Modelling information requirements in complex engineering services

Services based around complex engineering equipment and systems provide substantial challenges in both the long-term management of the equipment and the need for guaranteed delivery of the related service. One of the challenges for an organisation providing these services is the management of the information that is required to design, deliver and subsequently assess the success of the service. To assist in this process this paper develops a model for capturing, organising and assessing information requirements for these Complex Engineering Services in which information required to support key decisions in the life cycle of the service is identified. The model – referred to as The 12-Box Model for Service Information Requirements – is embedded in a three-phase procedure for providing an assessment of information requirements of a service contract which also provides insight into the capabilities of available information systems in supporting the contract. An illustrative example examining service information in an aircraft availability contract is used to demonstrate the use of the 12-Box Model and associated assessment procedure.

The Impact of Contract Type on Service Provider Information Requirements

This paper is concerned with the role of information in the servitization of manufacturing which has led to “the innovation of an organisation’s capabilities and processes as equipment manufacturers seek to offer services around their products” (Neely 2009, Baines et al 2009). This evolution has resulted in an information requirement (IR) shift as companies move from discrete provision of equipment and spare parts to long-term service contracts guaranteeing prescribed performance levels. Organisations providing such services depend on a very high level of availability and quality of information throughout the service life-cycle (Menor et al 2002). This work focuses on whether, for a proposed contract based around complex equipment, the Information System is capable of providing information at an acceptable quality and requires the IRs to be examined in a formal manner. We apply a service information framework (Cuthbert et al 2008, McFarlane & Cuthbert 2012) to methodically assess IRs for different contract types to understand the information gap between them. Results from case examples indicate that this gap includes information required for the different contract types and a set of contract-specific IRs. Furthermore, the control, ownership and use of information differs across contract types as the boundary of operation and responsibility changes.

The flow of steel into the construction sector

Half of the world's annual production of steel is used in constructing buildings and infrastructure. Producing this steel causes significant amounts of carbon dioxide to be released into the atmosphere. Climate change experts recommend this amount be halved by 2050; however steel demand is predicted to have doubled by this date. As process efficiency improvements will not reach the required 75% reduction in emissions per unit steel output, new methods must be examined to deliver service using less steel production. To apply such methods successfully to construction, it must first be known where steel is used currently within the industry. This information is not available so a methodology is proposed to estimate it from known data. Results are presented for steel flows by product for ten construction sectors for both the UK and the world in 2006. An estimate for steel use within a 'typical' building is also published for the first time. Industrial buildings and utility infrastructure are identified as the largest end-uses of steel, while superstructure is confirmed as the main use of steel in a building. The results highlight discrepancies in previous steel estimates and life-cycle assessments, and will inform future research on lowering demand for steel, hence reducing carbon emissions. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Comparative Review of existing data and methodologies for calculating embodied energy and carbon of buildings

In the Climate Change Act of 2008 the UK Government pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. As one step towards this, regulations are being introduced requiring all new buildings to be ‘zero carbon’ by 2019. These are defined as buildingswhichemitnetzerocarbonduringtheiroperationallifetime.However,inordertomeetthe80%targetitisnecessary to reduce the carbon emitted during the whole life-cycle of buildings, including that emitted during the processes of construction. These elements make up the ‘embodied carbon’ of the building. While there are no regulations yet in place to restrictembodiedcarbon,anumberofdifferentapproacheshavebeenmade.Thereareseveralexistingdatabasesofembodied carbonandembodiedenergy.Mostprovidedataforthematerialextractionandmanufacturingonly,the‘cradletofactorygate’ phase. In addition to the databases, various software tools have been developed to calculate embodied energy and carbon of individual buildings. A third source of data comes from the research literature, in which individual life cycle analyses of buildings are reported. This paper provides a comprehensive review, comparing and assessing data sources, boundaries and methodologies. The paper concludes that the wide variations in these aspects produce incomparable results. It highlights the areas where existing data is reliable, and where new data and more precise methods are needed. This comprehensive review will guide the future development of a consistent and transparent database and software tool to calculate the embodied energy and carbon of buildings.

A method and tool for 'cradle to grave' embodied carbon and energy impacts of UK buildings in compliance with the new TC350 standards

As operational impacts from buildings are reduced, embodied impacts are increasing. However, the latter are seldom calculated in the UK; when they are, they tend to be calculated after the building has been constructed, or are underestimated by considering only the initial materials stage. In 2010, the UK Government recommended that a standard methodology for calculating embodied impacts of buildings be developed for early stage design decisions. This was followed in 2011-12 by the publication of the European TC350 standards defining the 'cradle to grave' impact of buildings and products through a process Life Cycle Analysis. This paper describes a new whole life embodied carbon and energy of buildings (ECEB) tool, designed as a usable empirical-based approach for early stage design decisions for UK buildings. The tool complies where possible with the TC350 standards. Initial results for a simple masonry construction dwelling are given in terms of the percentage contribution of each life cycle stage. The main difficulty in obtaining these results is found to be the lack of data, and the paper suggests that the construction and manufacturing industries now have a responsibility to develop new data in order to support this task. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of consumer goods by influencing stakeholders

