This paper describes a concept where products are equipped with agents that will assist in recycling and repairing the product. These so-called product agents represent the product in cyberspace and are capable to negotiate with other products in case of recycling or repair. Some product agents of broken products will offer spare parts, other agents will look for spare parts to repair a broken product. On the average this will enlarge the lifetime of a product and in some cases prevent wasting resources. Apart from reuse of spare parts these agents will also help to locate rare elements in a device, so these elements can be recycled more easily.
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OBJECTIVE: Optimal timing of palatal repair is still subject of discussion. Although literature provides some evidence that palatal closure prior to 6 months positively influence speech outcome in children with clefts, only few studies verified this hypothesis. The purpose of this study was to describe and compare articulation and resonance characteristics following early (≤6 months) and later (>6 months) palatal repair, performed using the Sommerlad technique. METHODS: Comparison was made between 12 Ugandan children with isolated cleft (lip and) palate following early palatal repair (mean age: 3.3 m) and 12 Belgian patients with later palatal repair (mean age: 11.1 m), matched for cleft type, age and gender. A Ugandan and Belgian age- and gender-matched control group without clefts was included to control for language, culture and other environmental factors. Articulation assessments consisted of consonant inventories and phonetic and phonological analyses that were based on consensus transcriptions. In addition, resonance was evaluated by perceptual consensus ratings and objective mean nasalance values. RESULTS: The Belgian and Ugandan control groups were comparable for the majority of the variables. Comparison of cleft palate groups revealed no clinically relevant significant group differences for consonant inventory or phonological processes. Phonetic analysis showed significantly more distortions in the Belgian cleft palate group due to higher occurrence frequencies for (inter)dental productions of apico-alveolar consonants. Neither perceptual consensus ratings of hypernasality, hyponasality, cul-de-sac resonance and nasal emission/turbulence, nor objective mean nasalance values for oral speech samples revealed significant group differences (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Articulation and resonance characteristics of young children following palatal repair before and after 6 months of age seem to be at least comparable.
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Background: Patients with Senning repair for complete transposition of the great arteries (d-TGA) show an impaired exercise tolerance. Our aim was to investigate changes in exercise capacity in children, adolescents and adults with Senning operation. Methods: Peak oxygen uptake (peak VO2), oxygen pulse and heart rate were assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPET) and compared to normal values. Rates of change were calculated by linear regression analysis. Right ventricular (RV) function was assessed by echocardiography. Results: Thirty-four patients (22 male) performed 3.5 (range 3–6) CPET with an interval of ≥ 6 months. Mean age at first assessment was 16.4 ± 4.27 years. Follow-up period averaged 6.8 ± 2 years. Exercise capacity was reduced (p<0.0005) and the decline of peak VO2 (−1.3 ± 3.7 %/year; p=0.015) and peak oxygen pulse (−1.4 ± 3.0 %/year; p=0.011) was larger than normal, especially before adulthood and in female patients (p<0.01). During adulthood, RV contractility changes were significantly correlated with the decline of peak oxygen pulse (r= −0.504; p=0.047). Conclusions: In patients with Senning operation for d-TGA, peak VO2 and peak oxygen pulse decrease faster with age compared to healthy controls. This decline is most obvious during childhood and adolescence, and suggests the inability to increase stroke volume to the same extent as healthy peers during growth. Peak VO2 and peak oxygen pulse remain relatively stable during early adulthood. However, when RV contractility decreases, a faster decline in peak oxygen pulse is observed
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Remanufacturing is a production practice that requires the work of producers, consumers, and the government. There are benefits associated with this production model, such as improving the environment, opportunities for cost savings, and others. However, it is essential to identify the factors that affect the possibility of acceptance of this production model. This research proposes a model based on different analysis methodologies and techniques of SEM (Structural Equations Modeling) and the method of PLS (Partial Least Squares). A total of 403 responses to the survey were collected from 1 November 2021 to 15 January 2022. For the data treatment, SPSS, Excel, and WarpPLS software were used to identify the variables, factors, and their direct and indirect effects among the latent variables, referring to a scheme focused on consumer perception based on the acquisition remanufactured products. This created model served as a reference to create and develop a design and repair strategy for White goods or similar products in handling, logistics, and repair. This design strategy was transformed into a business model based on a circular economy, particularly on a Product–Service System with social, economic, and environmental benefits for producers and consumers.
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Closing the loop of products and materials in Product Service Systems (PSS) can be approached by designers in several ways. One promising strategy is to invoke a greater sense of ownership of the products and materials that are used within a PSS. To develop and evaluate a design tool in the context of PSS, our case study focused on a bicycle sharing service. The central question was whether and how designers can be supported with a design tool, based on psychological ownership, to involve users in closing the loop activities. We developed a PSS design tool based on psychological ownership literature and implemented it in a range of design iterations. This resulted in ten design proposals and two implemented design interventions. To evaluate the design tool, 42 project members were interviewed about their design process. The design interventions were evaluated through site visits, an interview with the bicycle repairer responsible, and nine users of the bicycle service. We conclude that a psychological ownership-based design tool shows potential to contribute to closing the resource loop by allowing end users and service provider of PSS to collaborate on repair and maintenance activities. Our evaluation resulted in suggestions for revising the psychological ownership design tool, including adding ‘Giving Feedback’ to the list of affordances, prioritizing ‘Enabling’ and ‘Simplification’ over others and recognize a reciprocal relationship between service provider and service user when closing the loop activities.
