that the behavioural responses of cleaner fish clients to different social contexts would be underlain by changes in brain AVT and IT levels. We have found that changes in AVT at the level of forebrain and optic tectum are linked with a response to allopatric cleaners (novel or unfamiliar stimuli) while those at cerebellum are associated with the willingness to be cleaned (in response to sympatric cleaners). On the other hand, higher brain IT levels that were solely found in the diencephalon, also in response to allopatric cleaners. Our results are the first to implicate these nonapeptides, AVT in particular, in the assessment of social cues which enable fish to engage in mutualistic activities.

From waste minimization to ISO 14000: Taiwan`s experience and prospects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wen-Huei Chen; Wain-Sun Hou [China Technical Consultants, Inc., Taipei (Taiwan, Province of China)

1996-12-31

Taiwan has completed a very successful five-year industrial waste minimization (IWM) demonstration and promotion project sponsored by the government. From 1990 to 1995, the project successfully disseminated the IWM concept of pollution prevention (P2) to industries. It effectively reduced industrial waste while significantly benefitting the economy by assisting industries in implementing in-plant IWM programs. In July 1995, the second stage of the five-year IWM and ISO 14000 promotion project was initiated for further promoting the IWM, P2, and cleaner production and, in particular, coping with the upcoming international environmental management standards (ISO 14000). To assist industries in establishing an environmental management system (EMS) and accumulating related experience, an EMS pilot demonstration project of five model industries and an ISO 14001 EMS demonstration and promotion project for 22 factories in 13 industries were initiated in October 1995 and August 1996, respectively. These projects can assist Taiwan`s industries in changing the constitution of their enterprises, enhancing competition in the international market, and helping our nation achieve the forerunner`s profits in sustainable development. 9 refs., 3 figs.

The production of audiovisual teaching tools in minimally invasive surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Tolerton, Sarah K; Hugh, Thomas J; Cosman, Peter H

2012-01-01

Audiovisual learning resources have become valuable adjuncts to formal teaching in surgical training. This report discusses the process and challenges of preparing an audiovisual teaching tool for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The relative value in surgical education and training, for both the creator and viewer are addressed. This audiovisual teaching resource was prepared as part of the Master of Surgery program at the University of Sydney, Australia. The different methods of video production used to create operative teaching tools are discussed. Collating and editing material for an audiovisual teaching resource can be a time-consuming and technically challenging process. However, quality learning resources can now be produced even with limited prior video editing experience. With minimal cost and suitable guidance to ensure clinically relevant content, most surgeons should be able to produce short, high-quality education videos of both open and minimally invasive surgery. Despite the challenges faced during production of audiovisual teaching tools, these resources are now relatively easy to produce using readily available software. These resources are particularly attractive to surgical trainees when real time operative footage is used. They serve as valuable adjuncts to formal teaching, particularly in the setting of minimally invasive surgery. Copyright © 2012 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Minimization of diauxic growth lag-phase for high-efficiency biogas production.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Min Jee; Kim, Sang Hun

2017-02-01

The objective of this study was to develop a minimization method of a diauxic growth lag-phase for the biogas production from agricultural by-products (ABPs). Specifically, the effects of proximate composition on the biogas production and degradation rates of the ABPs were investigated, and a new method based on proximate composition combinations was developed to minimize the diauxic growth lag-phase. Experiments were performed using biogas potential tests at a substrate loading of 2.5 g VS/L and feed to microorganism ratio (F/M) of 0.5 under the mesophilic condition. The ABPs were classified based on proximate composition (carbohydrate, protein, and fat etc.). The biogas production patterns, lag phase, and times taken for 90% biogas production (T90) were used for the evaluation of the biogas production with biochemical methane potential (BMP) test. The high- or medium-carbohydrate and low-fat ABPs (cheese whey, cabbage, and skim milk) showed a single step digestion process and low-carbohydrate and high-fat ABPs (bean curd and perilla seed) showed a two-step digestion process. The mixture of high-fat ABPs and high-carbohydrate ABPs reduced the lag-phase and increased the biogas yield more than that from single ABP by 35-46%. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design and development of automatic sharia compliant wheelchair wheels cleaner

Science.gov (United States)

Shaari, Muhammad Farid; Rasli, Ibrahim Ismail Mohammad; Jamaludin, M. Z. Z. Wan; Isa, W. A. Mohamad; M., H.; Rashid, A. H. Abdul

2017-04-01

Sharia compliant wheelchair wheel cleaner was developed in order to assist the muslim Person with Disabilities (PWD) to pray in the mosque without leaving their wheelchair because of the filthy wheels. Though there are many wheelchair wheel cleaning system in the market, it is very rare to find sharia compliant cleaning system that applies sertu concept which is one of the cleaning and purification technique in Islamic practice. The sertu concept is based on 6:1 ratio that refers to the six times pipe water cleaning and one time soiled water cleaning. The development process consists of design stage, fabrication and system installation stage and followed by testing stage. During the design stage, the proposed prototype underwent design brainstorming, operation programming and structural simulation analysis. Once fabricated, the cleaner prototype underwent was tested. The results showed that the prototype can cater load up to 100kg with 1.31×10-6 mm shaft bending displacement. The water ejection timing varied approximately 3% compared to the program.

Determination of Ammonia in Household Cleaners: An Instrumental Analysis Experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Richard C.; DePew, Steven

1983-01-01

Briefly discusses three techniques for assessing amount of ammonia present in household cleaners. Because of disadvantages with these methods, the thermometric titration technique is suggested in which students judge the best buy based on relative cost of ammonia present in samples. Laboratory procedures, typical results, and reactions involved…

Power generation from chemically cleaned coals: do environmental benefits of firing cleaner coal outweigh environmental burden of cleaning?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ryberg, Morten W.; Owsianiak, Mikolaj; Laurent, Alexis

2015-01-01

Power generation from high-ash coals is a niche technology for power generation, but coal cleaning is deemed necessary to avoid problems associated with low combustion efficiencies and to minimize environmental burdens associated with emissions of pollutants originating from ash. Here, chemical...... beneficiation of coals using acid and alkali–acid leaching procedures is evaluated as a potential coal cleaning technology employing life cycle assessment (LCA). Taking into account the environmental benefits from firing cleaner coal in pulverized coal power plants and the environmental burden of the cleaning...... itself, it is demonstrated that for a wide range of cleaning procedures and types of coal, chemical cleaning generally performs worse than combustion of the raw coals and physical cleaning using dense medium separation. These findings apply for many relevant impact categories, including climate change...

Rancang Bangun Vacuum Cleaner Dengan Pengendali Nirkabel Menggunakan Modul Rf Data Transceiver Ys-1020ub Berbasis Mikrokontroler At89s52

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

IGAP Raka Agung

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Kebersihan merupakan hal yang sangat penting untuk menjaga kesehatan kita, khususnya kebersihan rumah. Rumah yang bersih sangat mempengaruhi kesehatan para penghuninya. Debu adalah kotoran yang paling sering mengotori rumah kita terutama pada bagian lantai. Setiap hari kita harus membersihkan rumah dari debu yang ada pada lantai untuk menjaga kebersihan sekaligus kesehatan kita. Dalam membersihkan lantai rumah dari  debu sering menyita banyak waktu dan tenaga. Vacuum cleaner terkendali nirkabel menggunakan Modul RF Data Transceiver YS-1020UB berbasis mikrokontroler AT89S52 merupakan salah satu solusi untuk membersihkan lantai rumah dari kotoran debu.  Vacuum cleaner ini menggunakan enam buah motor DC yaitu dua motor DC penyedot debu, dua motor DC penentu arah maju, mundur, belok kanan, dan belok kiri, serta dua motor DC penentu arah geser kanan dan geser kiri.  Vacuum cleaner ini dapat dikendalikan dengan dua mode operasi yaitu mode manual dan otomatis. Pada mode manual vacuum cleaner ini dikendalikan menggunakan remote control, dengan tranmisi nirkabel memakai transceiver YS-1020UB. Sedangkan pada mode otomatis  vacuum cleaner ini menggunakan empat buah sensor jarak untuk menghindari tabrakan pada dinding.  Vacuum cleaner dengan pengendali nirkabel menggunakan modul RF Data Transceiver YS-1020UB berbasis mikrokontroler AT89S52 sudah bisa membersihkan debu lantai sehingga lantai bersih dari debu.

Seaweed Extracts as Edible Coatings for Minimally Processed Products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Augusto

2014-05-01

The EC containing Codium tomentosum seaweed extract showed the better performance by minimizing physical and chemical changes in RTE apples, namely: minor changes of moisture, total soluble solids and firmness values. In relation to the browning index, after 20 days of storage, RTE apples coated with EC containing Codium tomentosum seaweed extract showed the lowest values, also the results of peroxidase and polyphenoloxidase showed lower activity compared with the EC containing Fucus spirals, Bifurcaria bifurcate and Codium vermilara seaweed extracts, citric acid EC and the control. These results also allowed a pending patent application nº 107369 “Revestimento de origem marinha para aplicação em produtos minimamente processados ou de quarta gama” which is related with an edible coating with the incorporation of bioactive compounds from macroalgae for minimally processed products.

Control and automatic alignment of the output mode cleaner of GEO 600

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prijatelj, M; Grote, H; Degallaix, J; Hewitson, M; Affeldt, C; Leong, J; Lueck, H; Strain, K A; Wittel, H; Willke, B; Danzmann, K [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Gravitationsphysik (Albert-Einstein-Institut) and Leibniz Universitaet Hannover, Callinstr. 38, 30167 Hannover (Germany); Hild, S; Freise, A, E-mail: mirko.prijatelj@aei.mpg.d [School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT (United Kingdom)

2010-05-01

The implementation of a mode cleaner at the output port of the GEO 600 gravitational wave detector will be part of the upcoming transition from GEO 600 to GEO-HF. Part of the transition will be the move from a heterodyne readout to a DC readout scheme. DC readout performance will be limited by higher order optical modes and control sidebands present at the output port. For optimum performance of DC readout an output mode cleaner (OMC) will clean the output beam of these contributions. Inclusion of an OMC will introduce new noise sources whose magnitudes needed to be estimated and for which new control systems will be needed. In this article we set requirements on the performance of these control systems and investigate the simulated performance of different designs.

Trochanteric Stress Fracture in a Female Window Cleaner

OpenAIRE

Lee, Bong-Jin; Song, Jyewon

2016-01-01

Stress fractures may occur at various sites in the femur including the head, neck, shaft, supracondylar and condylar regions. To the best of our knowledge, stress fracture occurring in the trochanteric region has not been previously reported. We report here a case of trochanteric stress fracture in a 53-year-old female window cleaner treated with hip nailing without adverse consequences. Careful consideration of this entity is needed when evaluating patients who have repetitive jumping up and...

Minimization of entropy production in separate and connected process units

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roesjorde, Audun

2004-08-01

The objective of this thesis was to further develop a methodology for minimizing the entropy production of single and connected chemical process units. When chemical process equipment is designed and operated at the lowest entropy production possible, the energy efficiency of the equipment is enhanced. We have found for single process units that the entropy production could be reduced with up to 20-40%, given the degrees of freedom in the optimization. In processes, our results indicated that even bigger reductions were possible. The states of minimum entropy production were studied and important painter's for obtaining significant reductions in the entropy production were identified. Both from sustain ability and economical viewpoints knowledge of energy efficient design and operation are important. In some of the systems we studied, nonequilibrium thermodynamics was used to model the entropy production. In Chapter 2, we gave a brief introduction to different industrial applications of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. The link between local transport phenomena and overall system description makes nonequilibrium thermodynamics a useful tool for understanding design of chemical process units. We developed the methodology of minimization of entropy production in several steps. First, we analyzed and optimized the entropy production of single units: Two alternative concepts of adiabatic distillation; diabatic and heat-integrated distillation, were analyzed and optimized in Chapter 3 to 5. In diabatic distillation, heat exchange is allowed along the column, and it is this feature that increases the energy efficiency of the distillation column. In Chapter 3, we found how a given area of heat transfer should be optimally distributed among the trays in a column separating a mixture of propylene and propane. The results showed that heat exchange was most important on the trays close to the re boiler and condenser. In Chapter 4 and 5, we studied how the entropy

QCD-resummation and non-minimal flavour-violation for supersymmetric particle production at hadron colliders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuks, B.

2007-06-01

Cross sections for supersymmetric particles production at hadron colliders have been extensively studied in the past at leading order and also at next-to-leading order of perturbative QCD. The radiative corrections include large logarithms which have to be re-summed to all orders in the strong coupling constant in order to get reliable perturbative results. In this work, we perform a first and extensive study of the resummation effects for supersymmetric particle pair production at hadron colliders. We focus on Drell-Yan like slepton-pair and slepton-sneutrino associated production in minimal supergravity and gauge-mediated supersymmetry-breaking scenarios, and present accurate transverse-momentum and invariant-mass distributions, as well as total cross sections. In non-minimal supersymmetric models, novel effects of flavour violation may occur. In this case, the flavour structure in the squark sector cannot be directly deduced from the trilinear Yukawa couplings of the fermion and Higgs supermultiplets. We perform a precise numerical analysis of the experimentally allowed parameter space in the case of minimal supergravity scenarios with non-minimal flavour violation, looking for regions allowed by low-energy, electroweak precision, and cosmological data. Leading order cross sections for the production of squarks and gauginos at hadron colliders are implemented in a flexible computer program, allowing us to study in detail the dependence of these cross sections on flavour violation. (author)

TNO moving forward ... to a safer, cleaner and more efficient mobility

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bleijenberg, A.N.

2008-01-01

This book provides an impression of how we are contributing to cleaner, safer and more efficient mobility in Europe, helping our customers from concept to implementation and from engineering solutions to strategic advice. Our knowledge is derived to a significant extent from European research

Minimizing Risks of Invasive Alien Plant Species in Tropical Production Forest Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Padmanaba

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Timber production is the most pervasive human impact on tropical forests, but studies of logging impacts have largely focused on timber species and vertebrates. This review focuses on the risk from invasive alien plant species, which has been frequently neglected in production forest management in the tropics. Our literature search resulted in 114 publications with relevant information, including books, book chapters, reports and papers. Examples of both invasions by aliens into tropical production forests and plantation forests as sources of invasions are presented. We discuss species traits and processes affecting spread and invasion, and silvicultural practices that favor invasions. We also highlight potential impacts of invasive plant species and discuss options for managing them in production forests. We suggest that future forestry practices need to reduce the risks of plant invasions by conducting surveillance for invasive species; minimizing canopy opening during harvesting; encouraging rapid canopy closure in plantations; minimizing the width of access roads; and ensuring that vehicles and other equipment are not transporting seeds of invasive species. Potential invasive species should not be planted within dispersal range of production forests. In invasive species management, forewarned is forearmed.

Multi objective optimization model for minimizing production cost and environmental impact in CNC turning process

Science.gov (United States)

Widhiarso, Wahyu; Rosyidi, Cucuk Nur

2018-02-01

Minimizing production cost in a manufacturing company will increase the profit of the company. The cutting parameters will affect total processing time which then will affect the production cost of machining process. Besides affecting the production cost and processing time, the cutting parameters will also affect the environment. An optimization model is needed to determine the optimum cutting parameters. In this paper, we develop an optimization model to minimize the production cost and the environmental impact in CNC turning process. The model is used a multi objective optimization. Cutting speed and feed rate are served as the decision variables. Constraints considered are cutting speed, feed rate, cutting force, output power, and surface roughness. The environmental impact is converted from the environmental burden by using eco-indicator 99. Numerical example is given to show the implementation of the model and solved using OptQuest of Oracle Crystal Ball software. The results of optimization indicate that the model can be used to optimize the cutting parameters to minimize the production cost and the environmental impact.

Ulster Carpets - Cleaner Production option report

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wenzel, Henrik; Mercer, David

A survey on options for saving water and energy was conducted at Ulster Carpets on 14th November 2002 by Henrik Wenzel from the Institute for Product Development in Denmark, and David Mercer from Enviros, South Africa. This report details observations made during this site visit and makes...

The hydrodynamic basis of the vacuum cleaner effect in continuous-flow PCNL instruments: an empiric approach and mathematical model.

Science.gov (United States)

Mager, R; Balzereit, C; Gust, K; Hüsch, T; Herrmann, T; Nagele, U; Haferkamp, A; Schilling, D

2016-05-01

Passive removal of stone fragments in the irrigation stream is one of the characteristics in continuous-flow PCNL instruments. So far the physical principle of this so-called vacuum cleaner effect has not been fully understood yet. The aim of the study was to empirically prove the existence of the vacuum cleaner effect and to develop a physical hypothesis and generate a mathematical model for this phenomenon. In an empiric approach, common low-pressure PCNL instruments and conventional PCNL sheaths were tested using an in vitro model. Flow characteristics were visualized by coloring of irrigation fluid. Influence of irrigation pressure, sheath diameter, sheath design, nephroscope design and position of the nephroscope was assessed. Experiments were digitally recorded for further slow-motion analysis to deduce a physical model. In each tested nephroscope design, we could observe the vacuum cleaner effect. Increase in irrigation pressure and reduction in cross section of sheath sustained the effect. Slow-motion analysis of colored flow revealed a synergism of two effects causing suction and transportation of the stone. For the first time, our model showed a flow reversal in the sheath as an integral part of the origin of the stone transportation during vacuum cleaner effect. The application of Bernoulli's equation provided the explanation of these effects and confirmed our experimental results. We widen the understanding of PCNL with a conclusive physical model, which explains fluid mechanics of the vacuum cleaner effect.

CASE STUDY: Nepal — A cleaner city and better health in Kathmandu

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2003-04-07

Apr 7, 2003 ... CASE STUDY: Nepal — A cleaner city and better health in Kathmandu .... Dr Joshi believes that blending science and a recognition of the social ... One example of where AMESH was applied was in analyzing why the ward ...

Visibility and Social Recognition as Psychosocial Work Environment Factors among Cleaners in A Multi-Ethnic Workplace Intervention

OpenAIRE

Hviid, Kirsten; Smith, Louise Hardman; Frydendall, Karen Bo; Flyvholm, Mari-Ann

2012-01-01

This article focuses on the psychosocial work environment of immigrant cleaners at a Danish workplace. Today, many cleaners working in Danish cleaning jobs are women from the established immigrant communities, but also labour migrants from the newer EU member states have found their way to the cleaning industry. Studies have drawn attention to immigrants low position in the cleaning industry and their increased risk of work injuries. This article is based on a case study of an intervention ca...

Maximal conservation and minimal usage of blood products in open heart surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Newland, P E; Pastoriza-Pinol, J; McMillan, J; Smith, B F; Stirling, G R

1980-05-01

Open heart surgery has previously been associated with the use of large volumes of blood products. This paper describes methods of blood conservation and a simple method of intraoperative autotransfusion that together have resulted in minimal blood product usage in elective open heart surgery cases. This has reduced our dependence on blood bank supplies for the performance of elective open heart surgery.

Upper-limit on the Advanced Virgo output mode cleaner cavity length noise

Science.gov (United States)

Bonnand, R.; Ducrot, M.; Gouaty, R.; Marion, F.; Masserot, A.; Mours, B.; Pacaud, E.; Rolland, L.; Was, M.

2017-09-01

The Advanced Virgo detector uses two monolithic optical cavities at its output port to suppress higher order modes and radio frequency sidebands from the carrier light used for gravitational wave detection. These two cavities in series form the output mode cleaner. We present a measured upper limit on the length noise of these cavities that is consistent with the thermo-refractive noise prediction of 8×10-16~m~Hz-1/2 at 15 Hz. The cavity length is controlled using Peltier cells and piezo-electric actuators to maintain resonance on the incoming light. A length lock precision of 3.5×10-13 m is achieved. These two results are combined to demonstrate that the broadband length noise of the output mode cleaner in the 10-60 Hz band is at least a factor 10 below other expected noise sources in the Advanced Virgo detector design configuration.

Using Pipe Cleaners to Bring the Tree of Life to Life

Science.gov (United States)

Halverson, Kristy L.

2010-01-01

Phylogenetic trees, such as the "Tree of Life," are commonly found in biology textbooks and are often used in teaching. Because students often struggle to understand these diagrams, I developed a simple, inexpensive classroom model. Made of pipe cleaners, it is easily manipulated to rotate branches, compare topologies, map complete lineages,…

Minimizing the entropy production in a chemical process for dehydrogenation of propane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosjorde, A.; Kjelstrup, S.; Johannessen, E.; Hansen, R.

2007-01-01

We minimize the total entropy production of a process designed for dehydrogenation of propane. The process consists of 21 units, including a plug-flow reactor, a partial condenser, two tray distillation columns and a handful of heat exchangers and compressors. The units were modeled in a manner that made them relatively insensitive to changes in the molar flow rates, to make the optimization more flexible. The operating conditions, as well as to some degree the design of selected units, which minimized the total entropy production of the process, were found. The most important variables were the amount of recycled propane and propylene, conversion and selectivity in the reactor, as well as the number of tubes in the reactor. The optimal conversion, selectivity and recycle flows were results of a very clear trade-off among the entropy produced in the reactor, the partial condenser and the two distillation columns. Although several simplifying assumptions were made for computational reasons, this shows for the first time that it is also meaningful to use the entropy production as an objective function in chemical engineering process optimization studies

Proceedings of the 3. International conference on waste management in the chemical and petrochemical industries. Volume 1 and 2.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lima, Francisco F; Pereira Filho, Francisco A; Almeida, Sergio A.S. [eds.

1994-12-31

To produce without pollution is today a mandate for the preservation of our society. To produce cleaner means to conserve energy and natural resources, to reduce the use of toxic substances, to invest in the evolution of products and production processes towards a minimum of residues. The Third International Conference on Waste Minimization in the Chemical and Petrochemical Industries addresses these challenging questions regarding waste minimization

Proceedings of the 3. International conference on waste management in the chemical and petrochemical industries. Volume 1 and 2.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lima, Francisco F.; Pereira Filho, Francisco A.; Almeida, Sergio A.S. [eds.

1993-12-31

To produce without pollution is today a mandate for the preservation of our society. To produce cleaner means to conserve energy and natural resources, to reduce the use of toxic substances, to invest in the evolution of products and production processes towards a minimum of residues. The Third International Conference on Waste Minimization in the Chemical and Petrochemical Industries addresses these challenging questions regarding waste minimization

Commercial Cleaning Products for Chemical Decontamination: A Scoping Study

Science.gov (United States)

2014-05-01

and may injure human skin without dilution), although this approach is less favoured in a mass casualty decontamination situation than soap and water...commercial cleaning products, full strength K-O-K® liquid bleach (5.25% aqueous solution of NaOCl), dish-washing detergent Cascade® with Extra...Bleach Action Gel, OxiClean® Versatile Stain Remover Powder, and ZEP® Industrial Purple liquid cleaner (proprietary caustic cleaner containing

Level of self-reported neck/shoulder pain and biomechanical workload in cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madeleine, Pascal; Søgaard, Karen; Holtermann, Andreas

2012-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between self-reported pain, muscular activity and postural load during cleaning tasks. Eighteen cleaners performed usual cleaning tasks in both a laboratory and a lecture room. The level of perceived pain in the neck-shoulder region......-axial accelerometer package was mounted on the low back (L5-S1) to measure postural changes during cleaning tasks. The 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of the angular distributions were computed to characterize postures and movements. Pain tended to play a significant role on RMS of left/right trapezius and left...... erector spinae muscles (P≤0.08). Cleaners with low pain level exhibited higher muscular activity during cleaning. Pain played or tended to play a significant role on PE of left and right erector spinae muscles (P≤0.08). Pain played a significant role on the 10th, 50th and 90th percentile (P...

Energy access and transition to cleaner cooking fuels and technologies in Sri Lanka: Issues and policy limitations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wickramasinghe, Anoja

2011-01-01

Easy energy access is a trigger for human, social, and economic development. A research project was undertaken in Sri Lanka to broaden the understanding of human dimension of energy access and technologies. A questionnaire survey, covering 2269 households, gathered data on socio-economic contexts and issues influencing a transition towards clean cooking facilities. The findings reveal that the transition is impeded by four factors: the lack of motivation and the pressure for switching over to cleaner facilities, the lack of modern energy technology options, the financial risks, and the lack of financing and other support. The paper describes the delicate two-way interrelation between women earning wages and the transitions to cleaner cooking fuels and technologies. The findings suggest the need for a policy framework involving the stakeholders, financing and standardised technologies. To make a change it is proposed to introduce a national, integrated policy incorporating financing and energy governance. - Highlights: ► Households in Sri Lanka lack access to modern energy technology options for cooking. ► Cooking with fuel wood and residues is the norm in Sri Lanka, particularly in rural households. ► A survey of rural households revealed that most cannot afford to switch to cleaner cooking options. ► Most households have little awareness of the health impacts of biomass cooking. ► Women in regular formal employment are more likely to value cleaner cooking options that save time.

Convex Bodies With Minimal Volume Product in R^2 --- A New Proof

OpenAIRE

Lin, Youjiang

2010-01-01

In this paper, a new proof of the following result is given: The product of the volumes of an origin symmetric convex bodies $K$ in R^2 and of its polar body is minimal if and only if $K$ is a parallelogram.

Environmental Management in Danish transnational textile product chains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard; Jørgensen, Ulrik; Hendriksen, Kåre

2010-01-01

on capacity building at the suppliers in developing countries, while other companies seem to focus the complex activities at domestic suppliers. Two new facilitating actors in environmental management in product chains were identified. Research limitations and implications The focus on one sector in one......Purpose The purpose is to analyse environmental responsibility of companies from industrialized countries when they source materials and products in countries with less environmental protection. Methodology The article is a study of corporate environmental management in the Danish textile...... have a practice without environmental initiatives. Dominating types of initiatives are cleaner technology, environmental management systems and cleaner products. Driving forces are governmental regulation, customer demands, market expectations and protection of corporate brands. Some companies focus...

Measurement of flow inside a vacuum cleaner head

Science.gov (United States)

Iguchi, Ryotaro; Ban, Hisataka; Sakakibara, Jun

2017-11-01

Vacuum cleaner head with rotating brushes is widely used as a home appliance. Although it efficiently collects dusts from the floor, flow field of the air and motion of the dust inside the head have not been fully investigated. In this study, we performed 3D-PIV (particle tracking velocimetry) measurement of velocity field inside the head. Water was used as working fluid, which allows a use of fluorescent particle to reduce unwanted reflection from the brushes and inner surface of the head. Mean velocity field and turbulence statistics in the head with and without the brush will be presented.

Evaluating The Operation Of Three Air Cleaners Working Individually In A Clean Room

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ardkapan, Siamak Rahimi; Afshari, Alireza; Bergsøe, Niels Christian

2011-01-01

The use of portable air cleaners is becoming increasingly popular in many countries including Denmark. Portable air cleaners are known for not only removing but also generating particles and gases. To clarify this, three air cleaning technologies were evaluated. They were nonthermal plasma......, photochemical air purifier and corona discharge ionizer. The concentrations of ultrafine particles, ozone and total volatile organic compounds were measured both in a duct and in a clean room. It was found that the studied air cleaning technologies increased the ozone level in the clean room and the duct....... The increase of ozone level in the clean room was more than that was measured in the duct. Additionally, it was found that the number of ultrafine particles in the room increased due to the generated ozone. The number of generated particles changed with the season. The study leads to the recommendation...

EPHECT I: European household survey on domestic use of consumer products and development of worst-case scenarios for daily use.

Science.gov (United States)

Dimitroulopoulou, C; Lucica, E; Johnson, A; Ashmore, M R; Sakellaris, I; Stranger, M; Goelen, E

2015-12-01

Consumer products are frequently and regularly used in the domestic environment. Realistic estimates for product use are required for exposure modelling and health risk assessment. This paper provides significant data that can be used as input for such modelling studies. A European survey was conducted, within the framework of the DG Sanco-funded EPHECT project, on the household use of 15 consumer products. These products are all-purpose cleaners, kitchen cleaners, floor cleaners, glass and window cleaners, bathroom cleaners, furniture and floor polish products, combustible air fresheners, spray air fresheners, electric air fresheners, passive air fresheners, coating products for leather and textiles, hair styling products, spray deodorants and perfumes. The analysis of the results from the household survey (1st phase) focused on identifying consumer behaviour patterns (selection criteria, frequency of use, quantities, period of use and ventilation conditions during product use). This can provide valuable input to modelling studies, as this information is not reported in the open literature. The above results were further analysed (2nd phase), to provide the basis for the development of 'most representative worst-case scenarios' regarding the use of the 15 products by home-based population groups (housekeepers and retired people), in four geographical regions in Europe. These scenarios will be used for the exposure and health risk assessment within the EPHECT project. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that daily worst-case scenarios are presented in the scientific published literature concerning the use of a wide range of 15 consumer products across Europe. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Aeroacoustic characteristics and noise reduction of a centrifugal fan for a vacuum cleaner

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeon, Wan Ho; Rew, Ho Seon; Kim, Chang Joon [LG Electronics, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2004-02-01

The aeroacoustic characteristics of a centrifugal fan for a vacuum cleaner and its noise reduction method are studied in this paper. The major noise source of a vacuum cleaner is the centrifugal fan. The impeller of the fan rotates at over 30000 rpm, and generates very high-level noise. It was revealed that the dominant noise source is the aerodynamic interaction between the rotating impeller and stationary diffuser. The directivity of acoustic pressure showed that most of the noise propagates backward direction of the fan-motor assembly. In order to reduce the high tonal sound generated from the aerodynamic interaction, unevenly pitched impeller and diffuser, and tapered impeller designs were proposed and experiments were performed. Uneven pitch design of the impeller changes the sound quality while the overall Sound Power Level (SPL) and the performance remains similar. The effect of the tapered design of impeller was evaluated. The trailing edge of the tapered fan is inclined. This reduces the flow interaction between the rotating impeller and the stationary diffuser because of some phase shifts. The static efficiency of the new impeller design is slightly lower than the previous design. However, the overall SPL is reduced by about 4 dB(A). The SPL of the fundamental Blade Passing Frequency (BPF) is reduced by about 6 dB(A) and the 2{sup nd} BPF is reduced about 20 dB(A). The vacuum cleaner with the tapered impeller design produces lower noise level than the previous one, and the strong tonal sound was dramatically reduced.

Aeroacoustic characteristics and noise reduction of a centrifugal fan for a vacuum cleaner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeon, Wan Ho; Rew, Ho Seon; Kim, Chang Joon

2004-01-01

The aeroacoustic characteristics of a centrifugal fan for a vacuum cleaner and its noise reduction method are studied in this paper. The major noise source of a vacuum cleaner is the centrifugal fan. The impeller of the fan rotates at over 30000 rpm, and generates very high-level noise. It was revealed that the dominant noise source is the aerodynamic interaction between the rotating impeller and stationary diffuser. The directivity of acoustic pressure showed that most of the noise propagates backward direction of the fan-motor assembly. In order to reduce the high tonal sound generated from the aerodynamic interaction, unevenly pitched impeller and diffuser, and tapered impeller designs were proposed and experiments were performed. Uneven pitch design of the impeller changes the sound quality while the overall Sound Power Level (SPL) and the performance remains similar. The effect of the tapered design of impeller was evaluated. The trailing edge of the tapered fan is inclined. This reduces the flow interaction between the rotating impeller and the stationary diffuser because of some phase shifts. The static efficiency of the new impeller design is slightly lower than the previous design. However, the overall SPL is reduced by about 4 dB(A). The SPL of the fundamental Blade Passing Frequency (BPF) is reduced by about 6 dB(A) and the 2 nd BPF is reduced about 20 dB(A). The vacuum cleaner with the tapered impeller design produces lower noise level than the previous one, and the strong tonal sound was dramatically reduced

Effects of Friction Reduction on Fiber Damage in a Saw-Type Lint Cleaner

Science.gov (United States)

U.S. cotton is at a competitive disadvantage from a fiber-quality standpoint, because lint cleaning is required for mechanically harvested cotton, and lint cleaning causes fiber damage. Lint-cleaning research has focused mainly on modifying saw-type lint cleaners, but the work reported here focuses...

Too tired for exercise? The work and leisure of female cleaners in Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lenneis, Verena; Pfister, Gertrud Ursula

2017-01-01

on the relevant literature on women’s work–life balance and (migrant) women’s participation in LTPA, we approached their work and leisure from an intersectionality perspective and explored if and how female cleaners engaged in LTPA and which constraints impeded their involvement. The interviewees’ narratives...

Playing after work? Opportunities and challenges of a physical activity programme for female cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lenneis, Verena; Pfister, Gertrud Ursula

2016-01-01

The workplace is regarded as an ideal setting for health promotion, not least because large sections of the population, including “high risk groups”, can be reached. One group which is reportedly in great demand of health promotion is that of female (migrant) cleaners – the participants in our...... factors constrained and which supported participation. The interviews revealed a high degree of appreciation for the training but also pointed to a number of constraints which were embedded into the participants’ biographies and everyday lives as migrant cleaners in Denmark. Most women had no previous...... experience with sport and exercise and struggled with the high demands at work and a “second shift” at home. As a consequence, most participants found the training too time- and energy-consuming. We conclude that exercise programmes should preferably be conducted at the workplace and during working hours....