Consumer goods contribute to anthropogenic climate change across their product life cycles through carbon emissions arising from raw materials extraction, processing, logistics, retail and storage, through to consumer use and disposal. How can consumer goods manufacturers make stepwise reductions in their product life cycle carbon emissions by engaging with, and influencing their main stakeholders? A semi-structured interview approach was used: to identify strategies and actions, stakeholders in the consumer goods industry (suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and NGOs) were interviewed about carbon emissions reduction projects. Based on this, a summarising presentation was made, which was shared during a second round of interviews to validate and refine the results. The results demonstrate several opportunities that have not yet been exploited by companies. These include editing product choice in stores to remove products with higher carbon footprints, using marketing competences for environmental benefits, and bundling competences to create winewinewin business models. Governments and NGOs have important enabling roles to accelerate industry change. Although this work was initially developed to explore how companies can reduce life cycle carbon emissions of their products, these strategies and actions also give insights on how companies can influence and anticipate stakeholder actions in general. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evolutionary Conservation of Dazl Genomic Organization and its Continuous and Dynamic Distribution Throughout Germline Development in Gynogenetic Gibel Carp

To investigate germline development and germ cell specification, we identified a Dazl homolog (CagDazl) from gynogenetic gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio). Its cDNA sequence and BAC clone sequence analyses revealed the genomic organization conservation and conserved synteny of the Dazl family members and their neighborhood genes among vertebrates, especially in fish. Moreover, a polyclonal antibody specific to CagDazl was produced and used to examine its expression and distribution throughout germline development at protein level. Firstly, ovary-specific expression pattern of CagDazl was confirmed in adult tissues by RT-PCR and Western blot. In addition, in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence localization demonstrated its specific expression in germ cells, and both its transcript and protein were localized to germ plasm. Then, co-localization of CagDazl and mitochondrial cloud was found, confirming that CagDazl transcript and its protein are germ plasm component and move via METRO pathway during oogenesis. Furthermore, the CagDazl is abundant and continuous throughout germline development and germ cell specification including primordial germ cell (PGC) formation, oogonium differentiation, oocyte development, and embryogenesis, and the dynamic distribution occurs at different development stages. The data suggest that maternal CagDazl might play an important role in gibel carp PGC formation. Therefore, CagDazl is a useful and specific marker for tracing germ plasm and germ cell development in the gynogenetic gibel carp. In addition, in comparison with previous studies in sexual reproduction species, the continuous and dynamic distribution of CagDazl protein in the germ plasm throughout the life cycle seems to have significant implication in sex evolution of vertebrates. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Deu. Euol.) 312B:855-871, 2009. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Cytochemical changes in the developmental process of Nostoc sphaeroides (cyanobacterium)

There are several apparent developmental stages in the life cycle of Nostoc sphaeroides Kutzing, an edible cyanobacterium found mainly in paddy fields in central China. The cytochemical changes in developmental stages such as hormogonia, aseriate stage, filamentous stage and colony in N. sphaeroides were examined using fluorescent staining and colorimetric methods. The staining of acidic and sulfated polysaccharides increased with development when hormogonia were used as the starting point. Acidic polysaccharides (AP) were most abundant at the aseriate stage and then decreased, while the sulfated polysaccharides (SP) were highest at the colony stage. Quantitatively, along the developmental process from hormogonia to colony, total carbohydrates first increased, then became stable, and then reached their highest level at the colony stage, while reducing sugars were highest at the hormogonia stage and then decreased sharply once development began. SP were not detectable in the hot water soluble polysaccharides (HWSP), and hormogonia had the lowest content of AP, while old colonies had the highest. The AP content of the aseriate stage, filamentous stage and young colony stage were very similar. The evolutionary relationships reflected in the developmental stages of N. sphaeroides are discussed.

Enhanced protection against oxidative stress in an astaxanthin-overproduction Haematococcus mutant (Chlorophyceae)

Many unicellular green algae can become yellow or red in various natural habitats due to mass accumulation of a secondary carotenoid, such as lutein, or astaxanthin. The accumulation of secondary carotenoids is generally thought to be a survival strategy of the algae under photo-oxidative stress or other adverse environmental conditions. The physiological role of the carotenoids in stress response is less well understood at the subcellular or molecular level. In this study, a stable astaxanthin overproduction mutant (MT 2877) was isolated by chemical mutagenesis of a wild type (WT) of the green microalga Haematococcus pluvialis Flotow NIES-144. MT 2877 was identical to the WT with respect to morphology, pigment composition, and growth kinetics during the early vegetative stage of the life cycle. However, it had the ability to synthesize and accumulate about twice the astaxanthin content of the WT under high light, or under high light in the presence of excess amounts of ferrous sulphate and sodium acetate. Under stress, the mutant exhibited higher photosynthetic activities than the WT, based on considerably higher chlorophyll fluorescence induction, chlorophyll autofluorescence intensities, and oxygen evolution rates. Cell mortality caused by stress was reduced by half in the mutant culture compared with the WT. Enhanced protection of the mutant against stress is attributed to its accelerated carotenogenesis and accumulation of astaxanthin. Our results suggest that MT 2877, or other astaxanthin overproduction Haematococcus mutants, may offer dual benefits, as compared with the wild type, by increasing cellular astaxanthin content while reducing cell mortality during stress-induced carotenogenesis.

