NSGA-II is an evolutionary multi-objective optimization algorithm that has been applied to a wide variety of search and optimization problems since its publication in 2000. This study presents a review and bibliometric analysis of numerous NSGA-II adaptations in addressing scheduling problems. This paper is divided into two parts. The first part discusses the main ideas of scheduling and different evolutionary computation methods for scheduling and provides a review of different scheduling problems, such as production and personnel scheduling. Moreover, a brief comparison of different evolutionary multi-objective optimization algorithms is provided, followed by a summary of state-of-the-art works on the application of NSGA-II in scheduling. The next part presents a detailed bibliometric analysis focusing on NSGA-II for scheduling applications obtained from the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases based on keyword and network analyses that were conducted to identify the most intere... [more]

Fe-based metallic glass possesses high hardness and brittleness. It is a hard-to-cut metal material and difficult to machine by conventional methods. Although electrical discharge machining (EDM) has advantages in machining hard-to-cut metal materials, recast layer, pores, and micro cracks will form on the machined surface after machining. The study used a helical tool for the micro electrical discharge drilling (µ-EDD) process on Fe-based metallic glass. The influence of processing parameters, including the pulse on time, gap voltage, duty factor, and spindle rotational speed on the micro hole machining quality characteristics was investigated. The helical tool with SiC electrophoretic deposited (EPD) film was used to polish the inner surface of the electrical discharged micro hole. The findings show that the best micro hole accuracy, tool wear length, and inner surface were obtained at the spindle rotation speed of 1150 rpm, pulse on time of 5 μs, gap voltage of 30 V, and duty factor... [more]

Food adulteration is in the focus of research due to its negative effect on safety and nutritional value and because of the demand for the protection of brands and regional origins. Portugieser and Sauvignon Blanc wines were selected for experiments. Samples were made by water dilution, the addition of sugar and then a combination of both. Near infrared (NIR) spectra were acquired in the range of 900−1700 nm. Partial least squares regression was performed to predict the adulteration level. The model including all wines and adulterations achieved a prediction error of 0.59% added sugar and 6.85% water dilution. Low-power laser modules were used to collect diffuse reflectance signals at wavelengths of 532, 635, 780, 808, 850, 1064 nm. The general linear model resulted in a higher prediction error of 3.06% added sugar and 20.39% water dilution. Instead of classification, the present study investigated the feasibility of non-destructive methods in the prediction of adulteration level. Lase... [more]

Recent studies reveal that numerous non-edible parts of fruits and vegetables, as well as food wastes, are a good source of phytochemicals that can be extracted and reintroduced into the food chain as natural food additives. Horned melon or kiwano (Cucumis metuliferus E. Mey. Ex. Naudin) is a fruit rich in various phytochemical components important in the daily diet. After primary processing, horned melon non-edible parts (e.g., peels and seeds) can represent raw materials that can be utilized in numerous applications. Among under-researched fruits, this study aims to present the potential of using horned melon edible and non-edible parts based on current knowledge on nutritional value, phytochemicals, biological activity, as well as biological benefits. Overall, this review concluded that the biological properties of horned melon are associated with the phytochemicals present in this fruit and its waste parts. Further studies should be conducted to identify phytochemicals and valorize... [more]

