Insightful Advancement and Opportunities for Microbial Bioplastic Production

Impetuous urbanization and population growth are driving increased demand for plastics to formulate impeccable industrial and biomedical commodities. The everlasting nature and excruciating waste management of petroleum-based plastics have catered to numerous challenges for the environment. However, just implementing various end-of-life management techniques for assimilation and recycling plastics is not a comprehensive remedy; instead, the extensive reliance on finite resources needs to be reduced for sustainable production and plastic product utilization. Microorganisms, such as bacteria and algae, are explored substantially for their bioplastic production repertoire, thus replacing fossil-based plastics sooner or later. Nevertheless, the utilization of pure microbial cultures has led to various operational and economical complications, opening the ventures for the usage of mixed microbial cultures (MMCs) consisting of bacteria and algae for sustainable production of bioplastic. The current review is primarily focuses on elaborating the bioplastic production capabilities of different bacterial and algal strains, followed by discussing the quintessence of MMCs. The present state-of-the-art of bioplastic, different types of bacterial bioplastic, microalgal biocomposites, operational factors influencing the quality and quantity of bioplastic precursors, embracing the potential of bacteria-algae consortia, and the current global status quo of bioplastic production has been summarized extensively.

Chatbot Implementation in a Steel Company in Russia

Chatbots (sometimes just called “bots”) are the subject of much corporate and public interest today. Many enterprises are looking to get started with chatbot development initiatives to improve communication efficiency as well as reduce operating costs. Current research indicates constantly growing interest in this area and forecasts that 70% of office employees will interact with chatbots daily in 2022. This chapter reports on the challenges inherent in chatbot integration projects and identifies key operational factors for successful chatbot projects, as well as highlighting issues of strategic significance. Different technology adoption and project management models are explored, analysed, and applied in the context of chatbot implementation, and based on an in-depth case study, a model is put forward to aid the manageability of chatbot implementation in other similar environments.

MODERN TRENDS OF DESIGN, RESEARCH AND USE OF HYDRAULIC MACHINES IN DRIVES OF MECHANISMS AND TRANSMISSIONS (REVIEW ARTICLE)

The work is devoted to an overview of modern trends in the design, research and use of hydraulic machines in the drives of mechanisms and transmissions. The analysis of the use of hydromechanical transmissions has been carried out. The advantages and disadvantages of hydromechanical transmissions in comparison with mechanical ones are described. A brief overview of modern approaches to the design of new products, taking into account the existing information technologies, is carried out. We have analyzed modern software products designed to support the project at different stages of the product life cycle. It has been found that at the present time the appearance of individual variants of highly specialized software with a modern interface for synthesizing the structure of a designed product does not make it possible to solve the problems of synthesis and structural analysis of hydro-mechanical transmissions. A review of the analysis of operational factors affecting the fault tolerance and operating parameters of hydrostatic transmissions in general and hydromechanical transmission in particular is carried out. We have also considered the examples of technical solutions that allow to reduce the number of failures associated with the influence of one factor or another, as well as allow to reduce its influence on the parameters of the mechanism. The analysis of sources with information on the study of the parameters of hydrostatic transmissions using field tests or the mathematical apparatus developed by the authors is carried out. The ways of solving problems arising at the stages of design research are outlined. Keywords: design, hydrostatic transmission, hydromechanical transmission, influence of operational factors, synthesis

Investigation of the influence of operational factors on the heat-protective characteristics of a package of materials for firefighter combat clothing

The article is devoted to the assessment of the impact of operational factors on the heat-protective performance of a package of materials of firefighter's combat clothing. The paper considers the influence of high humidity, compression of a package of materials, the presence of reflective elements in a package of clothing materials. The operational factors of influence on the heat-protective indicators of the package of materials of the firefighter's combat clothing, which reduce the protective action time by more than 3 times, are determined. The paper notes that it is the humidity and compression of the package of materials that change the nature of heating, which is due to an increase in the thermal conductivity of the layers when these factors affect the porous material.

Analyzing the Factors Which Influence the Effectiveness of Railway Passenger Transport

Railway transport makes significant contributions to the economy of every country. Approximately 30 000 people are directly employed in this sector in Bulgaria, and the added value to the GDP amounts to approximately 2% (NSI, 2019а). Railway transport is crucial for a more sustainable transport sector, stable economic development, as well as social cohesion and connectivity of citizens. The article presents a study of the technical and operational factors for the work of railway transport as well as energy consumption during freights. The goal is to outline the way these indicators affect the stable development of railway transport and what their actual influence is in regard to carrying out railway passenger transport. The speed and energy efficiency of railway passenger transport have been analysed, as they will serve as the foundation for specific suggestions on how to carry out passenger transport in Bulgaria more effectively.

Turbid Water Treatment Using Deshelled Carica papaya Seed: Analysis Via Factorial Design

Natural coagulants are proven to be a good alternative to conventional coagulants with the removal of various pollutants and are environmentally friendly. Despite its advantages, the least studies were carried out on local agro-wastes such as papaya seeds as natural coagulants concerning different operational factors. The study analyzes the main and interactions effect between the coagulant dosage, initial turbidity, and pH on deshelled Carica papaya seeds for turbid water treatment. A 2-level factorial design was used to investigate the main and interaction effects of the main operational factors, viz. coagulant dosage (50-200 mg/L), pH (3-7), and initial turbidity (100-500 NTU) on the turbidity removal of the synthetic turbid water. Based on individual performance, the results suggested that initial turbidity and pH are the most significant factors among the investigated operational factors. In combination, all interactions are significant, but the interaction between initial turbidity and pH is most significant, with 97.2% turbidity removal. Upon application of Carica papaya seed as a natural coagulant in water and wastewater treatment, these operating variables and their interactions are best to be considered.

Evaluation of Pre-operational Factors Contributing to a Dorsal Column Stimulator Explantation

Objectives Implantation of a dorsal column stimulator (DCS) for axial spine and radicular pain is a commonly performed procedure. Despite the benefits of this device to reduce pain and improve quality of life, some patients elect to have the device explanted. The purpose of this study is to describe pre-operational factors among patients who elected to have their DCS explanted and how these factors are associated with reason for explantation. Materials and Methods We conducted a retrospective descriptive study using the database of a private outpatient orthopedic clinic. We included all patients who had a dorsal column stimulator explanted between January 1, 2007 and June 19, 2014. Data was collected on patient demographics, past medical and back surgery history, as well as details of implantation, permanent device implantation, and subsequent explantation. Reasons for explantation were categorized as: inadequate pain control using three categories (with no device-related pain/discomfort, with device-related pain/discomfort, or inadequate pain control and patient wants MRI), or pain resolved. Results A consecutive sample of 100 subjects who underwent explantation of a DCS was identified for review. Of these 100 subjects, 14 were excluded. Based on our data, we hypothesize that sex (57% female, 43% male) degenerative disc disease (72%), previous back surgery (70%), BMI classified as overweight (subject average = 28.3), history of tobacco usage (57%), and history of narcotic use (80%) may be potential risk factors for explantation. Conclusions With respect to clinical evaluation of patients as candidates for spinal cord stimulator implantation, we cannot recommend that any of the evaluated variables be considered a contraindication to proceeding with a trial procedure. Future studies are planned to compare these data to a control group of subjects to establish risk factors predisposing individuals to explantation of a DCS. Key words: DCS, neurostimulator, spine, pain, explantation