Transition to an intelligent use of cleaner biomass stoves

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luis Teles de Carvalho, Ricardo; Jensen, Ole Michael; Vicent, Estela D.

2016-01-01

are relevant issues to save energy and avoid greenhouse gas (CO2e) emissions. This work compares the operating performance of 3 types of biomass stoves used in Europe in their interaction with dwellings. Field studies were conducted in 24 houses in Portugal and Denmark to analyse wood-burning behaviours......In Europe, inappropriate user behaviours in the operation of wood-burning stoves (WBSs) results in substantial energy losses where fireplaces and conventional stoves are major contributors to undue emissions of health damaging fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The design and adoption of cleaner WBSs...

Advance Planning, Programming and Production Control as key Activities Now the Environmental Education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Geraldo Cardoso de Oliveira Neto

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This work addresses the evolution of Planning, Programming and Control of Production (PPCP as essential activities of the company towards the insertion of environmental education. The approach is based on an exploratory research and a critical bibliographic revision. Two main objectives were established: i a new way of production organization, by considering cleaner production from company utilities to production capacity, technology and outsourcing and ii infrastructure changes related to market attendance and environmental education dissemination. Needs that arise can be grouped as follows: utilities adequacy, cleaner technologies and ecochains implementation; instruction and dissemination of environmental education; and necessity of the adoption of new paradigms.

Minimization of rad waste production in NPP Dukovany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kulovany, J.

2001-01-01

A whole range of measures has been taken in the power plant in connection with the minimization of radioactive waste. It will lead to the set goals. The procedures that prevent possible endangering of the operation take precedence during introduction of the minimization measures. Further economically undemanding procedures are implemented that bring about minimization in an effective way. In accordance with the EMS principles it can be expected that the minimizing measures will be implemented also in areas where their greatest contribution will be for the environment

Acute effect on ambulatory blood pressure from aerobic exercise: a randomised cross-over study among female cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Lund Rasmussen, Charlotte; Nielsen, Line; Linander Henriksen, Marie; Søgaard, Karen; Krustrup, Peter; Holtermann, Andreas; Korshøj, Mette

2018-02-01

High occupational physical activity (OPA) is shown to increase the risk for elevated blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases and mortality. Conversely, aerobic exercise acutely lowers the blood pressure up to 25 h post exercise. However, it is unknown if this beneficial effect also apply for workers exposed to high levels of OPA. Cleaners constitute a relevant occupational group for this investigation because of a high prevalence of OPA and cardiovascular disease. Accordingly, the objective was to investigate the acute effects on ambulatory blood pressure from a single aerobic exercise session among female cleaners. Twenty-two female cleaners were randomised to a cross-over study with a reference and an aerobic exercise session. Differences in 24-h, work hours, leisure time, and sleep ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) were evaluated using repeated measure 2 × 2 mixed-models. After the aerobic exercise session, the 24-h systolic ambulatory blood pressure was significantly lowered by 2.4 mmHg (p ABP was unaltered. During work hours, a lowered systolic ABP of 2.2 mmHg (p = 0.02) and a higher diastolic ABP of 1.5 mmHg (p = 0.03) were found after the aerobic exercise session. During leisure time, the systolic ABP was lowered by 1.7 mmHg (p = 0.04) and the diastolic ABP was unaltered. During sleep, the systolic and diastolic ABP was unaltered. A single aerobic exercise session lowered 24-h systolic ABP of 2.4 mmHg. Thus, an aerobic exercise session seems to be beneficial for lowering the risk of hypertension among cleaners.

Applying real options analysis to assess cleaner energy development strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, Ching-Tsung; Lo, Shang-Lien; Lin, Tyrone T.

2011-01-01

The energy industry, accounts for the largest portion of CO 2 emissions, is facing the issue of compliance with the national clean energy policy. The methodology for evaluating the energy mix policy is crucial because of the characteristics of lead time embedded with the power generation facilities investment and the uncertainty of future electricity demand. In this paper, a modified binomial model based on sequential compound options, which may account for the lead time and uncertainty as a whole is established, and a numerical example on evaluating the optional strategies and the strategic value of the cleaner energy policy is also presented. It is found that the optimal decision at some nodes in the binomial tree is path dependent, which is different from the standard sequential compound option model with lead time or time lag concept. The proposed modified binomial sequential compound real options model can be generalized and extensively applied to solve the general decision problems that deal with the long lead time of many government policies as well as capital intensive investments. - Highlights: → Introducing a flexible strategic management approach for government policy making. → Developing a modified binomial real options model based on sequential compound options. → Proposing an innovative model for managing the long term policy with lead time. → Applying to evaluate the options of various scenarios of cleaner energy strategies.

Dichlorvos (DDVP residue removal from tomato by washing with tap and ozone water, a commercial detergent solution and ultrasonic cleaner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali HESHMATI

Full Text Available Abstract Dichlorvos (DDVP is one of the most consumption chlorinated organophosphate insecticide used on tomato. The knowledge about the influence of postharvest household processes on the levels of DDVP residues in vegetables is required to estimate dietary exposure. In this study, the removal of sprayed dichlorvos (DDVP on tomato by washing with tap, ozonated water (in dosages of 2, 4 and 6 mg ozone/L, a commercial detergent solution (in concentration of 1, 2 and 3% and ultrasonic cleaner (with power of 100, 200 and 300 W was investigated. DDVP residue was determined by gas chromatography with electron capture detector. Washing processes led to the significant reduction of DDVP. The gradual increase in the percentage of the removal was observed due to increment of washing time, ozone dosage, and concentration of detergent solution as well as ultrasonic power. The maximum removal percentage of DDVP after 15 min of washing with tap and ozonated water, a detergent solution and ultrasonic cleaner was 30.7, 91.9, 70.7, and 88.9%, respectively. In general, results indicated washing with tap, ozonated water, a detergent solution and ultrasonic cleaning are effective methods for removal of DDVP from tomato and reduction of its dietary exposure without influence on product quality.

Taxation on vehicle fuels: its impacts on switching to cleaner fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hung, W.-T.

2006-01-01

Vehicular consumption of fossil fuel contributes over 90% of air pollution in Hong Kong. A key strategy to improve Hong Kong's air quality is to discourage dirty fuels (e.g., leaded petrol and high-sulphur diesel) and to promote the use of clean fuels (e.g., low-sulphur diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)). This paper presents the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of the Government's clean fuel programs that offer tax subsidy to lower the consumption cost of such fuels. For the cases of unleaded petrol and ultra-low-sulphur diesel, lower fuel duties were offered so that the prices of these fuels were below those of leaded petrol and conventional diesel. Conventional petrol and diesel were phased out. In order to decide on the level of fuel duty concessions required to introduce LPG for taxis and bio-diesel for other vehicles, various Government-run trial programs were introduced to obtain cost estimates of using these alternative cleaner fuels. LPG using vehicles were subsequently exempted from the fuel duty in order to attract taxi and light bus operators to switch to LPG. It is apparent that the higher the subsidy, the faster is the rate at which switching to cleaner fuels takes place

Surface chemistry of a pine-oil cleaner and other terpene mixtures with ozone on vinyl flooring tiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Ham, Jason E; Wells, J Raymond

2011-04-01

Indoor environments are dynamic reactors where consumer products (such as cleaning agents, deodorants, and air fresheners) emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can subsequently interact with indoor oxidants such as ozone (O(3)), hydroxyl radicals, and nitrate radicals. Typically, consumer products consist of mixtures of VOCs and semi-VOCs which can react in the gas-phase or on surfaces with these oxidants to generate a variety of oxygenated products. In this study, the reaction of a pine-oil cleaner (POC) with O(3) (100ppb) on a urethane-coated vinyl flooring tile was investigated at 5% and 50% relative humidity. These results were compared to previous α-terpineol+O(3) reactions on glass and vinyl surfaces. Additionally, other terpene and terpene alcohol mixtures were formulated to understand the emission profiles as seen in the POC data. Results showed that the α-terpineol+O(3) reaction products were the prominent species that were also observed in the POC/O(3) surface experiments. Furthermore, α-terpineol+O(3) reactions generate the largest fraction of oxygenated products even in equal mixtures of other terpene alcohols. This finding suggests that the judicial choice of terpene alcohols for inclusion in product formulations may be useful in reducing oxidation product emissions. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Productivity benefits of minimally invasive surgery in patients with chronic sacroiliac joint dysfunction.

Science.gov (United States)

Saavoss, Josh D; Koenig, Lane; Cher, Daniel J

2016-01-01

Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) dysfunction is associated with a marked decrease in quality of life. Increasing evidence supports minimally invasive SIJ fusion as a safe and effective procedure for the treatment of chronic SIJ dysfunction. The impact of SIJ fusion on worker productivity is not known. Regression modeling using data from the National Health Interview Survey was applied to determine the relationship between responses to selected interview questions related to function and economic outcomes. Regression coefficients were then applied to prospectively collected, individual patient data in a randomized trial of SIJ fusion (INSITE, NCT01681004) to estimate expected differences in economic outcomes across treatments. Patients who receive SIJ fusion using iFuse Implant System(®) have an expected increase in the probability of working of 16% (95% confidence interval [CI] 11%-21%) relative to nonsurgical patients. The expected change in earnings across groups was US $3,128 (not statistically significant). Combining the two metrics, the annual increase in worker productivity given surgical vs nonsurgical care was $6,924 (95% CI $1,890-$11,945). For employees with chronic, severe SIJ dysfunction, minimally invasive SIJ fusion may improve worker productivity compared to nonsurgical treatment.

China and Cleaner Coal. A marriage of necessity destined for failure?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seaman, John

2012-04-01

For China, coal is a crucial source of abundant, indigenous and affordable energy and is a pillar of economic and social stability. From a logic of energy security, and because the industry itself maintains a formidable political presence through the sheer fact of its history and size, this resource will continue to play a central role in the country's energy mix. But in order to respond to the growing need to reduce the burden of coal use on the environment and the Chinese population, and to prevent catastrophic climate change, both Chinese leaders and the industry itself have faced a certain reality - coal must become cleaner. This has led to a tenuous compromise between those in China advocating for the use of coal as a matter of economic necessity and social stability (security of supply, reliable and cheap electricity, and indigenous energy technologies) and those who strive for more environmentally sustainable growth (and thus emphasize 'clean' coal). The convergence of these two concepts has spurred a major shift towards newer, more efficient, though still highly polluting technologies - notably larger scale, hotter burning supercritical and ultra-supercritical coal-fired plants. But it has also spawned a number of demonstration-scale projects in various cutting-edge technologies to include coal gasification and carbon capture and storage (CCS), which promise vast improvements in CO_2 and other, toxic emissions if widely adopted. Indeed, mitigating climate change while continuing to rely heavily on coal will only be possible if carbon can successfully be captured and stored on a broad scale. The push to develop new coal technologies opens doors for both foreign and Chinese businesses to work together, potentially creating new market opportunities at home and abroad. Chinese companies can receive much-needed capital and expertise, while foreign companies and researchers are given the chance to test and develop technologies at a level of speed and scale that

Cleaner drive - Obstacles in the way of a market for a new generation of vehicles; Cleaner Drive. Hindernisse fuer die Markteinfuehrung von neuen Fahrzeug-Generationen. Bericht ueber die Beteiligung von e'mobile am EU-Projekt

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schwegler, U. [e' mobile, der Schweizerische Verband fuer elektrische und effiziente Strassenfahrzeuge, Berne (Switzerland); Domeniconi, R. [AssoVEL2, Mendrisio (Switzerland); Kaufmann, J. [Kaufmann Consulting, Berne (Switzerland); Werfeli, A. [Verband der Schweizerischen Gasindustrie, Zuerich (Switzerland)

2004-07-01

This final report for the Association of Swiss Traffic Engineers describes work done within the framework of the fifth European Research Framework Programme involving the development of tools to speed up the introduction of a new generations of vehicles. This report lists the work done by the Swiss e'mobil organisation and discusses the limitations placed on the work by its international framework. The report presents the 'Cleaner Drive' environmental evaluation methods used for vehicles. This considers greenhouse-gas emissions and external costs. Factors not considered, noise and bio-fuels, are mentioned. A data-base based decision-support tool is introduced. The development of the 'Cleaner Drive' web site is described. A further chapter takes a look at efforts being made in the area of filling stations for gaseous fuels.

Integrated Hydrologic Science and Environmental Engineering Observatory: CLEANER's Vision for the WATERS Network

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, J. L.; Minsker, B. S.; Schnoor, J.; Haas, C.; Bonner, J.; Driscoll, C.; Eschenbach, E.; Finholt, T.; Glass, J.; Harmon, T.; Johnson, J.; Krupnik, A.; Reible, D.; Sanderson, A.; Small, M.; van Briesen, J.

2006-05-01

With increasing population and urban development, societies grow more and more concerned over balancing the need to maintain adequate water supplies with that of ensuring the quality of surface and groundwater resources. For example, multiple stressors such as overfishing, runoff of nutrients from agricultural fields and confined animal feeding lots, and pathogens in urban stormwater can often overwhelm a single water body. Mitigating just one of these problems often depends on understanding how it relates to others and how stressors can vary in temporal and spatial scales. Researchers are now in a position to answer questions about multiscale, spatiotemporally distributed hydrologic and environmental phenomena through the use of remote and embedded networked sensing technologies. It is now possible for data streaming from sensor networks to be integrated by a rich cyberinfrastructure encompassing the innovative computing, visualization, and information archiving strategies needed to cope with the anticipated onslaught of data, and to turn that data around in the form of real-time water quantity and quality forecasting. Recognizing this potential, NSF awarded $2 million to a coalition of 12 institutions in July 2005 to establish the CLEANER Project Office (Collaborative Large-Scale Engineering Analysis Network for Environmental Research; http://cleaner.ncsa.uiuc.edu). Over the next two years the project office, in coordination with CUAHSI (Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc.; http://www.cuahsi.org), will work together to develop a plan for a WATer and Environmental Research Systems Network (WATERS Network), which is envisioned to be a collaborative scientific exploration and engineering analysis network, using high performance tools and infrastructure, to transform our scientific understanding of how water quantity, quality, and related earth system processes are affected by natural and human-induced changes to the environment

Evaluation of the efficacy of vacuum cleaners for the integrated control of brown spider Loxosceles intermedia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. N. Ramires

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Some venomous spiders of the genus Loxosceles can reach high population densities inside and around houses. In Brazil, most spider accidents are related to Loxosceles intermedia. Control of loxoscelism should utilize integrated pest management tools, such as vacuum cleaners, to eliminate egg sacs, webs and spiders. The present study tested the efficacy of one type of vacuum cleaner (for professional and domestic use in the control of L. intermedia populations. Cockroaches (Pycnoscelus surinamensis were used in some tests for comparison. Vacuuming using standard accessories or a paper tube resulted in the death of all female (n=60, male (n=60, young (n=60 and just-hatched (n=60 L. intermedia, and all egg sacs (n=5 were destroyed. The removal of the plastic plate present at the bottom of the vacuuming tube inside the machine allowed some spiders to survive the vacuuming process. When kept inside a vacuum bag full of dust and debris, adult females (n=10 survived for 10 days; however, significant mortality was observed among male (n=10 and young individuals (n=10. Addition of cornstarch to the vacuum bag did not affect the spiders (n=20. Vacuum cleaners, such as the one used in the present investigation, are promising tools for integrated management of L. intermedia and other spiders in domestic environments.

Integrated batch production and maintenance scheduling for multiple items processed on a deteriorating machine to minimize total production and maintenance costs with due date constraint

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zahedi Zahedi

2016-04-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses an integrated model of batch production and maintenance scheduling on a deteriorating machine producing multiple items to be delivered at a common due date. The model describes the trade-off between total inventory cost and maintenance cost as the increase of production run length. The production run length is a time bucket between two consecutive preventive maintenance activities. The objective function of the model is to minimize total cost consisting of in process and completed part inventory costs, setup cost, preventive and corrective maintenance costs and rework cost. The problem is to determine the optimal production run length and to schedule the batches obtained from determining the production run length in order to minimize total cost.

IMPACT OF COSOLVENT FLUSHING ON SUBSURFACE MICROBIAL ECOLOGY AT THE FORMER SAGE'S DRY CLEANER SITE

Science.gov (United States)

The Solvent Extraction Residual Biotreatment (SERB) technology was evaluated at the former Sage's Dry Cleaner site in Jacksonville, FL where an area of tetrachloroethylene (PCE) contamination was identified. The SERB technology is a treatment train approach to complete site rest...

The Infraordinary as Spatial Discourse: Tongue of the Dry Cleaner

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lunde Nielsen, Espen

2014-01-01

Most of us pass along kiosks, pubs, dry cleaners, turn street corners, rise up stairways on a daily basis, in a sort of spatial anaesthesia. These spaces that facilitates our everyday existence are ‘worn half-invisible by use’, thereby not given due attention. Through his occupation with the infra...... and people of the neighbourhood coexist through events in real-time and depositions over time. The infra-ordinary as a spatial discourse interrogates and acknowledges the latent qualities of the common and seemingly banal, yet vitally important, spatial materiality of everyday life, as an alternative...

General wisdom concerning the factors affecting the adoption of cleaner technologies: a survey 1990-2007

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Montalvo Corral, C.

2008-01-01

Cleaner technologies (CT) have recently received much attention in diverse media and policy agendas. This comes out of the clear role they play in environmental protection and sustainability and the large potential to contribute to economic growth and competitiveness. The realization of both

Equal-sign lepton pairs: a cleaner W-signal in panti p collisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abud, M.; Gatto, R.; Savoy, C.A.

1978-01-01

It is pointed out that the observation of the energetic equal-sign dileptons in high-energy panti p colliding beams may provide for a cleaner way of detecting the W. It is assumed that the most energetic dileptons come from the semileptonic decays of the t- and b-quarks. The authors calculate the dilepton signal from weak interaction and compare it with the strong interaction background as predicted by QCD. (Auth.)

Strategy for cleaner production in microbrewery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Y.-G.; Li, W.-M.

2002-01-01

'Full text:' There are over 600 breweries in China with nearly the same production processes. Many of them are microbrewery with the capacity of less than 1 million barrels a year. Breweries are characterized by high resource consumption and discharge of large volumes of wastewater, gas emission and solid waste, such as spent grains, coal residue and broken bottles. Long-shi Brewery Inc. is a microbrewery located on the countryside, 200 km east of Beijing, and it is the main sources of pollution in the local community. Wastewater is one of the most important parts of water pollution. In order to reduce pollution and increase economic benefit, several strategies have been taken at the distillery to reduce pollution. For example, some of the cooling water was recycled; coal slag was used to produce bricks or road filling; waste gases were purified before emission; and some of the CO2 produced from fermentation were recycled to produce liquid CO2. More works will be carried out to treat the wastewater from washing operation. After all these strategies, the environmental and economic situation of the company will be greatly improved. (author)

Strategy for cleaner production in microbrewery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Y.-G.; Li, W.-M. [Qinhuangdao Long-shi Brewery Inc. (China)

2002-06-15

'Full text:' There are over 600 breweries in China with nearly the same production processes. Many of them are microbrewery with the capacity of less than 1 million barrels a year. Breweries are characterized by high resource consumption and discharge of large volumes of wastewater, gas emission and solid waste, such as spent grains, coal residue and broken bottles. Long-shi Brewery Inc. is a microbrewery located on the countryside, 200 km east of Beijing, and it is the main sources of pollution in the local community. Wastewater is one of the most important parts of water pollution. In order to reduce pollution and increase economic benefit, several strategies have been taken at the distillery to reduce pollution. For example, some of the cooling water was recycled; coal slag was used to produce bricks or road filling; waste gases were purified before emission; and some of the CO2 produced from fermentation were recycled to produce liquid CO2. More works will be carried out to treat the wastewater from washing operation. After all these strategies, the environmental and economic situation of the company will be greatly improved. (author)

The performance of cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, in a reversal learning task varies across experimental paradigms.

Science.gov (United States)

Gingins, Simon; Marcadier, Fanny; Wismer, Sharon; Krattinger, Océane; Quattrini, Fausto; Bshary, Redouan; Binning, Sandra A

2018-01-01

Testing performance in controlled laboratory experiments is a powerful tool for understanding the extent and evolution of cognitive abilities in non-human animals. However, cognitive testing is prone to a number of potential biases, which, if unnoticed or unaccounted for, may affect the conclusions drawn. We examined whether slight modifications to the experimental procedure and apparatus used in a spatial task and reversal learning task affected performance outcomes in the bluestreak cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus (hereafter "cleaners"). Using two-alternative forced-choice tests, fish had to learn to associate a food reward with a side (left or right) in their holding aquarium. Individuals were tested in one of four experimental treatments that differed slightly in procedure and/or physical set-up. Cleaners from all four treatment groups were equally able to solve the initial spatial task. However, groups differed in their ability to solve the reversal learning task: no individuals solved the reversal task when tested in small tanks with a transparent partition separating the two options, whereas over 50% of individuals solved the task when performed in a larger tank, or with an opaque partition. These results clearly show that seemingly insignificant details to the experimental set-up matter when testing performance in a spatial task and might significantly influence the outcome of experiments. These results echo previous calls for researchers to exercise caution when designing methodologies for cognition tasks to avoid misinterpretations.

Effort-reward imbalance at work and self-rated health of Las Vegas hotel room cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Krause, Niklas; Rugulies, Reiner; Maslach, Christina

2010-04-01

This study investigates the relationship between effort-reward-imbalance (ERI) at work and self-rated health (SF-36) among 941 Las Vegas hotel room cleaners (99% female, 84% immigrant). Logistic regression models adjust for age, health behaviors, physical workload and other potential confounders. 50% reported ERI and 60% poor or fair general health. Significant associations were found between ERI and all SF-36 health measures. Workers in the upper quartile of the efforts/rewards ratio were 2-5 times more likely to experience poor or fair general health, low physical function, high levels of pain, fatigue, and role limitations due to physical and mental health problems. The cross-sectional design limits causal interpretation of these associations. However, the development of interventions to reduce ERI and to improve general health among room cleaners deserves high priority considering that both high ERI and low self-rated health have predicted chronic diseases and mortality in prospective studies. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The importance of integrated system design for the effectiveness of portable air cleaners in airborne infection

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van Reenen, T

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The results of the recent study into the effectiveness of portable air cleaners (PACs), as an infection control measure against TB, delivered unexpectedly low results. That finding initiated a further study to understand the contribution of system...

Household Products Database: Personal Care

Science.gov (United States)

... styling/sculpting haircolor hand cleaner hand cleaner, antibacterial hand sanitizer highlights holding spray insect repellent intimacy itch relief jewelry cleaner kids leather/fabric waterproofing legs lice shampoo lip ... hand cream semi-permanent shampoo shampoo & conditioner combo shampoo & ...

Lipophilic Super-Absorbent Swelling Gels as Cleaners for Use on Weapons Systems and Platforms

Science.gov (United States)

2014-02-01

Tetrahydrofuran (THF), isopropa- nol, acetonitrile, and dichloromethane were obtained from Acros Organics (Morris Plains, NJ). Dimethylsulfoxide ( DMSO ) and 1...1. In the following solvents , swelling degree did not change in both heating and cooling processes: water, DMSO , methanol, ethanol, isopropanol...available alkylstyrene copolymer (imbiber beads). The cleaning ability of the gels was compared with the standard solvent cleaner trichloroethylene

Radiation technology helps China’s industries make water cleaner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jawerth, Nicole

2015-01-01

China is pursuing the use of radiation technology as part of its wastewater treatment methods to further efforts to manage industrial waste in an environmentally friendly way. “Treating the water that comes from our industries is very important, so we have been doing this for a long time. Now we want to become better at making our water cleaner,” said Jianlong Wang, Vice-President of the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology (INET) at Tsinghua University in Beijing. “We are receiving a lot of support from the IAEA to use electron beam based technologies to help us get rid of various water pollutants that the other methods cannot do on their own.”

USE OF IMPORT REVOLVING LEVERAGE LEASING IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE RISKS IN THE ORGANIZATION OF PRODUCTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olga Sergeevna Muftahova

2015-11-01

Full Text Available In the article the financing form in case of import revolving leverage leasing is described to modernize of fixed assets.In the research process the methods of mathematical modeling are applied.The mathematical model of the generalized method of calculation leasing payments proposed by the authors is represented according to the results of the research.The presented method includes several forms of leasing utilized both in the domestic and in the foreign practice.The novelty of this method consists in the fact that on the basis of the proposed forms of leasing is calculated the sum of leasing payment, which considers with the calculation insu-rance, financial and currency component to minimize losses from downtime due to the limited using of basic production assets of the enterprise in the organization of the production process.The method presented by authors is intended to minimize the risk of downtime of production equipment. This fact will enable us to provide high qualitative and quantitative indicators of the enterprise, stability and continuity of the production process.

The ecological significance of juvenile Diplodus sargus as ectoparasite fish cleaners in the north-eastern Atlantic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Neto

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Cleaning behaviour was recently described for the omnivorous species Diplodus sargus. Although previous studies have reported the existence of ectoparasites in the stomach contents of some individuals this commercially important fish was never considered a cleaner species. Here we make the first characterization of this behaviour based on field observations. This behaviour was exclusively performed by juvenile D. sargus and, until now, was only observed in confined or semi-confined areas such as coastal lagoons or harbours. Unexpectedly, cleaning rates and the number of individuals performing this behaviour largely exceeds the ones described for a sympatric cleaner fish (13.98 cleaning events/individual/hour compared to 5.08 in Centrolabrus exoletus. Clients belong to several fish families (e.g. Mugilidae, Sparidae and Labridae that include some of the most common species in coastal habitats. Frequently, clients request cleaning by tilting their body or remaining motionless near the surface while being cleaned (40% however, in most cases, the interaction ends because clients flee (46%. This could mean that D. sargus is also feeding on mucus and/or living tissue. These shifts between exploitation and cooperation have been frequently described for tropical reef species. Our results support cooperative behaviour, with a clear correlation between the number of nips per cleaning event or the number of nips to which the client reacted positively and cleaning event duration (n=552; Spearman correlation r=0.79, p<0.001; r=0.76, p<0.001, respectively. Furthermore, no correlation was detected between the number of jolts by the client fish and the cleaning event duration (n=552; Spearman correlation r=0.07, p=0.105 meaning that jolting does not increase with increased interaction time. In the future, the evaluation of the ecological importance of D. sargus as a cleaner species in the North-Eastern Atlantic, should proceed with field observations in

Separate and unsanitary: African American women railroad car cleaners and the Women's Service Section, 1918-1920.

Science.gov (United States)

Muhammad, Robin Dearmon

2011-01-01

The Women's Service Section (WSS) investigated federally controlled railroad stations and yards at the end of World War I. Few women worked in car cleaning before the war, and railroad management preferred to block women workers, especially African Americans, from gaining any kind of foothold in railroad work. African American women were the single largest group of railroad car cleaners during this period but they were routinely denied adequate facilities, including toilets, locker rooms, and dining facilities throughout the railroad system. By raising the issues of facilities, workers' rights, and public health, these women shaped federal policy and widened the agenda of the WSS to include a direct attack on segregated workplaces. This article argues that African American women car cleaners launched an industrial campaign that wove together concerns about racism, sexism, and health issues, and successfully removed barriers to women working in a predominately male industry.

Ocean cleaning stations under a changing climate: biological responses of tropical and temperate fish-cleaner shrimp to global warming.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosa, Rui; Lopes, Ana Rita; Pimentel, Marta; Faleiro, Filipa; Baptista, Miguel; Trübenbach, Katja; Narciso, Luis; Dionísio, Gisela; Pegado, Maria Rita; Repolho, Tiago; Calado, Ricardo; Diniz, Mário

2014-10-01

Cleaning symbioses play an important role in the health of certain coastal marine communities. These interspecific associations often occur at specific sites (cleaning stations) where a cleaner organism (commonly a fish or shrimp) removes ectoparasites/damaged tissue from a 'client' (a larger cooperating fish). At present, the potential impact of climate change on the fitness of cleaner organisms remains unknown. This study investigated the physiological and biochemical responses of tropical (Lysmata amboinensis) and temperate (L. seticaudata) cleaner shrimp to global warming. Specifically, thermal limits (CTMax), metabolic rates, thermal sensitivity, heat shock response (HSR), lipid peroxidation [malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration], lactate levels, antioxidant (GST, SOD and catalase) and digestive enzyme activities (trypsin and alkaline phosphatase) at current and warming (+3 °C) temperature conditions. In contrast to the temperate species, CTMax values decreased significantly from current (24-27 °C) to warming temperature conditions (30 °C) for the tropical shrimp, where metabolic thermal sensitivity was affected and the HSR was significantly reduced. MDA levels in tropical shrimp increased dramatically, indicating extreme cellular lipid peroxidation, which was not observed in the temperate shrimp. Lactate levels, GST and SOD activities were significantly enhanced within the muscle tissue of the tropical species. Digestive enzyme activities in the hepatopancreas of both species were significantly decreased by warmer temperatures. Our data suggest that the tropical cleaner shrimp will be more vulnerable to global warming than the temperate Lysmata seticaudata; the latter evolved in a relatively unstable environment with seasonal thermal variations that may have conferred greater adaptive plasticity. Thus, tropical cleaning symbioses may be challenged at a greater degree by warming-related anthropogenic forcing, with potential cascading effects on the health

Control in indoor radon decay products by air treatment devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hinds, W.C.; Rudnick, S.N.; Maher, E.F.; First, M.W.

1983-01-01

An evaluation of the efficacy of household air cleaning devices as a means to control radon decay products in existing buildings is presented. Previous research on air cleaning methods for airborne radon decay products has been directed primarily to the control of radon decay products in mines and has only limited application to control in residences where dust concentration, air change rate, and humidity are lower than in mines. Results show that room size air cleaners can achieve substantial reductions in working levels in residences. Reductions observed at air infiltration rates of 0.52 air changes per hour ranged from 58 to 89%. Although the two air cleaners tested produced the greatest reductions, the low cost, simplicity, and other benefits of air circulating fans, particularly the ceiling fan, appear to make them most suitable for residences

Bacterial and fungal aerosols in the work environment of cleaners

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Małgorzata Gołofit-Szymczak

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Cleaning services are carried out in almost all sectors and branches of industry. Due to the above, cleaners are exposed to various harmful biological agents, depending on the tasks performed and the commercial sector involved. The aim of this study was to assess the exposure of cleaning workers to biological agents based on quantitative and qualitative characteristics of airborne microflora. Material and methods: A six-stage Andersen sampler was used to collect bioaerosols during the cleaning activities in different workplaces, including schools, offices, car services, healthy services and shops. Standard Petri dishes filled with blood trypticase soy agar and malt extract agar were used for bacterial and fungal sampling, respectively. Results: The bioaerosol concentration values obtained during testing of selected workposts of cleaners were lower than the Polish recommended threshold limit values for microorganisms concentrations in public service. The most prevalent bacterial species in studied places were Gram-positive cocci (mainly of genera Micrococcus, Staphylococcus and endospore-forming Gram-positive rods (mainly of genera Bacillus. Among the most common fungal species were those from genera Penicillium and Aspergillus. The size distribution analysis revealed that bioaerosols present in the air of workposts at shops, schools and car services may be responsible for nose and eye mucosa irritation and allergic reactions in the form of asthma or allergic inflammation in the cleaning workers. Conclusions: The study shows that occupational activities of cleaning workers are associated with exposure to airborne biological agents classified into risk groups, 1. and 2., according to their level of infection risk, posing respiratory hazard. Med Pr 2015;66(6:779–791

Energy minimization strategies and renewable energy utilization for desalination: a review.

