Evaluation of a new local modelling approach for large and heterogeneous NIRS data sets

The industry is demanding quality control systems that enable not only certified safety of an end-product but also a secure and efficient production system. Due to this, fast and accurate technologies are required for developing real time decision systems. Sensors based on Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS), together with the use of chemometrics models, have been studied for on-line quality control as a Process Analytical Technology (PAT) tool in several industries. A critical issue is the development of robust and sufficiently accurate mathematical models that can contain hundreds of very heterogeneous samples representing the large natural variability of the process and product; this especially holds for the agro-food production. This paper evaluates the performance of different linear (PLS) and non-linear regression algorithms (LOCAL and Locally Weighted Regression — LWR) plus a new local approach for the prediction of ingredient composition in compound feeds (called, Local Central Algorithm — LCA). The comparison is based on complexity, accuracy and predicted percentages in test set samples. The new local modelling approach is based on the use of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and the Mahalanobis Distance (MD) for selecting a training set and calculating the final prediction estimate using a central tendency statistics such as mean of the local neighbours for the unknown samples. The results show that the local strategy proposed in this work enables the prediction in seconds of all the unknown samples in the test set and performed comparable to LWR, although the RMSEP was somewhat higher than using LWR or LOCAL. However, it was found that this approach produced smaller prediction errors than the other methods for less commonly present ingredients that are not well represented by even a large number of training samples. This finding could be relevant for the start-up phase in the implementation of NIRS sensors in the feed industry at which stage the libraries build only on-line contain data of a limited production period.     

Quality assurance growing pains: a state perspective on implementing an organizational-wide quality system in environmental laboratories.

To implement an effective and efficient quality system in a network of established environmental testing laboratories requires a committed long-term effort that is potentially fraught with multiple obstacles. This presentation discusses one state's ongoing efforts at implementing such a system. First is the need to convince management of the rationale for a quality systems-based approach versus the traditional QA/QC program. Once development of a quality system has been sanctioned, a team-based approach utilizing project planning tools is a good way to approach the effort. Resources are assigned to the development of key quality system components, and generally a phased-deployment or roll-out works best. Once implementation is underway, assuring operational utilization and compliance with the quality system are vital steps in the process. Important to successful implementation is ongoing assessment and refinement of the quality system. Fundamental and key elements of the laboratory quality system are numerous and need to work in concert with each other. Quality system elements to be discussed in the presentation range from management and QA roles and functions to the typical documentation of laboratory policies and procedures. Numerous QA assessment tools and other vital quality system practices that play an important role in making a complete quality system are addressed. In addition, efforts must be undertaken to integrate the laboratory quality system with other management systems within the organization. The bottom line is that all environmental laboratories need a quality system more now than ever. Data users need it. Customers' expectations for data quality are high. USEPA policy and/or programs call for it. Additionally, good quality systems can benefit the organization in multiple ways and help avoid the "pay-me-now or pay-me-later" syndrome. In conclusion, all environmental testing laboratories (i.e., academic, private, commercial and especially governmental) need to invest in and implement a quality system based on a recognized standard (e.g., NELAC, ISO 17025, ANSI/ASQC E-4). The author recommends pursuing NELAP laboratory accreditation with a NELAP-recognized accrediting authority.     