The optimization of the supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of cannabinoids, using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2), was investigated in a fractional factorial design study. It is hypothesized that four main parameters (temperature, pressure, dry flower weight, and extraction time) play an important role. Therefore, these parameters were screened at predetermined low, medium, and high relative levels. The density of scCO2 was used as a factor for the extraction of cannabinoids by changing the pressure and temperature. The robustness of the mathematical model was also evaluated by regression analysis. The quantification of major (cannabidiol (CBD), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), delta 8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8-THC), and delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THCA-A)) and minor (cannabidivann (CBDV), tetrahydrocannabivann (THCV), cannabigerolic acid (CBG), cannabigerol (CBGA), cannabinol (CBN), and cannabichomere (CBC)) cannabinoids in the scCO2 extra... [more]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism causing the unsoundness of ladle slag. Calcination temperature may have an impact on the level of reactivity of f-CaO. When CaO was produced at a higher temperature, the reactivity of CaO was lower. For example, dead burnt CaO (DCaO) was produced at higher temperatures than light burnt CaO (LCaO); therefore, DCaO had less reactivity than LCaO. In a hydration test, DCaO (1500 °C) showed 62 times lower reactivity than LCaO (900 °C), which meant that DCaO would result in the delay of hydration of CaO easily. Additionally, DCaO would cause unsoundness more easily than LCaO when adding the same number of cementitious materials. For this reason, using ASTM C114-18 (Standard Test Methods for Chemical Analysis of Hydraulic Cement) to quantify DCaO content may underestimate DCaO content by up to 20%. Conversely, this method was more suitable for f-CaO since it had high reactivity. Moreover, this study demonstrated that ladle slag would... [more]

The multi-drop method with a good droplet quality is a big challenge in inkjet technology. In this study, optimization of Drop on Demand (DoD) inkjet printer waveform design was conducted. The effectiveness of the waveform design, so-called W waveform, from previous study as a preliminary vibration for the multi-drop ejection method was investigated. The unmodified W waveform was proven not to be an effective waveform for lower viscosity of liquid, especially when compared by the standard waveform obtained from a print-head manufacturer. Edible ink with a viscosity below the optimum range for print-head specifications was employed as the operating liquid. The preliminary vibration W waveform was modified to improve the droplet quality of the edible ink. It was proven that a 40% adjusted voltage of the rear wave of the W waveform was effective as the optimum waveform design for edible ink. The droplet quality of the multi-drop ejection method for grey-scale technology was improved by op... [more]

Forest ecosystems perform several functions that are necessary for maintaining the integrity of the planet’s ecosystem. Forest fires are thus a significant danger to all living things. Forest fire fighting is a foreground task for modern society. Forest fire prediction is one of the most effective ways to solve this urgent issue. Modern prediction systems need to be developed in order to increase the quality of prediction; therefore, it is necessary to generalize knowledge about the processes occurring during a fire. This article discusses the key features of the processes prior to forest fuel ignition (drying and pyrolysis) and the ignition itself, as well as approaches to their experimental and mathematical modeling.

For many years now, manufacturers have been producing supersonic ejectors with a high entrainment ratio for the chemical, oil, and food industries. In the present work, mathematical modelling of the entrainment ratio of such industrial ejectors is carried out, in which a variation of the diffuser efficiency is also assumed to be a function of the Mach number of the motive gas. To determine this unknown relationship, the mathematical modelling was overturned by inserting the entrainment ratios of ten different high-performance industrial ejectors, as identified through an experimental investigation. The mathematical modelling, completed through the use of the relationship between the diffuser efficiency and the Mach number of the motive gas, was applied to sixty-eight ejectors, built and tested experimentally over the last twenty years as part of research aimed at the development of thermal ejector refrigeration systems (ERSs), to obtain the entrainment ratios proposed by the manufactur... [more]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the droplet size obtained with a three-channel spray nozzle typically used in fluid bed devices and to construct a semi-empirical model for prediction of droplet size. With the aid of a custom-made optical method concept, the impact of the type of polymer and solvents used through dispersion properties (viscosity, density, and surface tension), dispersion flow rate, atomization pressure, and microclimate pressure on droplet size was investigated. A semi-empirical model with adequate predictability for calculating the average droplet size (R2 = 0.90, Q2 = 0.73) and its distribution (R2 = 0.84, Q2 = 0.61) was constructed by employing dimensional analysis and design of experiments. Newtonian and non-Newtonian dispersion and process parameters on laboratory and on production scale were included, thereby enabling constant droplet size irrespective of the scale. Based on the model results, it would be possible to scale-up the atomization process (... [more]