Science.gov (United States)

Subramani, Arun; Badruzzaman, Mohammad; Oppenheimer, Joan; Jacangelo, Joseph G

2011-02-01

Energy is a significant cost in the economics of desalinating waters, but water scarcity is driving the rapid expansion in global installed capacity of desalination facilities. Conventional fossil fuels have been utilized as their main energy source, but recent concerns over greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have promoted global development and implementation of energy minimization strategies and cleaner energy supplies. In this paper, a comprehensive review of energy minimization strategies for membrane-based desalination processes and utilization of lower GHG emission renewable energy resources is presented. The review covers the utilization of energy efficient design, high efficiency pumping, energy recovery devices, advanced membrane materials (nanocomposite, nanotube, and biomimetic), innovative technologies (forward osmosis, ion concentration polarization, and capacitive deionization), and renewable energy resources (solar, wind, and geothermal). Utilization of energy efficient design combined with high efficiency pumping and energy recovery devices have proven effective in full-scale applications. Integration of advanced membrane materials and innovative technologies for desalination show promise but lack long-term operational data. Implementation of renewable energy resources depends upon geography-specific abundance, a feasible means of handling renewable energy power intermittency, and solving technological and economic scale-up and permitting issues. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Productivity benefits of minimally invasive surgery in patients with chronic sacroiliac joint dysfunction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saavoss JD

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Josh D Saavoss,1 Lane Koenig,1 Daniel J Cher2 1KNG Health Consulting, LLC, Rockville, MD, 2SI-BONE, Inc., San Jose, CA, USA Introduction: Sacroiliac joint (SIJ dysfunction is associated with a marked decrease in quality of life. Increasing evidence supports minimally invasive SIJ fusion as a safe and effective procedure for the treatment of chronic SIJ dysfunction. The impact of SIJ fusion on worker productivity is not known. Methods: Regression modeling using data from the National Health Interview Survey was applied to determine the relationship between responses to selected interview questions related to function and economic outcomes. Regression coefficients were then applied to prospectively collected, individual patient data in a randomized trial of SIJ fusion (INSITE, NCT01681004 to estimate expected differences in economic outcomes across treatments. Results: Patients who receive SIJ fusion using iFuse Implant System® have an expected increase in the probability of working of 16% (95% confidence interval [CI] 11%–21% relative to nonsurgical patients. The expected change in earnings across groups was US $3,128 (not statistically significant. Combining the two metrics, the annual increase in worker productivity given surgical vs nonsurgical care was $6,924 (95% CI $1,890–$11,945. Conclusion: For employees with chronic, severe SIJ dysfunction, minimally invasive SIJ fusion may improve worker productivity compared to nonsurgical treatment. Keywords: sacroiliac joint fusion, low back pain, sacroiliac joint pain, clinical trial, health care costs, indirect costs

CHARACTERIZATION OF OZONE EMISSIONS FROM AIR CLEANERS EQUIPPED WITH OZONE GENERATORS AND SENSOR AND FEEDBACK CONTROL CIRCUITRY

Science.gov (United States)

The paper give results of a characterization of ozone emissions from air cleaners equipped with ozone generators and sensor and feedback control circuitry. Ozone emission rates of several consumer appliances, marketed as indoor air treatment or air purification systems, were det...

Minimization of Defective Products in The Department of Press Bridge & Rib Through Six Sigma DMAIC Phases

Science.gov (United States)

Rochman, YA; Agustin, A.

2017-06-01

This study proposes the DMAIC Six Sigma approach of Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve/Implement and Control (DMAIC) to minimizing the number of defective products in the bridge & rib department. There are 5 types of defects were the most dominant are broken rib, broken sound board, strained rib, rib sliding and sound board minori. The imperative objective is to improve the quality through the DMAIC phases. In the define phase, the critical to quality (CTQ) parameters was identified minimization of product defects through the pareto chart and FMEA. In this phase, to identify waste based on the current value stream mapping. In the measure phase, the specified control limits product used to maintain the variations of the product, the calculation of the value of DPMO (Defect Per Million Opportunities) and the calculation of the value of sigma level. In analyze phase, determine the type of defect of the most dominant and identify the causes of defective products. In the improve phase, the existing design was modified through various alternative solutions by conducting brainstorming sessions. In this phase, the solution was identified based on the results of FMEA. Improvements were made to the seven priority causes of disability based on the highest RPN value. In the control phase, focusing on improvements to be made. Proposed improvements include making and define standard operating procedures, improving the quality and eliminate waste defective products.

The Victorian government`s clean technology incentive scheme

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Connor, M A [Melbourne Univ., Parkville, VIC (Australia). Dept. of Chemical Engineering; Reeve, D [Environment Protection Authority, Melbourne, VIC (Australia)

1994-12-31

Over the past decade environment policies have placed increasing emphasis on waste minimization and cleaner production techniques. The Environment Protection Authority in Victoria, Australia, has sought to encourage waste minimization by establishing a Clean Technology Incentive Scheme. The Scheme was established in 1988 and since then 35 offers of loans have been made. Results to date are encouraging. In this work, case studies of three especially successful projects are presented. 2 refs.

The Victorian government`s clean technology incentive scheme

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Connor, M.A. [Melbourne Univ., Parkville, VIC (Australia). Dept. of Chemical Engineering; Reeve, D. [Environment Protection Authority, Melbourne, VIC (Australia)

1993-12-31

Over the past decade environment policies have placed increasing emphasis on waste minimization and cleaner production techniques. The Environment Protection Authority in Victoria, Australia, has sought to encourage waste minimization by establishing a Clean Technology Incentive Scheme. The Scheme was established in 1988 and since then 35 offers of loans have been made. Results to date are encouraging. In this work, case studies of three especially successful projects are presented. 2 refs.

Toxicants in Consumer Products. Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Project. Metro Toxicant Program No. 1B.

Science.gov (United States)

Ridgley, Susan M.

Four general product classes (pesticides, paint products, household cleaners, and automotive products) are reviewed in this document. Each product class is described, and several aspects of the problem associated with product use or disposal are examined, including estimates of volumes used and environmental impacts. Technical data on the specific…

Estrutura organizacional para a difusão da produção mais limpa: uma contribuição da metodologia seis sigma na constituição de redes intra-organizacionais Organizational structure for cleaner production diffusion: a contribution of the six sigma methodology to the creation of intra-organizational networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rogério Cerávolo Calia

2006-12-01

Full Text Available A "Produção Mais Limpa" é uma metodologia criada para aumentar a sustentabilidade ambiental das manufaturas. Devido a sua importância para o desenvolvimento sustentável, a Produção Mais Limpa foi amplamente promovida pela Organização das Nações Unidas e por diversas redes de organizações visando à difusão desta metodologia. No entanto, após mais de dez anos de atuação, estas redes para a difusão da Produção Mais Limpa têm se confrontado com significativas e recorrentes barreiras organizacionais que limitam seu desempenho. Utilizando-se do referencial teórico de "organizações em rede" no contexto da inovação, este artigo se baseia num aprofundado estudo de caso sobre uma estrutura organizacional em rede dentro de uma empresa multinacional que opera dezenas de manufaturas em diversos países. Esta empresa triplicou o desempenho ambiental em toneladas de poluição prevenidas e multiplicou em oito vezes o número de projetos de Produção Mais Limpa bem sucedidos, após ter implementado uma estrutura organizacional em rede para aumentar sua capacidade de gerenciar projetos para a melhoria de processos. Para explicar os motivos de tal aumento de desempenho ambiental, o artigo utiliza a metodologia de modelagem organizacional Enterprise Knowledge Development (EKD para descrever as interações entre os objetivos, regras e processos do Programa de Produção Mais Limpa desta corporação, assim como as suas estruturas de relacionamento entre os atores que viabilizaram a integração das competências necessárias para a geração de uma maior capacidade de inovação ambientalmente sustentável nas manufaturas.Cleaner Production is a methodology to improve environmental sustainability in manufacturers. Due to its importance for sustainable development, the United Nations and many regional networks have taken on the responsibility to diffuse Cleaner Production methodology. After more than ten years of activity, however, these

Phenomenology of the minimal inflation scenario: inflationary trajectories and particle production

CERN Document Server

Alvarez-Gaume, Luis; Jimenez, Raul

2012-01-01

We discuss the phenomenology of the minimal inflation scenario. We concentrate on two aspects: inflationary trajectories and particle production. Our findings can be summarized in two main results: first, that inflationary trayectories that are very flat and provide enough number of e-foldings are very natural in the scenario without fine tunning. We present a general formalism to identify attractors in multi-field inflation regardless of trajectories fulfilling the slow-roll conditions. We then explore particle production in the model and show how the inflaton naturally transmutes into the current dark matter particle, thus providing a mechanism to identify the inflaton today: it is the dark matter. One interesting feature of our model is that it provides a novel mechanism to generate particles and entropy in the universe: the filling of the Fermi sphere up to a given momentum pF due to the sea of goldstinos that are an important part of the matter generated after inflation. With this mechanism in hand we pr...

Minimizing activated carbons production cost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stavropoulos, G.G.; Zabaniotou, A.A.

2009-01-01

A detailed economic evaluation of activated carbons production process from various raw materials is undertaken using the conventional economic indices (ROI, POT, and NPV). The fundamental factors that affect production cost were taken into account. It is concluded that for an attractive investment in activated carbons production one should select the raw material with the highest product yield, adopt a chemical activation production scheme and should base product price on product-surface area (or more generally on product adsorption capacity for the adsorbate in consideration). A raw material that well meets the above-mentioned criteria is petroleum coke but others are also promising (charcoals, and carbon black). Production cost then can be optimized by determining its minimum value of cost that results from the intercept between the curves of plant capacity and raw material cost - if any. Taking into account the complexity of such a techno-economic analysis, a useful suggestion could be to start the evaluations from a plant capacity corresponding to the break-even point, i. e. the capacity at which income equals production cost. (author)

Calculating Optimum sowing factor: A tool to evaluate sowing strategies and minimize seedling production cost

Science.gov (United States)

Eric van Steenis

2013-01-01

This paper illustrates how to use an excel spreadsheet as a decision-making tool to determine optimum sowing factor to minimize seedling production cost. Factors incorporated into the spreadsheet calculations include germination percentage, seeder accuracy, cost per seed, cavities per block, costs of handling, thinning, and transplanting labor, and more. In addition to...

Product perception from sensory stimuli: the case of vacuum cleaner.

Science.gov (United States)

Almeida e Silva, Caio Márcio; Okimoto, Maria Lúciar R L; Tanure, Raffaela Leane Zenni

2012-01-01

This paper discusses the importance of consideration of different sensory stimuli in the perception of the product. So we conducted an experiment that examined whether there is a difference between the perception of sensory stimuli from artificially isolated. The result is an analysis of the different sensory modalities, relating them to product an between them.

The U.S. DOE new production reactor/heavy water reactor facility pollution prevention/waste minimization program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaczmarsky, Myron M.; Tsang, Irving; Stepien, Walter P.

1992-01-01

A Pollution Prevention/Waste Minimization Program was established during the early design phase of the U.S. DOE's New Production Reactor/Heavy Water Reactor Facility (NPR/HWRF) to encompass design, construction, operation and decommissioning. The primary emphasis of the program was given to waste elimination, source reduction and/or recycling to minimize the quantity and toxicity of material before it enters the waste stream for treatment or disposal. The paper discusses the regulatory and programmatic background as it applies to the NPR/HWRF and the waste assessment program developed as a phased approach to pollution prevention/waste minimization for the NPR/HWRF. Implementation of the program will be based on various factors including life cycle cost analysis, which will include costs associated with personnel, record keeping, transportation, pollution control equipment, treatment, storage, disposal, liability, compliance and oversight. (author)

Vocational training courses as an intervention on change of work practice among immigrant cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Flemming W; Frydendall, Karen B; Flyvholm, Mari-Ann

2011-11-01

The aim of the study was to examine how knowledge and skills from vocational training courses on working techniques modified for immigrant cleaners are applied in practice and to identify factors that influence the implementation. The modifications of the standard course included language support with possibilities for translation and an extension of the duration of the course. The study is a prospective intervention study based on qualitative data. Data were collected as structured interviews and observations were carried out at the workplaces before and after the course. The study population included 31 immigrant cleaners from five different workplaces. Changes were observed in the use of working techniques (i.e., positioning of hands when using the floor mop). In some cases the use of the taught techniques was incorrect, partial, or only used part of the time. Interactions between individual factors (i.e., knowledge, awareness, capability, or work orientation) and environmental factors (i.e., equipment, time, workload, or physical surroundings) influenced the use of the techniques in practice. The course provided the participants with new working techniques through which some were able to reduce work related pain. However, with regard to incorrect and partial use of the working techniques, follow-up and post-training support is recommended. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

IMPACT OF AN OZONE GENERATOR AIR CLEANER ON STYRENE CONCENTRATIONS IN AN INDOOR AIR QUALITY RESEARCH CHAMBER

Science.gov (United States)

The paper gives results of an investigation of the impact of an ozone generator air cleaner on vapor-phase styrene concentrations in a full-scale indoor air quality test chamber. The time history of the concentrations of styrene and ozone is well predicted by a simulation model u...

77 FR 74196 - Draft Guidance for Industry on Safety Considerations for Product Design To Minimize Medication...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-13

... error-prone label and packaging designs. Among these measures, FDA agreed that by the end of FY 2010... minimizing risks with the design of drug product container labels, carton labeling, and packaging... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2012-D-1005...

L-Serine overproduction with minimization of by-product synthesis by engineered Corynebacterium glutamicum.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Qinjian; Zhang, Xiaomei; Luo, Yuchang; Guo, Wen; Xu, Guoqiang; Shi, Jinsong; Xu, Zhenghong

2015-02-01

The direct fermentative production of L-serine by Corynebacterium glutamicum from sugars is attractive. However, superfluous by-product accumulation and low L-serine productivity limit its industrial production on large scale. This study aimed to investigate metabolic and bioprocess engineering strategies towards eliminating by-products as well as increasing L-serine productivity. Deletion of alaT and avtA encoding the transaminases and introduction of an attenuated mutant of acetohydroxyacid synthase (AHAS) increased both L-serine production level (26.23 g/L) and its productivity (0.27 g/L/h). Compared to the parent strain, the by-products L-alanine and L-valine accumulation in the resulting strain were reduced by 87 % (from 9.80 to 1.23 g/L) and 60 % (from 6.54 to 2.63 g/L), respectively. The modification decreased the metabolic flow towards the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) and induced to shift it towards L-serine production. Meanwhile, it was found that corn steep liquor (CSL) could stimulate cell growth and increase sucrose consumption rate as well as L-serine productivity. With addition of 2 g/L CSL, the resulting strain showed a significant improvement in the sucrose consumption rate (72 %) and the L-serine productivity (67 %). In fed-batch fermentation, 42.62 g/L of L-serine accumulation was achieved with a productivity of 0.44 g/L/h and yield of 0.21 g/g sucrose, which was the highest production of L-serine from sugars to date. The results demonstrated that combined metabolic and bioprocess engineering strategies could minimize by-product accumulation and improve L-serine productivity.

Minimization of Delay Costs in the Realization of Production Orders in Two-Machine System

Science.gov (United States)

Dylewski, Robert; Jardzioch, Andrzej; Dworak, Oliver

2018-03-01

The article presents a new algorithm that enables the allocation of the optimal scheduling of the production orders in the two-machine system based on the minimum cost of order delays. The formulated algorithm uses the method of branch and bounds and it is a particular generalisation of the algorithm enabling for the determination of the sequence of the production orders with the minimal sum of the delays. In order to illustrate the proposed algorithm in the best way, the article contains examples accompanied by the graphical trees of solutions. The research analysing the utility of the said algorithm was conducted. The achieved results proved the usefulness of the proposed algorithm when applied to scheduling of orders. The formulated algorithm was implemented in the Matlab programme. In addition, the studies for different sets of production orders were conducted.

Minimizing the risk and impact of uranium hexafluoride production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, D.R.; Kennedy, T.W.

2010-01-01

Cameco Corporation's Port Hope conversion facility, situated on the shore of Lake Ontario in the Municipality of Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, converts natural uranium trioxide (UO_3) into uranium dioxide (UO_2) or natural uranium hexafluoride (UF_6). Conversion of UO_3 to UF_6 has been undertaken at the Port Hope conversion facility since 1970 and is currently carried out in a second-generation plant licensed to annually produce 12,500 tonnes U as UF_6. Consistent with Cameco's vision, values and measures of success, Cameco recognizes safety and health of its workers and the public, protection of the environment, and the quality of our processes as the highest corporate priorities. Production of UF_6 in a brownfield urban setting requires a commitment to design, build and maintain multiple layers of containment (defence-in-depth) and to continually improve in all operational aspects to achieve this corporate commitment. This paper will describe the conversion processes utilized with a focus on the cultural, management and physical systems employed to minimize the risk and impact of the operation. (author)

VOCs and formaldehyde emissions from cleaning products and air fresheners

OpenAIRE

Solal , Cécilia; Rousselle , Christophe; Mandin , Corinne; Manel , Jacques; Maupetit , François

2008-01-01

International audience; Human indoor exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) may be associated with the use of household products. However little is known about their emissions and to what extent they contribute to indoor air pollution. The French Agency for Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Afsset) conducted tests in order to characterize VOCs emissions from 32 consumer products: air fresheners, glass cleaners, furniture polishes, toilet products, carpet and floor cleaning ...

Saving oiled mangroves using a new non-dispersing shoreline cleaner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teas, H.J.; Lessard, R.R.; Canevari, G.P.; Brown, C.D.; Glenn, R.

1993-01-01

Mangroves are ranked as one of the most sensitive marine environments. If mangroves are oiled and no further action is taken, the probability of mortality to the trees is high. One of the ways that viscous spilled oil can kill mangroves is by covering the breathing ports, called lenticels (red mangroves) and pneumatophores (black mangroves), and asphyxiating them by preventing flow of oxygen from the atmosphere into the roots. Mangroves can also be killed by continuous inundation of their prop roots or pneumatophores for a period of ten days to two weeks, but they can survive lenticel covering by water for a few hours at high tide - so there appears to be some grace period during which lenticels can be nonfunctional and the plant can still survive once lenticel function is restored. This suggests that if oil is removed from the breathing ports during the early days after a spill, the lenticels may be able to restore oxygen delivery to the roots and spare the mangroves. Such oils are poorly removed by the washing of tidal waters or by water sprays alone. So a new shoreline cleaner (Corexit 9580), which was specially developed during the cleanup of the Valdez spill in Alaska, was tested to determine its ability to help loosen the oil so it can be washed away with water. Laboratory experiments using excised prop roots of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) were initially conducted to determine the feasibility of the approach. Subsequently experiments were carried out using about a hundred potted red mangroves at a test site in Florida. The prop roots, including the lenticels, were coated with a heavy oil (bunker C). After various periods of time, groups of oiled trees were treated with the shoreline cleaner to loosen and remove the oil deposit and then washed with seawater. The results showed that oiled trees could be saved by cleaning within seven days after oiling, indicating that the grace period after oiling extends for about one week

Spatial optimization of cropping pattern for sustainable food and biofuel production with minimal downstream pollution.

Science.gov (United States)

Femeena, P V; Sudheer, K P; Cibin, R; Chaubey, I

2018-04-15

compromising on food and biofuel production. Optimization runs yielded an optimal cropping pattern with 32% of watershed area in stover removal, 15% in switchgrass and 2% in Miscanthus. The optimal scenario resulted in 14% reduction in nitrate and 22% reduction in total phosphorus from the baseline. This framework can be used as an effective tool to take decisions regarding environmentally and economically sustainable strategies to minimize the nutrient delivery at minimal biomass production cost, while simultaneously meeting food and biofuel production targets. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A generic method for the identification of options for cleaner products

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heijungs, Reinout

1994-01-01

Life cycle assessment, a method for the assessment of the environmental impacts of products, is briefly explained. A mathematical method to perform the calculations and to identify dominant aspects in the environmental load of a product is developed. The results are used to derive expressions for a

Endocrine disruptors and asthma-associated chemicals in consumer products.

Science.gov (United States)

Dodson, Robin E; Nishioka, Marcia; Standley, Laurel J; Perovich, Laura J; Brody, Julia Green; Rudel, Ruthann A

2012-07-01

Laboratory and human studies raise concerns about endocrine disruption and asthma resulting from exposure to chemicals in consumer products. Limited labeling or testing information is available to evaluate products as exposure sources. We analytically quantified endocrine disruptors and asthma-related chemicals in a range of cosmetics, personal care products, cleaners, sunscreens, and vinyl products. We also evaluated whether product labels provide information that can be used to select products without these chemicals. We selected 213 commercial products representing 50 product types. We tested 42 composited samples of high-market-share products, and we tested 43 alternative products identified using criteria expected to minimize target compounds. Analytes included parabens, phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), triclosan, ethanolamines, alkylphenols, fragrances, glycol ethers, cyclosiloxanes, and ultraviolet (UV) filters. We detected 55 compounds, indicating a wide range of exposures from common products. Vinyl products contained > 10% bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and could be an important source of DEHP in homes. In other products, the highest concentrations and numbers of detects were in the fragranced products (e.g., perfume, air fresheners, and dryer sheets) and in sunscreens. Some products that did not contain the well-known endocrine-disrupting phthalates contained other less-studied phthalates (dicyclohexyl phthalate, diisononyl phthalate, and di-n-propyl phthalate; also endocrine-disrupting compounds), suggesting a substitution. Many detected chemicals were not listed on product labels. Common products contain complex mixtures of EDCs and asthma-related compounds. Toxicological studies of these mixtures are needed to understand their biological activity. Regarding epidemiology, our findings raise concern about potential confounding from co-occurring chemicals and misclassification due to variability in product composition. Consumers should be able to avoid

Actions on climate change, Intended Reducing carbon emissions in China via optimal industry shifts: Toward hi-tech industries, cleaner resources and higher carbon shares in less-develop regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, Xue; Lahr, Michael; Yaxiong, Zhang; Meng, Bo

2017-01-01

This paper uses an optimal interregional input-output model to focus on how interregional industrial shifts alone might enable China to reduce carbon intensity instead of national shifts. The optimal industry shifts assure integration of all regions by regional products and goods in which carbon emissions are embodied via energy consumption. Generally speaking, high-tech industries concentrate in affluent regions to replace construction. Selected services increase output shares across most of regions. Meanwhile, energy-intensive manufacturing, rather than agriculture, decrease their shares to achieve the national annual growth constrained by nation’s carbon targets. Due to the need to decelerate energy use, carbon intensity goal puts particularly extreme pressure on less-developed regions to shutter heavy industries. Explicit shifts toward cleaner resources and renewable energy appear to be quite important for coal mines in Central China. - Highlights: • The model optimizes GDP constrained by industry-based emissions targets. • Scenario on carbon intensity, growth rate, energy mix, and technology advance. • Interregional I-O table informs technology, industry mix, and interregional trade. • China could raise the output of high-tech in South Coast and of selected services. • Shifts toward cleaner resources and renewable energy are important in the Central.

The Integration of Production-Distribution on Newspapers Supply Chain for Cost Minimization using Analytic Models: Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Febriana Aqidawati, Era; Sutopo, Wahyudi; Hisjam, Muh.

2018-03-01

Newspapers are products with special characteristics which are perishable, have a shorter range of time between the production and distribution, zero inventory, and decreasing sales value along with increasing in time. Generally, the problem of production and distribution in the paper supply chain is the integration of production planning and distribution to minimize the total cost. The approach used in this article to solve the problem is using an analytical model. In this article, several parameters and constraints have been considered in the calculation of the total cost of the integration of production and distribution of newspapers during the determined time horizon. This model can be used by production and marketing managers as decision support in determining the optimal quantity of production and distribution in order to obtain minimum cost so that company's competitiveness level can be increased.

Optimization of the conditions for the precipitation of thorium oxalate. II. Minimization of the product losses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pazukhin, E.M.; Smirnova, E.A.; Krivokhatskii, A.S.; Pazukhina, Yu.L.; Kiselev, P.P.

1987-01-01

The precipitation of thorium as a poorly soluble oxalate was investigated. An equation relating the concentrations of the metal and nitric acid in the initial solution and the amount of precipitant required to minimize the product losses was derived. A graphical solution of the equation is presented for the case where the precipitant is oxalic acid at a concentration of 0.78 M

Long Term Effects on Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease after 12-Months of Aerobic Exercise Intervention - A Worksite RCT among Cleaners.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mette Korshøj

Full Text Available Occupational groups exposed to high occupational physical activity have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD. This may be explained by the high relative aerobic workload. Enhanced cardiorespiratory fitness reduces the relative aerobic workload. Thus, the aim was to evaluate the 12-months effects of worksite aerobic exercise on risk factors for CVD among cleaners.One hundred and sixteen cleaners aged 18-65 years were randomized to a group performing aerobic exercise and a reference group receiving lectures. Outcomes were collected at baseline and after 12-months. A repeated measures 2×2 multi-adjusted mixed-model design was applied to compare the between-group differences using intention-to-treat analysis.Between-group differences (p<0.05 were found favouring the aerobic exercise group: cardiorespiratory fitness 2.15 (SE 1.03 mlO2/min/kg, aerobic workload -2.15 (SE 1.06 %HRR, resting HR -5.31 (SE 1.61 beats/min, high sensitive C-reactive protein -0.65 (SE 0.24 μg/ml. The blood pressure was unaltered. Stratified analyses on relative aerobic workload at baseline revealed that those with relative aerobic workloads ≥30% of HRR seems to impose a notable adverse effect on resting and ambulatory blood pressure.This long-term worksite aerobic exercise intervention among cleaners led to several beneficial effects, but also potential adverse effects among those with high relative aerobic workloads.Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN86682076.

Environmental Management Initiatives in Product Chains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Forman, Marianne; Hansen, Anne Grethe; Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

The Environmental Council for Cleaner Products in 2000-2001 initiated a collection of experience from the environmental co-operation in 25 product chains. This collection of experience was to elucidate the concrete co-operation between suppliers, enterprises and purchasers, to go through tools...... and to report on opportunities and barriers for environmental efforts in the entire product chain. This paper aims at giving a comprehensive analysis of the experiences, on the basis of the reporting of the 25 companies and their supply chains (reported by Ettrup and Bauer in 2002. The 25 case studies have been...

A trim-loss minimization in a produce-handling vehicle production plant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Apichai Ritvirool

2007-01-01

Full Text Available How to cut out the required pieces from raw materials by minimizing waste is a trim-loss problem. The integer linear programming (ILP model was developed to solve this problem. In addition, this ILPmodel could be used for planning an order over some future time period. Time horizon of ordering raw material including weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually could be planned to reduce the trim loss. Thenumerical examples using an industrial case study of a produce-handling vehicle production plant were presented to illustrate how the proposed ILP model could be applied to actual systems and the types ofinformation that was obtained relative to implementation. The results showed that the proposed ILP model can be used as a decision support tool for selecting time horizon of order planning and cutting patterns todecrease material cost and waste from cutting raw material.

Cost minimization in a full-scale conventional wastewater treatment plant: associated costs of biological energy consumption versus sludge production.

Science.gov (United States)

Sid, S; Volant, A; Lesage, G; Heran, M

2017-11-01

Energy consumption and sludge production minimization represent rising challenges for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The goal of this study is to investigate how energy is consumed throughout the whole plant and how operating conditions affect this energy demand. A WWTP based on the activated sludge process was selected as a case study. Simulations were performed using a pre-compiled model implemented in GPS-X simulation software. Model validation was carried out by comparing experimental and modeling data of the dynamic behavior of the mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration and nitrogen compounds concentration, energy consumption for aeration, mixing and sludge treatment and annual sludge production over a three year exercise. In this plant, the energy required for bioreactor aeration was calculated at approximately 44% of the total energy demand. A cost optimization strategy was applied by varying the MLSS concentrations (from 1 to 8 gTSS/L) while recording energy consumption, sludge production and effluent quality. An increase of MLSS led to an increase of the oxygen requirement for biomass aeration, but it also reduced total sludge production. Results permit identification of a key MLSS concentration allowing identification of the best compromise between levels of treatment required, biological energy demand and sludge production while minimizing the overall costs.

Playing after work? Opportunities and challenges of a physical activity programme for female cleaners

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lenneis, Verena; Pfister, Gertrud Ursula

2016-01-01

experience with sport and exercise and struggled with the high demands at work and a “second shift” at home. As a consequence, most participants found the training too time- and energy-consuming. We conclude that exercise programmes should preferably be conducted at the workplace and during working hours....... factors constrained and which supported participation. The interviews revealed a high degree of appreciation for the training but also pointed to a number of constraints which were embedded into the participants’ biographies and everyday lives as migrant cleaners in Denmark. Most women had no previous...

A holistic approach to managing palm oil mill effluent (POME): biotechnological advances in the sustainable reuse of POME.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Ta Yeong; Mohammad, Abdul Wahab; Jahim, Jamaliah Md; Anuar, Nurina

2009-01-01

During the last century, a great deal of research and development as well as applications has been devoted to waste. These include waste minimization and treatment, the environmental assessment of waste, minimization of environmental impact, life cycle assessment and others. The major reason for such huge efforts is that waste generation constitutes one of the major environmental problems where production industries are concerned. Until now, an increasing pressure has been put on finding methods of reusing waste, for instance through cleaner production, thus mirroring rapid changes in environmental policies. The palm oil industry is one of the leading industries in Malaysia with a yearly production of more than 13 million tons of crude palm oil and plantations covering 11% of the Malaysian land area. However, the production of such amounts of crude palm oil result in even larger amounts of palm oil mill effluent (POME), estimated at nearly three times the quantity of crude palm oil. Normally, POME is treated using end-of-pipe processes, but it is worth considering the potential value of POME prior to its treatment through introduction of a cleaner production. It is envisaged that POME can be sustainably reused as a fermentation substrate in the production of various metabolites, fertilizers and animal feeds through biotechnological advances. The present paper thus discusses various technically feasible and economically beneficial means of transforming the POME into low or preferably high value added products.

Exact and Heuristic Solutions to Minimize Total Waiting Time in the Blood Products Distribution Problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Salehipour

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel application of operations research to support decision making in blood distribution management. The rapid and dynamic increasing demand, criticality of the product, storage, handling, and distribution requirements, and the different geographical locations of hospitals and medical centers have made blood distribution a complex and important problem. In this study, a real blood distribution problem containing 24 hospitals was tackled by the authors, and an exact approach was presented. The objective of the problem is to distribute blood and its products among hospitals and medical centers such that the total waiting time of those requiring the product is minimized. Following the exact solution, a hybrid heuristic algorithm is proposed. Computational experiments showed the optimal solutions could be obtained for medium size instances, while for larger instances the proposed hybrid heuristic is very competitive.

78 FR 48172 - Minimizing Risk for Children's Toy Laser Products; Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-07

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2012-D-1092] Minimizing Risk for Children's Toy Laser Products; Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Availability AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Food...

Direct Succinic Acid Production from Minimally Pretreated Biomass Using Sequential Solid-State and Slurry Fermentation with Mixed Fungal Cultures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jerico Alcantara

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Conventional bio-based succinic acid production involves anaerobic bacterial fermentation of pure sugars. This study explored a new route for directly producing succinic acid from minimally-pretreated lignocellulosic biomass via a consolidated bioprocessing technology employing a mixed lignocellulolytic and acidogenic fungal co-culture. The process involved a solid-state pre-fermentation stage followed by a two-phase slurry fermentation stage. During the solid-state pre-fermentation stage, Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei were co-cultured in a nitrogen-rich substrate (e.g., soybean hull to induce cellulolytic enzyme activity. The ligninolytic fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium was grown separately on carbon-rich birch wood chips to induce ligninolytic enzymes, rendering the biomass more susceptible to cellulase attack. The solid-state pre-cultures were then combined in a slurry fermentation culture to achieve simultaneous enzymatic cellulolysis and succinic acid production. This approach generated succinic acid at maximum titers of 32.43 g/L after 72 h of batch slurry fermentation (~10 g/L production, and 61.12 g/L after 36 h of addition of fresh birch wood chips at the onset of the slurry fermentation stage (~26 g/L production. Based on this result, this approach is a promising alternative to current bacterial succinic acid production due to its minimal substrate pretreatment requirements, which could reduce production costs.

Effect of cleaning products on upholstery leather finishes

OpenAIRE

Lara López, Mercedes

2003-01-01

The main objective of the project is to investigate the effects of cleaning products on upholstery leather finishes. Focusing on products applicable to upholstery leather cleaning, non-typical leather cleaners (and possible contaminants) or ink removers, in order to find out their behaviour, understanding how they work and if they are suitable for their purpose. Moreover an initial investigation about mechanism of soiling is proposed, in order, in the future, to avoid the soiling or develop a...

Abelian groups with a minimal generating set | Ruzicka ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

We study the existence of minimal generating sets in Abelian groups. We prove that Abelian groups with minimal generating sets are not closed under quotients, nor under subgroups, nor under infinite products. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for existence of a minimal generating set providing that the Abelian ...