How can electronics industries become green manufacturers in Taiwan and Japan

The world’s leading countries have reached a consensus concerning the need for environmental protection, and many international environmental protection rules and regulations have been implemented. Of these, the EU-legislated Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS), Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), and Eco-design of Energy-using Products (EuP) compel the electronics industry to incorporate waste disposal considerations in product design and manufacturing in order to benefit the environment. This study accordingly employed the ISO 14000 environmental management family’s ISO 14031 environmental performance evaluation (EPE) standards as an assessment framework, and investigated the types of factors influencing environmental performance, and their level of importance, when the electronics industry implements lead-free manufacturing. The study conducted a questionnaire survey of industry experts, scholars, and government officers in Taiwan and Japan—which constitute two of the world’s leading electronics product manufacturing centers—employing the Delphi method to extract assessment indicators, and using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to analyze indicators’ relative levels of importance. The results showed that the choice of lead-free substitute materials, soil heavy metal pollution, and compliance with environmental laws and regulations are the three important indicators of the environmental performance of lead-free manufacturing. As a consequence, when relevant industries adopt lead-free manufacturing in the future, they should first establish basic process technology, and also take their industries’ process characteristics and the suitability of substitute materials into consideration. In order to maintain compliance with laws and regulations, and to reduce pollution emissions, such industries should cooperate with government in connection with waste and wastewater treatment. In addition, apart from implementing environmental policies and testing standards, government can facilitate the realization of environmental protection policies and help conserve corporate resources by providing assistance, specialized training, and incentive measures to industry.     

Combining U.S.-based prioritization tools to improve screening level accountability for environmental impact: The case of the chemical manufacturing industry

There are two quantitative indicators that are most widely used to assess the extent of compliance of industrial facilities with environmental regulations: the quantity of hazardous waste generated and the amount of toxics released. These indicators, albeit useful in terms of some environmental monitoring, fail to account for direct or indirect effects on human and environmental health, especially when aggregating total quantity of releases for a facility or industry sector. Thus, there is a need for a more comprehensive approach that can prioritize a particular chemical (or industry sector) on the basis of its relevant environmental performance and impact on human health. Accordingly, the objective of the present study is to formulate an aggregation of tools that can simultaneously capture multiple effects and several environmental impact categories. This approach allows us to compare and combine results generated with the aid of select U.S.-based quantitative impact assessment tools, thereby supplementing compliance-based metrics such as data from the U.S. Toxic Release Inventory. A case study, which presents findings for the U.S. chemical manufacturing industry, is presented to illustrate the aggregation of these tools. Environmental impacts due to both upstream and manufacturing activities are also evaluated for each industry sector. The proposed combinatorial analysis allows for a more robust evaluation for rating and prioritizing the environmental impacts of industrial waste.     

Defense conversion and systems architecture: challenges to Taiwan's aircraft industry

How to establish a complex high-tech systems engineering industry is crucial for many newly industrializing countries to further their economic development beyond efficient manufacturing of relatively simple products. Because the aircraft industry is a user and driver of advanced product and process technologies, in 1990 Taiwan's government officially designated this industry as a national strategic area to receive policy support. The ultimate success of this endeavor depends on the transformation of a combat aircraft producer into a commercial champion and the sustainability of the supporting industries. However, the prospect of defense conversion is dismal. The commercial benefits of military work are minimal because military and civilian needs of design are very different and so are scale economies, scope economies, and experience curve. Moreover, neither spin-off nor dual-use strategy can apply effectively, leaving the focal company an enclave isolated from the local industry. Another insurmountable barrier is the integral architecture of the aircraft and engine systems. In this industry, most functional and design specifications and standards are imposed by the upper-tier buyers and integrators. This implies that the lower-tier firms cannot pursue their own engineering and production competence rather independently and flexibly as most other local firms in Taiwan do in the fields of highly open components and easily adjustable interfaces. This case typifies a government's futile efforts in a global industry of complex proprietary technological systems and points to the criticality of defense conversion and systems architecture in the commercial world of systems engineering.     

Modelling cadmium flows in Australia on the basis of a substance flow analysis

This paper, which is an extension of the Suphaphat Kwonpongsagoon’s PhD thesis (2006), investigates a stationary model designed to evaluate substance flows for a case study of cadmium (Cd) in Australia. It covers the mining industry, the production and use of goods for agriculture, construction and households as well as the environmental sectors of agriculture, surface water and landfills. The model is calibrated with Cd flow data obtained in a previous study. The results of the calibrated model are consistent with those of other studies from other countries. Possible measures and options to reduce the Cd flows to various environmental sectors are discussed by applying sensitivity analysis and parameter variations to the calibrated model. As “agriculture” was used to illustrate one of the most important processes discussed in this paper, the results show that the most effective measures are the reduction of the Cd content in fertilizers and of atmospheric Cd deposition. It is concluded that a mathematical model is very useful for understanding a system that is crucial for environmental management.     