One of the important factors determining the biochemical processes in bioreactors is the quality of the wastewater inflow to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Information on the quality of wastewater, sufficiently in advance, makes it possible to properly select bioreactor settings to obtain optimal process conditions. This paper presents the use of classification models to predict the variability of wastewater quality at the inflow to wastewater treatment plants, the values of which depend only on the amount of inflowing wastewater. The methodology of an expert system to predict selected indicators of wastewater quality at the inflow to the treatment plant (biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, and ammonium nitrogen) on the example of a selected WWTP—Sitkówka Nowiny, was presented. In the considered system concept, a division of the values of measured wastewater quality indices into lower (reduced values of indicators in relation to average),... [more]

Remanufacturing has gained great recognition in recent years due to its economic and environmental benefits and effectiveness in the value retention of waste products. Many studies on reverse logistics have considered remanufacturing as a key node for network optimization, but few literature reviews have explicitly mentioned remanufacturing as a main feature in their analysis. The aim of this review is to bridge this gap. In total, 125 papers on remanufacturing reverse logistics network design have been reviewed and conclusions have been drawn from four aspects: (1) in terms of network structure, the functional nodes of new hybrid facilities and the network structure combined with the remanufacturing technologies of products are the key points in the research. (2) In the mathematical model, the multi-objective function considered from different aspects, the uncertainty of recovery time and recovery channel in addition to quantity and quality, and the selection of appropriate algorithms... [more]

Linear system identification is a well-known methodology for building mathematical models of dynamic systems from observed input−output data. It also represents an essential tool for model-based control design, adaptive control and other advanced control techniques. Use of linear identification is, however, often limited to academic environment and to research facilities equipped with scientific computing platforms and highly qualified staff. Common industrial or building control system technology rarely uses these advanced design techniques. The main obstacle is typically lack of experience with their practical implementation. In this article, a procedure is proposed, implemented, and tested, that brings the benefits of linear identification into broader control system practice. The open-source DCU control system platform with its advanced control framework is used for implementation of the proposed linear identification procedure. The procedure is experimentally tested in the laborat... [more]

The present work explores the possibility of incorporation of silicon into the crystal structure of Ruddlesden-Popper La2NiO4+δ mixed conducting ceramics with the aim to improve the chemical compatibility with lanthanum silicate-based solid electrolytes. Ceramics with the nominal composition La2Ni1−ySiO4+δ (y = 0, 0.02 and 0.05) were prepared by the glycine nitrate combustion technique and sintered at 1450 °C. While minor changes in the lattice parameters of the tetragonal K2NiF4-type lattice may suggest incorporation of a small fraction of Si into the Ni sublattice, combined XRD and SEM/EDS studies indicate that this fraction is very limited (≪2 at.%, if any). Instead, additions of silica result in segregation of apatite-type La10−xSi6O26+δ and La2O3 secondary phases as confirmed experimentally and supported by the static lattice simulations. Both total electrical conductivity and oxygen-ionic transport in La2NiO4+δ ceramics are suppressed by silica additions. The preferential reactiv... [more]

Nowadays, organic waste and especially household waste represents a significant global issue due to population growth. The anaerobic digestion (AD) process is an essential operation contributing powerfully to the valorization of organic waste including food waste in terms of renewable energy generation (biogas) and the rich-nutrient residue that can be utilized as bio-fertilizer. Thus, this process (AD) allows for good recovery of household waste by generating biogas and compost. However, the AD operation has been affected by several key factors. In this paper, we aim to involve different critical parameters influencing the AD process, including temperature, pH, organic loading rate (OLR), carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N), and total solid content (TS(%)). Further, the paper highlights the inhibition caused by the excessive accumulation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and ammoniac, which exhibits the positive effects of co-digestion, pretreatment methods, and mixing techniques for maintain... [more]