The NNSA global threat reduction initiative's efforts to minimize the use of highly enriched uranium for medical isotope production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staples, Parrish

2010-01-01

The mission of the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) Office of Global Threat Reduction (GTRI) is to reduce and protect vulnerable nuclear and radiological materials located at civilian sites worldwide. GTRI is a key organization for supporting domestic and global efforts to minimize and, to the extent possible, eliminate the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in civilian nuclear applications. GTRI implements the following activities in order to achieve its threat reduction and HEU minimization objectives: Converting domestic and international civilian research reactors and isotope production facilities from the use of HEU to low enriched uranium (LEU); Demonstrating the viability of medical isotope production technologies that do not use HEU; Removing or disposing excess nuclear and radiological materials from civilian sites worldwide; and Protecting high-priority nuclear and radiological materials worldwide from theft and sabotage. This paper provides a brief overview on the recent developments and priorities for GTRI program activities in 2010, with a particular focus on GTRI's efforts to demonstrate the viability of non-HEU based medical isotope production technologies. (author)

Inhaling Difluoroethane Computer Cleaner Resulting in Acute Kidney Injury and Chronic Kidney Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristen Calhoun

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Difluoroethane is the active ingredient in various computer cleaners and is increasingly abused by teenagers due to its ease of access, quick onset of euphoric effects, and lack of detectability on current urine drug screens. The substance has detrimental effects on various organ systems; however, its effects on the kidneys remain largely unreported. The following case report adds new information to the developing topic of acute kidney injury in patients abusing difluoroethane inhalants. In addition, it is one of the first to show a possible relationship between prolonged difluoroethane abuse and the development of chronic kidney disease in the absence of other predisposing risk factors.

Metabolic engineering of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for production of carboxylic acids : Current status and challenges

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Abbott, D.A.; Zelle, R.M.; Pronk, J.T.; Van Maris, A.J.A.

2009-01-01

To meet the demands of future generations for chemicals and energy and to reduce the environmental footprint of the chemical industry, alternatives for petrochemistry are required. Microbial conversion of renewable feedstocks has a huge potential for cleaner, sustainable industrial production of

WASTE MINIMIZATION ASSESSMENT FOR A MANUFACTURER OF CUSTOM MOLDED PLASTIC PRODUCTS

Science.gov (United States)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has funded a pilot project to assist small- and medium-size manufacturers who want to minimize their generation of waste but who lack the expertise to do so. Waste Minimization Assessment Centers (WMACs) were established at selected ...

Impact of cleaner fuel use and improved stoves on acute respiratory infections: evidence from India.

Science.gov (United States)

Lamichhane, Prabhat; Sharma, Anurag; Mahal, Ajay

2017-11-01

The use of cleaner fuel and improved stoves has been promoted as a means to lower harmful emissions from solid fuels. However, little is known about how exclusive use of cleaner fuels, mixed fuel use and improved stoves influences children's health. We compared the impact of using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) exclusively with mixed fuel use (LPG plus polluting fuels) and with exclusive use of polluting fuels on acute respiratory infections (ARI) among 16 157 children 0-4 years of age from households in the 2012 Indian Human Development Survey. Inverse probability weighting (IPW) procedures for multiple treatments were used for this evaluation. Children from households using LPG had a 5.0% lower probability of reporting ARI relative to exclusive users of polluting fuels, with larger effects (10.7%) in rural households. The probability of ARI in households using improved stoves and mixed fuel use was also lower in rural households, by 2.9% and 2.8%, respectively. The magnitude of effect varied across population subgroups, with the highest effects for children living in households living in kachha (low quality material) houses households identified as poor. Use of LPG and improved stoves lowered the probability of ARI among children younger than 5 years. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Pollution prevention for cleaner air: EPA's air and energy engineering research laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shaver, E.M.

1992-01-01

The article discusses the role of EPA's Air and Energy Engineering Research Laboratory (AEERL) in pollution prevention research for cleaner air. For more than 20 years, AEERL has been conducting research to identify control approaches for the pollutants and sources which contribute to air quality problems. The Laboratory has successfully developed and demonstrated cost-effective sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate control technologies for fossil fuel combustion sources. More recently, it has expanded its research activities to include indoor air quality, radon, organic control, stratospheric ozone depletion, and global warming. AEERL also develops inventories of air emissions of many types. Over the last several years, it has made substantial efforts to expand research on pollution prevention as the preferred choice for air emissions reduction

Fructose production by Zymomonas mobilis in fed-batch culture with minimal sorbitol formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Edye, L A; Johns, M R; Ewings, K N

1989-08-01

Fed-batch cultures of Zymomonas mobilis (UQM 2864), a mutant unable to metabolise fructose, grown on diluted sugar cane syrup (200 g/l sucrose) achieved yields of 90.5 g/l fructose and 48.3 g/l ethanol with minimal sorbitol formation and complete utilization of the substrate. The effect of inoculum size on sorbitol formation in the batch stage of fed-batch fermentation are reported. Fermentation of sucrose (350 g/l) supplemented with nutrients yielded 142 g/l fructose and 76.5 g/l ethanol. Some fructose product loss at high fructose concentrations was observed. The fed-batch fermentation process offers a method for obtaining high concentrations of fructose and ethanol from sucrose materials. (orig.).

Astigmatism compensation in mode-cleaner cavities for the next generation of gravitational wave interferometric detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barriga, Pablo J. [School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia)]. E-mail: pbarriga@cyllene.uwa.edu.au; Zhao Chunnong [School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia); Blair, David G. [School of Physics, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009 (Australia)

2005-06-06

Interferometric gravitational wave detectors use triangular ring cavities to filter spatial and frequency instabilities from the input laser beam. The next generation of interferometric detectors will use high laser power and greatly increased circulating power inside the cavities. The increased power inside the cavities increases thermal effects in their mirrors. The triangular configuration of conventional mode-cleaners creates an intrinsic astigmatism that can be corrected by using the thermal effects to advantage. In this Letter we show that an astigmatism free output beam can be created if the design parameters are correctly chosen.

Astigmatism compensation in mode-cleaner cavities for the next generation of gravitational wave interferometric detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barriga, Pablo J.; Zhao Chunnong; Blair, David G.

2005-01-01

Interferometric gravitational wave detectors use triangular ring cavities to filter spatial and frequency instabilities from the input laser beam. The next generation of interferometric detectors will use high laser power and greatly increased circulating power inside the cavities. The increased power inside the cavities increases thermal effects in their mirrors. The triangular configuration of conventional mode-cleaners creates an intrinsic astigmatism that can be corrected by using the thermal effects to advantage. In this Letter we show that an astigmatism free output beam can be created if the design parameters are correctly chosen

Job strain associated with increases in ambulatory blood and pulse pressure during and after work hours among female hotel room cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Feaster, Matt; Krause, Niklas

2018-06-01

Previously documented elevated hypertension rates among Las Vegas hotel room cleaners are hypothesized to be associated with job strain. Job strain was assessed by questionnaire. Ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) was recorded among 419 female cleaners from five hotels during 18 waking hours. Multiple linear regression models assessed associations of job strain with ABP and pulse pressure for 18-h, work hours, and after work hours. Higher job strain was associated with increased 18-h systolic ABP, after work hours systolic ABP, and ambulatory pulse pressure. Dependents at home but not social support at work attenuated effects. Among hypertensive workers, job strain effects were partially buffered by anti-hypertensive medication. High job strain is positively associated with blood pressure among female hotel workers suggesting potential for primary prevention at work. Work organizational changes, stress management, and active ABP surveillance and hypertension management should be considered for integrated intervention programs. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Scenarios of hydrogen production from wind power

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klaric, Mario

2010-09-15

Since almost total amount of hydrogen is currently being produced from natural gas, other ways of cleaner and 'more renewable' production should be made feasible in order to make benchmarks for total 'hydrogen economy'. Hydrogen production from wind power combined with electrolysis imposes as one possible framework for new economy development. In this paper various wind-to-hydrogen scenarios were calculated. Cash flows of asset based project financing were used as decision making tool. Most important parameters were identified and strategies for further research and development and resource allocation are suggested.

Life cycle assessment and sustainability analysis of products, materials and technologies. Toward a scientific framework for sustainability life cycle analysis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heijungs, Reinout; Huppes, Gjalt; Guinée, Jeroen B.

There are many approaches to study the environmental and sustainability aspects of production and consumption. Some of these reside at the level of concepts, e.g., industrial ecology, design for environment, and cleaner production. Other approaches are based on the use of quantitative models, e.g.,

Effect of ammonia on ozone-initiated formation of indoor secondary products with emissions from cleaning products

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yu; Lee, Shun Cheng; Ho, Kin Fai; Ho, Steven Sai Hang; Cao, Nanying; Cheng, Yan; Gao, Yuan

2012-11-01

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emitted from cleaning products and air fresheners indoors are prone to oxidation resulting in the formation of secondary pollutants that can pose health risks on residents. Ammonia (NH3) is ubiquitous in ambient and indoor environments. In this study, we investigated the effect of ammonia (NH3) on secondary pollutants formation from the ozonolysis of BVOCs emitted from cleaning products including floor cleaner (FC), kitchen cleaner (KC) and dishwashing detergent (DD) in a large environmental chamber. Our results demonstrated that the presence of NH3 (maximum concentration is 240 ppb) could significantly enhance secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) formation from the ozonolysis of all the three categories of cleaning products. For example, for the FC sample, the maximum total particle concentration was up to 2.0 × 104 # cm-3 in the presence of NH3, while it was 1.3 × 104 # cm-3 which was 35% lower without NH3. However, it was found that the extent of NH3 effect on SOAs formation from the ozonolysis of BVOCs emissions was component-dependent. The presence of NH3 in the reaction systems could increase the consumptions of d-limonene that is the dominant BVOC species as identified in cleaning products. The percent yields (%) of secondary carbonyl compounds generated from the ozonolysis of BVOCs emitted from three categories of cleaning products were identified in the presence and absence of NH3, respectively. The increase in SOAs particle number concentration can be attributed to the formation of condensable salts from reactions between NH3 and organic compounds generated from the BVOCs ozonolysis processes. By investigating the NH3 effect on the ozonolysis of BVOCs mixtures in contrast to the chemistry of individual compounds, a better assessment can be made of the overall impact cleaning products have on real indoor environments.

Sludge minimization technologies - an overview

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oedegaard, Hallvard

2003-07-01

The management of wastewater sludge from wastewater treatment plants represents one of the major challenges in wastewater treatment today. The cost of the sludge treatment amounts to more that the cost of the liquid in many cases. Therefore the focus on and interest in sludge minimization is steadily increasing. In the paper an overview is given for sludge minimization (sludge mass reduction) options. It is demonstrated that sludge minimization may be a result of reduced production of sludge and/or disintegration processes that may take place both in the wastewater treatment stage and in the sludge stage. Various sludge disintegration technologies for sludge minimization are discussed, including mechanical methods (focusing on stirred ball-mill, high-pressure homogenizer, ultrasonic disintegrator), chemical methods (focusing on the use of ozone), physical methods (focusing on thermal and thermal/chemical hydrolysis) and biological methods (focusing on enzymatic processes). (author)

Not in Your Backyard? Selective Tariff Cuts for Environmentally Preferable Products

OpenAIRE

Estelle, Gozlan; Ramos, Maria Priscila

2007-01-01

Current negotiations at the WTO’s Committee on Trade and Environment have made it conceivable that WTO members agree on selective tariff cuts for certain Environmentally Preferable Products, in an attempt to combine gains from trade and from cleaner production/consumption. This raises questions on the environmental and welfare implications of trade policy when a close substitute (“environmentally worse") exists. Using a simple partial equilibrium model with two substitutable goods ('green' an...

On bandlimited signals with minimal product of effective spatial and spectral widths

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. V. Venkatesh

2005-01-01

Full Text Available It is known that signals (which could be functions of space or time belonging to 𝕃2-space cannot be localized simultaneously in space/time and frequency domains. Alternatively, signals have a positive lower bound on the product of their effective spatial andeffective spectral widths, for simplicity, hereafter called the effective space-bandwidthproduct (ESBP. This is the classical uncertainty inequality (UI, attributed to many, but, from a signal processing perspective, to Gabor who, in his seminal paper, established the uncertainty relation and proposed a joint time-frequency representation in which the basis functions have minimal ESBP. It is found that the Gaussian function is the only signal that has the lowest ESBP. Since the Gaussian function is not bandlimited, no bandlimited signal can have the lowest ESBP. We deal with the problem of determining finite-energy, bandlimited signals which have the lowest ESBP. The main result is as follows. By choosing the convolution product of a Gaussian signal (with σ as the variance parameter and a bandlimited filter with a continuous spectrum, we demonstrate that there exists a finite-energy, bandlimited signal whose ESBP can be made to be arbitrarily close (dependent on the choice of σ to the optimal value specified by the UI.

The performance of cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, in a reversal learning task varies across experimental paradigms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Gingins

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Testing performance in controlled laboratory experiments is a powerful tool for understanding the extent and evolution of cognitive abilities in non-human animals. However, cognitive testing is prone to a number of potential biases, which, if unnoticed or unaccounted for, may affect the conclusions drawn. We examined whether slight modifications to the experimental procedure and apparatus used in a spatial task and reversal learning task affected performance outcomes in the bluestreak cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus (hereafter “cleaners”. Using two-alternative forced-choice tests, fish had to learn to associate a food reward with a side (left or right in their holding aquarium. Individuals were tested in one of four experimental treatments that differed slightly in procedure and/or physical set-up. Cleaners from all four treatment groups were equally able to solve the initial spatial task. However, groups differed in their ability to solve the reversal learning task: no individuals solved the reversal task when tested in small tanks with a transparent partition separating the two options, whereas over 50% of individuals solved the task when performed in a larger tank, or with an opaque partition. These results clearly show that seemingly insignificant details to the experimental set-up matter when testing performance in a spatial task and might significantly influence the outcome of experiments. These results echo previous calls for researchers to exercise caution when designing methodologies for cognition tasks to avoid misinterpretations.

Y-12 Plant waste minimization strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kane, M.A.

1987-01-01

The 1984 Amendments to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) mandate that waste minimization be a major element of hazardous waste management. In response to this mandate and the increasing costs for waste treatment, storage, and disposal, the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant developed a waste minimization program to encompass all types of wastes. Thus, waste minimization has become an integral part of the overall waste management program. Unlike traditional approaches, waste minimization focuses on controlling waste at the beginning of production instead of the end. This approach includes: (1) substituting nonhazardous process materials for hazardous ones, (2) recycling or reusing waste effluents, (3) segregating nonhazardous waste from hazardous and radioactive waste, and (4) modifying processes to generate less waste or less toxic waste. An effective waste minimization program must provide the appropriate incentives for generators to reduce their waste and provide the necessary support mechanisms to identify opportunities for waste minimization. This presentation focuses on the Y-12 Plant's strategy to implement a comprehensive waste minimization program. This approach consists of four major program elements: (1) promotional campaign, (2) process evaluation for waste minimization opportunities, (3) waste generation tracking system, and (4) information exchange network. The presentation also examines some of the accomplishments of the program and issues which need to be resolved

Microbiological and radiobiological studies on the hygienic quality of minimally processed food

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abu El-Nour, S. A. M. [National Center for Radiation Research and Technology, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo (Egypt)

2007-07-01

In the past, there have been three traditional forms of food trading; fresh, canned and frozen foods. In recent years, a fourth form called {sup m}inimally processed food has been developed to respond to an emerging consumer demand for convenient, high-quality and preservative-free products with appearance of fresh characteristics, while being less severely processed (Saracino et al., 1991). Minimally processed food can be used as ready-to-eat, ready-to-use, or ready-to-cook products. They are stored and marketed under refrigeration conditions (Dignan, 1994). Minimally processed food products were developed in 1980's and now they are produced in many advanced and some developing countries. In Egypt, great amounts of minimally processed vegetables are now produced and commercially sold in certain supermarkets. They include fresh-cut lettuce, packaged mixed vegetables salad, shredded carrots, sliced carrots, shredded cabbage (white and red), fresh-cut green beans, mixed peas with diced carrots, mafa spanish, okra, watermelon, pumpkin, garlic, artichoke, celery, parsley, etc. However, there is an increasing interest to offer some other minimally processed vegetables and some types of fresh-cut fruits that can be used as ready-to-eat or ready-to-use. Preparation steps of minimally processed fruit and vegetable products which may include peeling, slicing, shredding, etc save labor and time for the purchasers, meanwhile removal of waste material during processing reduce transport costs. In addition, the production of such products will make year-round availability of almost all vegetables and fruits possible in fresh form around the world (Baldwin et al., 1995). However, preparation steps of such products increase the native enzymatic activity and the possibility of microbial contamination. Therefore, these products have short shelf-life and this is considered one of the foremost challenging problems in the commercialization of minimally processed foods particularly

QCD-resummation and non-minimal flavour-violation for supersymmetric particle production at hadron colliders; Resommation des corrections radiatives QCD et violation de la saveur non-minimale pour la production de particules supersymetriques aupres des collisionneurs hadroniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fuks, B

2007-06-15

Cross sections for supersymmetric particles production at hadron colliders have been extensively studied in the past at leading order and also at next-to-leading order of perturbative QCD. The radiative corrections include large logarithms which have to be re-summed to all orders in the strong coupling constant in order to get reliable perturbative results. In this work, we perform a first and extensive study of the resummation effects for supersymmetric particle pair production at hadron colliders. We focus on Drell-Yan like slepton-pair and slepton-sneutrino associated production in minimal supergravity and gauge-mediated supersymmetry-breaking scenarios, and present accurate transverse-momentum and invariant-mass distributions, as well as total cross sections. In non-minimal supersymmetric models, novel effects of flavour violation may occur. In this case, the flavour structure in the squark sector cannot be directly deduced from the trilinear Yukawa couplings of the fermion and Higgs supermultiplets. We perform a precise numerical analysis of the experimentally allowed parameter space in the case of minimal supergravity scenarios with non-minimal flavour violation, looking for regions allowed by low-energy, electroweak precision, and cosmological data. Leading order cross sections for the production of squarks and gauginos at hadron colliders are implemented in a flexible computer program, allowing us to study in detail the dependence of these cross sections on flavour violation. (author)

Gravitino problem in minimal supergravity inflation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hasegawa, Fuminori [Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8582 (Japan); Mukaida, Kyohei [Kavli IPMU (WPI), UTIAS, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8583 (Japan); Nakayama, Kazunori [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 133-0033 (Japan); Terada, Takahiro, E-mail: terada@kias.re.kr [School of Physics, Korea Institute for Advanced Study (KIAS), Seoul 02455 (Korea, Republic of); Yamada, Yusuke [Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics and Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States)

2017-04-10

We study non-thermal gravitino production in the minimal supergravity inflation. In this minimal model utilizing orthogonal nilpotent superfields, the particle spectrum includes only graviton, gravitino, inflaton, and goldstino. We find that a substantial fraction of the cosmic energy density can be transferred to the longitudinal gravitino due to non-trivial change of its sound speed. This implies either a breakdown of the effective theory after inflation or a serious gravitino problem.

Gravitino problem in minimal supergravity inflation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fuminori Hasegawa

2017-04-01

Full Text Available We study non-thermal gravitino production in the minimal supergravity inflation. In this minimal model utilizing orthogonal nilpotent superfields, the particle spectrum includes only graviton, gravitino, inflaton, and goldstino. We find that a substantial fraction of the cosmic energy density can be transferred to the longitudinal gravitino due to non-trivial change of its sound speed. This implies either a breakdown of the effective theory after inflation or a serious gravitino problem.

NREL Advancements in Methane Conversion Lead to Cleaner Air, Useful Products

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2016-06-01

Researchers at NREL leveraged the recent on-site development of gas fermentation capabilities and novel genetic tools to directly convert methane to lactic acid using an engineered methanotrophic bacterium. The results provide proof-of-concept data for a gas-to-liquids bioprocess that concurrently produces fuels and chemicals from methane. NREL researchers developed genetic tools to express heterologous genes in methanotrophic organisms, which have historically been difficult to genetically engineer. Using these tools, researchers demonstrated microbial conversion of methane to lactate, a high-volume biochemical precursor predominantly utilized for the production of bioplastics. Methane biocatalysis offers a means to concurrently liquefy and upgrade natural gas and renewable biogas, enabling their utilization in conventional transportation and industrial manufacturing infrastructure. Producing chemicals and fuels from methane expands the suite of products currently generated from biorefineries, municipalities, and agricultural operations, with the potential to increase revenue and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Minimization of number of setups for mounting machines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kolman, Pavel; Nchor, Dennis; Hampel, David [Department of Statistics and Operation Analysis, Faculty of Business and Economics, Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1, 603 00 Brno (Czech Republic); Žák, Jaroslav [Institute of Technology and Business, Okružní 517/10, 370 01 České Budejovice (Czech Republic)

2015-03-10

The article deals with the problem of minimizing the number of setups for mounting SMT machines. SMT is a device used to assemble components on printed circuit boards (PCB) during the manufacturing of electronics. Each type of PCB has a different set of components, which are obligatory. Components are placed in the SMT tray. The problem consists in the fact that the total number of components used for all products is greater than the size of the tray. Therefore, every change of manufactured product requires a complete change of components in the tray (i.e., a setup change). Currently, the number of setups corresponds to the number of printed circuit board type. Any production change affects the change of setup and stops production on one shift. Many components occur in more products therefore the question arose as to how to deploy the products into groups so as to minimize the number of setups. This would result in a huge increase in efficiency of production.

Quality care means valuing care assistants, porters, and cleaners too.

Science.gov (United States)

Toynbee, P

2003-12-01

All too often, the focus of the very clever strategy papers produced in the upper reaches of the health department is on the next grand plan. Some of these reforms have been catastrophic for the quality of service that patients experience at ward level. Of these, the contracting out culture introduced in the 1980s and the 1990s has been the worst. Researching my book, Hard work-life in low pay Britain, I took six jobs at around the minimum wage, including work as a hospital porter, as a hospital cleaner, and as a care assistant. These are jobs at the sharp end, up close and very personal to the patients, strongly influencing their experiences of the services they were using. Yet they are low paid, undervalued jobs that fall below the radar of the policy makers. In hospitals they need to be brought back in-house and integrated into a team ethos. Paying these people more would cost more, but it would also harvest great rewards by using their untapped commitment.

Special Ferroalloy Production Projects of Clean Production Evaluation%特种铁合金生产项目的清洁生产评价

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

王长征; 郭小芳; 王兴峰

2014-01-01

文章参照《清洁生产标准—钢铁行业（铁合金）》（ HJ470-2009），对特种铁合金如镍铁、钼铁、钨铁的生产从生产工艺与装备、资源能源利用指标、原辅材料的选取及来源、产品指标、废物回收利用指标、环境管理要求等六个方面进行分析，通过与同行业单位产品物耗指标、主元素回收率等指标的对照，对镍铁、钼铁和钨铁生产的清洁生产进行评价。%According to “cleaner production standard-ferroalloy industry"( HJ470-2009) , aiming at the special iron alloys such as nickel-iron alloy , ferro-molybdenum , ferro-tungsten production , from the point of the producing technology , re-quirement of equipment, resources and energy utilization index, raw and auxiliary materials selection and the source, prod-ucts index , pollution index, waste recycling targets, and the requirement of environmental management to analysis. Through the comparison and analysis of the unit products with the industry material consumption index and the main ele-ments of recovery rate index, evaluation of cleaner production of nickel, molybdenum and tungsten iron production.

Energy efficiency and cleaner production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konstantinoff, M.; Grozeva, Iv.

1999-01-01

Energy is the fundamental driver of the economic growth in the todays society. It is an absolute prerequisite for the industrial development in the developed countries as well as for improving the quality of life and reducing the poverty in the developing world. It is expected that the energy demand in the developing countries will increase rapidly in the next decades, and will even exceed the level of consumption in the rich countries due to rising population and incomes. The burning of fossil fuel, however, inevitably leads to negative environmental impact, which no longer can be neglected

A randomised controlled trial among cleaners--effects on strength, balance and kinesiophobia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Marie Birk; Ektor-Andersen, John; Sjøgaard, Gisela

2011-01-01

, and kinesiophobia from CBTr. The improved strength, postural balance and kinesiophobia may improve the cleaners' tolerance for high physical work demands. Future studies should investigate the potential in the combination of PCT and CBTr in a workplace intervention. Current controlled trials ISRCTN96241850....... training (PCT, n = 95), Cognitive behavioural theory-based training (CBTr, n = 99) and Reference group (REF, n = 100). Interventions were conducted during work hours for an average of 1 hour/week. Muscle strength was measured by maximal voluntary contractions in trunk/extension, and shoulder abduction....../elevation. Postural balance was measured on a force platform. Kinesiophobia was measured with Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia. Test and questionnaires were completed at baseline and at 3-month follow-up and analyses followed the intention-to-treat (ITT) principle with last observation carried forward in case of missing...

Optical design and suspension system of the KAGRA output mode-cleaner

Science.gov (United States)

Kasuya, Junko; Winterflood, John; Li, Ju; Somiya, Kentaro

2018-02-01

KAGRA is a Japanese large scale, underground, cryogenic gravitational telescope which is under construction in the Kamioka mine. For using cryogenic test masses, the sensitivity of KAGRA is limited mainly by quantum noise. In order to reduce quantum noise, KAGRA employs an output mode-cleaner (OMC) at the output port that filters out junk light but allows the gravitational wave signal to go through. The requirement of the KAGRA OMC is even more challenging than other telescopes in the world since KAGRA plans to tune the signal readout phase so that the signal-to-noise ratio for our primary target source can be maximized. A proper selection of optical parameters and anti-vibration devices is required for the robust operation of the OMC. In this proceeding, we show our final results of modal-model simulations, in which we downselected the cavity length, the round-trip Gouy phase shift, the finesse, and the seismic isolation ratio for the suspended optics.

Cleaner fuels for ships provide public health benefits with climate tradeoffs.

Science.gov (United States)

Sofiev, Mikhail; Winebrake, James J; Johansson, Lasse; Carr, Edward W; Prank, Marje; Soares, Joana; Vira, Julius; Kouznetsov, Rostislav; Jalkanen, Jukka-Pekka; Corbett, James J

2018-02-06

We evaluate public health and climate impacts of low-sulphur fuels in global shipping. Using high-resolution emissions inventories, integrated atmospheric models, and health risk functions, we assess ship-related PM 2.5 pollution impacts in 2020 with and without the use of low-sulphur fuels. Cleaner marine fuels will reduce ship-related premature mortality and morbidity by 34 and 54%, respectively, representing a ~ 2.6% global reduction in PM 2.5 cardiovascular and lung cancer deaths and a ~3.6% global reduction in childhood asthma. Despite these reductions, low-sulphur marine fuels will still account for ~250k deaths and ~6.4 M childhood asthma cases annually, and more stringent standards beyond 2020 may provide additional health benefits. Lower sulphur fuels also reduce radiative cooling from ship aerosols by ~80%, equating to a ~3% increase in current estimates of total anthropogenic forcing. Therefore, stronger international shipping policies may need to achieve climate and health targets by jointly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution.

Energy inputs and greenhouse gases emissions in wheat production in Gorgan, Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soltani, Afshin; Rajabi, M.H.; Zeinali, E.; Soltani, Elias

2013-01-01

The objectives of this study were to analyze energy use and greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in various wheat production scenarios in north eastern Iran and to identify measures to reduce energy use and GHG emissions. Three high-input, a low-input, a better crop management and a usual production scenarios were included. All activities and production processes were monitored and recorded. Averages of total energy input and output were 15.58 and 94.4 GJ ha −1 , respectively. Average across scenarios, GHG emissions of 1137 kg CO 2 -eq ha −1 and 291 kg CO 2 -eq t −1 were estimated. The key factors relating to energy use and GHG emissions were seedbed preparation and sowing and applications of nitrogen fertilizer. The better crop management production scenario required 38% lower nitrogen fertilizer (and 33% lower total fertilizer), consumed 11% less input energy and resulted in 33% more grain yield and output energy compared to the usual production scenario. It also resulted in 20% less GHG emissions per unit field area and 40% less GHG emissions per ton of grain. It was concluded that this scenario was the cleaner production scenario in terms of energy use and GHG emissions. Measures of improvement in energy use and GHG emission were identified. - Highlights: ► Wheat production scenarios were evaluated for energy use and greenhouse gases emission. ► A better crop management production scenario was the cleaner production scenario. ► Measures to reduce energy use and greenhouse gases emission were identified

Separations: The path to waste minimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bell, J.T.

1992-01-01

Waste materials usually are composed of large amounts of innocuous and frequently useful components mixed with lesser amounts of one or more hazardous components. The ultimate path to waste minimization is the separation of the lesser quantities of hazardous components from the innocuous components, and then recycle the useful components. This vision is so simple that everyone would be expected to properly manage waste. Several parameters interfere with this proper waste management, which encourages the open-quotes sweep it under the rugclose quotes or the open-quotes bury it allclose quotes attitudes, both of which delay and complicate proper waste management. The two primary parameters that interfere with proper waste management are: economics drives a process to a product without concerns of waste minimization, and emergency needs for immediate production of a product usually delays proper waste management. A third parameter in recent years is also interfering with proper waste management: quick relief of waste insults to political and public perceptions is promoting the open-quotes bury it allclose quotes attitude. A fourth parameter can promote better waste management for any scenario that suffers either or all of the first three parameters: separations technology can minimize wastes when the application of this technology is not voided by influence of the first three parameters. The US Department of Energy's management of nuclear waste has been seriously affected by the above four parameters. This paper includes several points about how the generation and management of DOE wastes have been, and continue to be, affected by these parameters. Particular separations technologies for minimizing the DOE wastes that must be stored for long periods are highlighted

Remarks on diffractive production of the Higgs boson

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peschanski, R. [CEA Saclay, Service de Physique Theorique, URA 2306, Unite de Recherche Associee au CNRS, 91 - Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

2005-07-01

Central diffractive production of the Higgs boson has recently received much attention as a potentially interesting production mode at the LHC (large hadron collider). While the standard production of Higgs boson via gluon-gluon fusion can reach high cross-sections, the study of the Higgs boson will be uneasy due to accompanying particles and background. The original guiding line for central diffractive production is to compensate the weak cross-sections by a cleaner signal, and precise production kinematics thanks to the tagging of diffracted protons. We shall review some of the wishes and realities encountered in this field. Theoretical open problems of diffractive dynamics are involved in making accurate predictions for the LHC, among which the most crucial is understanding factorization breaking in hard diffraction.

40 CFR 63.1298 - Standards for slabstock flexible polyurethane foam production-HAP emissions from equipment cleaning.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... polyurethane foam production-HAP emissions from equipment cleaning. 63.1298 Section 63.1298 Protection of... foam production—HAP emissions from equipment cleaning. Each owner or operator of a new or existing...(a)(1) shall not use a HAP or a HAP-based material as an equipment cleaner. ...

Associations between psychological demands, decision latitude, and job strain with smoking in female hotel room cleaners in Las Vegas.

Science.gov (United States)

Rugulies, Reiner; Scherzer, Teresa; Krause, Niklas

2008-01-01

Little is known of the impact of the work environment on smoking among women holding low-paid jobs in the service sector. To study the associations between the components of the demand-control model with smoking in hotel room cleaners. We conducted a survey on work and health among 776 female hotel room cleaners in Las Vegas. Associations between psychosocial work characteristics and smoking were analyzed with multivariate regression analyses. Psychosocial work characteristics were associated with smoking after adjustment for covariates. Effect estimates were substantially reduced by additional adjustment for ethnicity, but remained significant for high psychological demands and smoking prevalence (OR = 1.97, p = 0.02), high job strain and smoking prevalence (OR = 1.87, p = 0.04), and high job strain and smoking intensity (coefficient = 3.52, p = 0.03). When analyses were restricted to Hispanic workers and further adjusted for place of birth, low decision latitude (coefficient = 3.94, p = 0.04) and high job strain (coefficient = 4.57, p = 003) were associated with smoking intensity but not with smoking status. Workplace smoking cessation programs may benefit from a primary prevention component reducing job strain among service workers. More research is needed on perceived and objective differences in psychosocial work characteristics across ethnic, immigrant, and other social groups within the same occupation.

Waste minimization applications at a remediation site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allmon, L.A.

1995-01-01

The Fernald Environmental Management Project (FEMP) owned by the Department of Energy was used for the processing of uranium. In 1989 Fernald suspended production of uranium metals and was placed on the National Priorities List (NPL). The site's mission has changed from one of production to environmental restoration. Many groups necessary for producing a product were deemed irrelevant for remediation work, including Waste Minimization. Waste Minimization does not readily appear to be applicable to remediation work. Environmental remediation is designed to correct adverse impacts to the environment from past operations and generates significant amounts of waste requiring management. The premise of pollution prevention is to avoid waste generation, thus remediation is in direct conflict with this premise. Although greater amounts of waste will be generated during environmental remediation, treatment capacities are not always available and disposal is becoming more difficult and costly. This creates the need for pollution prevention and waste minimization. Applying waste minimization principles at a remediation site is an enormous challenge. If the remediation site is also radiologically contaminated it is even a bigger challenge. Innovative techniques and ideas must be utilized to achieve reductions in the amount of waste that must be managed or dispositioned. At Fernald the waste minimization paradigm was shifted from focusing efforts on source reduction to focusing efforts on recycle/reuse by inverting the EPA waste management hierarchy. A fundamental difference at remediation sites is that source reduction has limited applicability to legacy wastes but can be applied successfully on secondary waste generation. The bulk of measurable waste reduction will be achieved by the recycle/reuse of primary wastes and by segregation and decontamination of secondary wastestreams. Each effort must be measured in terms of being economically and ecologically beneficial

Microbiological and radiobiological studies on the hygienic quality of minimally processed food

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abu El-Nour, S. A. M.

