A variety of organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and plants, produce secondary metabolites, also known as natural products. Natural products have been a prolific source and an inspiration for ...numerous medical agents with widely divergent chemical structures and biological activities, including antimicrobial, immunosuppressive, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory activities, many of which have been developed as treatments and have potential therapeutic applications for human diseases. Aside from natural products, the recent development of recombinant DNA technology has sparked the development of a wide array of biopharmaceutical products, such as recombinant proteins, offering significant advances in treating a broad spectrum of medical illnesses and conditions. Herein, we will introduce the structures and diverse biological activities of natural products and recombinant proteins that have been exploited as valuable molecules in medicine, agriculture and insect control. In addition, we will explore past and ongoing efforts along with achievements in the development of robust and promising microorganisms as cell factories to produce biologically active molecules. Furthermore, we will review multi-disciplinary and comprehensive engineering approaches directed at improving yields of microbial production of natural products and proteins and generating novel molecules. Throughout this article, we will suggest ways in which microbial-derived biologically active molecular entities and their analogs could continue to inspire the development of new therapeutic agents in academia and industry.
It is highly possible to obtain high-quality microbial products in appreciable amounts, as aerospace technology is advancing continuously. Genome-wide genetic variations in microorganisms can be ...triggered by space microgravity and radiation. Mutation rate is high, mutant range is wide, and final mutant character is stable. Therefore, space microorganism breeding is growing to be a new and promising area in microbial science and has greatly propelled the development of fermentation technology. Numerous studies have discovered the following improvements of fermentation potential in microorganisms after exposure to space: (1) reduction in fermentation cycle and increase in growth rate; (2) improvement of mixed fermentation species; (3) increase in bacterial conjugation efficiency and motility; (4) improvement of the bioactivity of various key enzymes and product quality; (5) enhancement of multiple adverse stress resistance; (6) improvement of fermentation metabolites, flavor, appearance, and stability. Aerospace fermentation technology predominantly contributes to bioprocessing in a microgravity environment. Unlike terrestrial fermentation, aerospace fermentation keeps cells suspended in the fluid medium without significant shear forces. Space radiation and microgravity have physical, chemical, and biological effects on mutant microorganisms by causing alternation in fluid dynamics and genome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome levels.
Amid the changes brought about by the 4th Industrial Revolution, numerous studies have been undertaken to develop smart factories, with a strong emphasis on knowledge-based manufacturing through ...smart factory construction. Advances in manufacturing data collection, fusion, and mining technologies have significantly bolstered the utilization of knowledge-based manufacturing. Data mining technology is widely employed for facility maintenance and failure prediction. Smart factory operations are pursuing automation and autonomization. Automation of production planning is also essential to achieve automation and autonomy in factory operations, from planning to execution. With the advancement of data mining technology, it is possible to automate production planning for the production planning and prediction of future production through information based on current conditions based on the past. The baseline information generated based on the current situation is suitable for automating short-term operational planning. If we generate time series reference information based on data from the past to the present, we can also automate long-term operation planning. By measuring the results of productivity improvements in mass-produced products from the past to the present and extrapolating them to future products, time series baseline information on production time is generated. If the baseline information is used for long-term planning, it can be used to predict future production capacity and facility shortages. This study presents a methodology and utilization method for calculating the rate of change in production time, which can be applied to production plan prediction and equipment investment capacity forecasting in future factory operations, using historical time series production time data.
1-Hydroxyphenazine derivatives are phenazine family chemicals with broad-spectrum antibacterial and potential biological activities. However, the lack of variety and low titer hinder their ...applications. In this research, three enzymes PhzS (monooxygenase), NaphzNO1 (
-monooxygenase), and LaphzM (methyltransferase) were heterologously expressed in a phenazine-1-carboxylic acid generating strain
H18. Four phenazines, 1-hydroxyphenazine, 1-methoxyphenazine, 1-hydroxyphenazine
' 10-oxide, and a novel phenazine derivative 1-methoxyphenazine
' 10-oxide, were isolated, characterized in the genetically modified strains, and exhibited excellent antimicrobial activities. Next, we verified the hydroxyl methylation activity of LaphzM and elucidated the biosynthetic pathway of 1-methoxyphenazine
' 10-oxide
. Moreover, the titer of 1-hydroxyphenazine derivatives was engineered. The three compounds 1-methoxyphenazine, 1-hydroxyphenazine
' 10-oxide, and 1-methoxyphenazine
' 10-oxide all reach the highest titer reported to date. This work provides a promising platform for phenazine derivatives' combinatorial biosynthesis and engineering.
