In a circular economy, tracking the flow of second-life components for quality control is critical. Track and trace of products or product parts are an essential enabler for a circular economy. With the use of tokenization and blockchain, products can be traced in a decentralized and secure fashion. In this thesis, we implement a system that could be used for the tracking and tracing of computer components. Using the Algorand blockchain, we have implemented a system based on the typical actors involved in the life cycle of a computer. Employing smart contracts, we have set up a system that regulates the ownership of the tokens representing the parts in a computer. We also performed scalability tests on the developed system to measure its time to perform certain critical operations. The result of these test indicate that the developed system is useful at scale. The open-source implementation of the system is publicly available on Github*. / Inom cirkulär ekonomi är spårbarhet av begagnade komponenter en kritiskt del av kvalitetssäkring. Spårning av hela, eller delar av, produkter är en grundläggande möjliggörare för cirkulär ekonomi. Med hjälp av tokenisering och blockkedjor kan produkter spåras på ett decentraliserat och säkert sätt. I denna rapport utvecklar vi ett system som kan användas för att spåra datorkomponenter. Genom att använda blockkedjan Algorand har vi utvecklat ett system baserat på de typiska aktörerna som är inblandade i livscykeln av en dator. Genom användning av Algorand smarta kontrakt har vi satt upp ett system som reglerar ägandeskapet av en token som representerar komponenterna i en dator. Vi genomförde även skalbarhetstester på det utvecklade systemet för att mäta tidsåtgången för utförandet av vissa kritiska operationer. Källkoden till vårt utvecklade system finns publikt tillgängligt på GitHub*.

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[pt] Em virtude do desenvolvimento do agronegócio no setor econômico, o Brasil é um dos países com o maior consumo de agrotóxicos desde 2008. O risco de problemas de saúde de curto, médio e longo prazo, a depender do componente químico utilizado e do tempo de exposição ao produto, é enorme e segundo a Organização Internacional do Trabalho (OIT), esses produtos químicos causam 70 mil intoxicações agudas e crônicas anualmente, inclusive evoluindo para óbito, em países em desenvolvimento. Ressalta-se, portanto, a importância da aplicação de técnicas e métodos que contribuam para uma modalidade de agricultura sustentável que respeite aspectos sociais, ambientais e econômicos no processo da modernização e desenvolvimento da agricultura. A inovadora tecnologia blockchain, conhecida também como “protocolo de confiança”, resulta em esperança para produtores e consumidores orgânicos, diante de diversos problemas relacionados à demanda por maior clareza e informação sobre o cultivo do alimento, a rastreabilidade do produto, a procedência do selo orgânico, dentre outros desafios. Desta forma, o presente trabalho teve como foco principal o desenvolvimento de um vídeo direcionado aos produtores orgânicos, demonstrandoos benefícios do sistema blockchain para a cadeia de produção de orgânicos, evidenciando a potencialidade dessa tecnologia na agricultura orgânica, a fim de oferecer aos produtores orgânicos e aos consumidores, um nível notável de conhecimento sobre a cadeia de produção e fornecimento do produto, favorecendo a inovação e o bem-estar social e econômico, inclusive em assuntos relacionados ao combate as mudanças climáticas. / [en] Due to the development of agribusiness in the economic sector, Brazil is one of the countries with the highest consumption of pesticides since 2008. The risk of short, medium and long-term health problems, depending on the chemical component used and the time of exposure to the product, is enormous and according to the International Labor Organization (ILO), these chemicals cause 70,000 acute intoxications and chronic diseases annually, including progressing to death, in developing countries. Therefore, the importance of applying techniques and methods that contribute to a sustainable agriculture modality that respects social, environmental and economic aspects in the process of modernization and development of agriculture is highlighted.The innovative blockchain technology, also known as the “trust protocol”, brings hope for organic producers and consumers, in the face of several problems related to the demand for greater clarity and information about food cultivation, product traceability , the origin of the organic seal, among other challenges. In this way, the present work focused on the development of a video aimed at organic producers, demonstrating the benefits of the blockchain system for the organic production chain, highlighting the potential of this technology in organic agriculture, in order to offer organic producers and consumers, a remarkable level of knowledge about the production and supply chain of the product, favoring innovation and social and economic well-being, including in matters related to combating climate change.