2007-01-01

In the past, there have been three traditional forms of food trading; fresh, canned and frozen foods. In recent years, a fourth form called m inimally processed food has been developed to respond to an emerging consumer demand for convenient, high-quality and preservative-free products with appearance of fresh characteristics, while being less severely processed (Saracino et al., 1991). Minimally processed food can be used as ready-to-eat, ready-to-use, or ready-to-cook products. They are stored and marketed under refrigeration conditions (Dignan, 1994). Minimally processed food products were developed in 1980's and now they are produced in many advanced and some developing countries. In Egypt, great amounts of minimally processed vegetables are now produced and commercially sold in certain supermarkets. They include fresh-cut lettuce, packaged mixed vegetables salad, shredded carrots, sliced carrots, shredded cabbage (white and red), fresh-cut green beans, mixed peas with diced carrots, mafa spanish, okra, watermelon, pumpkin, garlic, artichoke, celery, parsley, etc. However, there is an increasing interest to offer some other minimally processed vegetables and some types of fresh-cut fruits that can be used as ready-to-eat or ready-to-use. Preparation steps of minimally processed fruit and vegetable products which may include peeling, slicing, shredding, etc save labor and time for the purchasers, meanwhile removal of waste material during processing reduce transport costs. In addition, the production of such products will make year-round availability of almost all vegetables and fruits possible in fresh form around the world (Baldwin et al., 1995). However, preparation steps of such products increase the native enzymatic activity and the possibility of microbial contamination. Therefore, these products have short shelf-life and this is considered one of the foremost challenging problems in the commercialization of minimally processed foods particularly fresh

Energy efficiency of an innovative vertical axial rotary kiln for pottery production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Andrés Forero Núñez

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Colombia is a remarkablecoal producer and exporter worldwide; several sectors use this resource for electricity and thermal energy production. Among them, the ceramic industry consumed 118,590 tons in 2011. Most of the pottery production companies in this country arelocated in rural areas and use old coal fired kilns with low energy efficiencies, generating environmental effects to the population nearby. Despite of the importance of these industries to the small rural economies, the government agencies have closed them due to the lack of development on cleaner devices. This work aims to analyze the thermal behavior of an innovative vertical axial rotary kiln for pottery production, and the energy efficiency varying operation mode. The kiln operated during seven hours needed three hours for stabilizing sintering temperature at 800°C. The mean temperatures of the loading, drying, sintering and cooling stage were 204°C, 223°C, 809°C and 321°C respectively. The convection and radiation heat losses were 15 % whereas the flue gas heat losses 18 %.During continuous operation, the kiln energy efficiency was about 60 %. This design proven to reach the temperatures required in the firing stage of the pottery production; moreover, a gas fuel was fuelled making the process cleaner and more efficient than coal-fired systems.

Pengaruh Pelapis Bionanokomposit terhadap Mutu Mangga Terolah Minimal

OpenAIRE

Wardana, Ata Aditya; Suyatma, Nugraha Edhi; Muchtadi, Tien Ruspriatin; Yuliani, Sri

2017-01-01

Abstract Minimally-processed mango is a perishable product due to high respiration and transpiration and microbial decay. Edible coating is one of the alternative methods to maintain the quality of minimally - processed mango. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of bionanocomposite edible coating from tapioca and ZnO nanoparticles (NP-ZnO) on quality of minimally - processed mango cv. Arumanis, stored for 12 days at 8°C. The combination of tapioca and NP-ZnO (0, 1, 2% b...

The minimally tuned minimal supersymmetric standard model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Essig, Rouven; Fortin, Jean-Francois

2008-01-01

The regions in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model with the minimal amount of fine-tuning of electroweak symmetry breaking are presented for general messenger scale. No a priori relations among the soft supersymmetry breaking parameters are assumed and fine-tuning is minimized with respect to all the important parameters which affect electroweak symmetry breaking. The superpartner spectra in the minimally tuned region of parameter space are quite distinctive with large stop mixing at the low scale and negative squark soft masses at the high scale. The minimal amount of tuning increases enormously for a Higgs mass beyond roughly 120 GeV

Performance analysis of wind resource assessment software in different wind sites in México and Brazil

OpenAIRE

Jorio, Nyzar

2010-01-01

Renewable energy sources are increasing in order to provide power with minimal envi- ronmental impact. The most commercially advanced of these at present is wind power. The production and use of wind energy opens new opportunities for Latin American coun- tries to limit the emissions of carbon dioxide. It will provide a cleaner, sustainable, efficient and competitive energy matrix. According to the Latin American Wind Energy Association (LAWEA), Latin America has an installed capacity of only...

Cardiorespiratory fitness, cardiovascular workload and risk factors among cleaners; a cluster randomized worksite intervention

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korshøj, Mette; Krustrup, Peter; Jørgensen, Marie Birk

2012-01-01

. The clusters will be balanced on the following criteria: Geographical work location, gender, age and seniority. Cleaners are randomized to either I) a reference group, receiving lectures concerning healthy living, or II) an intervention group, performing worksite aerobic exercise. Data collection......ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors is unevenly distributed among occupational groups. The working environment, as well as lifestyle and socioeconomic status contribute to the disparity and variation in prevalence of these risk factors. High physical work demands have...... been shown to increase the risk for cardiovascular disease and mortality, contrary to leisure time physical activity. High physical work demands in combination with a low cardiorespiratory fitness infer a high relative workload and an excessive risk for cardiovascular mortality. Therefore, the aim...

The minimal non-minimal standard model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bij, J.J. van der

2006-01-01

In this Letter I discuss a class of extensions of the standard model that have a minimal number of possible parameters, but can in principle explain dark matter and inflation. It is pointed out that the so-called new minimal standard model contains a large number of parameters that can be put to zero, without affecting the renormalizability of the model. With the extra restrictions one might call it the minimal (new) non-minimal standard model (MNMSM). A few hidden discrete variables are present. It is argued that the inflaton should be higher-dimensional. Experimental consequences for the LHC and the ILC are discussed

Design for Sustainability: Current Trends in Sustainable Product Design and Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcel Crul

2009-08-01

Full Text Available The Design for Sustainability (D4S concept outlines methodologies for making sustainable improvements (social, economic and environmental to products by applying elements of life cycle thinking. D4S builds on the work of ecodesign to include economic and social concerns, and its methodology includes both incremental and radical innovation. The United Nations Environment Programme and the Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, in concert with key partners, work to support, illustrate, and diffuse targeted D4S demonstration efforts, including the European Commission-funded Cleaner Production for Better Products project in Vietnam, that are needed to change unsustainable consumption and production patterns.

Cleaner production in the ammonia-soda industry: an ecological and economic study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kasikowski, T; Buczkowski, R; Lemanowska, E

2004-12-01

Five methods to reduce the negative influence of soda ash factories on the natural environment are presented: 1. obtaining calcium-magnesium phosphates by treating the suspension from raw brine purification with orthophosphoric acid (H(3)PO(4)), 2. production of precipitated chalk from soda processing waste, 3. production of gypsum and semi-brine, 4. desulphurisation of fume gases from the factory power plant, 5. utilization of distiller waste. The tests, accomplished on a laboratory scale, showed the high efficiency of these methods. Economic analysis has proved that only four out of the five presented processes can have a positive financial effect on soda ash factories, as well as being well justified economically. The value of two of the innovations presented is confirmed by their implementation in factories.

Hazard of household cleaning products: a study undertaken by the UK National Poisons Information Service.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Hayley; Moyns, Emma; Bateman, D Nicholas; Thomas, Simon H L; Thompson, John P; Vale, J Allister

2012-09-01

To ascertain the reported toxicity of current United Kingdom (UK) household products following the launch of new products, such as liquid detergent capsules, and the manufacture of more concentrated formulations. Between 1 March 2008 and 30 April 2009 the UK National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) collected prospectively 5939 telephone enquiries relating to household products, approximately 10% of all telephone enquiries received over this period. The majority of enquiries (n = 3893; 65.5%) concerned children 5 years of age or less and were received predominantly from hospitals (n = 1905; 32.1%), general practitioners (n = 1768; 29.8%) and NHS Direct/NHS 24 (n = 1694; 28.5%). The majority of exposures occurred at home (n = 5795; 97.6%); most exposures were accidental (n = 5561; 93.6%). Liquid detergent capsules were most commonly involved (n = 647), followed by bleaches (n = 481), air fresheners (n = 429), multipurpose cleaners (n = 408), dishwasher products (n = 399) and descalers (n = 397). Exposure to household products occurred mainly as a result of ingestion (n = 4616; 75.8%), with eye contact (n = 513; 8.4%), inhalation (n = 420; 6.9%) and skin contact (n = 187; 3.1%) being less common; 5.1% (n = 313) of enquiries involved multiple routes of exposure. The most commonly reported features were vomiting (ingestion), pain (eye contact), dyspnoea (inhalation) and burns (skin contact). In 5840 of 5939 enquiries the Poisoning Severity Score (PSS) was known. The majority of patients (n = 4117; 70.5%) were asymptomatic (PSS 0), 28.0% (n = 1638) developed minor features (PSS 1), 1.3% (75 patients) developed moderate features (PSS 2) and 0.15% (nine patients) developed serious features (PSS 3). Four of these nine patients made a complete recovery, two died from exposure to drain cleaner and PVC solvent cleaner; the outcome in three was unknown. In the UK, advice from the NPIS is sought commonly regarding household products, but such exposures only rarely result in

Minimalism

CERN Document Server

Obendorf, Hartmut

2009-01-01

The notion of Minimalism is proposed as a theoretical tool supporting a more differentiated understanding of reduction and thus forms a standpoint that allows definition of aspects of simplicity. This book traces the development of minimalism, defines the four types of minimalism in interaction design, and looks at how to apply it.

A means to a cleaner environment: energy efficient platinum-containing fuel cells to be introduced commercially in the early 1990s

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon,

1991-01-01

The twelfth National Fuel Cell Seminar held in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A. from 26th to 28th November 1990, was attended by 450 delegates from 17 countries, representing both developers and potential users worldwide. ''Fuel Cells - An Answer to a Cleaner Environment'' was the key theme running throughout the conference. This was strongly linked to the firm belief that fuel cells would make an important contribution to the world's energy needs over the next ten years as economically viable fuel cell power plants become commercialised. The conference heard that platinum containing phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFC) are soon to be produced on a commercial basis. Both Fuji and Toshiba announced that they had opened PAFC production facilities in Japan during 1990. The key progress regarding development of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) was the announcement of a U.S. Government sponsored programme, to be led to General Motors, to produce a PEMFC powered motor vehicle. The conference reflected the growing extent of the multi-national collaborations that are now underway to develop fuel cell technologies. (author).

Risk Minimization for Insurance Products via F-Doubly Stochastic Markov Chains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca Biagini

2016-07-01

Full Text Available We study risk-minimization for a large class of insurance contracts. Given that the individual progress in time of visiting an insurance policy’s states follows an F -doubly stochastic Markov chain, we describe different state-dependent types of insurance benefits. These cover single payments at maturity, annuity-type payments and payments at the time of a transition. Based on the intensity of the F -doubly stochastic Markov chain, we provide the Galtchouk-Kunita-Watanabe decomposition for a general insurance contract and specify risk-minimizing strategies in a Brownian financial market setting. The results are further illustrated explicitly within an affine structure for the intensity.

Environmental Priorities In Strategic Product Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simon, M; Poole, S.; Sweatman, A.

2000-01-01

-design framework consisting of analyse, report, prioritize and improve steps, at both strategic and operational levels. Tests the framework by application in an Electrolux subsidiary producing vacuum cleaners, tabulates LCA results for one product and its constituents and components. Concludes that prioritizing......Reports progress of the Design for Environmental Decision Support (DEEDS) project, gives the project's aim as the development of appropriate tools and methods for eco-design for use in the electrical/electronics sector. Bases development of the tools and methods on the results of a survey of 19...

Minimally processed vegetable salads: microbial quality evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fröder, Hans; Martins, Cecília Geraldes; De Souza, Katia Leani Oliveira; Landgraf, Mariza; Franco, Bernadette D G M; Destro, Maria Teresa

2007-05-01

The increasing demand for fresh fruits and vegetables and for convenience foods is causing an expansion of the market share for minimally processed vegetables. Among the more common pathogenic microorganisms that can be transmitted to humans by these products are Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Salmonella. The aim of this study was to evaluate the microbial quality of a selection of minimally processed vegetables. A total of 181 samples of minimally processed leafy salads were collected from retailers in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Counts of total coliforms, fecal coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae, psychrotrophic microorganisms, and Salmonella were conducted for 133 samples. L. monocytogenes was assessed in 181 samples using the BAX System and by plating the enrichment broth onto Palcam and Oxford agars. Suspected Listeria colonies were submitted to classical biochemical tests. Populations of psychrotrophic microorganisms >10(6) CFU/g were found in 51% of the 133 samples, and Enterobacteriaceae populations between 10(5) and 106 CFU/g were found in 42% of the samples. Fecal coliform concentrations higher than 10(2) CFU/g (Brazilian standard) were found in 97 (73%) of the samples, and Salmonella was detected in 4 (3%) of the samples. Two of the Salmonella-positive samples had minimally processed vegetables had poor microbiological quality, and these products could be a vehicle for pathogens such as Salmonella and L. monocytogenes.

Opportunity Loss Minimization and Newsvendor Behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xinsheng Xu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available To study the decision bias in newsvendor behavior, this paper introduces an opportunity loss minimization criterion into the newsvendor model with backordering. We apply the Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR measure to hedge against the potential risks from newsvendor’s order decision. We obtain the optimal order quantities for a newsvendor to minimize the expected opportunity loss and CVaR of opportunity loss. It is proven that the newsvendor’s optimal order quantity is related to the density function of market demand when the newsvendor exhibits risk-averse preference, which is inconsistent with the results in Schweitzer and Cachon (2000. The numerical example shows that the optimal order quantity that minimizes CVaR of opportunity loss is bigger than expected profit maximization (EPM order quantity for high-profit products and smaller than EPM order quantity for low-profit products, which is different from the experimental results in Schweitzer and Cachon (2000. A sensitivity analysis of changing the operation parameters of the two optimal order quantities is discussed. Our results confirm that high return implies high risk, while low risk comes with low return. Based on the results, some managerial insights are suggested for the risk management of the newsvendor model with backordering.

Reforming sewage sludge pyrolysis volatile with Fe-embedded char: Minimization of liquid product yield.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Guotao; Chen, Dezhen; Arena, Umberto; Huang, Zhen; Dai, Xiaohu

2018-03-01

Obtaining high quality syngas from sewage sludge (SS) means transferring a low-grade SS into a high-grade fuel or raw materials for chemical products. In this study, Fe is added to SS in form of Fe 2 (SO 4 ) 3 to produce an effective and self-sufficient catalyst in order to obtain more syngas and minimize liquid products from SS pyrolysis. The Fe-embedded sewage sludge chars (SSCs) were used as catalysts for volatile reforming at 600°C. It has been found that the gas yield increases from 15.9 to 35.8wt% of the SS and that of liquids decreases from 31.9 to 10.2wt% after volatile reforming with Fe-embedded SSC when Fe was added equal to 7 % in the dried SS. In addition, the content of nitrogen-containing compounds in the oily products decreased. After reforming with Fe-embedded SSC, the molar fractions of syngas combustible components, including H 2 , CH 4 and CO, increase, and the higher heating value of the syngas increased to 17.0MJ/Nm 3 from the original 12.5MJ/Nm 3 obtained from SS pyrolysis at 550°C. Moreover, the volatile reforming seems to reduce the level of some important syngas pollutants, like H 2 S, HCl and HCN, even though it was also observed an increase of the contents of SO 2 , NH 3 , NO 2, HCNO and N 2 O. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phenomenology of anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking scenarios with non-minimal flavour violation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fuks, Benjamin [Strasbourg Univ. (France). Inst. Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien; Herrmann, Bjoern [Savoie Univ., Annecy-le-Vieux (France). LAPTh; Klasen, Michael [Muenster Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Theoretische Physik 1

2011-12-15

In minimal anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking models, tachyonic sleptons are avoided by introducing a common scalar mass similar to the one introduced in minimal supergravity. This may lead to non-minimal flavour-violating interactions, e.g., in the squark sector. In this paper, we analyze the viable anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking parameter space in the light of the latest limits on low-energy observables and LHC searches, complete our analytical calculations of flavour-violating supersymmetric particle production at hadron colliders with those related to gluino production, and study the phenomenological consequences of non-minimal flavour violation in anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking scenarios at the LHC. Related cosmological aspects are also briefly discussed.

Minimizing water consumption when producing hydropower

Science.gov (United States)

Leon, A. S.

2015-12-01

In 2007, hydropower accounted for only 16% of the world electricity production, with other renewable sources totaling 3%. Thus, it is not surprising that when alternatives are evaluated for new energy developments, there is strong impulse for fossil fuel or nuclear energy as opposed to renewable sources. However, as hydropower schemes are often part of a multipurpose water resources development project, they can often help to finance other components of the project. In addition, hydropower systems and their associated dams and reservoirs provide human well-being benefits, such as flood control and irrigation, and societal benefits such as increased recreational activities and improved navigation. Furthermore, hydropower due to its associated reservoir storage, can provide flexibility and reliability for energy production in integrated energy systems. The storage capability of hydropower systems act as a regulating mechanism by which other intermittent and variable renewable energy sources (wind, wave, solar) can play a larger role in providing electricity of commercial quality. Minimizing water consumption for producing hydropower is critical given that overuse of water for energy production may result in a shortage of water for other purposes such as irrigation, navigation or fish passage. This paper presents a dimensional analysis for finding optimal flow discharge and optimal penstock diameter when designing impulse and reaction water turbines for hydropower systems. The objective of this analysis is to provide general insights for minimizing water consumption when producing hydropower. This analysis is based on the geometric and hydraulic characteristics of the penstock, the total hydraulic head and the desired power production. As part of this analysis, various dimensionless relationships between power production, flow discharge and head losses were derived. These relationships were used to withdraw general insights on determining optimal flow discharge and

Approximate error conjugation gradient minimization methods

Science.gov (United States)

Kallman, Jeffrey S

2013-05-21

In one embodiment, a method includes selecting a subset of rays from a set of all rays to use in an error calculation for a constrained conjugate gradient minimization problem, calculating an approximate error using the subset of rays, and calculating a minimum in a conjugate gradient direction based on the approximate error. In another embodiment, a system includes a processor for executing logic, logic for selecting a subset of rays from a set of all rays to use in an error calculation for a constrained conjugate gradient minimization problem, logic for calculating an approximate error using the subset of rays, and logic for calculating a minimum in a conjugate gradient direction based on the approximate error. In other embodiments, computer program products, methods, and systems are described capable of using approximate error in constrained conjugate gradient minimization problems.

Household vacuum cleaners vs. the high-volume surface sampler for collection of carpet dust samples in epidemiologic studies of children

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Buffler Patricia A

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Levels of pesticides and other compounds in carpet dust can be useful indicators of exposure in epidemiologic studies, particularly for young children who are in frequent contact with carpets. The high-volume surface sampler (HVS3 is often used to collect dust samples in the room in which the child had spent the most time. This method can be expensive and cumbersome, and it has been suggested that an easier method would be to remove dust that had already been collected with the household vacuum cleaner. However, the household vacuum integrates exposures over multiple rooms, some of which are not relevant to the child's exposure, and differences in vacuuming equipment and practices could affect the chemical concentration data. Here, we compare levels of pesticides and other compounds in dust from household vacuums to that collected using the HVS3. Methods Both methods were used in 45 homes in California. HVS3 samples were collected in one room, while the household vacuum had typically been used throughout the home. The samples were analyzed for 64 organic compounds, including pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, using GC/MS in multiple ion monitoring mode; and for nine metals using conventional microwave-assisted acid digestion combined with ICP/MS. Results The methods agreed in detecting the presence of the compounds 77% to 100% of the time (median 95%. For compounds with less than 100% agreement, neither method was consistently more sensitive than the other. Median concentrations were similar for most analytes, and Spearman correlation coefficients were 0.60 or higher except for allethrin (0.15 and malathion (0.24, which were detected infrequently, and benzo(kfluoranthene (0.55, benzo(apyrene (0.55, PCB 105 (0.54, PCB 118 (0.54, and PCB 138 (0.58. Assuming that the HVS3 method is the "gold standard," the extent to which the household vacuum cleaner method yields relative risk

Evaluation of nicotine in tobacco-free-nicotine commercial products.

Science.gov (United States)

Hellinghausen, Garrett; Lee, Jauh T; Weatherly, Choyce A; Lopez, Diego A; Armstrong, Daniel W

2017-06-01

Recently, a variety of new tobacco-free-nicotine, TFN, products have been commercialized as e-liquids. Tobacco-derived nicotine contains predominantly (S)-(-)-nicotine, whereas TFN products may not. The TFN products are said to be cleaner, purer substances, devoid of toxic components that come from the tobacco extraction process. A variety of commercial tobacco and TFN products were analyzed to identify the presence and composition of each nicotine enantiomer. A rapid and effective enantiomeric separation of nicotine has been developed using a modified macrocyclic glycopeptide bonded to superficially porous particles. The enantiomeric assay can be completed in nicotine, which is present in much greater quantities in commercial TFN products compared to commercial tobacco-derived products. Such studies are required by the FDA for new enantiomeric pharmacological products. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Minimal changes in health status questionnaires: distinction between minimally detectable change and minimally important change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Knol Dirk L

2006-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Changes in scores on health status questionnaires are difficult to interpret. Several methods to determine minimally important changes (MICs have been proposed which can broadly be divided in distribution-based and anchor-based methods. Comparisons of these methods have led to insight into essential differences between these approaches. Some authors have tried to come to a uniform measure for the MIC, such as 0.5 standard deviation and the value of one standard error of measurement (SEM. Others have emphasized the diversity of MIC values, depending on the type of anchor, the definition of minimal importance on the anchor, and characteristics of the disease under study. A closer look makes clear that some distribution-based methods have been merely focused on minimally detectable changes. For assessing minimally important changes, anchor-based methods are preferred, as they include a definition of what is minimally important. Acknowledging the distinction between minimally detectable and minimally important changes is useful, not only to avoid confusion among MIC methods, but also to gain information on two important benchmarks on the scale of a health status measurement instrument. Appreciating the distinction, it becomes possible to judge whether the minimally detectable change of a measurement instrument is sufficiently small to detect minimally important changes.

Calcium hydroxide poisoning

Science.gov (United States)

Hydrate - calcium; Lime milk; Slaked lime ... Calcium hydroxide ... These products contain calcium hydroxide: Cement Limewater Many industrial solvents and cleaners (hundreds to thousands of construction products, flooring strippers, brick cleaners, cement ...

A Novel Approach for Risk Minimization in Life-Cycle Oil Production Optimization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Capolei, Andrea; Christiansen, Lasse Hjuler; Jørgensen, John Bagterp

2017-01-01

The oil research community has invested much effort into computer aided optimization to enhance oil recovery. While simulation studies have demonstrated the potential of model-based technology to improve industrial standards, the largely unknown geology of subsurface reservoirs limits applications...... to commercial oil fields. In particular, uncertain model descriptions lead to risks of profit loss. To address the challenges of geological uncertainty, this paper proposes offset risk minimization. As opposed to existing methodologies of the oil literature, the offset approach minimizes risk of profit loss...

Engineering the productivity of recombinant Escherichia coli for limonene formation from glycerol in minimal media.

Science.gov (United States)

Willrodt, Christian; David, Christian; Cornelissen, Sjef; Bühler, Bruno; Julsing, Mattijs K; Schmid, Andreas

2014-08-01

The efficiency and productivity of cellular biocatalysts play a key role in the industrial synthesis of fine and bulk chemicals. This study focuses on optimizing the synthesis of (S)-limonene from glycerol and glucose as carbon sources using recombinant Escherichia coli. The cyclic monoterpene limonene is extensively used in the fragrance, food, and cosmetic industries. Recently, limonene also gained interest as alternative jet fuel of biological origin. Key parameters that limit the (S)-limonene yield, related to genetics, physiology, and reaction engineering, were identified. The growth-dependent production of (S)-limonene was shown for the first time in minimal media. E. coli BL21 (DE3) was chosen as the preferred host strain, as it showed low acetate formation, fast growth, and high productivity. A two-liquid phase fed-batch fermentation with glucose as the sole carbon and energy source resulted in the formation of 700 mg L(org) (-1) (S)-limonene. Specific activities of 75 mU g(cdw) (-1) were reached, but decreased relatively quickly. The use of glycerol as a carbon source resulted in a prolonged growth and production phase (specific activities of ≥50 mU g(cdw) (-1) ) leading to a final (S)-limonene concentration of 2,700 mg L(org) (-1) . Although geranyl diphosphate (GPP) synthase had a low solubility, its availability appeared not to limit (S)-limonene formation in vivo under the conditions investigated. GPP rerouting towards endogenous farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) formation also did not limit (S)-limonene production. The two-liquid phase fed-batch setup led to the highest monoterpene concentration obtained with a recombinant microbial biocatalyst to date. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Merging and elevation of ventilation chimneys as method to reduce odour nuisance from pig production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerg, Bjarne Schmidt

they can use standard curves that gives the required distance to neighbours calculated at standardized preconditions. If the thresholds are not met, the farmer can include environmental technologies mentioned on a special list maintained by the environmental authorities. Currently biological air cleaners...... are the sole technology mentioned on the list that significantly can reduces the odour emission and the consequent required distance to the neighbours. An alternative to the relative expensive biological air cleaners is to release the air at a larger height which increases the dilution of odour before...... of this work is to enlighten the potential of merging and elevation of ventilation chimneys in order to reduce odour concentration around large pig production facilities. The analyses are based on an assumed facility with an installed ventilation capacity of 720000 m3 h -1, which, in the reference case...

DIMENSI SISTEM MANAJEMEN LINGKUNGAN YANG DOMINAN TERHADAP UPAYA PRODUKSI BERSIH PERUSAHAAN ( STUDI KASUS INDUSTRI PENGOLAHAN KARET REMAH )

OpenAIRE

Hasibuan, Sawarni

2011-01-01

This study is designed to identify dimension of environmental management system that influence of cleaner production’s strategy accept and implementation at natural rubber industry, especially in crumb rubber industry. Factor Analysis technic with Principal Component is aplicated to extract that dimension, while correlation analysis is using to inference the influence that dimension with cleaner production performance. Based of existing condition, deviation of cleaner production performance f...

The relationship between low back pain and leisure time physical activity in a working population of cleaners - a study with weekly follow-ups for 1 year

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jespersen, Tobias; Jorgensen, Marie B; Hansen, Jorgen V

2012-01-01

intensity in the subsequent 4 weeks. METHODS: 188 cleaners consented to participate in a 52-week text message survey about hours of LTPA and intensity of LBP (from 0 to 9) over the previous 7 days. The correlation between LBP and LTPA was calculated by Pearson correlation coefficient. During an episode...... and intensity of LBP measured on a weekly basis throughout a year showed no close correlation. Maintaining LTPA during an episode of acute LBP did not result in a positive effect on LBP in the following 4 weeks. Documentation of LTPA recommendations for acute LBP in working populations is still needed....... intensity difference between groups of 0.06; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 0.417 to 0.539) or higher probability of returning to initial pain level (Odds ratio 1,02; 95% CI of 0.50 to 2.09) in the following four weeks compared with cleaners decreasing LTPA during acute LBP. CONCLUSIONS: Hours of LTPA...

Characterization of Catalyst Materials for Production of Aerospace Fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Best, Lauren M.; De La Ree, Ana B.; Hepp, Aloysius F.

2012-01-01

Due to environmental, economic, and security issues, there is a greater need for cleaner alternative fuels. There will undoubtedly be a shift from crude oil to non-petroleum sources as a feedstock for aviation (and other transportation) fuels. Additionally, efforts are concentrated on reducing costs coupled with fuel production from non-conventional sources. One solution to this issue is Fischer-Tropsch gas-to-liquid technology. Fischer-Tropsch processing of synthesis gas (CO/H2) produces a complex product stream of paraffins, olefins, and oxygenated compounds such as alcohols and aldehydes. The Fisher-Tropsch process can produce a cleaner diesel oil fraction with a high cetane number (typically above 70) without any sulfur or aromatic compounds. This process is most commonly catalyzed by heterogeneous (in this case, silver and platinum) catalysts composed of cobalt supported on alumina or unsupported alloyed iron powders. Physisorption, chemisorptions, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) are described to better understand the potential performance of Fischer-Tropsch cobalt on alumina catalysts promoted with silver and platinum. The overall goal is to preferentially produce C8 to C18 paraffin compounds for use as aerospace fuels. Progress towards this goal will eventually be updated and achieved by a more thorough understanding of the characterization of catalyst materials. This work was supported by NASA s Subsonic Fixed Wing and In-situ Resource Utilization projects.

Minimal surfaces

CERN Document Server

Dierkes, Ulrich; Sauvigny, Friedrich; Jakob, Ruben; Kuster, Albrecht

2010-01-01

Minimal Surfaces is the first volume of a three volume treatise on minimal surfaces (Grundlehren Nr. 339-341). Each volume can be read and studied independently of the others. The central theme is boundary value problems for minimal surfaces. The treatise is a substantially revised and extended version of the monograph Minimal Surfaces I, II (Grundlehren Nr. 295 & 296). The first volume begins with an exposition of basic ideas of the theory of surfaces in three-dimensional Euclidean space, followed by an introduction of minimal surfaces as stationary points of area, or equivalently

Self-Paced Segmentation of Written Words on a Touchscreen Tablet Promotes the Oral Production of Nonverbal and Minimally Verbal Children with Autism

Science.gov (United States)

Vernay, Frédérique; Kahina, Harma; Thierry, Marrone; Jean-Yves, Roussey

2017-01-01

We investigated in a pilot study the effects of various types of visual mediation (photos, written words and self-paced syllabic segmentation of written words displayed on a touchscreen tablet) that are thought to facilitate the oral production of nonverbal and minimally verbal children with autism, according to the participants' level of oral…

Why people drink shampoo? Food Imitating Products are fooling brains and endangering consumers for marketing purposes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frédéric Basso

Full Text Available A Food Imitating Product (FIP is a household cleaner or a personal care product that exhibits food attributes in order to enrich consumption experience. As revealed by many cases worldwide, such a marketing strategy led to unintentional self-poisonings and deaths. FIPs therefore constitute a very serious health and public policy issue. To understand why FIPs are a threat, we first conducted a qualitative analysis on real-life cases of household cleaners and personal care products-related phone calls at a poison control center followed by a behavioral experiment. Unintentional self-poisoning in the home following the accidental ingestion of a hygiene product by a healthy adult is very likely to result from these products being packaged like foodstuffs. Our hypothesis is that FIPs are non-verbal food metaphors that could fool the brain of consumers. We therefore conducted a subsequent functional neuroimaging (fMRI experiment that revealed how visual processing of FIPs leads to cortical taste inferences. Considered in the grounded cognition perspective, the results of our studies reveal that healthy adults can unintentionally categorize a personal care product as something edible when a food-like package is employed to market nonedible and/or dangerous products. Our methodology combining field (qualitative and laboratory (behavioral and functional neuroimaging findings could be of particular relevance for policy makers, as it can help screening products prior to their market release--e.g. the way they are packaged and how they can potentially confuse the mind of consumers--and therefore save lives.

Why people drink shampoo? Food Imitating Products are fooling brains and endangering consumers for marketing purposes.

Science.gov (United States)

Basso, Frédéric; Robert-Demontrond, Philippe; Hayek, Maryvonne; Anton, Jean-Luc; Nazarian, Bruno; Roth, Muriel; Oullier, Olivier

2014-01-01

A Food Imitating Product (FIP) is a household cleaner or a personal care product that exhibits food attributes in order to enrich consumption experience. As revealed by many cases worldwide, such a marketing strategy led to unintentional self-poisonings and deaths. FIPs therefore constitute a very serious health and public policy issue. To understand why FIPs are a threat, we first conducted a qualitative analysis on real-life cases of household cleaners and personal care products-related phone calls at a poison control center followed by a behavioral experiment. Unintentional self-poisoning in the home following the accidental ingestion of a hygiene product by a healthy adult is very likely to result from these products being packaged like foodstuffs. Our hypothesis is that FIPs are non-verbal food metaphors that could fool the brain of consumers. We therefore conducted a subsequent functional neuroimaging (fMRI) experiment that revealed how visual processing of FIPs leads to cortical taste inferences. Considered in the grounded cognition perspective, the results of our studies reveal that healthy adults can unintentionally categorize a personal care product as something edible when a food-like package is employed to market nonedible and/or dangerous products. Our methodology combining field (qualitative) and laboratory (behavioral and functional neuroimaging) findings could be of particular relevance for policy makers, as it can help screening products prior to their market release--e.g. the way they are packaged and how they can potentially confuse the mind of consumers--and therefore save lives.