EIA and EMS integration: not wasting the opportunity

Environmental tools such as environmental impact assessment (EIA) and environmental management systems (EMS) can be applied to ensure that major projects are constructed and operated using an approach that enables effective environmental protection. Previous research has shown that these tools are frequently applied in isolation at different stages of the project life cycle. The extent of EIA/EMS integration amongst nine of the biggest UK waste management companies was investigated through semi-structured interviews with environmental staff and thematic analysis of their responses. The research found that partial integration of EIA and EMS is widespread. Companies recognised a range of potential benefits to more closely integrating their processes such as system efficiencies, data availability and recognition from the regulator. However, significant barriers to further integration were identified in the form of cost, company structure and the size of the organisation. In a context where the regulation of the waste industry is increasingly aligned towards a risk-based approach, there is a new opportunity to use EIA outputs in an enhanced EMS. More generally, companies should seek to maintain continuity of personnel across the project life cycle and structure their environmental functions so that EIA and EMS staff can work more closely. This would help ensure that the greatest benefit is derived from both tools.     

澳大利亚能效符合性管理体系和产品能效符合性状况

本文重点介绍澳大利亚能效符合性管理体系和产品符合性状况,为我国乃至其他国家完善本国能效符合性管理体系、了解典型发达国家产品符合性状况提供经验参考.     

中外汽车产业管理体系对比研究

目前,我国汽车产业正处在由大变强的关键阶段,而欧洲、美国、日本等汽车工业发达国家和地区已经形成较成熟的汽车管理体系,对我国建设和谐汽车社会和推动汽车强国建设具有重要的借鉴意义。通过对比我国与发达国家汽车产业管理体系,总结我国汽车产业管理体系存在的问题和缺陷,并借鉴发达国家经验提出包括改革车辆管理体制、推进法制化建设、发挥市场机制作用、加强战略引导、鼓励技术创新在内的优化调整建议。     

Mission success with components not as good as new

It is shown how the probability of mission success can be determined for cases of components which are not as good as new at the beginning of a mission and are not repaired during the mission. After a short definition of the appropriate conditional distribution functions of components lives, a few typical examples of plausible missions for redundant systems are discussed. Among these are such that are time-critical or—concerning flights—space-critical. Since only (advanced) probabilistic reasoning is used, there are no limitations as to the types of life distributions.     

The ‘PROCESO’ index: a new methodology for the evaluation of operational safety in the chemical industry

The acknowledgement of industrial installations as complex systems in the early 1980s outstands as a milestone in the path to operational safety. Process plants are social–technical complex systems of a dynamic nature, whose properties depend not only on their components, but also on the inter-relations among them. A comprehensive assessment of operational safety requires a systemic approach, i.e. an integrated framework that includes all the relevant factors influencing safety. Risk analysis methodologies and safety management systems head the list of methods that point in this direction, but they normally require important plant resources. As a consequence, their use is frequently restricted to especially dangerous processes often driven by compliance with legal requirements. In this work a new safety index for the chemical industry, termed the ‘Proceso’ Index (standing for the Spanish terms for PROCedure for the Evaluation of Operational Safety), has been developed. PROCESO is based on the principles of systems theory, has a tree-like structure and considers 25 areas to guide the review of plant safety. The method uses indicators whose respective weight values have been obtained via an expert judgement technique. This paper describes the steps followed to develop this new Operational Safety Index, explains its structure and illustrates its application to process plants.     

Accreditation at the US EPA-NEIC. National Enforcement Investigations Center.