This study is a research around an issue encountered by MyEasyLab, a laboratory involved in asbestos testing for the French market. They are facing a problem of sample losses, which is hardly acceptable, especially when growing on a highly competitive and price driven market. They are therefore looking for ways to have a better traceability of their samples. The technicians were observed to identify their needs and the problems the company is facing. This study is presenting as a result two complementary solutions: the reorganization of the working space, and the usage of the RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to track the samples. The reorganization of the room using the 5S method should enable a more optimized way of working. This method initially used in the industry early on by Toyota, enables to optimize the flows (goods, person, waste …) in a sustainable way. The use of RFID presents the opportunity of a deep change in the whole process of the company, from the client to the labs. Bags already tagged RFID could be sent to the clients for their sample collection, enabling traceability from the beginning of the chain. The samples could, using RFID, be detected as they enter the site, leave the site and if they are in an undesired location (for example in the trash). The RFID technology is also an opportunity to facilitate the work of the technician, with a possibility to save around 4h15 of working time per day. The kind of tags that seems the most appropriate for this application is passive UHF tags. They present the advantages of being cheaper, easier to buy in bulk and readable from longer distances.  Even though the RFID technology is often seen as expensive, a return on investment seems possible for a tag price under 0.08€.  Further experimental tests need to be realized to refine the results of this study.

<p>In recent years, numerous multistate foodborne outbreaks have been reported that are often associated with low moisture foods (LMFs). The survival of microorganisms in low moisture conditions has become one of the major concerns in the food industry. With the increasing number of recalls, it is necessary to ensure food safety by developing and validating the process parameters. Establishing a thermal process requires a detailed understanding of the inactivation kinetics of the target pathogen with respect to both the process (temperature, time, equipment) and the product conditions (water activity, composition). Along with the most widely used conventional thermal processing, there has been an increase in the demand for natural or minimally processed foods. As a result, many alternative non-thermal processing approaches that provide antimicrobial benefits while retaining the quality attributes of the food product are under investigation. This research focused on studying the inactivation kinetics of foodborne pathogens <em>Salmonella enteritidis</em> PT30 and <em>Cronobacter</em> <em>sakazakii</em> in powdered LMFs using both the thermal and non-thermal (cold plasma) processing technologies. The efficacy of a dielectric barrier discharge cold plasma equipment was tested against pathogens <em>Salmonella</em> <em>enteritidis</em> PT30 and <em>Cronobacter</em> <em>sakazakii</em> in LMFs at 70 kV, resulting in 3.8 log reduction in <em>Cronobacter</em>, and 4.41 log reduction in <em>Salmonella</em> after 5 min of cold plasma treatment in pea protein. The cellular damage to the pathogens was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the reactive oxygen (ROS: OH, O) and nitrogen (RNS: N₂, N₂⁺) species were identified using optical emission spectroscopy. The RMSE for the model was found to be between 0.11 and 0.36 with the low standard error of the parameters (δ, n, and log N₀), which illustrated that the Weibull model was a good fit for the experimental inactivation data. </p> <p>In the thermal processing study, the inactivation kinetic parameters of these pathogens were estimated at 70, 80, and 90 °C at 0.11, 0.22, and 0.33 water activity in pea protein powder. The non-isothermal temperature profiles were simulated by building a two dimensional, axisymmetric heat transfer model of the test cell. The inactivation parameters D_ref, z_T, and z_aw were estimated in MATLAB by using a one-step non-linear regression analysis, which was a combination of the primary log-linear model with the secondary modified-Bigelow model. The model was found to be a good fit, showing lower root mean square error (RMSE) and residuals. Further, <em>Enterococcus</em> <em>faecium</em> was observed to have higher D-values at all the processing temperatures and water activity levels as compared to <em>Salmonella enteritidis</em> PT30 and <em>Cronobacter</em> <em>sakazakii</em>, which provides valuable evidence that <em>Enterococcus</em> <em>faecium</em> can be used as a surrogate microorganism for validating the thermal process for pea protein powder.</p>

This study examines small and medium scale specialty crop growers’ preferences for marketing contract attributes and willingness to adopt blockchain-based smart contracts. The data used were collected using an online survey and discrete choice experiment. Findings indicate that farmers prefer higher average prices, cash, check or electronic bank payment over cryptocurrency, and immediate payment upon product delivery over delayed payment. When choosing a contract, farmers viewed traditional text-based contracts and digital platforms with automated smart contracts equivalently, on average. On average, farmers showed no preference for providing and not providing traceability lot codes to buyers, and between choosing a contract and marketing their products as usual. Although we find that some farmers prefer to provide traceability lot codes to buyers while others do not, and some farmers prefer having a contract option while others do not. These insights could be useful to buyers and specialty crop farmers seeking to contract.