Exoskeletons Fox, Stephen; Aranko, Olli; Heilala, Juhani ...
Journal of manufacturing technology management,
11/2020, Letnik:
31, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Purpose
Exoskeletons are mechanical structures that humans can wear to increase their strength and endurance. The purpose of this paper is to explain how exoskeletons can be used to improve ...performance across five phases of manufacturing.
Design/methodology/approach
Multivocal literature review, encompassing scientific literature and the grey literature of online reports, etc., to inform comprehensive, comparative and critical analyses of the potential of exoskeletons to improve manufacturing performance.
Findings
There are at least eight different types of exoskeletons that can be used to improve human strength and endurance in manual work during different phases of production. However, exoskeletons can have the unintended negative consequence of reducing human flexibility leading to new sources of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) and accidents.
Research limitations/implications
Findings are relevant to function allocation research concerned with manual production work. In particular, exoskeletons could exacerbate the traditional trade-off between human flexibility and robot consistency by making human workers less flexible.
Practical implications
The introduction of exoskeletons requires careful health and safety planning if exoskeletons are to improve human strength and endurance without introducing new sources of MSD and accidents.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper is that it provides detailed information about a new manufacturing technology: exoskeletons. The value of this paper is that it provides information that is comprehensive, comparative and critical about exoskeletons as a potential alternative to robotics across five phases of manufacturing.
Purpose - This research paper aims to: explore areas of weakness in six sigma implementations that may require enhancements in the methodology; to investigate implementation differences between ...manufacturing and services; and to investigate critical success factors.Design methodology approach - Exploratory empirical evidence is presented from nine case study companies in Thailand, including manufacturers, sales and service companies and a national airline.Findings - Key findings include: six sigma is more appropriate for high risk, complicated, large-scale and cross functional projects; the six sigma methodology could be enhanced to ensure that projects are aligned to company goals; the evidence questions standard text book advice that a "Black Belt" (BB) should have a full time role, as a part-time BB role can be more realistic particularly in a small company and the training materials available need to be improved to be more appropriate for service operations.Research limitations implications - The main research limitation is in the number of companies studied and the restriction to companies located in Thailand. In addition, the research is exploratory and future research is needed to look at the issues raised in depth.Practical implications - All of the findings have practical implications. For example, the conclusion on the nature of the BB role is seen as a key issue for successful use of six sigma in small businesses.Originality value - Six sigma has been widely used in industry, but there has been limited rigorous academic research. This paper seeks to identify a series of issues worthy of further attention from the academic community using a rigorous research approach.
The S-Curve Effect of Lean Implementation Netland, Torbjørn H.; Ferdows, Kasra
Production and operations management,
June 2016, Letnik:
25, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
There is currently no theory that explains the pattern of change in a plant's performance as it implements a lean program. Does it improve at a declining, increasing, or constant rate, or in some ...other pattern? We use empirical data from the implementation of the Volvo Group's lean program worldwide to develop a grounded theory to explain this pattern. We find that the pattern roughly follows an S‐curve shape: as a plant progresses in its implementation of lean production, its operational performance improves slowly first, then grows rapidly, and finally tapers off. The initial stage can be characterized by “exploration”, during which the plant is essentially discovering and experimenting with lean principles, and the later stages by “exploitation”, during which the plant is realizing their benefits. We derive the grounded theory from quantitative internal company data and find additional qualitative support for it from our visits to 45 Volvo plants on 5 continents and 210 interviews with employees in these plants and Volvo headquarters. The S‐shape pattern has important implications. Practitioners must assess a plant's maturity in lean implementation and adjust their targets, action plans, and expectations accordingly. Scholars must take the position of the plant on the S‐curve into consideration when they analyze the impact of lean programs.
Objective: This study aims to identify waste and its causes in the production process and provide suggestions for improvement.