A model for optimizing the production of pharmaceutical products

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nevena Gospodinova

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The problem associated with the optimal production planning is especially relevant in modern industrial enterprises. The most commonly used optimality criteria in this context are: maximizing the total profit; minimizing the cost per unit of production; maximizing the capacity utilization; minimizing the total production costs. This article aims to explore the possibility for optimizing the production of pharmaceutical products through the construction of a mathematical model that can be viewed in two ways – as a single-product model and a multi-product model. As an optimality criterion it is set the minimization of the cost per unit of production for a given planning period. The author proposes an analytical method for solving the nonlinear optimization problem. An optimal production plan of Tylosin tartrate is found using the single-product model.

Groundwater contamination by chlorinated hydrocarbons in the soil vapour phase - risk assessment at a former dry cleaner site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Danzer, J. [Boden-und-Grundwasser GbR, Sonthofen (Germany)

2002-07-01

Chlorinated hydrocarbons, e.g. Perchloroethene (PCE) were commonly used for dry cleaning purposes among other ones. Since they have a significant toxic potential they impose a serious risk to groundwater quality. Due to their physico-chemical properties - particularly high volatility and medium to high water solubility - and their low biodegradation potential they are highly mobile within the unsaturated soil (vapour phase) as well as within the groundwater. This poster (paper) presents data and calculations of a consultant's ''virtual every day'' work in order to assess the risk of groundwater contamination at a former dry cleaner site. (orig.)

Švaresnės gamybos koncepcijos taikymas šilumos ūkyje

OpenAIRE

Steponavičius, Ramūnas

2016-01-01

Environmental protection through cleaner heat generation becomes increasingly important issue, both globally as well as locally. The problem: The opportunities of applying the cleaner production concept in the heat sector company for the purpose to improve the use of energy resources. Object: Opportunities of applying the cleaner production concept to central heating company. The goal: after the scientific literature analysis identify the possibilities of applying the concept of clea...

Fueling our future: four steps to a new, reliable, cleaner, decentralized energy supply based on hydrogen and fuel cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evers, A.A.

2004-01-01

'Full text:' This manuscript demonstrates the possible driving factors and necessary elements needed to move Hydrogen and Fuel Cells (H2/FC) to worldwide commercialisation. Focusing not only on the technology itself, we look at the 'bigger picture' explaining how certain trends have impacted the progress of new technologies developments in the past. In this process, the consumer has played and will continue to play the key and leading role. We also examine different Distributed Generation scenarios including distributed generation via fuel cells for automotive applications which may be the catalyst to the Hydrogen Economy. One possible step could be the use of Personal Power Cars equipped with Fuel Cells which not only drive on Hydrogen, but also supply (while standing) electricity /heat to residential and commercial buildings. With 1.3 billion potential customers, P.R. China is one country where such a scenario may fit. The up-and-coming Chinese H2/FC industry deals with applied fundamental research such as advances in Hydrogen production from Natural Gas, Methanol and Gasoline. The current activities in P.R. China certain to further accelerate the trend towards the coming Hydrogen Economy, together with the steps necessary to achieve a new reliable, cleaner and decentralized Energy Supply based on H2/FC are examined. (author)

Physical workload, work intensification, and prevalence of pain in low wage workers: results from a participatory research project with hotel room cleaners in Las Vegas.

Science.gov (United States)

Krause, Niklas; Scherzer, Teresa; Rugulies, Reiner

2005-11-01

Occupational injury rates among hotel workers exceed the national service sector average. This study assesses the prevalence of back and neck pain, and its associations with physical workload, ergonomic problems, and increasing work demands. Nine hundred forty-one unionized hotel room cleaners completed a survey about health and working conditions. Associations between job demands and pain were determined by logistic regression models adjusting for individual characteristics, cumulative work demands, care-taking responsibilities at home, and psychosocial job factors. The 1-month prevalence of severe bodily pain was 47% in general, 43% for neck, 59% for upper back, and 63% for low back pain. Workers in the highest exposure quartiles for physical workload and ergonomic problems were between 3.24 and 5.42 times more likely to report severe pain than workers in the lowest quartile. Adjusted odds ratios for work intensification ranged from 1.74 (upper back) to 2.33 (neck). Most room cleaners experience severe back or neck pain. Severe pain showed strong associations with physical workload, work intensification, and ergonomic problems.

Recent developments in the DOE Waste Minimization Pollution Prevention Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hancock, J.K.

1993-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is involved in a wide variety of research and development, remediation, and production activities at more than 100 sites throughout the United States. The wastes generated cover a diverse spectrum of sanitary, hazardous, and radioactive waste streams, including typical office environments, power generation facilities, laboratories, remediation sites, production facilities, and defense facilities. The DOE's initial waste minimization activities pre-date the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 and focused on the defense program. Little emphasis was placed on nonproduction activities. In 1991 the Office of Waste Management Operations developed the Waste Minimization Division with the intention of coordinating and expanding the waste minimization pollution prevention approach to the entire complex. The diverse nature of DOE activities has led to several unique problems in addressing the needs of waste minimization and pollution prevention. The first problem is developing a program that addresses the geographical and institutional hurdles that exist; the second is developing a monitoring and reporting mechanism that one can use to assess the overall performance of the program

Waste Minimization Measurement and Progress Reporting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stone, K.A.

1995-01-01

Westinghouse Savannah River Company is implementing productivity improvement concepts into the Waste Minimization Program by focusing on the positive initiatives taken to reduce waste generation at the Savannah River Site. Previous performance measures, based only on waste generation rates, proved to be an ineffective metric for measuring performance and promoting continuous improvements within the Program. Impacts of mission changes and non-routine operations impeded development of baseline waste generation rates and often negated waste generation trending reports. A system was developed to quantify, document and track innovative activities that impact waste volume and radioactivity/toxicity reductions. This system coupled with Management-driven waste disposal avoidance goals is proving to be a powerful tool to promote waste minimization awareness and the implementation of waste reduction initiatives. Measurement of waste not generated, in addition to waste generated, increases the credibility of the Waste Minimization Program, improves sharing of success stories, and supports development of regulatory and management reports

Is the Philippine geothermal resource sustainable?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lalo, J.; Raymundo, E.

2005-01-01

This paper aims to illustrate the scenario in the Geothermal Energy Development Projects in the Philippines, to make the Filipino population aware that there is an existing cleaner technology available that is being utilized in Europe; for the Philippine geothermal energy project operators to adapt a cleaner production technology that has no harmful emission, hence, no pollution technology; to help end the conflict between stake holders and geothermal players through the introduction of cleaner production technology intervention. While it is a fact that the Philippines' Geothermal resource is second to U.S. or around the globe, the unwise utilization of geothermal energy may lead to depletion, hence, becomes non-renewable. It should be understood that the geothermal energy is a renewable resource only if the development process is sustainable. There is a need to educate the Filipino populace regarding a cleaner production technology as well as our government and political leaders. This cleaner production technology is a solution to the stake holders. It is of great importance to inform the Filipino people that there is an existing cleaner new technology from Europe and U.S. that is not pollutive in nature and is essentially sustainable development scheme since underground reservoirs are not depleted in the process. (author)

APPLICATION OF THE CP METHODOLOGY IN REDUCTION OF WASTE IN THE PROCESSING OF TOBACCO COMPANIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André Luiz Emmel Silva

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The production, marketing and processing of tobacco are the base of the municipalities of Vale do Rio Pardo / RS economy. Although it is the raw material for various products, this region is intended almost exclusively for the production of cigarettes. Dominated by a few large multinational, this market moves this imposing financial values, where tobacco is much of the cost of production. Thus, this paper seeks to prove the efficiency of the methodology application Cleaner Production (CP in tobacco waste reduction within the tobacco processing and cigarette manufacturing companies. This analysis was conducted as a case study, carrying out visits to the knowledge production process, identifying the points of waste, taking measurements and developing a set of measures to be taken to minimize these losses. The Cleaner Production method was chosen because it is a relatively new concept and it has shown good results in companies where it is located. Through the measurements, the main points of breaks were identified and then an analysis was performed by applying the concepts of CP, and a set of measures has been proposed to reduce losses. As a result, it was achieved a reduction of 83% in the rate of tobacco waste in the production process. It was concluded that the CP, within the tobacco processing industry, was efficient, impacting directly on production costs, rationalizing the use of raw materials and reducing the total volume of waste generated.

End-of-life resource recovery from emerging electronic products

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Parajuly, Keshav; Habib, Komal; Cimpan, Ciprian

2016-01-01

Integrating product design with appropriate end-of-life (EoL) processing is widely recognized to have huge potentials in improving resource recovery from electronic products. In this study, we investigate both the product characteristics and EoL processing of robotic vacuum cleaner (RVC), as a case...... of emerging electronic product, in order to understand the recovery fate of different materials and its linkage to product design. Ten different brands of RVC were dismantled and their material composition and design profiles were studied. Another 125 RVCs (349 kg) were used for an experimental trial...... at a conventional ‘shred-and-separate’ type preprocessing plant in Denmark. A detailed material flow analysis was performed throughout the recycling chain. The results show a mismatch between product design and EoL processing, and the lack of practical implementation of ‘Design for EoL’ thinking. In the best...

Model Arrhenius untuk Pendugaan Laju Respirasi Brokoli Terolah Minimal

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Nurul Imamah

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Minimally processed broccoli are perishable product because it still has some metabolism process during the storage period. One of the metabolism process is respiration. Respiration rate is varied depend on the commodity and storage temperature. The purpose of this research are: to review the respiration pattern of minimally processed broccoli during storage period, to study the effect of storage temperature to respiration rate, and to review the correlation between respiration rate and temperature based on Arrhenius model. Broccoli from farming organization “Agro Segar” was processed minimally and then measure the respiration rate. Closed system method is used to measure O2 and CO2 concentration. Minimally processed broccoli is stored at a temperature of 0oC, 5oC, 10oC and 15oC. The experimental design used was completely randomized design of the factors to analyze the rate of respiration. The result shows that broccoli is a climacteric vegetable. It is indicated by the increasing of O2 consumption and CO2 production during senescence phase. The respiration rate increase as high as the increasing of temperature storage. Models Arrhenius can describe correlation between respiration rate and temperature with R2 = 0.953-0.947. The constant value of activation energy (Eai and pre-exponential factor (Roi from Arrhenius model can be used to predict the respiration rate of minimally processed broccoli in every storage temperature

Danish experience with the EDIP tool for environmental design of industrial products

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wenzel, Henrik; Alting, Leo

1999-01-01

Since its publication in, 1996, the Danish method and tools for the environmental design of industrial products (EDIP) have been used in companies in Denmark and abroad, and experience has been gained with a variety of product categories such as electronics, electromechanical products, furniture......, foodstuffs, packaging, textiles, building equipment, energy systems and railway systems. The experience shows that large environmental improvement potentials can be found in all product categories. As a broad average, 30-50% environmental improvement of products have been implemented over few years...... by companies working with the EDIP tools. The paper presents examples from pumps, refrigerator, high pressure cleaners audio/video products, book shelves and moulded cardboards. A questionnaire investigation of the experience with life cycle assessment (LCA) and ecodesign within the Danish pioneer companies...

Fragranced consumer products and undisclosed ingredients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steinemann, Anne C.

2009-01-01

Fragranced consumer products-such as air fresheners, laundry supplies, personal care products, and cleaners-are widely used in homes, businesses, institutions, and public places. While prevalent, these products can contain chemicals that are not disclosed to the public through product labels or material safety data sheets (MSDSs). What are some of these chemicals and what limits their disclosure? This article investigates these questions, and brings new pieces of evidence to the science, health, and policy puzzle. Results from a regulatory analysis, coupled with a chemical analysis of six best-selling products (three air fresheners and three laundry supplies), provide several findings. First, no law in the U.S. requires disclosure of all chemical ingredients in consumer products or in fragrances. Second, in these six products, nearly 100 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were identified, but none of the VOCs were listed on any product label, and one was listed on one MSDS. Third, of these identified VOCs, ten are regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, with three (acetaldehyde, chloromethane, and 1,4-dioxane) classified as Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs). Results point to a need for improved understanding of product constituents and mechanisms between exposures and effects

A Comparison between Temperature-Controlled Laminar Airflow Device and a Room Air-Cleaner in Reducing Exposure to Particles While Asleep

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Spilak, Michal; Sigsgaard, Torben; Takai, Hisamitsu

2016-01-01

People spend approximately one third of their life sleeping. Exposure to pollutants in the sleep environment often leads to a variety of adverse health effects, such as development and exacerbation of asthma. Avoiding exposure to these pollutants by providing a sufficient air quality in the sleep...... was significantly lower with the TLA device compared to the room air cleaner. The TLA device provided a barrier which significantly reduced the introduction of airborne particles into the breathing zone. Further studies should be conducted for the understanding of the transport of resuspended particles between...

Radiation processing of minimally processed fruits and vegetables to ensure microbiological safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bandekar, J.R.; Saroj, S.D.; Shashidhar, R.; Dhokane, V.S.; Hajare, S.N.; Nagar, V.; Sharma, A.

2009-01-01

Minimally processed fruits and vegetables are in demand as they offer ready rich source of nutrients and convenience to consumers. However, these products are often unsafe due to contamination with harmful pathogens. Therefore, a study was carried out to analyze microbiological quality of minimally processed fruits, vegetables and sprouts and to optimize radiation dose necessary to ensure safety of these commodities. Microbiological quality of these products was found to be poor. Decimal reduction dose (D 10 ) for Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes in these minimally processed foods (MPF) were in the range of 164 to 588 Gy. Radiation processing with 2 kGy dose of gamma radiation resulted in 5 log reduction of S. Typhimurium and 4 log reduction of L. monocytogenes. The treatment did not significantly affect nutritional, organoleptic and textural properties. These results suggest that radiation processing can ensure safety of these products. (author)

An experimental evaluation on air purification performance of Clean-Air Heat Pump (CAHP) air cleaner

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sheng, Ying; Fang, Lei; Sun, Yuexia

2018-01-01

was 96.8%, which indicated that the most of gaseous pollutants were not accumulated in the CAHP. The regeneration temperature for the wheel could affect the air purification performance of CAHP. At 70 °C of regeneration temperature, the air-cleaning efficiency reached 96.7%. Up to 70% of the outdoor air......The escalation of energy consumption in buildings and heightened concerns about acceptable indoor air quality stimulate interest in the usage of air cleaner as an adjunct for indoor environmental conditioning. A regenerative desiccant wheel integrated into a ventilation system termed Clean-Air Heat...... Pump (CAHP) can improve the air quality during the process of dehumidification without using additional energy. An experimental study in a field lab was performed to investigate the air cleaning performance of CAHP. Photoacoustic gas analyzer-INNOVA was used to characterize chemical removal of indoor...

Effects of the R-parity violation in the minimal supersymmetric standard model on dilepton pair production at the CERN LHC

CERN Document Server

Jun, Y; Lang-Hui, W; Ren Zhao You; Jun, Yin; Wen-Gan, Ma; Lang-Hui, Wan; Ren-You, Zhang

2002-01-01

We investigate in detail the effects of the R-parity lepton number violation in the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) on the parent process $pp \\to e^+ e^- + X$ at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The numerical comparisons between the contributions of the R-parity violating effects to the parent process via the Drell-Yan subprocess and the gluon-gluon fusion are made. We find that the R-violating effects on $e^+ e^-$ pair production at the LHC could be significant. The results show that the cross section of the $ e^+ e^-$ pair productions via gluon-gluon collision at the LHC can be of the order of $10^2$ fb, and this subprocess maybe competitive with the production mechanism via the Drell-Yan subprocess. We give also quantitatively the analysis of the effects from both the mass of sneutrino and coupling strength of the R-parity violating interactions.

Promoting cleaner and safer industrial production in Central and Eastern Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

The current transition to a market economy in Central and Eastern Europe and in the Newly Independent States of the Former Soviet Union provides an unique opportunity to integrate environmental considerations into the process of economic restructuring. The use of environmental audits in industry to identify savings in energy, water, and other raw materials is a particularly cost-effective approach for promoting more efficient industrial production and improvements in environmental performance. This volume brings together the papers given at a seminar on ''Auditing to Improve Safety, Environmental Performance and Economic Efficiency'', where the chemical Industry in the Ukraine was a particular focus of discussion. The practical experiences described in these papers demonstrate how environmental and economic performance can be enhanced at little or no cost. Later on, only the article concerning the chemical industry of Ukraine has been analysed. (authors). 7 figs., 2 tabs

Production and Optimization of Alkaline Lipase by a Novel Psychrotolerant and Halotolerant Strain Planomicrobium okeanokoites ABN-IAUF-2 Isolated from Persian Gulf

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elham Akbari

2016-04-01

Full Text Available lipases have many different applications in detergents, cleaners, food industry, pharmaceutical industry, pulp and paper production and leather industry, but the extremophile lipases have more range applications. These enzymes are resistant to the high salty, temperature and alkaline conditions. Halophiles were isolated from Persian Gulf, Iran at 20°C in the presence of 10% NaCl. For screening the lipase producing bacteria, Rhodamine B agar and minimal medium were used. Then in order to find the best growth condition for the production of lipase, singlefactor optimization was carried out. The best environmental conditions and their interactions for lipase production were obtained using 16 levels Taguchi statistical test. The WS4 isolate indicated a good lipase activity. The 16srDNA sequencing revealed that the WS4 isolate was Planomicrobium okeanokoites. We named this novel strain Planomicrobium okeanokoites ABN-IAUF-2 and its 16s-rDNA sequence was deposited in GenBank, NCBI, under accession number of KP403724. The most enzyme production was measured after 72 hours incubation at 20°C in the presence of hazelnut oil as carbon source and yeast extract as nitrogen source and pH 7. The analysis of Taguchi test showed that the most effective factors in enzyme production were carbon source with 54.65% and nitrogen source with 19% of effectiveness. This is the first report of alkaline lipase production by Planomicrobium okeanokoites. This lipase was resistant to low-temperature and 15% saline, so it has wide applications in medical as well as microbial biotechnology.

Multicriteria cost–benefit assessment of tannery production: The need for breakthrough process alternatives beyond conventional technology optimization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Giannetti, Biagio F. [Paulista University (UNIP) (Brazil); Agostinho, Feni, E-mail: feni@unip.br [Paulista University (UNIP) (Brazil); Moraes, Luciano C.; Almeida, Cecília M.V.B. [Paulista University (UNIP) (Brazil); Ulgiati, Sergio, E-mail: sergio.ulgiati@uniparthenope.it [Università degli studi di Napoli, Parthenope (Italy)

2015-09-15

The worldwide use of chromium-based processes in tanneries generates increased concerns about their related environmental burdens. Cleaner production alternatives for leather production are being proposed, based on the optimization of specific aspects or criteria, for instance, reducing demand for specific materials and energy, or reducing local toxicological emissions. While improvement on individual characteristics of the process is certainly to be favored, a more comprehensive evaluation of alternatives is also needed to prevent the risk of shifting the burden to increase global load while addressing one specific critical factor of production. This work aims to discuss the importance of a multicriteria, multiscale approach to address cleaner production strategy costs and benefits. For this, materials balance, an economic approach, and emergy (with an “m”) accounting methods are applied to selected unhairing/liming, pickling/tanning and wastewater treatment steps in a tannery process, which was chosen as a case study. Results show that the assessed recycling cleaner production strategies assessed allow the manufacturer to reduce by one half the amount of water used and the demand for chemicals up to 4% with respect to the business-as-usual process, at the expense of increasing electricity demand by 10%. Economic cost-to-benefit ratio was 25$ benefits per 1$ invested, as well as an emergy-based cost-to-benefit of 33Em$ per 1Em$ invested, of course these improvements were limited to the three investigated process steps. The improvement in cost/benefit ratios indicates that converting scenario #0 into #1 is favorable under economic and emergy views. However, when the two scenarios are investigated from the point of view of the imbalance in local and renewable resource use versus imported and nonrenewable use, the emergy method shows a small overall increase in renewability (from 3.51% to 3.85%), a low, but expected, emergy yield ratio equal to 1, and a high

Multicriteria cost–benefit assessment of tannery production: The need for breakthrough process alternatives beyond conventional technology optimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giannetti, Biagio F.; Agostinho, Feni; Moraes, Luciano C.; Almeida, Cecília M.V.B.; Ulgiati, Sergio

2015-01-01

The worldwide use of chromium-based processes in tanneries generates increased concerns about their related environmental burdens. Cleaner production alternatives for leather production are being proposed, based on the optimization of specific aspects or criteria, for instance, reducing demand for specific materials and energy, or reducing local toxicological emissions. While improvement on individual characteristics of the process is certainly to be favored, a more comprehensive evaluation of alternatives is also needed to prevent the risk of shifting the burden to increase global load while addressing one specific critical factor of production. This work aims to discuss the importance of a multicriteria, multiscale approach to address cleaner production strategy costs and benefits. For this, materials balance, an economic approach, and emergy (with an “m”) accounting methods are applied to selected unhairing/liming, pickling/tanning and wastewater treatment steps in a tannery process, which was chosen as a case study. Results show that the assessed recycling cleaner production strategies assessed allow the manufacturer to reduce by one half the amount of water used and the demand for chemicals up to 4% with respect to the business-as-usual process, at the expense of increasing electricity demand by 10%. Economic cost-to-benefit ratio was 25$ benefits per 1$ invested, as well as an emergy-based cost-to-benefit of 33Em$ per 1Em$ invested, of course these improvements were limited to the three investigated process steps. The improvement in cost/benefit ratios indicates that converting scenario #0 into #1 is favorable under economic and emergy views. However, when the two scenarios are investigated from the point of view of the imbalance in local and renewable resource use versus imported and nonrenewable use, the emergy method shows a small overall increase in renewability (from 3.51% to 3.85%), a low, but expected, emergy yield ratio equal to 1, and a high

Constituent period in theoretization of minimalism in architecture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stevanović Vladimir

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The paper analyzes architectural discourse that is formed around the term minimalism, between 1976 and 1999, a period that I consider constitutive for theorization of the term. The presentation is directed by two hypotheses: I minimalism in architecture does not have a continuous stream of origin, development, and is not a style, direction, movement, school, genre or trend in terms of how it is defined in disciplines such as art history, aesthetics and art theory II the fact that it's rare for an architect to declare himself a minimalist suggests that minimalism in architecture is actually a product or construct of an architectural discourse that emerged from the need to consolidate the existing obvious and widespread formal idiom in architecture partly during and after post-modernism. It is indicative that the writing of history of minimalism in architecture, in its most intensive period - the nineties, takes place mainly in three cities: London, Barcelona and Milan. In this sense, we can examine how each of these centers emphasized its role, through the ambition of minimalism in architecture to appear as an authentic local creation.

Pengaruh Pelapis Bionanokomposit terhadap Mutu Mangga Terolah Minimal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ata Aditya Wardana

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Minimally-processed mango is a perishable product due to high respiration and transpiration and microbial decay. Edible coating is one of the alternative methods to maintain the quality of minimally - processed mango. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of bionanocomposite edible coating from tapioca and ZnO nanoparticles (NP-ZnO on quality of minimally - processed mango cv. Arumanis, stored for 12 days at 8°C. The combination of tapioca and NP-ZnO (0, 1, 2% by weight of tapioca were used to coat minimally processed mango. The result showed that application of bionanocomposite edible coatings were able to maintain the quality of minimally-processed mango during the storage periods. The bionanocomposite from tapioca + NP-ZnO (2% by weight of tapioca was the most effective in reducing weight loss, firmness, browning index, total acidity, total soluble solids ,respiration, and microbial counts. Thus, the use of bionanocomposite edible coating might provide an alternative method to maintain storage quality of minimally-processed mango. Abstrak Mangga terolah minimal merupakan produk yang cepat mengalami kerusakan dikarenakan respirasi yang cepat, transpirasi dan kerusakan oleh mikroba. Edible coating merupakan salah satu alternatif metode untuk mempertahankan mutu mangga terolah minimal. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengevaluasi pengaruh pelapis bionanokomposit dari tapioka dan nanopartikel ZnO (NP-ZnO terhadap mutu mangga terolah minimal cv. Arumanis yang disimpan selama 12 hari pada suhu 8oC. Kombinasi dari tapioka dan NP-ZnO (0, 1, 2% b/b tapioka digunakan untuk melapisi mangga terolah minimal. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa pelapisan bionanokomposit mampu mempertahankan mutu mangga terolah minimal selama penyimpanan. Bionanokomposit dari tapioka + NP-ZnO (2% b/b tapioka paling efektif dalam menghambat penurunan susut bobot, kekerasan, indeks pencoklatan, total asam, total padatan terlarut, respirasi dan total

Skeletal Fluorosis Due To Inhalation Abuse of a Difluoroethane-Containing Computer Cleaner.

Science.gov (United States)

Tucci, Joseph R; Whitford, Gary M; McAlister, William H; Novack, Deborah V; Mumm, Steven; Keaveny, Tony M; Whyte, Michael P

2017-01-01

Skeletal fluorosis (SF) is endemic in many countries and millions of people are affected worldwide, whereas in the United States SF is rare with occasional descriptions of unique cases. We report a 28-year-old American man who was healthy until 2 years earlier when he gradually experienced difficulty walking and an abnormal gait, left hip pain, loss of mobility in his right wrist and forearm, and progressive deformities including enlargement of the digits of both hands. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of his lumbar spine, femoral neck, total hip, and the one-third forearm revealed bone mineral density (BMD) Z-scores of +6.2, +4.8, +3.0, and -0.2, respectively. Serum, urine, and bone fluoride levels were all elevated and ultimately explained by chronic sniffing abuse of a computer cleaner containing 1,1-difluoroethane. Our findings reflect SF due to the unusual cause of inhalation abuse of difluoroethane. Because this practice seems widespread, particularly in the young, there may be many more such cases. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Integration of Cleaner Production and Waste Water Treatment on Tofu Small Industry for Biogas Production using AnSBR Reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Rahayu, Suparni Setyowati; Budiyono; Purwanto

2018-02-01

A research on developing a system that integrates clean production and waste water treatment for biogas production in tofu small industry has been conducted. In this research, tofu waste water was turned into biogas using an AnSBR reactor. Mud from the sewage system serves as the inoculums. This research involved: (1) workshop; (2) supervising; (3) technical meeting; (4) network meeting, and (5) technical application. Implementation of clean production integrated with waste water treatment reduced the amount of waste water to be treated in a treatment plant. This means less cost for construction and operation of waste water treatment plants, as inherent limitations associated with such plants like lack of fund, limited area, and technological issues are inevitable. Implementation of clean production prior to waste water treatment reduces pollution figures down to certain levels that limitations in waste water treatment plants can be covered. Results show that biogas in 16 days HRT in an AnSBR reactor contains CH4(78.26 %) and CO2 (20.16 %). Meanwhile, treatments using a conventional bio-digester result in biogas with 72.16 % CH4 and 18.12 % CO2. Hence, biogas efficiency for the AnSBR system is 2.14 times greater than that of a conventional bio-digester.

76 FR 57719 - Procurement List; Proposed Additions

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-16

... proposed for addition to the Procurement List for production by the nonprofit agencies listed: Products NSN: 7930-00-NIB-0583--Refills, Bathroom Cleaner and Deodorizer, Cartridge Concentrate. NSN: 7930-00-NIB-0584--Starter Kit, Bathroom Cleaner and Deodorizer, Cartridge Concentrate. NSN: 7930-00-NIB-0585...

Search for Minimal Standard Model and Minimal Supersymmetric Model Higgs Bosons in e+ e- Collisions with the OPAL detector at LEP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ganel, Ofer

1993-06-01

When LEP machine was turned on in August 1989, a new era had opened. For the first time, direct, model-independent searches for Higgs boson could be carried out. The Minimal Standard Model Higgs boson is expected to be produced in e + e - collisions via the H o Z o . The Minimal Supersymmetric Model Higgs boson are expected to be produced in the analogous e + e - -> h o Z o process or in pairs via the process e + e - -> h o A o . In this thesis we describe the search for Higgs bosons within the framework of the Minimal Standard Model and the Minimal Supersymmetric Model, using the data accumulated by the OPAL detector at LEP in the 1989, 1990, 1991 and part of the 1992 running periods at and around the Z o pole. An MInimal Supersymmetric Model Higgs boson generator is described as well as its use in several different searches. As a result of this work, the Minimal Standard Model Higgs boson mass is bounded from below by 54.2 GeV/c 2 at 95% C.L. This is, at present, the highest such bound. A novel method of overcoming the m τ and m s dependence of Minimal Supersymmetric Higgs boson production and decay introduced by one-loop radiative corrections is used to obtain model-independent exclusion. The thesis describes also an algorithm for off line identification of calorimeter noise in the OPAL detector. (author)

JournaLofEEA, Vol. 25, 2008----- -

African Journals Online (AJOL)

CLEANER PRODUCTION FOR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN LEATHER. INDUSTRY ... The solid waste inventory of the factory has b~en ... generate solid wastes. • Identification of problems existing in the• process. • Generation of Cleaner Production options. • Identification of the best options that are economically and ...

Optimal design method to minimize users' thinking mapping load in human-machine interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yanqun; Li, Xu; Zhang, Jie

2015-01-01

The discrepancy between human cognition and machine requirements/behaviors usually results in serious mental thinking mapping loads or even disasters in product operating. It is important to help people avoid human-machine interaction confusions and difficulties in today's mental work mastered society. Improving the usability of a product and minimizing user's thinking mapping and interpreting load in human-machine interactions. An optimal human-machine interface design method is introduced, which is based on the purpose of minimizing the mental load in thinking mapping process between users' intentions and affordance of product interface states. By analyzing the users' thinking mapping problem, an operating action model is constructed. According to human natural instincts and acquired knowledge, an expected ideal design with minimized thinking loads is uniquely determined at first. Then, creative alternatives, in terms of the way human obtains operational information, are provided as digital interface states datasets. In the last, using the cluster analysis method, an optimum solution is picked out from alternatives, by calculating the distances between two datasets. Considering multiple factors to minimize users' thinking mapping loads, a solution nearest to the ideal value is found in the human-car interaction design case. The clustering results show its effectiveness in finding an optimum solution to the mental load minimizing problems in human-machine interaction design.

Towards zero waste production in the minerals and metals sector

Science.gov (United States)

Rankin, William J.

The production of mineral and metal commodities results in large quantities of wastes (solid, liquid and gaseous) at each stage of value-adding — from mining to manufacturing. Waste production (both consumer and non-consumer) is a major contributor to environmental degradation. Approaches to waste management in the minerals industry are largely `after the event'. These have moved progressively from foul-and-flee to dilute-and-disperse to end end-of-pipe treatments. There is now a need to move to approaches which aim to reduce or eliminate waste production at source. Modern waste management strategies include the application of cleaner production principles, the use of wastes as raw materials, the reengineering of process flowsheets to minimise waste production, and use of industrial symbioses through industrial ecology to convert wastes into useful by-products. This paper examines how these can be adopted by the minerals industry, with some recent examples. The financial, technical, systemic and regulatory drivers and barriers are also examined.

Work-related pain and injury and barriers to workers' compensation among Las Vegas hotel room cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Scherzer, Teresa; Rugulies, Reiner; Krause, Niklas

2005-03-01

We examined the prevalence of work-related pain and injury and explored barriers to and experiences of reporting among workers. We surveyed 941 unionized hotel room cleaners about work-related pain, injury, disability, and reporting. During the past 12 months, 75% of workers in our study experienced work-related pain, and 31% reported it to management; 20% filed claims for workers' compensation as a result of work-related injury, and 35% of their claims were denied. Barriers to reporting injury included "It would be too much trouble" (43%), "I was afraid" (26%), and "I didn't know how" (18%). An estimated 69% of medical costs were shifted from employers to workers. The reasons for underreporting and the extent of claim denial warrant further investigation. Implications for worker health and the precise quantification of shifting costs to workers also should be addressed.

Rice production with minimal irrigation and no nitrogen fertilizer by intensive use of treated municipal wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Muramatsu, Ayumi; Watanabe, Toru; Sasaki, Atsushi; Ito, Hiroaki; Kajihara, Akihiko

2014-01-01

We designed a new cultivation system of rice with circulated irrigation to remove nitrogen from treated municipal wastewater effectively and assessed the possibility of nitrogen removal in the new system without any adverse effects on rice production through bench-scale experiments through two seasons. Overgrowth of the rice plant, which can lead to lodging and tasteless rice, was found in the first season probably because nitrogen supply based on standard practice in normal paddy fields was too much in the closed irrigation system. In the second season, therefore, the amount of treated wastewater initially applied to the system was reduced but this resulted in a considerably decreased yield. On the other hand, the taste of the rice was significantly improved. The two-season experiments revealed that the new system enabled rice production with minimal irrigation (approximately 50% on the yield base compared to normal paddy fields) and no nitrogen fertilizer. The system also achieved >95% removal of nitrogen from the treated wastewater used for circulated irrigation. The accumulation of harmful metals in the rice was not observed after one season of cultivation in the new system. The accumulation after cultivation using the same soil repeatedly for a longer time should be examined by further studies.