The US Environmental Protection Agency-National Enforcement Investigations Center (NEIC) of Denver, Colorado is the specialty technical arm of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) within the US EPA. NEIC is a center for technical support nationwide to state, local, tribal, and federal environmental enforcement and compliance assurance programs. NEIC is a source of expertise for technical analysis, compliance monitoring, engineering evaluations, forensic laboratory activities, information management, computer forensics, and witness testimony. Effective 1 February 2001, NEIC was granted accreditation for overall environmental measurement activities that include field sampling, field measurements and monitoring, and laboratory measurements. NEIC became the first and only environmental forensic center in the United States to be granted this type of accreditation. The accreditation criteria incorporates nationally and internationally accepted forensic and quality management standards. Awarded by the National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC), the NEIC Accreditation Standard was developed for conducting environmental measurements while adhering to forensic requirements in specific areas. The NEIC Accreditation Standard is based on ISO/IEC Guide 25 and ANSI/ASQC E4-1994, and it references specific aspects of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) Manual.     

Heat sources — technology, economy and environment

Heat sources for heat pumps in buildings as well as in industry are discussed. Furthermore, some environmental aspects concerning choice of heat source are highlighted. Only systems for heat pumping are included, i.e. air-conditioning types which can also partly work as heat pumps are excluded. Recent heat pump installations in Sweden are mainly in small systems. Ambient air, exhaust air, soil and rock are the most common heat source types. Data on COP, investment costs, working fluids, present Swedish market etc. for these types of heat sources are given. Data on industrial heat pump installations in some countries and distribution of these according to heat pump type and industry sector as well as heat source temperatures are reported. Process integration aspects when choosing heat source size and temperature are also discussed as well as the relation between these parameters and the choice of heat pump type. Finally, the influence on the economy of the heat source temperature is presented. The cost-effectiveness of heat pumps for reducing CO₂ emissions compared with other heating technologies is discussed. The main results are: (1) heat pumps can in many cases in the future contribute to a reduction of CO₂; (2) there is a rather big difference, for larger systems a major difference, between the water-based and the ambient air-based heat pumps in terms of efficient reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.     

An overview of construction and demolition waste management in Canada: a lifecycle analysis approach to sustainability

The construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated by the Canadian construction industry accounts for 27 % of the total municipal solid waste disposed in landfills. However, it is evident that over 75 % of what the construction industry generates as waste has a residual value, and therefore could be recycled, salvaged and/or reused. The need for comprehensive and integrated waste management mechanisms, technologies, rating systems and policies is widely recognized. Owing to increasing C&D waste volumes, shortage of landfills and long-term adverse environmental, economic and social impacts of the disposed C&D waste, sustainable C&D waste management is becoming increasingly essential to protect public health and natural ecosystems. This paper proposes a conceptual C&D waste management framework to maximise the 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) and minimise the disposal of construction waste by implementing sustainable and comprehensive strategy throughout the lifecycle of construction projects. In addition, a life cycle based C&D waste sustainability index is developed. This approach can be used to make decisions related to selection of material, sorting, recycle/reuse and treatment or disposal options for C&D waste.     

R&D and manufacturing activities regarding managerial effectiveness and open strategy: an industry focus on luxury knitwear firms

The authors structure the field of over-design, over-specification, and over-requirement (OOO) drawing from extant knowledge related to innovative managerial procedures in manufacturing systems, project portfolio management, and performance management. More specifically, we propose allowing the dominant perspectives of OOO and paving the way towards a coherent recognition foundation of innovative strategies in manufacturing systems. This lends itself to an analysis of innovative phenomena in design and production systems that generate OOO and helps to understand what the effects of the OOO on business performance are. The clothing industry in Italy was chosen as a target context because many innovative pioneering medium sized enterprises (MSEs) were operating in the industry. Because of the exploratory nature of the research, a multiple case study approach is adopted in this study. Drawing from extant managerial literature, the proposed structure shows which business model objects and interactions within R&D-manufacturing-marketing activities should be considered when engaging in managing innovative and temporary project portfolio.     