Design/Methods/Approach: The author uses a qualitative research method ...approach to obtain research data. The author identifies the waste that occurs using Value Stream Mapping (VSM). Identify waste in the coffee bean production process using structured question weighting and direct interviews with several parties related to the production process, including the café owner, production manager, head barista, and two baristas in the production section.
Findings: The waste causes that occur in the identified coffee production process are waiting time due to the first stage sorting process still using hands manually, the absence of tools, defects caused by the inevitable side effects of the roasting process, and unnecessary motion. After knowing the cause of the waste that occurred, the company was given a suggestion for improvement using 5W-1H tools, such as using a coffee sieve of a certain size for the first stage sorting process, making a new product in the form of ground coffee, processing defect coffee beans that always exist from the roasting results, and adding a fan and exhaust in the roasting room to reduce unnecessary movement during the process.
Originality: The paper contributes to the limited literature on lean production in the coffee processing business and disseminates this information to improve production efficiency.
Milbemycins (MILs), a group of 16-membered insecticidal macrocylic lactones, are widely used as the biological pesticide and the precursors of semi-synthetic veterinary drugs. Polyketide synthases ...(PKSs), which require phosphopantetheinyl transferases (PPTases) to activate their ACP domains from
apo
forms to
holo
forms, catalyze the backbone biosynthesis of MILs. Here we found there was a complex phosphopantetheinylation network mediated by five putative PPTases in
Streptomyces bingchenggensis
. Repression mutants of PpA27 and PpA62 via CRISPRi both produced significantly lower yields of MILs than that of the control strain. Repression mutant of PpA68 led to abolishment of the pigment production. MILs production was significantly enhanced by PpA27 overexpression, while not by the overexpression of other PPTases. PpA27 was thus proved a dedicated post-translational enzyme to activate PKSs involved in the MILs biosynthesis. MILs titer was further enhanced by co-overexpression of PpA27 and MilR, the pathway‑specific transcriptional activator of MIL biosynthetic gene cluster. When PpA27 and MilR were co-overexpressed in the industrial
S. bingchenggensis
HMB, MILs production was increased by 40.5%. These results indicated that tuning the antibiotic biosynthetic pathway by co-engineering transcriptional regulation network and post-translational phosphopantetheinylation network is an effective strategy for antibiotic production improvement.
•Application of multi-objective optimization of costs and energy efficiency for autonomous industrial processes.•The algorithm integrates industrial robot arm working times, AGVs travel times and the ...energy consumed.•Pareto frontiers show the trade-off between profits and product manufacturing times.•The methodology has been successfully applied to real case studies.•The algorithm can play an important role in factory logistics in terms of production efficiency and energy consumption.
Digital technologies are transforming the industrial landscape and disrupting traditional business models. New business opportunities related to Industry 4.0 are emerging, so companies must adapt to the new environment. This work puts forward a multi-objective optimization algorithm to improve productivity and reduce the costs and energy consumption of autonomous industrial processes with the aim of achieving sustainable growth. The processes analyzed encompass an assembly line production with robotic cells and the subsequent material handling systems (MHS) using autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs) for indoor transport. An efficient algorithm has been implemented to integrate and minimize industrial robot arm working times, AGVs travel times and their trajectory, and the energy consumed in industrial processes while maximizing global business profits when manufacturing different products in an indoor industrial environment. Furthermore, this is carried out by considering the kinematics and dynamics of autonomous industrial processes and sustainable strategies to ensure compliance with government policies on environmental issues. These objectives are in line with the European Union (EU) guidelines on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, renewable energy share, and improvements in energy efficiency for climate change mitigation and adaptation policies. Based on the difference in energy consumption between optimized and unoptimized industrial processes, the economic benefits can be quantified in terms of GHG emission quotas, volume of fuel consumed, and the indirect benefits with respect to improving corporate brand image. The methodology presented here has been successfully applied to several real case studies covering different manufacturing processes, robotic operations, and products. The results show that higher profits and sustainable growth are achieved when this methodology is used. It helps design Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) and leads to shorter working times and higher energy efficiency and annual profits. In addition, Pareto frontiers show the trade-off between profits and product manufacturing times for different case studies.
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