The aim of cheese manufacturers is to produce high quality and safe products. Along the food chain of “milk to cheese and food products”, milk is collected, transferred, and managed in a standardized manner; processing results in safe, ready-to-eat products, of high nutritional quality. Soft, acid cheeses are prepared in various regions of Greece, mainly from ewe milk, goat milk, or their mixtures. They are produced from the rennet and/or acid coagulation of thermally-treated, full-fat milk undergoing acidification/curdling and ripening. Xygalo Siteias is a Greek soft cheese, produced in the area of Siteia, Crete, where it was recognized as PDO in 2011. It is close—more in texture and less in taste—with other cream cheeses PDO of Greece, such as Pichtogalo of Chania, and Katiki Domokou, still it differs in the preparation technique as well as in its physicochemical, biochemical, microbiological, and organoleptic characteristics. In this review, we focus on the processing and characteri... [more]

In this research, we investigate the influence of a load-balancing strategy and parametrization on the speed-up of discrete element method simulations using Lethe-DEM. Lethe-DEM is an open-source DEM code which uses a cell-based load-balancing strategy. We compare the computational performance of different cell-weighing strategies based on the number of particles per cell (linear and quadratic). We observe two minimums for particle to cell weights (at 3, 40 for quadratic, and 15, 50 for linear) in both linear and quadratic strategies. The first and second minimums are attributed to the suitable distribution of cell-based and particle-based functions, respectively. We use four benchmark simulations (packing, rotating drum, silo, and V blender) to investigate the computational performances of different load-balancing schemes (namely, single-step, frequent and dynamic). These benchmarks are chosen to demonstrate different scenarios that may occur in a DEM simulation. In a large-scale rota... [more]

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to analyze the internal mechanism for the observed improvement in performance of nano-modified meta-aramid insulation paper from a microscopic point of view. The results showed that the k-polyphenylsilsesquioxane(PPSQ) modified meta-aramid insulation paper was superior to b-PPSQ modified meta-aramid insulation paper in terms of its thermal stability and mechanical and electrical properties. The analysis of microscopic parameters showed that the stiffness of k-PPSQ was less than that of b-PPSQ, and the hydroxyl groups on the open-loop system were more likely to enter the dispersed system, resulting in higher bonding strength, meta-aramid fiber chains between k-PPSQ molecules, and the formation of hydrogen bonds. Additionally, the nano-enhancement effects of k-PPSQ and b-PPSQ resulted in various improvements, including a reduction in pores between molecules in the blend model, an increase in the contact area, the formation of interfacial polarizat... [more]

In this study, a numerical model of grouting penetration in a porous medium is established. The fluid flow in the interstices of the porous medium is directly modeled by Navier−Stokes equations. The grouting process is considered as a two-phase flow problem, and the level set method is used to characterize the interaction between grout and groundwater. The proposed model has considered the nuances for each grain during grouting penetration, instead of representing the fluid flow as a continuum process. In the simulation, three kinds of porosity (0.3; 0.4; 0.5) and two kinds of grain size distribution (0.5~1 mm; 1~2 mm) are used. Results show that: the pressure drop along penetration distance is approximately in a linear trend. The variation of filling degree along grouting distance approximately obeys a quadratic polynomial function. The injection pressure is influenced by the porosity and grain size of the porous medium, especially by the former. A theoretical analysis is carried out... [more]

In Spain, most businesses are medium to small size enterprises, representing 90% of the total, but there is a lack of studies of the types of building this sector uses. The main objective of this paper is to present a method for the evaluation of small industrial construction projects to facilitate the introduction of eco-efficient solutions. For this, it is necessary to identify the most representative buildings and the aspects of these which have the most environmental impact. A methodology in place for the evaluation of dwelling construction is adapted, for the first time, to evaluate industrial buildings. The construction solutions characterized are those traditionally used in the sector, as identified through 87 surveys. A standardized classification of work units is proposed to enable the use of environmental product information, such as eco-labels and/or EPD, and LCA databases. The carbon footprint (CF) and water footprint (WF) are the indicators selected because of their straig... [more]