Alternative sanitization methods for minimally processed lettuce in comparison to sodium hypochlorite.

Science.gov (United States)

Bachelli, Mara Lígia Biazotto; Amaral, Rívia Darla Álvares; Benedetti, Benedito Carlos

2013-01-01

Lettuce is a leafy vegetable widely used in industry for minimally processed products, in which the step of sanitization is the crucial moment for ensuring a safe food for consumption. Chlorinated compounds, mainly sodium hypochlorite, are the most used in Brazil, but the formation of trihalomethanes from this sanitizer is a drawback. Then, the search for alternative methods to sodium hypochlorite has been emerging as a matter of great interest. The suitability of chlorine dioxide (60 mg L(-1)/10 min), peracetic acid (100 mg L(-1)/15 min) and ozonated water (1.2 mg L(-1)/1 min) as alternative sanitizers to sodium hypochlorite (150 mg L(-1) free chlorine/15 min) were evaluated. Minimally processed lettuce washed with tap water for 1 min was used as a control. Microbiological analyses were performed in triplicate, before and after sanitization, and at 3, 6, 9 and 12 days of storage at 2 ± 1 °C with the product packaged on LDPE bags of 60 μm. It was evaluated total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., psicrotrophic and mesophilic bacteria, yeasts and molds. All samples of minimally processed lettuce showed absence of E. coli and Salmonella spp. The treatments of chlorine dioxide, peracetic acid and ozonated water promoted reduction of 2.5, 1.1 and 0.7 log cycle, respectively, on count of microbial load of minimally processed product and can be used as substitutes for sodium hypochlorite. These alternative compounds promoted a shelf-life of six days to minimally processed lettuce, while the shelf-life with sodium hypochlorite was 12 days.

Experiences with preventive procedures application in the process of beer production in Czech Republic

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jana Kotovicová

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Food-processing industry is an intriguing field regarding prevention procedures application. All food-processing operations have common fundamental spheres of problems – wastewater polluted by organic substances, solid waste of biological origin and losses during source material processing. Beer production process is a representative of food-processing sphere. The brewing industry has an ancient tradition and is still a dynamic sector open to new developments in technology and scientific progress. A case study of beer production in Czech Republic has been performed. During the work on the project, there were utilized methodical procedures of Cleaner Production, best available technologies (BAT utilization and hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP, optimization of final technology operation.

Production of infectious chimeric hepatitis C virus genotype 2b harboring minimal regions of JFH-1.

Science.gov (United States)

Murayama, Asako; Kato, Takanobu; Akazawa, Daisuke; Sugiyama, Nao; Date, Tomoko; Masaki, Takahiro; Nakamoto, Shingo; Tanaka, Yasuhito; Mizokami, Masashi; Yokosuka, Osamu; Nomoto, Akio; Wakita, Takaji

2012-02-01

To establish a cell culture system for chimeric hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2b, we prepared a chimeric construct harboring the 5' untranslated region (UTR) to the E2 region of the MA strain (genotype 2b) and the region of p7 to the 3' UTR of the JFH-1 strain (genotype 2a). This chimeric RNA (MA/JFH-1.1) replicated and produced infectious virus in Huh7.5.1 cells. Replacement of the 5' UTR of this chimera with that from JFH-1 (MA/JFH-1.2) enhanced virus production, but infectivity remained low. In a long-term follow-up study, we identified a cell culture-adaptive mutation in the core region (R167G) and found that it enhanced virus assembly. We previously reported that the NS3 helicase (N3H) and the region of NS5B to 3' X (N5BX) of JFH-1 enabled replication of the J6CF strain (genotype 2a), which could not replicate in cells. To reduce JFH-1 content in MA/JFH-1.2, we produced a chimeric viral genome for MA harboring the N3H and N5BX regions of JFH-1, combined with a JFH-1 5' UTR replacement and the R167G mutation (MA/N3H+N5BX-JFH1/R167G). This chimeric RNA replicated efficiently, but virus production was low. After the introduction of four additional cell culture-adaptive mutations, MA/N3H+N5BX-JFH1/5am produced infectious virus efficiently. Using this chimeric virus harboring minimal regions of JFH-1, we analyzed interferon sensitivity and found that this chimeric virus was more sensitive to interferon than JFH-1 and another chimeric virus containing more regions from JFH-1 (MA/JFH-1.2/R167G). In conclusion, we established an HCV genotype 2b cell culture system using a chimeric genome harboring minimal regions of JFH-1. This cell culture system may be useful for characterizing genotype 2b viruses and developing antiviral strategies.

Effect of minimal processing on physiology and quality of fresh-cut potatoes, a review

OpenAIRE

Rocculi, Pietro; Romani, Santina; Gomez, Federico; Dalla Rosa, Marco

2009-01-01

Fresh-cut fruit and vegetable are minimally processed products that have to maintain their quality (appearance, texture, flavour and nutritive value) similar to those of the fresh product. The fundamental principle underlying the quality of these commodities is that they are metabolic active tissues and, as a consequence, show physiological response to preparation procedures as well as to the environment created in the package in which they are enclosed. Minimal processing for fresh-cut potat...

Application of lean six sigma to waste minimization in cigarette paper industry

Science.gov (United States)

Syahputri, K.; Sari, R. M.; Anizar; Tarigan, I. R.; Siregar, I.

2018-02-01

The cigarette paper industry is one of the industry that is always experiencing increasing demand from consumers. Consumer expectations for the products produced also increased both in terms of quality and quantity. The company continuously improves the quality of its products by trying to minimize nonconformity, waste and improve the efficiency of the whole production process of the company. In this cigarette industry, there is a disability whose value is above the company’s defect tolerance that is 10% of the production amount per month. Another problem also occurs in the production time is too long due to the many activities that are not value added (non value added activities) on the production floor. To overcome this problem, it is necessary to improve the production process of cigarette paper and minimize production time by reducing non value added activities. Repairs done with Lean Six Sigma. Lean Six Sigma is a combination of Lean and Six Sigma concept with DMAIC method (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control). With this Lean approach, obtained total production time of 1479.13 minutes proposal with cycle efficiency process increased by 12.64%.

40 CFR Table 4 to Subpart Wwww of... - Work Practice Standards

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Reinforced Plastic Composites Production Pt. 63, Subpt. WWWW, Table... be used as a cleaner in closed systems, and organic HAP containing cleaners may be used to clean...

Whither tobacco product regulation?

Science.gov (United States)

McNeill, Ann; Hammond, David; Gartner, Coral

2012-03-01

Despite decades of industry innovation and regulatory efforts, the harmfulness of conventional cigarettes has not changed. There are several pitfalls in this area, including the long time lag before health impacts of product regulatory changes become apparent, the danger of consumers deriving false reassurance of lesser harm in the interim period, the lack of relevant expertise and the lack of an internationally agreed and evidence-based strategic approach. Articles 9 and 10 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control provide the potential for such a global strategy, and knowledge and research has increased significantly over recent years. However, there are huge opportunity costs in implementing product disclosure and regulatory strategies: most national regulators have very limited human and financial resources, which should be focused on other evidence-based tobacco control interventions. We believe therefore that it is now time to abandon the notion of safe or safer cigarettes while moving consumers towards cleaner nicotine products as soon as possible. In parallel to this, we recommend a number of other strategies be implemented including: reducing the appeal of all tobacco products, forbidding new tobacco products or brand variants being marketed without evidence of reduced harm, appeal or addictiveness, and developing a tobacco industry resourced, but industry independent, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control global repository to assist national regulators in understanding and regulating the products on their markets.

Using digital communication technology fails to improve longitudinal evaluation of an HIV prevention program aimed at Indian truck drivers and cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, John A; Kondareddy, Divya; Gandham, Sabitha; Dude, Annie M

2012-07-01

HIV prevention programs for truck drivers and cleaners (TDC) in India are limited. Longitudinal follow-up presents an obstacle to program effectiveness evaluation. We asked 3,028 TDC in a truck-driver HIV prevention program in Hyderabad to leave a cellular telephone number; we contacted participants 6 months after the intervention to assess sexual risk behavior change. Married, older, and better educated participants were more likely to leave phone numbers. Only 6.5% of TDC were reachable after 6 months. Longitudinal follow-up of this mobile sub-population remains a challenge, and more effective methods for evaluating HIV prevention programs are needed.

Sistema de Gestión de la Calidad según la Norma ISO 9001:2008, de la Empresa de Limpieza, CLEANER

OpenAIRE

Ortiz-Boronat, Guillermo

2013-01-01

El presente proyecto, tratara sobre la implantación de un Sistema de Gestión de Calidad en una empresa de Limpieza, la cual desarrolla su actividad en la Comunidad Autónoma de Andalucía. El motivo es dinamizar la organización, intentando mejorar y corregir posibles fallos en su gestión, mejorando el registro y modo de proceder en los procesos y procedimientos de CLEANER. Por lo tanto, diseñaremos un Sistema de Gestión de la Calidad, basado en la Norma ISO 9001:2008, basándon...

A Precision Nitrogen Management Approach to Minimize Impacts

Science.gov (United States)

Nitrogen fertilizer is a crucial input for crop production but contributes to agriculture’s environmental footprint via CO2 emissions, N2O emissions, and eutrophication of coastal waters. The low-cost way to minimize this impact is to eliminate over-application of N. This is more difficult than it s...

Physics on smallest scales. An introduction to minimal length phenomenology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sprenger, Martin; Goethe Univ., Frankfurt am Main; Nicolini, Piero; Bleicher, Marcus

2012-02-01

Many modern theories which try to unite gravity with the Standard Model of particle physics, as e.g. string theory, propose two key modifications to the commonly known physical theories: - the existence of additional space dimensions - the existence of a minimal length distance or maximal resolution. While extra dimensions have received a wide coverage in publications over the last ten years (especially due to the prediction of micro black hole production at the LHC), the phenomenology of models with a minimal length is still less investigated. In a summer study project for bachelor students in 2010 we have explored some phenomenological implications of the potential existence of a minimal length. In this paper we review the idea and formalism of a quantum gravity induced minimal length in the generalised uncertainty principle framework as well as in the coherent state approach to non- commutative geometry. These approaches are effective models which can make model-independent predictions for experiments and are ideally suited for phenomenological studies. Pedagogical examples are provided to grasp the effects of a quantum gravity induced minimal length. (orig.)

Work-Related Pain and Injury and Barriers to Workers’ Compensation Among Las Vegas Hotel Room Cleaners

Science.gov (United States)

Scherzer, Teresa; Rugulies, Reiner; Krause, Niklas

2005-01-01

Objectives. We examined the prevalence of work-related pain and injury and explored barriers to and experiences of reporting among workers. Methods. We surveyed 941 unionized hotel room cleaners about work-related pain, injury, disability, and reporting. Results. During the past 12 months, 75% of workers in our study experienced work-related pain, and 31% reported it to management; 20% filed claims for workers’ compensation as a result of work-related injury, and 35% of their claims were denied. Barriers to reporting injury included “It would be too much trouble” (43%), “I was afraid” (26%), and “I didn’t know how” (18%). An estimated 69% of medical costs were shifted from employers to workers. Conclusions. The reasons for underreporting and the extent of claim denial warrant further investigation. Implications for worker health and the precise quantification of shifting costs to workers also should be addressed. PMID:15727981

minimal pairs of polytopes and their number of vertices

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Preferred Customer

Using this operation we give a new algorithm to reduce and find a minimal pair of polytopes from the given ... Key words/phrases: Pairs of compact convex sets, Blaschke addition, Minkowski sum, mnimality ... product K(X)×K(X) by K2. (X).

Sustainable production program in the Mexican mining industry: occupational risks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Zavala Reyna

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Speaking of mining and sustainability sounds contradictory, as the environmental impact generated by resource extraction is well known. However, there are mining companies that are working to be safe and environmentally friendly. An example of this is presented in this study aimed at identifying occupational risks generated by the activities of a small-scale gold and silver mine located in northwestern Mexico. The methodology followed was a Sustainable Production Program (SPP based on a continuous cycle of five steps in which the tools of cleaner production and pollution prevention are adapted. As a result of this project, it was possible to implement SPP activities: training for workers, use of personal protective equipment and adequate handling of chemicals. As a conclusion, it was verified that SPP application helped this mining company move towards sustainable patterns of production.

Alternative sanitization methods for minimally processed lettuce in comparison to sodium hypochlorite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mara Lígia Biazotto Bachelli

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Lettuce is a leafy vegetable widely used in industry for minimally processed products, in which the step of sanitization is the crucial moment for ensuring a safe food for consumption. Chlorinated compounds, mainly sodium hypochlorite, are the most used in Brazil, but the formation of trihalomethanes from this sanitizer is a drawback. Then, the search for alternative methods to sodium hypochlorite has been emerging as a matter of great interest. The suitability of chlorine dioxide (60 mg L-1/10 min, peracetic acid (100 mg L-1/15 min and ozonated water (1.2 mg L-1 /1 min as alternative sanitizers to sodium hypochlorite (150 mg L-1 free chlorine/15 min were evaluated. Minimally processed lettuce washed with tap water for 1 min was used as a control. Microbiological analyses were performed in triplicate, before and after sanitization, and at 3, 6, 9 and 12 days of storage at 2 ± 1 ºC with the product packaged on LDPE bags of 60 µm. It was evaluated total coliforms, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., psicrotrophic and mesophilic bacteria, yeasts and molds. All samples of minimally processed lettuce showed absence of E. coli and Salmonella spp. The treatments of chlorine dioxide, peracetic acid and ozonated water promoted reduction of 2.5, 1.1 and 0.7 log cycle, respectively, on count of microbial load of minimally processed product and can be used as substitutes for sodium hypochlorite. These alternative compounds promoted a shelf-life of six days to minimally processed lettuce, while the shelf-life with sodium hypochlorite was 12 days.

75 FR 21244 - Procurement List; Proposed Additions and Deletions

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-23

... List for production by the nonprofit agencies listed: Products NSN: MR 987--Towel, Super Absorbent... Agency, Fort Lee, VA. NSN: 7930-00-NIB-0553--TriBase Multi-Purpose Cleaner, 2 liter, 4/BX. NSN: 7930-00-NIB-0554--TriBase Multi-Purpose Cleaner, 55 gallon drum, 1 DR. NSN: 7930-00-NIB-0555--BioRenewable...

Workshop Proceedings: Utilizing global information systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-03-01

This one day workshop was attended by 50 delegates representing 20 countries. Fourteen papers dealing with cleaner production/cleaner technology global information systems were presented. The objective of the workshop was to increase cooperation and interaction on international clean production/clean technology information transfer activities and to identify ways to ensure continued cooperation and system improvements. Topics discussed included information format to meet user needs; coordination of effort to avoid duplication and to encourage consistency in information delivery; and marketing, to expand the dissemination of information on cleaner production/cleaner technology. In terms of information format, content, systems and reliability were identified as target issues. The group discussing coordination of effort suggested that a wholesale/retail approach to information dissemination be adopted. The group also called for regular meetings to supplement communication via the Internet. The marketing group suggested that there is a need to show the benefits of technologies and to establish links to industrial associations as being critical to success.

Minimization and segregation of radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-07-01

The report will serve as one of a series of technical manuals providing reference material and direct know-how to staff in radioisotope user establishments and research centres in Member States without nuclear power and the associated range of complex waste management operations. Considerations are limited to the minimization and segregation of wastes, these being initial steps on which the efficiency of the whole waste management system depends. The minimization and segregation operations are examined in the context of the restricted quantities and predominantly shorter lived activities of wastes from nuclear research, production and usage of radioisotopes. Liquid and solid wastes only are considered in the report. Gaseous waste minimization and treatment are specialized subjects and are not examined in this document. Gaseous effluent treatment in facilities handling low and intermediate level radioactive materials has been already the subject of a detailed IAEA report. Management of spent sealed sources has specifically been covered in a previous manual. Conditioned sealed sources must be taken into account in segregation arrangements for interim storage and disposal where there are exceptional long lived highly radiotoxic isotopes, particularly radium or americium. These are unlikely ever to be suitable for shallow land burial along with the remaining wastes. 30 refs, 5 figs, 8 tabs

PENERAPAN PRODUKSI BERSIH UNTUK PENANGANAN AIR TERPRODUKSI DI INDUSTRI MINYAK DAN GAS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sillak Hasiany

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Produced water is the largest volume waste from oil and gas productions especially from old well and had a complex mixture of organic and inorganic compounds like BTX, phenol, and TDS. The untreated produced water discharges may be harmful to the surrounding environment, so is necessary to have produced water management that tend to have  reduce a risk for the enviroment and human. Cleaner Production (CP is a continuous application of an integrated, preventive, environmental management strategy to increase overall efficiency and to reduce risks to humans and environment. the aims of this research are (1 identify cleaner production opportunities from produced water management  which can be implemented in company (2 solved a problem from existing produced water management. Research can be done by primary and secondary data collecting direct field observation, and laboratory analyze of produced water. Analysis were done by using Quick Scan that consisted in two phase, preparation and implementation, evaluation of Cleaner Production opportunities and evaluation of environmental and economic assessment. The result showed that Produced water is the largest volume waste from oil and gas production with a total value worth 3.939.370 barel for 2012 and also water injection is the most effectif and effcien technology to manage produced water than those other surface discharge methods for company. Replacement of produced water pipes from type B to type A is the application of Cleaner Production opportunities in companies that benefit from the economic and environmental. Keywords: produced water, cleaner production, water injection

Environmental design of a uranium mill

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quan, C.H.; Ring, R.J.; McNaughton, S.J.

2002-01-01

In the frame work of the Cleaner Technology Project for Uranium Mining and Milling, Australian Nuclear and Technology Organization (ANSTO), Environment Division of ANSTO has carried out a programme of research which seeks to identify, investigate and develop cleaner technologies that have the potential to minimize the environmental impact of uranium mining and milling. This paper describes three design options of a new uranium mill that can meet environmental, technical and economical objectives. The feasibility of such an approach was examined in the laboratory and in a pilot plant study. (author)

Establishment and assessment of a novel cleaner production process of corn grain fuel ethanol.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ke; Zhang, Jianhua; Tang, Lei; Zhang, Hongjian; Zhang, Guiying; Yang, Xizhao; Liu, Pei; Mao, Zhonggui

2013-11-01

An integrated corn ethanol-methane fermentation system was proposed to solve the problem of stillage handling, where thin stillage was treated by anaerobic digestion and then reused to make mash for the following ethanol fermentation. This system was evaluated at laboratory and pilot scale. Anaerobic digestion of thin stillage ran steadily with total chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency of 98% at laboratory scale and 97% at pilot scale. Ethanol production was not influenced by recycling anaerobic digestion effluent at laboratory and pilot scale. Compared with dried distillers' grains with solubles produced in conventional process, dried distillers' grains in the proposed system exhibited higher quality because of increased protein concentration and decreased salts concentration. Energetic assessment indicated that application of this novel process enhanced the net energy balance ratio from 1.26 (conventional process) to 1.76. In conclusion, the proposed system possessed technical advantage over the conventional process for corn fuel ethanol production. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fischer-Tropsch Catalyst for Aviation Fuel Production

Science.gov (United States)

DeLaRee, Ana B.; Best, Lauren M.; Bradford, Robyn L.; Gonzalez-Arroyo, Richard; Hepp, Aloysius F.

2012-01-01

As the oil supply declines, there is a greater need for cleaner alternative fuels. There will undoubtedly be a shift from crude oil to nonpetroleum sources as a feedstock for aviation (and other transportation) fuels. The Fischer-Tropsch process uses a gas mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen which is converted into various liquid hydrocarbons; this versatile gas-to-liquid technology produces a complex product stream of paraffins, olefins, and oxygenated compounds such as alcohols and aldehydes. The Fischer-Tropsch process can produce a cleaner diesel oil fraction with a high cetane number (typically above 70) without any sulfur and aromatic compounds. It is most commonly catalyzed by cobalt supported on alumina, silica, or titania or unsupported alloyed iron powders. Cobalt is typically used more often than iron, in that cobalt is a longer-active catalyst, has lower water-gas shift activity, and lower yield of modified products. Promoters are valuable in improving Fischer-Tropsch catalyst as they can increase cobalt oxide dispersion, enhance the reduction of cobalt oxide to the active metal phase, stabilize a high metal surface area, and improve mechanical properties. Our goal is to build up the specificity of the Fischer-Tropsch catalyst while adding less-costly transition metals as promoters; the more common promoters used in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis are rhenium, platinum, and ruthenium. In this report we will describe our preliminary efforts to design and produce catalyst materials to achieve our goal of preferentially producing C8 to C18 paraffin compounds in the NASA Glenn Research Center Gas-To-Liquid processing plant. Efforts at NASA Glenn Research Center for producing green fuels using non-petroleum feedstocks support both the Sub-sonic Fixed Wing program of Fundamental Aeronautics and the In Situ Resource Utilization program of the Exploration Technology Development and Demonstration program.

Union Spinning Mills - Cleaner Production option report

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wenzel, Henrik; Schneider, Zsig

operations in the dyehouse, and water and energy balances were made to the extent data allowed. A number of options for saving water, energy and chemicals were identified. The potentials monetary savings and necessary investments were estimated, and a list of priority projects including milestone plans...

Berg River Textiles - Cleaner Production Option Report

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wenzel, Henrik; Schneider, Zsig

schematics on the various wet treatment operations in the dyehouse, and water and energy balances were made to the extent data allowed. A number of options for saving water, energy and chemicals were identified. The potentials monetary savings and necessary investments were estimated, and a list of priority...... projects including milestone plans for their implementation was made. A saving potential of around 3 mill. R was identified with a pay-back period of around 0.2 years as average of the identified options. The company implemented a large number of the options right away....

Resource efficiency and cleaner production:Measurable advantages

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Raphulu, N

2015-10-01

Full Text Available RECP can be defined as a systematic and integrated approach to managing energy, water, environmental and financial resources as well as eliminating or minimising waste and emissions to the environment on a sustainable and cost-effective basis...

Industrial water demand management and cleaner production ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Processes and systems using water today are being subjected to increasingly stringent environmental regulations on effluents and there is growing demand for fresh water. In Morocco, consumption of water by industries is estimated in 1994 at 1 billion m3, the drinking water constitutes 4%. Water used in the food and drink ...

Distributed Submodular Minimization And Motion Coordination Over Discrete State Space

KAUST Repository

Jaleel, Hassan

2017-09-21

Submodular set-functions are extensively used in large-scale combinatorial optimization problems arising in complex networks and machine learning. While there has been significant interest in distributed formulations of convex optimization, distributed minimization of submodular functions has not received significant attention. Thus, our main contribution is a framework for minimizing submodular functions in a distributed manner. The proposed framework is based on the ideas of Lovasz extension of submodular functions and distributed optimization of convex functions. The framework exploits a fundamental property of submodularity that the Lovasz extension of a submodular function is a convex function and can be computed efficiently. Moreover, a minimizer of a submodular function can be computed by computing the minimizer of its Lovasz extension. In the proposed framework, we employ a consensus based distributed optimization algorithm to minimize set-valued submodular functions as well as general submodular functions defined over set products. We also identify distributed motion coordination in multiagent systems as a new application domain for submodular function minimization. For demonstrating key ideas of the proposed framework, we select a complex setup of the capture the flag game, which offers a variety of challenges relevant to multiagent system. We formulate the problem as a submodular minimization problem and verify through extensive simulations that the proposed framework results in feasible policies for the agents.

Disparities by ethnicity, language, and immigrant status in occupational health experiences among Las Vegas hotel room cleaners.

Science.gov (United States)

Premji, Stéphanie; Krause, Niklas

2010-10-01

We examined disparities in workers' occupational health experiences. We surveyed 941 unionized Las Vegas hotel room cleaners about their experiences with work-related pain and with employers, physicians, and workers' compensation. Data were analyzed for all workers and by ethnicity, language, and immigrant status. Hispanic and English as second language (ESL) workers were more likely than their counterparts to report work-related pain and, along with immigrant workers, to miss work because of this pain. Hispanic, ESL, and immigrant workers were not consistently at a disadvantage with regard to their own responses to work-related pain but were so with respect to reported responses by workers' compensation, physicians, and employers. There are indications of disparities in occupational health experiences within this job title. The use of different group classifications, while implying different mechanisms, produced similar results. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Effects of gamma radiation in cauliflower (Brassica spp) minimally processed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nunes, Thaise C.F.; Rogovschi, Vladimir D.; Thomaz, Fernanda S.; Trindade, Reginaldo A.; Villavicencio, Anna L.C.H.; Alencar, Severino M.

2007-01-01

Consumers demand for health interests and the latest diet trends. The consumption of vegetables worldwide has increased every year over the past decade, consequently, less extreme treatments or additives are being required. Minimally processed foods have fresh-like characteristics and satisfy the new consumer demand. Food irradiation is an exposure process of the product to controlled sources of gamma radiation with the intention to destroy pathogens and to extend the shelf life. Minimally processed cauliflower (Brassica oleraceae) exposed to low dose of gamma radiation does not show any change in sensory attributes. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of the low doses of gamma radiation on sensorial aspects like appearance, texture and flavor of minimally processed cauliflower. (author)

Integrated environmental management of wastewater discharged from a cluster of five textile factories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

El-Gohary, F. A.; Nasr, F. A.; Abdel Baset, N.; Shoush, M.; Ali, H. I.

2009-01-01

The study focuses on the cleaner production opportunities for a cluster of five factories discharging their wastewater into agricultural drain prior to wastewater treatment the financial and environmental benefits accrued upon the implementation of the proposed cleaner production schemes have been estimated. This was followed by a laboratory study to propose the appropriate treatment system. (Author)

Minimally invasive orthognathic surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Resnick, Cory M; Kaban, Leonard B; Troulis, Maria J

2009-02-01

Minimally invasive surgery is defined as the discipline in which operative procedures are performed in novel ways to diminish the sequelae of standard surgical dissections. The goals of minimally invasive surgery are to reduce tissue trauma and to minimize bleeding, edema, and injury, thereby improving the rate and quality of healing. In orthognathic surgery, there are two minimally invasive techniques that can be used separately or in combination: (1) endoscopic exposure and (2) distraction osteogenesis. This article describes the historical developments of the fields of orthognathic surgery and minimally invasive surgery, as well as the integration of the two disciplines. Indications, techniques, and the most current outcome data for specific minimally invasive orthognathic surgical procedures are presented.

Regularity of Minimal Surfaces

CERN Document Server

Dierkes, Ulrich; Tromba, Anthony J; Kuster, Albrecht

2010-01-01

"Regularity of Minimal Surfaces" begins with a survey of minimal surfaces with free boundaries. Following this, the basic results concerning the boundary behaviour of minimal surfaces and H-surfaces with fixed or free boundaries are studied. In particular, the asymptotic expansions at interior and boundary branch points are derived, leading to general Gauss-Bonnet formulas. Furthermore, gradient estimates and asymptotic expansions for minimal surfaces with only piecewise smooth boundaries are obtained. One of the main features of free boundary value problems for minimal surfaces is t

Minimal Poems Written in 1979 Minimal Poems Written in 1979

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandra Sirangelo Maggio

2008-04-01

Full Text Available The reading of M. van der Slice's Minimal Poems Written in 1979 (the work, actually, has no title reminded me of a book I have seen a long time ago. called Truth, which had not even a single word printed inside. In either case we have a sample of how often excentricities can prove efficient means of artistic creativity, in this new literary trend known as Minimalism. The reading of M. van der Slice's Minimal Poems Written in 1979 (the work, actually, has no title reminded me of a book I have seen a long time ago. called Truth, which had not even a single word printed inside. In either case we have a sample of how often excentricities can prove efficient means of artistic creativity, in this new literary trend known as Minimalism.

Entropy Generation Minimization in Dimethyl Ether Synthesis: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Kingston, Diego; Razzitte, Adrián César

2018-04-01

Entropy generation minimization is a method that helps improve the efficiency of real processes and devices. In this article, we study the entropy production (due to chemical reactions, heat exchange and friction) in a conventional reactor that synthesizes dimethyl ether and minimize it by modifying different operating variables of the reactor, such as composition, temperature and pressure, while aiming at a fixed production of dimethyl ether. Our results indicate that it is possible to reduce the entropy production rate by nearly 70 % and that, by changing only the inlet composition, it is possible to cut it by nearly 40 %, though this comes at the expense of greater dissipation due to heat transfer. We also study the alternative of coupling the reactor with another, where dehydrogenation of methylcyclohexane takes place. In that case, entropy generation can be reduced by 54 %, when pressure, temperature and inlet molar flows are varied. These examples show that entropy generation analysis can be a valuable tool in engineering design and applications aiming at process intensification and efficient operation of plant equipment.

The environmental cost of subsistence: Optimizing diets to minimize footprints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gephart, Jessica A.; Davis, Kyle F.; Emery, Kyle A.; Leach, Allison M.; Galloway, James N.; Pace, Michael L.

2016-01-01

The question of how to minimize monetary cost while meeting basic nutrient requirements (a subsistence diet) was posed by George Stigler in 1945. The problem, known as Stigler's diet problem, was famously solved using the simplex algorithm. Today, we are not only concerned with the monetary cost of food, but also the environmental cost. Efforts to quantify environmental impacts led to the development of footprint (FP) indicators. The environmental footprints of food production span multiple dimensions, including greenhouse gas emissions (carbon footprint), nitrogen release (nitrogen footprint), water use (blue and green water footprint) and land use (land footprint), and a diet minimizing one of these impacts could result in higher impacts in another dimension. In this study based on nutritional and population data for the United States, we identify diets that minimize each of these four footprints subject to nutrient constraints. We then calculate tradeoffs by taking the composition of each footprint's minimum diet and calculating the other three footprints. We find that diets for the minimized footprints tend to be similar for the four footprints, suggesting there are generally synergies, rather than tradeoffs, among low footprint diets. Plant-based food and seafood (fish and other aquatic foods) commonly appear in minimized diets and tend to most efficiently supply macronutrients and micronutrients, respectively. Livestock products rarely appear in minimized diets, suggesting these foods tend to be less efficient from an environmental perspective, even when nutrient content is considered. The results' emphasis on seafood is complicated by the environmental impacts of aquaculture versus capture fisheries, increasing in aquaculture, and shifting compositions of aquaculture feeds. While this analysis does not make specific diet recommendations, our approach demonstrates potential environmental synergies of plant- and seafood-based diets. As a result, this study

The environmental cost of subsistence: Optimizing diets to minimize footprints

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gephart, Jessica A.; Davis, Kyle F. [University of Virginia, Department of Environmental Sciences, 291 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); Emery, Kyle A. [University of Virginia, Department of Environmental Sciences, 291 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); University of California, Santa Barbara. Marine Science Institute, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (United States); Leach, Allison M. [University of New Hampshire, 107 Nesmith Hall, 131 Main Street, Durham, NH, 03824 (United States); Galloway, James N.; Pace, Michael L. [University of Virginia, Department of Environmental Sciences, 291 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States)

2016-05-15

The question of how to minimize monetary cost while meeting basic nutrient requirements (a subsistence diet) was posed by George Stigler in 1945. The problem, known as Stigler's diet problem, was famously solved using the simplex algorithm. Today, we are not only concerned with the monetary cost of food, but also the environmental cost. Efforts to quantify environmental impacts led to the development of footprint (FP) indicators. The environmental footprints of food production span multiple dimensions, including greenhouse gas emissions (carbon footprint), nitrogen release (nitrogen footprint), water use (blue and green water footprint) and land use (land footprint), and a diet minimizing one of these impacts could result in higher impacts in another dimension. In this study based on nutritional and population data for the United States, we identify diets that minimize each of these four footprints subject to nutrient constraints. We then calculate tradeoffs by taking the composition of each footprint's minimum diet and calculating the other three footprints. We find that diets for the minimized footprints tend to be similar for the four footprints, suggesting there are generally synergies, rather than tradeoffs, among low footprint diets. Plant-based food and seafood (fish and other aquatic foods) commonly appear in minimized diets and tend to most efficiently supply macronutrients and micronutrients, respectively. Livestock products rarely appear in minimized diets, suggesting these foods tend to be less efficient from an environmental perspective, even when nutrient content is considered. The results' emphasis on seafood is complicated by the environmental impacts of aquaculture versus capture fisheries, increasing in aquaculture, and shifting compositions of aquaculture feeds. While this analysis does not make specific diet recommendations, our approach demonstrates potential environmental synergies of plant- and seafood-based diets. As a result

Correlates of minimal dating.

