Sustainability Aspects of a Digitalized Industry – A Comparative Study from China and Germany

Grischa Beier,Silke Niehoff,Tilla Ziems,Bing Xue 한국정밀공학회 2017 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.4 No.2

Industrial production is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation, leading towards a digitalized and interconnected industrial production, which is subsumed under the term Industrial Internet (of Things) or Industrie 4.0. This paper discusses the changes that digitalization is expected to bring about in the industrial sector by comparing a highly industrialized (Germany) with a major emerging industrial economy (China). We conducted two empirical surveys asking manufacturing companies from different sectors in Germany and China respectively, how they expect the digitalization of their processes will affect them. Both questionnaires addressed the future of work in production and the future of production itself. The main contribution of this paper is its empirical investigation of how the digitalization of industry is likely to affect sustainability aspects of manufacturing companies in two countries with very different industrial structures. Our findings suggest that this transformation will not only impact the ecological dimension (resource efficiency, renewable energy), but that the technical transformation is likely to be accompanied by social transformations. The findings of this paper will help decision-makers in the political sphere to anticipate and shape pathways towards a more sustainable future in the industrial sector.

Machine learning approaches for forest classification and change analysis using multi-temporal Landsat TM images over Huntington Wildlife Forest

Li, Manqi,Im, Jungho,Beier, Colin Informa UK (TaylorFrancis) 2013 GIScience & remote sensing Vol.50 No.4

Combining Life Cycle Assessment and Manufacturing System Simulation: Evaluating Dynamic Impacts from Renewable Energy Supply on Product-Specific Environmental Footprints

Jan-Markus Rödger,Jan Beier,Malte Schönemann,Christine Schulze,Sebastian Thiede,Niki Bey,Christoph Herrmann,Michael Z. Hauschil 한국정밀공학회 2021 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.8 No.3

The eco-efficiency of actual production processes is still one dominating research area in engineering. However, neglecting the environmental impacts of production equipment, technical building services and energy supply might lead to sub-optimization or burden-shifting and thus reduced effectiveness. As an established method used in sustainability management, Life Cycle Assessment aims at calculating the environmental impacts from all life cycle stages of a product or system. In order to cope with shortcomings of the static character of life cycle models and data gaps this approach combines Life Cycle Assessment with manufacturing system simulation. Therefore, the two life cycles of product and production system are merged to assess environmental sustainability on product level. Manufacturing simulation covers the production system and Life Cycle Assessment is needed to relate the results to the final product. This combined approach highlights the influences from dynamic effects in manufacturing systems on resulting life cycle impact from both product and production system. Furthermore, the importance of considering indirect peripheral equipment and its effects on the manufacturing system operation in terms of output and energy demands is underlined. The environmental flows are converted into impacts for the five recommended environmental impact categories. Thus, it can be demonstrate that Life Cycle Assessment can enhance the process simulation and help identify hot-spots along the life cycle. The combined methodology is applied for analysing a case study in fourteen scenarios for the integration of volatile energy sources into energy flexible manufacturing control.

Identification and quantification of erosion on a sand tailings dam

Slingerland N.,Sommerville A.,O’Leary D.,Beier N.A. 한국자원공학회 2020 Geosystem engineering Vol.23 No.3

The Athabasca oil sands (AOS) mining region is home to some of the largest sand tailings dams on earth. Each of these is expected to be converted to stable landforms, delicensed as dams, and reclaimed. This project sought to identify, quantify, determine cause of erosion on an active sand tailings dam in the AOS, and to quantify the soil loss using remote techniques that might be used in monitoring long-term performance. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data were assessed in the form of 1-m contours, and digital stereo aerial photography was viewed in three dimensions at scales of 1:750 or greater using PurVIEW and ArcGIS softwares. Water and wind erosion were found to be altering the tailings dams. Over 190 gullies and earth flows were identified, causing an estimated loss of over 14,800 m3 of sand tailings: a substantial sum considering the regular maintenance the dams receive. Both LiDAR data and digital stereo aerial photography are shown to deliver different, yet essential, performance information for use throughout post-closure monitoring phases. These tools provide a safe and efficient approach for regulators and dam owners to monitor, assess, and quantify tailings dam/landform performance such that decisions may be made systematically regarding reclamation certification.