The release of winery wastewater (WW) into the environment, without proper treatment, can cause severe problems to freshwater quality and natural fauna and flora. Therefore, in this work a treatment process was studied, combining adsorption and thermocatalytic oxidation processes. In a more specific way, it optimized the combination of activated sodium bentonite (Na-Mt) and potassium persulfate (KPS)/sodium percarbonate (SPC) as oxidant agents. With the combination of best operational conditions of adsorption ([Na-Mt] = 5.0 g/L, pH = 3.0, V = 500 mL, agitation 350 rpm, T = 298 K, t = 24 h) and thermocatalytic oxidation processes (S2O82−/H2O2 ratio = 1:0.25, S2O82−/H2O2 dosage = 0.1:0.025 (g/g), pH = 7.0, T = 343 K, agitation 350 rpm, t = 2 h), a total organic carbon, chemical oxygen demand and total polyphenols removal of 76.7, 81.4 and >99% was achieved, respectively. Finally, it was evaluated the effect of the treatment processes in the germination index (GI) of different plant seeds... [more]

Box girder is an important bearing and force transmitting component in the gondola car body; the rationality of its structure directly affects the life of the whole car body. In order to solve disadvantage of the traditional box girder optimization method, which mainly depends on design experience, the combined method of orthogonal experimental design and the genetic algorithm-back propagation (GA-BP) algorithm is used for the structural optimization of bolster beam in this paper. Nine groups of parameters were established by orthogonal experiment, which can give typical samples for GA-BP optimization. Then, the bolster beam is optimized by the GA-BP algorithm, and the new gondola car body model is established with the optimized parameters. The finite element analysis results show that the minimum stress is found by using the GA-BP algorithm, which is basically consistent with the simulation results. Finally, the results show that the combined method of orthogonal experimental design a... [more]

This study aims to investigate the barriers that exist when implementing continuous improvement methodologies, such as Lean Six Sigma (LSS), within the Irish Pharma industry. The main finding of this study is that 45% of participants perceived that a highly regulated environment could be a barrier to continuous improvement implementation, while 97% of respondents utilised Continuous improvement (CI) methods, such as Lean, Six Sigma, and LSS, within their organisations. While the International Conference of Harmonisation integrates CI into its Pharmaceutical Quality Systems (PQS) regulations, the highest motivation for CI implementation amongst the Irish Pharma industry is to improve Productivity and Quality. The main obstacles highlighted for CI implementation in Pharma attributed to stringent regulatory regimes were fear of extra validation activity, a compliance versus quality culture, and a regulatory culture of being “safe”. Another relevant finding presented in this paper is that... [more]

This manuscript investigates the supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycle employed in the power block of concentrated solar power (CSP) plants—solar tower—as an alternative for solar desalination, developed with either distillation or reverse osmosis. This concept is investigated as a possible up-scaling of the SOLMIDEFF project, originally based on a hot-air micro gas turbine combined with a solar dish collector. For the upscaled concept, five different sCO2 cycles are considered, chosen amongst the best-performing configurations proposed in the literature for CSP applications, and modelled with Thermoflex software. The influence of ambient conditions is studied, considering two minimum cycle temperatures (35 °C and 50 °C), corresponding to Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Abu Dhabi, respectively. The results show that the low temperatures at the inlet of the heat rejection unit compromise the viability of distillation technologies. On the other hand, the high thermal efficiency achi... [more]

This review provides an overview of recent studies on the potential of spectroscopy techniques (mid-infrared, near infrared, Raman, and fluorescence spectroscopy) used in coffee analysis. It specifically covers their applications in coffee roasting supervision, adulterants and defective beans detection, prediction of specialty coffee quality and coffees’ sensory attributes, discrimination of coffee based on variety, species, and geographical origin, and prediction of coffees chemical composition. These are important aspects that significantly affect the overall quality of coffee and consequently its market price and finally quality of the brew. From the reviewed literature, spectroscopic methods could be used to evaluate coffee for different parameters along the production process as evidenced by reported robust prediction models. Nevertheless, some techniques have received little attention including Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy, which should be further studied considering their... [more]