analysis of pedestrian accident costs in Sudan using the willingness-to-pay method

The willingness-to-pay (WTP) with contingent valuation (CV) method has been proven to be a valid tool for the valuation of non-market goods or socio-economic costs of road traffic accidents among communities in developed and developing countries. Research on accident costing tends to estimate the value of statistical life (VOSL) for all road users by providing a principle for the evaluation of road safety interventions in cost-benefit analysis. As in many other developing countries, the economic loss of traffic accidents in Sudan is noticeable; however, analytical research to estimate the magnitude and impact of that loss is lacking. Reports have shown that pedestrians account for more than 40% of the total number of fatalities. In this study, the WTP-CV approach was used to determine the amount of money that pedestrians in Sudan are willing to pay to reduce the risk of their own death. The impact of the socioeconomic factors, risk levels, and walking behaviors of pedestrians on their WTP for fatality risk reduction was also evaluated. Data were collected from two cities—Khartoum and Nyala—using a survey questionnaire that included 1400 respondents. The WTP-CV Payment Card Questionnaire was designed to ensure that Sudan pedestrians can easily determine the amount of money that would be required to reduce the fatality risk from a pedestrian-related accident. The analysis results show that the estimated VOSL for Sudanese pedestrians ranges from US$0.019 to US$0.101 million. In addition, the willingness-to-pay by Sudanese pedestrians to reduce their fatality risk tends to increase with age, household income, educational level, safety perception, and average time spent on social activities with family and community.     

Policy SEA: lessons from development co-operation

This professional practice report reflects upon lessons learned from piloting and evaluating an innovative approach to policy strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in developing countries. The primary analytical focuses of the approach are institutions and governance characteristics, plus it places strong emphasis on learning. The piloting provides valuable insights about the conduct of SEA at the policy level and in socio-political where there is limited experience with SEA. From our observations we reflect upon the importance of appropriate ownership of an SEA; the practical implications of working in contested political environments; the challenges in using SEA as a tool to promote good governance; and the centrality of a long-term perspective to environmental and social mainstreaming.     

Sustainability evaluation framework for building cooling systems: a comparative study of snow storage and conventional chiller systems

In Canada, the residential building sector consumes 17 % of the total energy and 15 % of the total greenhouse gas emissions. In particular, the energy demand for cooling in the residential sector is increasing due to the large occupancy floor area and high usage of air conditioning. Minimizing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions is one of the highest priority goals set for national energy management strategies in developed countries including Canada. In this study, a framework based on the life cycle assessment approach is developed to assess the environmental impacts of different building cooling systems, namely conventional snow storage system, watertight snow storage system, high-density snow storage system, and the conventional chiller cooling system. Moreover, all these systems have varying energy requirements and associated environmental impacts during different phases (extraction and construction, utilization, and end of life) of the life cycle of a building. A low-rise residential building in Kelowna (BC, Canada) has been selected for the pragmatic application of the proposed framework. The annual cooling energy demand for the building is estimated for different phases. Subsequently, the life cycle impact assessment has been carried out using SimaPro 8.1 software and TRACI 2.1 method. For sustainability evaluation of different cooling systems over their life cycle, multi-criteria decision analysis has been employed using the ‘Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE II).’ The results showed that the snow storage systems tend to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and associated environmental impacts more than the conventional system.     

Comparison of technology transfer from government labs in the US and Vietnam

Technology transfer from the government sector to industry has emerged as an important activity in developed and developing countries as governments are increasing their funding for the national innovation systems with an objective of developing technologies which will improve and enhance the country’s national competitiveness. However, this endeavor requires good technology transfer practices from the government R&D facilities to industry. Developed countries have embarked on this process for the past two decades and have gained some success, but further improvements are still needed. This paper compares the status of government technology transfer in a developed country, the US, and that in a developing country, Vietnam.