Role of interleukin-10 in endochondral bone formation

Kim, G.,Jung, Y.K.,Park, H.R.,Lee, E.J.,Choi, J.Y.,Beier, F.,Han, S.W. Published for the Society by Baillère Tinda 2013 Osteoarthritis and cartilage Vol.21 No.suppl

New Antisense RNA Systems Targeted Against Plant Pathogens

Matousek, J.,Vrba, L.,Kuchar, M.,Pavingerova, D.,Orctova, L.,Ptacek, J.,Schubert, J.,Steger, G.,Beier, H.,Riesner, D. The Korean Society of Plant Biotechnology 2000 식물생명공학회지 Vol.27 No.5

tRNA and 7SL RNA based antisense vehicles were prepared by inserting conserved anti-viral and anti-viroid domains. Anti-PVS coat protein leader sequence (ACPL) and antistructural antihairpin domain of PSTVd (AHII) were inserted in tRNA cassette; anti- zing finger domain of PVS, AHII and anti hop latent viroid ribozyme were inserted in 7SL RNA gene isolated from A. thaliana. These constructs were shown to be transcribed both, in in vitro and in in vivo conditions. However, it followed from our work that closely linked position of PoIII reference genes and PoIIII antisense genes within T-DNA lead to the impairment of RNA expression in transgenic plants. To assay in vivo transcription of antisense genes, hairy root potato cultures were established using h. tumefaciens A4-24 bearing both, Ri plasmid and PoIII-promoterless plant expression vectors with antisense RNA genes. Expression of antisense RNA in transgenic potato tissues was proven by specific RT-PCR reactions.

CXC chemokine ligand 12a enhances chondrocyte proliferation and maturation during endochondral bone formation

Kim, G.W.,Han, M.S.,Park, H.R.,Lee, E.J.,Jung, Y.K.,Usmani, S.E.,Ulici, V.,Han, S.W.,Beier, F. Published for the Society by Baillère Tinda 2015 OSTEOARTHRITIS AND CARTILAGE Vol.23 No.6

Objective: We investigated the roles of CXC chemokine ligand 12a (CXCL12a), also known as stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α), in endochondral bone growth, which can give us important clues to understand the role of CXCL12a in osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: Primary chondrocytes and tibial explants from embryonic 15.5 day-old mice were cultured with recombinant mouse CXCL12a. To assess the role of CXCL12a in chondrogenic differentiation, we conducted mesenchymal cell micromass culture. Results: In tibia organ cultures, CXCL12a increased total bone length in a dose-dependent manner through proportional effects on cartilage and bone. In accordance with increased length, CXCL12a increased the protein level of proliferation markers, such as cyclin D1 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), in primary chondrocytes as well as in tibia organ culture. In addition, CXCL12a increased the expression of Runx2, Col10 and MMP13 in primary chondrocytes and tibia organ culture system, implying a role of CXCL12a in chondrocyte maturation. Micromass cultures of limb-bud mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs) revealed that CXCL12a has a limited effect on early chondrogenesis, but significantly promoted maturation of chondrocytes. CXCL12a induced the phosphorylation of p38 and Erk½ MAP kinases and IκB. The increased expression of cyclin D1 by CXCL12a was significantly attenuated by inhibitors of MEK1 and NF-κB. On the other hand, p38 and Erk½ MAP kinase and NF-κB signaling were associated with CXCL12a-induced expression of Runx2 and MMP13, the marker of chondrocyte maturation. Conclusion: CXCL12a promoted the proliferation and maturation of chondrocytes, which strongly suggest that CXCL12a may have a negative effect on articular cartilage and contribute to OA progression.

Dicam promotes proliferation and maturation of chondrocyte through Indian hedgehog signaling in primary cilia

Han, S.,Park, H.-R.,Lee, E.-J.,Jang, J.-A.,Han, M.-S.,Kim, G.-W.,Jeong, J.-H.,Choi, J.-Y.,Beier, F.,Jung, Y.-K. Elsevier 2018 OSTEOARTHRITIS AND CARTILAGE Vol.26 No.7

<P><B>Summary</B></P> <P><B>Objectives</B></P> <P>Primary cilium is required for mechano-biological signal transduction in chondrocytes, and its interaction with extracellular matrix is critical for cartilage homeostasis. However, the role of cilia-associated proteins that affect the function of cilia remains to be elucidated. Here, we show that Dicam has a novel function as a modulator of primary cilia-mediated Indian hedgehog (Ihh) signaling in chondrocytes.</P> <P><B>Methods</B></P> <P>Cartilage-specific Dicam transgenic mouse was constructed and the phenotype of growth plates at embryonic day 15.5 and 18.5 was analyzed. Primary chondrocytes and tibiae isolated from embryonic day 15.5 mice were used <I>in vitro</I> study.</P> <P><B>Results</B></P> <P>Dicam was mainly expressed in resting and proliferating chondrocytes of the growth plate and was increased by PTHrP and BMP2 in primary chondrocytes. Cartilage-specific Dicam gain-of-function demonstrated increased length of growth plate in long bones. Dicam enhanced both proliferation and maturation of growth plate chondrocytes <I>in vivo</I> and <I>in vitro</I>, and it was accompanied by enhanced Ihh and PTHrP signaling. Dicam was localized to primary cilia of chondrocytes, and increased the number of primary cilia and their assembly molecule, IFT88/Polaris as well. Dicam successfully rescued the knock-down phenotype of IFT88/Polaris and it was accompanied by increased number of cilia in tibia organ culture.</P> <P><B>Conclusion</B></P> <P>These findings suggest that Dicam positively regulates primary cilia and Ihh signaling resulting in elongation of long bone.</P>