Science.gov (United States)

Leck, Kira

2006-10-01

Researchers have associated minimal dating with numerous factors. The present author tested shyness, introversion, physical attractiveness, performance evaluation, anxiety, social skill, social self-esteem, and loneliness to determine the nature of their relationships with 2 measures of self-reported minimal dating in a sample of 175 college students. For women, shyness, introversion, physical attractiveness, self-rated anxiety, social self-esteem, and loneliness correlated with 1 or both measures of minimal dating. For men, physical attractiveness, observer-rated social skill, social self-esteem, and loneliness correlated with 1 or both measures of minimal dating. The patterns of relationships were not identical for the 2 indicators of minimal dating, indicating the possibility that minimal dating is not a single construct as researchers previously believed. The present author discussed implications and suggestions for future researchers.

Minimal Super Technicolor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Antola, M.; Di Chiara, S.; Sannino, F.

2011-01-01

We introduce novel extensions of the Standard Model featuring a supersymmetric technicolor sector (supertechnicolor). As the first minimal conformal supertechnicolor model we consider N=4 Super Yang-Mills which breaks to N=1 via the electroweak interactions. This is a well defined, economical......, between unparticle physics and Minimal Walking Technicolor. We consider also other N =1 extensions of the Minimal Walking Technicolor model. The new models allow all the standard model matter fields to acquire a mass....

Fuel ethanol production from lignocellulose: a challenge for metabolic engineering and process integration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zaldivar, Jesus; Nielsen, Jens; Olsson, Lisbeth

2001-01-01

and with the implementation of environmental protection laws in many countries, demand for this fuel is increasing. Efficient ethanol production processes and cheap substrates are needed. Current ethanol production processes using crops such as sugar cane and corn are well-established; however, utilization of a cheaper...... substrate such as lignocellulose could make bioethanol more competitive with fossil fuel. The processing and utilization of this substrate is complex, differing, in many aspects from crop-based ethanol production. One important requirement is an efficient microorganism able to ferment a variety of sugars......With industrial development growing rapidly, there is a need for environmentally sustainable energy sources. Bioethanol (ethanol from biomass) is an attractive, sustainable energy source to fuel transportation. Based on the premise that fuel bioethanol can contribute to a cleaner environment...

Production and characterization of curcumin microcrystals and evaluation of the antimicrobial and sensory aspects in minimally processed carrots.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Anderson Clayton da; Santos, Priscila Dayane de Freitas; Palazzi, Nicole Campezato; Leimann, Fernanda Vitória; Fuchs, Renata Hernandez Barros; Bracht, Lívia; Gonçalves, Odinei Hess

2017-05-24

Nontoxic conserving agents are in demand by the food industry due to consumers concern about synthetic conservatives, especially in minimally processed food. The antimicrobial activity of curcumin, a natural phenolic compound, has been extensively investigated but hydrophobicity is an issue when applying curcumin to foodstuff. The objective of this work was to evaluate curcumin microcrystals as an antimicrobial agent in minimally processed carrots. The antimicrobial activity of curcumin microcrystals was evaluated in vitro against Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) microorganisms, showing a statistically significant (p minimally processed carrots. Sensory analyses were carried out showing no significant difference (p minimally processed carrots without causing noticeable differences that could be detected by the consumer. One may conclude that the analyses of the minimally processed carrots demonstrated that curcumin microcrystals are a suitable natural compound to inhibit the natural microbiota of carrots from a statistical point of view.

Varietal improvement of irrigated rice under minimal water conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdul Rahim Harun; Marziah Mahmood; Sobri Hussein

2010-01-01

Varietal improvement of irrigated rice under minimal water condition is a research project under Program Research of Sustainable Production of High Yielding Irrigated Rice under Minimal Water Input (IRPA- 01-01-03-0000/ PR0068/ 0504). Several agencies were involved in this project such as Malaysian Nuclear Agency (MNA), Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Ministry of Agriculture (MOA). The project started in early 2004 with approved IRPA fund of RM 275,000.00 for 3 years. The main objective of the project is to generate superior genotypes for minimal water requirement through induced mutation techniques. A cultivated rice Oryza sativa cv MR219 treated with gamma radiation at 300 and 400 Gray were used in the experiment. Two hundred gm M2 seeds from each dose were screened under minimal water stress in greenhouse at Mardi Seberang Perai. Five hundred panicles with good filled grains were selected for paddy field screening with simulate precise water stress regime. Thirty eight potential lines with required adaptive traits were selected in M3. After several series of selection, 12 promising mutant line were observed tolerance to minimal water stress where two promising mutant lines designated as MR219-4 and MR219-9 were selected for further testing under several stress environments. (author)

Power ultrasound-assisted cleaner leather dyeing technique: influence of process parameters.

Science.gov (United States)

Sivakumar, Venkatasubramanian; Rao, Paruchuri Gangadhar

2004-03-01

The application of power ultrasound to leather processing has a significant role in the concept of "clean technology" for leather production. The effect of power ultrasound in leather dyeing has been compared with dyeing in the absence of ultrasound and conventional drumming. The power ultrasound source used in these experiments was ultrasonic cleaner (150 W and 33 kHz). The effect of various process parameters such as amount of dye offer, temperature, and type of dye has been experimentally found out. The effect of presonication of dye solution as well as leather has been studied. Experiments at ultrasonic bath temperature were carried out to find out the combined thermal as well as stirring effects of ultrasound. Dyeing in the presence of ultrasound affords about 37.5 (1.8 times) difference as increase in % dye exhaustion or about 50% decrease in the time required for dyeing compared to dyeing in the absence of ultrasound for 4% acid red dye. About 29 (1.55 times) increase in % dye exhaustion or 30% reduction in time required for dyeing was observed using ultrasound at stationary condition compared with conventional dynamic drumming conditions. The effect of ultrasound at constant temperature conditions with a control experiment has also been studied. The dye exhaustion increases as the temperature increases (30-60 degrees C) and better results are observed at higher temperature due to the use of ultrasound. Presonication of dye solution or crust leather prior to the dyeing process has no significant improvement in dye exhaustion, suggesting ultrasound effect is realized when it is applied during the dyeing process. The results indicate that 1697 and 1416 ppm of dye can be reduced in the spent liquor due to the use of ultrasound for acid red (for 100 min) and acid black (for 3 h) dyes, respectively, thereby reducing the pollution load in the effluent stream. The color yield of the leather as inferred from the reflectance measurement indicates that dye offer can

Aparelho de sucção tipo aspirador para captura de mosquitos A "vacuum-cleaner" type of suction apparatus for the collection of mosquitoes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Délsio Natal

1984-10-01

Full Text Available É feita a descrição de aparelho portátil de sucção tipo aspirador, para captura de mosquitos Culicidae. São sugeridas adaptações para coletas em diferentes situações. São feitos comentários sobre sua aplicação em pesquisa de mosquitos.A portable suction apparatus, which functions like a vacuum cleaner used for the collection of Culicidae mosquitoes is described. Adaptations for collecting in differents situations are suggested and some comments about its application in mosquitoes surveys are made.

Two tools for environmentally conscious designers and product developers of electrical & electronic equipment (EEE)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Poll, Christian; Hauschild, Michael Zwicky; Olsen, Stig Irving

2002-01-01

The paper presents the two tools 1)"Product families - short cuts to environmental knowledge" and 2)"Eco-conscious design of electrical & electronic equipment (EEE)". Tool 1) comes in form of a handbook. The purpose of this handbook is to ease the work with developing more environmentally sound...... products, thus giving guidelines for development of new products without the companies themselves having to perform an LCA. The handbook describes 5 productfamilies: mobile phones, vacuum cleaners, industrial valves with electronic controls, lighting, ventilation. Tool 2) comes in form of a software tool...... with built in training, guidance, references, calculator and database. The tool provides the basic understanding of how EEE-products in general interact with the environment. The tool gives an overview of the tasks and responsibilities involved in Eco-Desing, and examples of how to choose and quantify...

A comprehensive program to minimize platelet outdating.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuller, Alice K; Uglik, Kristin M; Braine, Hayden G; King, Karen E

2011-07-01

Platelet (PLT) transfusions are essential for patients who are bleeding or have an increased risk of bleeding due to a decreased number or abnormal function of circulating PLTs. A shelf life of 5 days for PLT products presents an inventory management challenge. In 2006, greater than 10% of apheresis PLTs made in the United States outdated. It is imperative to have a sufficient number of products for patients requiring transfusion, but outdating PLTs is a financial burden and a waste of a resource. We present the approach used in our institution to anticipate inventory needs based on current patient census and usage. Strategies to predict usage and to identify changes in anticipated usage are examined. Annual outdating is reviewed for a 10-year period from 2000 through 2009. From January 1, 2000, through December 2009, there were 128,207 PLT transfusions given to 15,265 patients. The methods used to anticipate usage and adjust inventory resulted in an annual outdate rate of approximately 1% for the 10-year period reviewed. In addition we have not faced situations where inventory was inadequate to meet the needs of the patients requiring transfusions. We have identified three elements of our transfusion service that can minimize outdate: a knowledgeable proactive staff dedicated to PLT management, a comprehensive computer-based transfusion history for each patient, and a strong two-way relationship with the primary product supplier. Through our comprehensive program, based on the principles of providing optimal patient care, we have minimized PLT outdating for more than 10 years. © 2011 American Association of Blood Banks.

Wind Farm Dispatch Control for Demand Tracking and Minimized Fatigue

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juelsgaard, Morten; Schiøler, Henrik; Leth, John-Josef

2012-01-01

This work presents a strategy for dispatching production references to the individual turbines in a wind farm, such that an overall production demand for the farm is obeyed, while the fatigue experienced by the turbines is minimized. Using a turbine fatigue model for simulating the aging across...... the farm, we show that a 17 % reduction of the turbine aging can be obtained compared to a commonly employed industrial dispatcher, without degrading the power demand tracking....

The segment as the minimal planning unit in speech production and reading aloud: evidence and implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Kawamoto, Alan H; Liu, Qiang; Kello, Christopher T

2015-01-01

Speech production and reading aloud studies have much in common, especially the last stages involved in producing a response. We focus on the minimal planning unit (MPU) in articulation. Although most researchers now assume that the MPU is the syllable, we argue that it is at least as small as the segment based on negative response latencies (i.e., response initiation before presentation of the complete target) and longer initial segment durations in a reading aloud task where the initial segment is primed. We also discuss why such evidence was not found in earlier studies. Next, we rebut arguments that the segment cannot be the MPU by appealing to flexible planning scope whereby planning units of different sizes can be used due to individual differences, as well as stimulus and experimental design differences. We also discuss why negative response latencies do not arise in some situations and why anticipatory coarticulation does not preclude the segment MPU. Finally, we argue that the segment MPU is also important because it provides an alternative explanation of results implicated in the serial vs. parallel processing debate.

A software system for oilfield facility investment minimization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding, Z.X.; Startzman, R.A.

1996-01-01

Minimizing investment in oilfield development is an important subject that has attracted a considerable amount of industry attention. One method to reduce investment involves the optimal placement and selection of production facilities. Because of the large amount of capital used in this process, saving a small percent of the total investment may represent a large monetary value. The literature reports algorithms using mathematical programming techniques that were designed to solve the proposed problem in a global optimal manner. Owing to the high-computational complexity and the lack of user-friendly interfaces for data entry and results display, mathematical programming techniques have not been given enough attention in practice. This paper describes an interactive, graphical software system that provides a global optimal solution to the problem of placement and selection of production facilities in oil-field development processes. This software system can be used as an investment minimization tool and a scenario-study simulator. The developed software system consists of five basic modules: (1) an interactive data-input unit, (2) a cost function generator, (3) an optimization unit, (4) a graphic-output display, and (5) a sensitivity-analysis unit

9 CFR 93.436 - Ruminants from regions of minimal risk for BSE.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... each animal's right hip, high on the tail-head (over the junction of the sacral and first cocygeal... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Ruminants from regions of minimal risk for BSE. 93.436 Section 93.436 Animals and Animal Products ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE...

Biodiesel wash-water reuse using microfiltration: toward zero-discharge strategy for cleaner and economized biodiesel production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Jaber

2015-03-01

Full Text Available A simple but economically feasible refining method to treat and re-use biodiesel wash-water was developed. In detail, microfiltration (MF through depth-filtration configuration was used in different hybrid modules. Then, the treated wash-water was mixed with clean water at different ratios, re-used for biodiesel purification and water-washing efficiency was evaluated based on methyl ester purity analysis. The findings of the present study revealed that depth-filtration-based MF combined with sand filtration/activated carbon separation and 70% dilution rate with fresh water not only achieved standard-quality biodiesel product but also led to up to 15% less water consumption after two rounds of production operations. This would be translated into a considerable reduction in the total volume of fresh water used during the operation process and would also strengthen the environmental-friendly aspects of the biodiesel production process for wastewater generation was obviously cut by the same rate as well.

Minimizing Mutual Couping

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

2010-01-01

Disclosed herein are techniques, systems, and methods relating to minimizing mutual coupling between a first antenna and a second antenna.......Disclosed herein are techniques, systems, and methods relating to minimizing mutual coupling between a first antenna and a second antenna....

Decision Optimization of Machine Sets Taking Into Consideration Logical Tree Minimization of Design Guidelines

Science.gov (United States)

Deptuła, A.; Partyka, M. A.

2014-08-01

The method of minimization of complex partial multi-valued logical functions determines the degree of importance of construction and exploitation parameters playing the role of logical decision variables. Logical functions are taken into consideration in the issues of modelling machine sets. In multi-valued logical functions with weighting products, it is possible to use a modified Quine - McCluskey algorithm of multi-valued functions minimization. Taking into account weighting coefficients in the logical tree minimization reflects a physical model of the object being analysed much better

Mixed-waste minimization activities in the nuclear weapons complex

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marchetti, J.A.; Suffern, J.S.

1991-01-01

Over the past 40 years, the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the nuclear weapons complex have successfully executed their mission of providing the country with a strong nuclear deterrent. Now, however, they must attain another mission at the same time: to eliminate or greatly reduce the environmental, safety, and health problems in the complex. Mixed-waste minimization activities have taken place in 11 of the complex production plants and laboratories: the Pinellas plant, the Mount plant, the Kansas City plant, the Y-12 plant, the Rocky Flats plant, the Savannah River Site (SRS), the Savannah River Site (SRS), the Pantex plant, the Nevada Test Site, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The mixed-waste minimization opportunities that have been implemented to date by the production facilities are different from those that have been implemented by the laboratories. Areas of opportunity at the plants involve the following activities: (1) process design or improvement; (2) substitution of materials; (3) waste segregation; (4) recycling; and (5) administrative controls

Industrial waste management - a case study at Attock oil refinery Ltd., Rawalpindi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramay, M.I.; Hussain, S.; Tanveer, A.; Jabeen, Z.; Ehsann, S.

2009-01-01

As far as waste is concerned, industry has a two fold position: on the one hand industry produces waste during the production processes and on the other hand most of the industrial products become waste after being used. From environment perspective waste management and minimization at the source has become important issue all over the world. Waste minimization leading to cleaner production is the process and the policy of reducing the amount of waste produced by Industry at the source and remaining should be managed.The core objective of this research paper is to examine the impact of waste minimization, waste management and the planning of effective waste utilization that increases organizations profitability and green image. The case study will present the Recycle, Reuse, Reduce strategy that waste management is not only necessary to keep the environment healthy but it also brings the financial savings to the organization. It is obvious that there is significant relationship between waste management and profitability. Attock Refinery Limited (ARL) has done significant work in the field of industrial waste management. The stratified sampling has also used during a survey to gather primary data i.e. congregated by administering questionnaires to employees of different departments that shows positive attitude towards waste minimization and management. The interventions regarding industrial waste management are in full practice at ARL to meet the National Environmental Quality Standards. In 1993, prominent step has been taken to address the environmental issues and waste management. After carrying out the detailed survey of effluent waste water system during 1995-1996, Effluent Treatment Plants were installed to meet the NEQS. Keeping the continuity of efforts 'Zero Discharge' of effluent waste from the refinery was targeted. This project is recycling the waste water resulting environment conservation and saving money that was being spent for water pumping from

Irradiation treatment of minimally processed fruits and vegetables for enhancing quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yuecel, P. K.; Halkman, H. B. D.

2009-01-01

Minimally processed fruits and vegetables are very common in developed countries and are gaining popularity in developing countries due to their convenience and freshness. Minimal processing may result in undesirable changes in colour, taste and appearance due to the transfer of microbes from skin to the flesh. Unlike thermal processing, which has deteriorating effects on vitamins, flavoring compounds, and textural properties of foods, irradiation is a cold process. Besides its effectiveness in eliminating food-borne pathogens, ionizing radiation also reduces spoilage microorganisms, inhibits ethylene production, and retards the ripening process, resulting in extended shelf-life.

Allyl isothiocyanate enhances shelf life of minimally processed shredded cabbage.

Science.gov (United States)

Banerjee, Aparajita; Penna, Suprasanna; Variyar, Prasad S

2015-09-15

The effect of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), in combination with low temperature (10°C) storage on post harvest quality of minimally processed shredded cabbage was investigated. An optimum concentration of 0.05μL/mL AITC was found to be effective in maintaining the microbial and sensory quality of the product for a period of 12days. Inhibition of browning was shown to result from a down-regulation (1.4-fold) of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) gene expression and a consequent decrease in PAL enzyme activity and o-quinone content. In the untreated control samples, PAL activity increased following up-regulation in PAL gene expression that could be linearly correlated with enhanced o-quinone formation and browning. The efficacy of AITC in extending the shelf life of minimally processed shredded cabbage and its role in down-regulation of PAL gene expression resulting in browning inhibition in the product is reported here for the first time. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Formulation of a minimal nutritional medium for enhanced lipid productivity in Chlorella sp. and Botryococcus sp. using response surface methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Vishwakarma, Rashi; Dhar, Dolly Wattal; Pabbi, Sunil

2018-03-01

Chlorella sp. MCC 7 and Botryococcus sp. MCC 31 were investigated to enable large-scale biodiesel production from minimal constituents in the growth medium. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to maximise the biomass productivity and lipid yield using only nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) as urea, single super phosphate and muriate of potash. The optimum values were 0.42 g/L nitrogen; 0.14 g/L phosphorus and 0.22 g/L potassium for Chlorella sp.; and 0.46 g/L; 0.14 g/L and 0.25 g/L for Botryococcus sp. Lipid yield of 42% for Chlorella sp. and 52% in Botryococcus sp. was observed. An enhancement in lipid yield by approximately 55% for Chlorella sp. and 73% for Botryococcus sp. was registered as compared to original nutrient medium. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis of extracted lipids revealed characteristic bands for triglycerides. This study provided utilisation of a practicable nutrient recipe in the form of N, P, K input for enhanced lipid yield from the selected microalgal strains.

Physics on the smallest scales: an introduction to minimal length phenomenology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sprenger, Martin; Nicolini, Piero; Bleicher, Marcus

2012-01-01

Many modern theories which try to unify gravity with the Standard Model of particle physics, such as e.g. string theory, propose two key modifications to the commonly known physical theories: the existence of additional space dimensions; the existence of a minimal length distance or maximal resolution. While extra dimensions have received a wide coverage in publications over the last ten years (especially due to the prediction of micro black hole production at the Large Hadron Collider), the phenomenology of models with a minimal length is still less investigated. In a summer study project for bachelor students in 2010, we have explored some phenomenological implications of the potential existence of a minimal length. In this paper, we review the idea and formalism of a quantum gravity-induced minimal length in the generalized uncertainty principle framework as well as in the coherent state approach to non-commutative geometry. These approaches are effective models which can make model-independent predictions for experiments and are ideally suited for phenomenological studies. Pedagogical examples are provided to grasp the effects of a quantum gravity-induced minimal length. This paper is intended for graduate students and non-specialists interested in quantum gravity. (paper)

Lung function reduction and chronic respiratory symptoms among workers in the cement industry: a follow up study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zeleke Zeyede K

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There are only a few follow-up studies of respiratory function among cement workers. The main aims of this study were to measure total dust exposure, to examine chronic respiratory symptoms and changes in lung function among cement factory workers and controls that were followed for one year. Methods The study was conducted in two cement factories in Ethiopia. Totally, 262 personal measurements of total dust among 105 randomly selected workers were performed. Samples of total dust were collected on 37-mm cellulose acetate filters placed in closed faced Millipore-cassettes. Totally 127 workers; 56 cleaners, 44 cement production workers and 27 controls were randomly selected from two factories and examined for lung function and interviewed for chronic respiratory symptoms in 2009. Of these, 91 workers; 38 cement cleaners (mean age 32 years, 33 cement production workers (36 years and 20 controls (38 years were examined with the same measurements in 2010. Results Total geometric mean dust exposure among cleaners was 432 mg/m3. The fraction of samples exceeding the Threshold Limit Value (TLV of 10 mg/m3 for the cleaners varied from 84-97% in the four departments. The levels were considerably lower among the production workers (GM = 8.2 mg/m3, but still 48% exceeded 10 mg/m3. The prevalence of all the chronic respiratory symptoms among both cleaners and production workers was significantly higher than among the controls. Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV1 and FEV1/Forced Vital Capacity (FEV1/FVC were significantly reduced from 2009 to 2010 among the cleaners (p Conclusions The high prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms and reduction in lung function is probably associated with high cement dust exposure. Preventive measures are needed to reduce the dust exposure.

A Systematic Procedure for the Generation of Cost-Minimized Designs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Becker, Peter W.; Jarkler, Bjorn

1972-01-01

We present a procedure for the generation of cost-minimized designs of circuits and systems. Suppose a designer has decided upon the topology of his product. Also suppose he knows the cost and quality of the different grades of the N components required to implement the product. The designer...... then faces the following problem: How should he proceed to find the combination of grades that will give him the desired manufacturing yield at minimum product cost? We discuss the problem and suggest a policy by which the designer, with a reasonable computational effort, can find a set of ``good...

Waste Minimization Policy at the Romanian Nuclear Power Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrei, V.; Daian, I.

2002-01-01

The radioactive waste management system at Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Romania was designed to maintain acceptable levels of safety for workers and to protect human health and the environment from exposure to unacceptable levels of radiation. In accordance with terminology of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), this system consists of the ''pretreatment'' of solid and organic liquid radioactive waste, which may include part or all of the following activities: collection, handling, volume reduction (by an in-drum compactor, if appropriate), and storage. Gaseous and aqueous liquid wastes are managed according to the ''dilute and discharge'' strategy. Taking into account the fact that treatment/conditioning and disposal technologies are still not established, waste minimization at the source is a priority environmental management objective, while waste minimization at the disposal stage is presently just a theoretical requirement for future adopted technologies . The necessary operational and maintenance procedures are in place at Cernavoda to minimize the production and contamination of waste. Administrative and technical measures are established to minimize waste volumes. Thus, an annual environmental target of a maximum 30 m3 of radioactive waste volume arising from operation and maintenance has been established. Within the first five years of operations at Cernavoda NPP, this target has been met. The successful implementation of the waste minimization policy has been accompanied by a cost reduction while the occupational doses for plant workers have been maintained at as low as reasonably practicable levels. This paper will describe key features of the waste management system along with the actual experience that has been realized with respect to minimizing the waste volumes at the Cernavoda NPP

Minimally invasive surgical treatment of malignant pleural effusions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciuche, Adrian; Nistor, Claudiu; Pantile, Daniel; Prof Horvat, Teodor

2011-10-01

Usually the pleural cavity contains a small amount of liquid (approximately 10 ml). Pleural effusions appear when the liquid production rate overpasses the absorption rate with a greater amount of liquid inside the pleural cavity. Between January 1998 to December 2008 we conducted a study in order to establish the adequate surgical treatment for MPEs. Effective control of a recurrent malignant pleural effusion can greatly improve the quality of life of the cancer patient. The present review collects and examines the clinical results of minimally invasive techniques designed to treat this problem. Patients with MPEs were studied according to several criteria. In our study we observed the superiority of intraoperative talc poudrage, probably due to a more uniform distribution of talc particles over the pleural surface. Minimal pleurotomy with thoracic drainage and instillation of a talc suspension is also a safe and effective technique and should be employed when there are contraindications for the thoracoscopic minimally invasive procedure. On the basis of comparisons involving effectiveness, morbidity, and convenience, we recommend the thoracoscopic insufflations of talc as a fine powder with pleural drainage as the procedure of choice.

Legal incentives for minimizing waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clearwater, S.W.; Scanlon, J.M.

1991-01-01

Waste minimization, or pollution prevention, has become an integral component of federal and state environmental regulation. Minimizing waste offers many economic and public relations benefits. In addition, waste minimization efforts can also dramatically reduce potential criminal requirements. This paper addresses the legal incentives for minimizing waste under current and proposed environmental laws and regulations

Industrial market assessment of the products of mild gasification: Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sinor, J.E.

1988-01-01

The goal of this study is to determine the best available conditions, in terms of market volumes and prices, for the products from a mild gasification facility. A process feasibility study will then have to determine the cost of building and operating a facility to make those products. The study is presented as a summary of the options available to a coal producer for creating added product value. For this reason, three specific coal mines owned by AMAX Inc. were chosen, and the options were analyzed from the viewpoint of increasing the total revenue derived from those coals. No specific mild gasification, or mild devolatilization technology was assumed during the assessment. The analysis considers only product prices, volumes, and specifications. It does not assign any intangible value or national benefit to substituting coal for oil or to producing a cleaner fuel. Although it would be desirable to conceive of a product slate which would be immune from energy price fluctuations, such a goal is probably unattainable and no particular emphasis was placed on it. 76 figs., 75 tabs.

MOCUS, Minimal Cut Sets and Minimal Path Sets from Fault Tree Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fussell, J.B.; Henry, E.B.; Marshall, N.H.

1976-01-01

1 - Description of problem or function: From a description of the Boolean failure logic of a system, called a fault tree, and control parameters specifying the minimal cut set length to be obtained MOCUS determines the system failure modes, or minimal cut sets, and the system success modes, or minimal path sets. 2 - Method of solution: MOCUS uses direct resolution of the fault tree into the cut and path sets. The algorithm used starts with the main failure of interest, the top event, and proceeds to basic independent component failures, called primary events, to resolve the fault tree to obtain the minimal sets. A key point of the algorithm is that an and gate alone always increases the number of path sets; an or gate alone always increases the number of cut sets and increases the size of path sets. Other types of logic gates must be described in terms of and and or logic gates. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: Output from MOCUS can include minimal cut and path sets for up to 20 gates

16 CFR 1500.17 - Banned hazardous substances.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

...)(2); and part 1507). (4) Liquid drain cleaners containing 10 percent or more by weight of sodium and/or potassium hydroxide; except that this subparagraph shall not apply to such liquid drain cleaners... and U.S. importers from sales losses, production changes, and inventory retrofitting, and slightly...

Respirable quartz hazard associated with coal mine roof bolter dust

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joy, G.J.; Beck, T.W.; Listak, J.M.

2010-01-01

Pneumoconiosis has been reported to be increasing among underground coal miners in the Southern Appalachian Region. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conducted a study to examine the particle size distribution and quartz content of dust generated by the installation of roof bolts in mines. Forty-six bulk samples of roof bolting machine pre-cleaner cyclone dump dust and collector box dust were collected from 26 underground coal mines. Real-time and integrated airborne respirable dust concentrations were measured on 3 mining sections in 2 mines. The real-time airborne dust concentrations profiles were examined to identify any concentration changes that might be associated with pre-cleaner cyclone dust discharge events. The study showed that bolter dust is a potential inhalation hazard due to the fraction of dust less than 10 μm in size, and the quartz content of the dust. The pre-cleaner cyclone dust was significantly larger than the collector box dust, indicating that the pre-cleaner functioned properly in removing the larger dust size fraction from the airstream. However, the pre-cleaner dust still contained a substantial amount of respirable dust. It was concluded that in order to maintain the effectiveness of a roof bolter dust collector, periodic removal of dust is required. Appropriate work procedures and equipment are necessary to minimize exposure during this cleaning task. 13 refs., 3 tabs., 2 figs.

Contribution to computer aided design of digital circuits - Minimization of alphanumeric expressions - Program CHOPIN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanca, Ernest

1974-10-01

Alpha-numeric boolean expressions, written in the form of sums of products and/or products of sums with many brackets, may be minimized in two steps: syntaxic recognition analysis using precedence operator grammar, syntaxic reduction analysis. These two phases of execution and the different programs of the corresponding machine algorithm are described. Examples of minimization of alpha-numeric boolean expressions written with the help of brackets, utilisation note of the program CHOPIN and theoretical considerations related to language, grammar, precedence operator grammar, sequential systems, boolean sets, boolean representations and treatments of boolean expressions, boolean matrices and their use in grammar theory, are discussed and described. (author) [fr

Process model and economic analysis of ethanol production from sugar beet raw juice as part of the cleaner production concept.

Science.gov (United States)

Vučurović, Damjan G; Dodić, Siniša N; Popov, Stevan D; Dodić, Jelena M; Grahovac, Jovana A

2012-01-01

The batch fermentation process of sugar beet processing intermediates by free yeast cells is the most widely used method in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina for producing ethanol as fuel. In this study a process and cost model was developed for producing ethanol from raw juice. The model can be used to calculate capital investment costs, unit production costs and operating costs for a plant producing 44 million l of 99.6% pure ethanol annually. In the sensitivity analysis the influence of sugar beet and yeast price, as well as the influence of recycled biomass on process economics, ethanol production costs and project feasibility was examined. The results of this study clearly demonstrate that the raw material costs have a significant influence on the expenses for producing ethanol. Also, the optimal percentage of recycled biomass turned out to be in the range from 50% to 70%. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is non-minimal inflation eternal?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Chao-Jun; Li, Xin-Zhou

2010-01-01

The possibility that the non-minimal coupling inflation could be eternal is investigated. We calculate the quantum fluctuation of the inflaton in a Hubble time and find that it has the same value as that in the minimal case in the slow-roll limit. Armed with this result, we have studied some concrete non-minimal inflationary models including the chaotic inflation and the natural inflation, in which the inflaton is non-minimally coupled to the gravity. We find that the non-minimal coupling inflation could be eternal in some parameter spaces.

Health Physics and Waste Minimization Best Practices benchmarking study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levin, V.

1995-01-01

The Health Physics and Waste Minimization Best Practices project examines the usefulness of benchmarking as a tool for identifying health physics and waste minimization best practices for low-level solid radioactive waste (LLW) in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex. The goal of the project is to identify best practices from the nuclear power industry that will reduce the amount of LLW going to disposal in a cost-effective manner. An increase in worker efficiency and productivity is a secondary goal. These practices must be adaptable for implementation in the DOE complex. Once best practices are identified, ranked, and funded for implementation, a pilot implementation will be done at the Chemistry and Metallurgy Research (CMR) building at Los Alamos National Laboratory

Gamma radiation in the reduction of Salmonella spp. inoculated on minimally processed watercress (Nasturtium officinalis)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martins, C.G.; Behrens, J.H.; Destro, M.T.; Franco, B.D.G.M.; Vizeu, D.M.; Hutzler, B.; Landgraf, M.

2004-01-01

Consumer attitudes towards foods have changed in the last two decades increasing requirements for freshlike products. Consequently, less extreme treatments or additives are being required. Minimally processed foods have freshlike characteristics and satisfy this new consumer demand. Besides freshness, the minimally processing also provide convenience required by the market. Salad vegetables can be source of pathogen such as Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shigella spp. The minimal processing does not reduce the levels of pathogenic microorganisms to safe levels. Therefore, this study was carried out in order to improve the microbiological safety and the shelf-life of minimally processed vegetables using gamma radiation. Minimally processed watercress inoculated with a cocktail of Salmonella spp was exposed to 0.0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0, 1.2 and 1.5 kGy. Irradiated samples were diluted 1:10 in saline peptone water and plated onto tryptic soy agar that were incubated at 37 deg. C/24 h. D 10 values for Salmonella spp. inoculated in watercress varied from 0.29 to 0.43 kGy. Therefore, a dose of 1.7 kGy will reduce Salmonella population in watercress by 4 log 10 . The shelf-life was increased by 1 1/2 day when the product was exposed to 1 kGy

Minimal families of curves on surfaces

KAUST Repository

Lubbes, Niels

2014-11-01

A minimal family of curves on an embedded surface is defined as a 1-dimensional family of rational curves of minimal degree, which cover the surface. We classify such minimal families using constructive methods. This allows us to compute the minimal families of a given surface.The classification of minimal families of curves can be reduced to the classification of minimal families which cover weak Del Pezzo surfaces. We classify the minimal families of weak Del Pezzo surfaces and present a table with the number of minimal families of each weak Del Pezzo surface up to Weyl equivalence.As an application of this classification we generalize some results of Schicho. We classify algebraic surfaces that carry a family of conics. We determine the minimal lexicographic degree for the parametrization of a surface that carries at least 2 minimal families. © 2014 Elsevier B.V.