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The present study aims at understanding and addressing certain challenges of automation of composite repairs. This research is part of a larger, SIA-RAAK funded project FIXAR, running in three Universities of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands and a cluster of knowledge institutions and industry partners.The approach followed in the current study, consists of three steps. First, the identification of the feasibility and most promising procedures for automated composite repair by analysis of current state-of-the-art methods as prescribed by OEMs and standards. Processes which are tedious or even contain health risks may qualify for automation. Second, a comparison of curing alternatives for composite repairs is made, by means of the creation and testing of specimen using different curing strategies. Lastly, a benchmark test of human made composite repairs is used in order to set a reference baseline for automation quality. This benchmark can be then applied to define a lower limit and prevent over-optimization. The employed methodology includes data collection, analysis, modelling and experiments.
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The purpose of the present case control study was to assess parental satisfaction with speech and facial appearance in Ugandan children with complete unilateral or bilateral cleft lip and palate (CLP), who underwent a synchronous lip and palatal closure. The results are compared with an age- and gender-matched control group. The experimental group consisted of the parents or guardians of 44 Ugandan patients (21 males, 23 females) with complete unilateral or bilateral CLP (mean age: 3;1 years). The control group included the foster mothers of 44 orphan children matched by age and gender (mean age: 3;7 years). A survey based on the Cleft Evaluation Profile was used to assess the perceived satisfaction for individual features related to cleft care. Overall high levels of satisfaction were observed in the experimental group for all features (range: 56-100%). No significant differences could be established regarding age, gender, age of lip and palatal closure, cleft type or maternal vs. paternal judgments. In participants who were dissatisfied with the appearance of the lip, the time period between the cleft closure and the survey was significantly larger compared with satisfied participants. Furthermore, significantly lower levels of satisfaction were observed in the cleft group for speech and the appearance of the teeth and the nose compared with the control group. Satisfaction with speech and facial appearance in Ugandan children with cleft lip and/or palate is important since normal esthetics and speech predominantly determine the children's social acceptance in the Ugandan society. LEARNING OUTCOMES: As a result of reading this manuscript, the reader will be able to explain the attitudes of parents toward the surgical repair of their children's cleft lip and palate. As a result of reading this manuscript, the reader will be able to identify differences in parental attitudes toward synchronous lip and palate repair.
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This paper presents the findings from a ‘Safety Differently’ (SD) case study in aviation, and specifically in a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organisation in Southeast Asia. The goal of the case study was to apply a new method of safety intervention that is part of the Safety Differently toolkit and utilises a bottom-up approach. This research tested the extent to which these interventions could be embedded into a continuous improvement program in a highly controlled environment, namely an Aviation MRO. The interventions (called micro-experiments, ME) are considered as a flexible tool, which allows testing of process improvements in a safe to fail way, empowering the lower levels of the organisation, challenging safety related issues and revealing key areas in need of transformation. The ideas for the interventions considered in the case study were retrieved from interviews conducted with 50 mechanics, and include issues to address aviation safety and occupational health as well as quality. We elected to include all three categories in this study as the ME approach is applicable to all of these. This MRO case study showcases the benefits and limitations of the ME in aviation, revealing the conditions under which it may become useful. Future studies should further explore the role of complex and heavily controlled industries in similar bottom up approaches, so that interventions can become part of a continuous improvement plan.
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As a logical consequence of the advancements in automation of production of composite aircraft structures, more attention is paid to the automation of maintenance. Current repair procedures involve manual labour and exposure to harmful particles (such as dust, vapours) while final quality and evidencing depends largely on the skills of repair technicians. The current study aims to automate composite repair procedures for the aviation sector with the objective to counter these disadvantages. Main research question: ‘What is required for a robot system to assist in composite repairs’This research is part of a larger, SIA-RAAK funded project FIXAR, running in three Universities of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands and a cluster of knowledge institutions and industry partners.In the repair process of aircraft structures, repair by means of scarf or lap joints is common practice. First paint layers must be removed to inspect the area and prepare for further repair. Then damaged material is removed. Material is replaced and the repair is finished and painted. Tasks within the repair process that are considered dull or harmful are sanding and material removal. Current investigation focussed on automation of these tasks.
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The aim of this paper is to show the benefits of enhancing classic Risk Based Inspection (without fatigue monitoring data) with an Advisory Hull Monitoring System (AHMS) to monitor and justify lifetime consumption to provide more thorough grounds for operational, inspection, repair and maintenance decisions whilst demonstrating regulatory compliance.
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