Sustainability: A new imperative in contaminated land remediation

Land is not only a critical component of the earth's life support system, but also a precious resource and an important factor of production in economic systems. However, historical industrial operations have resulted in large areas of contaminated land that are only slowly being remediated. In recent years, sustainability has drawn increasing attention in the environmental remediation field. In Europe, there has been a movement towards sustainable land management; and in the US, there is an urge for green remediation. Based on a questionnaire survey and a review of existing theories and empirical evidence, this paper suggests the expanding emphasis on sustainable remediation is driven by three general factors: (1) increased recognition of secondary environmental impacts (e.g., life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, energy consumption, and waste production) from remediation operations, (2) stakeholders' demand for economically sustainable brownfield remediation and "green" practices, and (3) institutional pressures (e.g., social norm and public policy) that promote sustainable practices (e.g., renewable energy, green building, and waste recycling). This paper further argues that the rise of the "sustainable remediation" concept represents a critical intervention point from where the remediation field will be reshaped and new norms and standards will be established for practitioners to follow in future years. This paper presents a holistic view of sustainability considerations in remediation, and an integrated framework for sustainability assessment and decision making. The paper concludes that "sustainability" is becoming a new imperative in the environmental remediation field, with important implications for regulators, liability owners, consultants, contractors, and technology vendors. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Integrating design attributes, knowledge and uncertainty in aerospace sector

The delivery of integrated product and service solutions is growing in the aerospace industry, driven by the potential of increasing profits. Such solutions require a life cycle view at the design phase in order to support the delivery of the equipment. The influence of uncertainty associated with design for services is increasingly a challenge due to information and knowledge constraints. There is a lack of frameworks that aim to define and quantify relationship between information and knowledge with uncertainty. Driven by this gap, the paper presents a framework to illustrate the link between uncertainty and knowledge within the design context for services in the aerospace industry. The paper combines industrial interaction and literature review to initially define the design attributes, the associated knowledge requirements and the uncertainties experienced. The framework is then applied in three cases through development of causal loop models (CLMs), which are validated by industrial and academic experts. The concepts and inter-linkages are developed with the intention of developing a software prototype. Future recommendations are also included. © 2014 CIRP.

Re-engineering Manufacturing for Sustainability

This edited volume presents the proceedings of the 20th CIRP LCE Conference, which cover various areas in life cycle engineering such as life cycle design, end-of-life management, manufacturing processes, manufacturing systems, methods and ...

Vitellogenin in rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus): identification and induction by waterborne diethylstilbestrol

Rare minnow (Gobiocypris rarus) is a tiny Chinese carp that has a short life cycle and is easily cultured in the laboratory. In this study, juvenile rare minnows were exposed to waterborne diethylstilbestrol (DES) at 0.05, 0.5 and 5 mug/l in laboratory aquaria. After exposure for 4, 8, 13 and 21 days, juvenile fish were collected and vitellogenin (Vtg) was measured in whole body homogenates. Native and SDS electrophoresis followed by Western blotting were performed for Vtg identification, and a non-competitive ELISA was developed. In the DES exposure groups (0.5 and 5 mug/l DES), Vtg appeared after 4 days, increased significantly after 8 days and reached a maximum on day 13. Further, a significant increase in the hepatosomatic index (HSI) was found in the 5 mug/l DES exposure group after 21 days. These results indicate that rare minnow provides a good model for assessing endocrine disruption by environmental estrogens. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Seasonal occurrence of Dollfustrema vaneyi (Digenea : Bucephalidae) metacercariae in the bullhead catfish Pseudobagrus fulvidraco in a reservoir in China

The seasonal population dynamics of metacercariae of the bucephalid Dollfustrema vaneyi (Tseng, 1930) Echmann, 1934 in the bullhead catfish Pseudobagrus fulvidraco (Richardson) were investigated in Jiangkou reservoir, Jiangxi Province, east China, during the period from April 1990 to August 1991. In total, 523 fish were obtained, and the overall prevalence of the metacercariae was 89.87 % and mean abundance 136.25 +/- 308.09 (mean +/- SD). A pattern of seasonal changes in prevalence and mean abundance was observed, with higher levels of metacercariae infection in late spring and summer. An analysis of the distribution of D. vaneyi in different organs of P. fulvidraco suggested that the eyes might be a suitable location for the parasite. Furthermore, the possible role of metacercariae in bullhead catfish was discussed in relation to the life cycle of this parasite.