Background: The textile industry new regulations require companies to integrate traceability in their value chain and circular initiatives. Recent studies present concern of the lack of traceability in products. Traceability is seen as an enabler for sustainability, since it displays company value chain activities. This research is part of the research project Systemdemonstratorn for a circular value chain. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to provide insights of the requirements in terms of traceability for companies’ adaptation to the digital product passport for the aim of creating an enhanced circular textile system. The research questions are divided in stage 1 to determine the current state and stage 2 to establish the requirement of future stage. Methodology: This research applies a qualitative approach with an explorative stance. The constructed conceptual framework is based on a merge of value stream mapping and The Butterfly Diagram with the addition of a proposed structure for the digital product passport from CIRPASS. The primary data was collected from semi-structured interviews and a conducted interview tool supported by the 5W1H information gathering technique. Findings: To analyse the findings this research conducted a thematic analysis, where themes were conducted individually in stage 1 and stage 2. The finding indicated a need of an integrated technological solution, a demand for a clear strategic communication process and a desire of clarity both within the companies and in the industry, it may still be a concern due to the novelty of the subject. Increased knowledge was further demonstrated as a necessity together with increased responsibility and lower ambiguity. Integrating traceability in circular loops and a unique product identifier was also distinguished as requirements. It was also stated that participants companies had progressed to different extent in the circular loops. Certifications was further distinguished as an established way amongst the participant to verify their traceability. Key findings are still an absence of completely understanding the concept of traceability. Contribution: This research contributes to demonstrating a success in merging value stream mapping and The Butterfly Diagram for mapping current state of information flow. It provides an insight for requirements needed for the future adoption of the digital product passport regarding traceability for an enhanced circular textile system and provides a pathway for textile management. The research further establish direction for enriching the knowledge by providing insights to future research which align with the subject.

<p dir="ltr">Healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) cause a burden in acute care hospitals in the United States. HAIs are caused by <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, along with other pathogens found on high-touch and non-high-touch surfaces in hospital environments (e.g., bed rails, blood pressure cuffs, countertops, and floors). To minimize the growth and cross-contamination of pathogens, it is vital to use disinfectants for surface decontamination. In this work, the impact of different application methods and disinfectant active agents was evaluated for use on different healthcare-related surfaces. The first study examined the cross-contamination potential of an auto-scrubber when used to clean and disinfect a 2m² vinyl floor contaminated with <i>S. aureus</i>. Five EPA-registered disinfectants and a cleaner were used with three application methods. Hydrogen peroxide and quaternary ammonium compounds-based disinfectants significantly resulted in less cross-contamination compared to the cleaner. However, there were no significant differences among the application methods used. In the second study, manual floor cleaning and disinfecting on a two-square-meter vinyl floor with three different moping materials were evaluated to assess their ability to prevent cross-contamination. Evidence showed that there were significant differences among the products used, with Hydrogen peroxide and quaternary ammonium compound products being the most effective. The cleaner caused the most cross-contamination, while cotton mops resulted in significant cross-contamination among materials used. Study three investigated the differences among four application methods used with three different wiping cloths (Cotton, microfiber, and nonwoven) on a 2m² Formica board. A spray surface and wipe method was successful in decreasing <i>S. aureus</i> on the surface. A hydrogen peroxide-based product was most effective in reducing bacteria at contamination areas and minimizing cross-contamination. Microfiber cloth picked up significantly more bacteria at contaminated areas. Post disinfection, there was evidence of cross-contamination at sampling areas regardless of product type, wiping cloth, and application methods used, with the cotton cloth causing the most cross-contamination. Viable bacteria were found on the wiping cloths used and on worker's gloves. Together, this work shows that the use of disinfectants is important in hospital environments. The choice of product, wiping material, and application method are principal in the disinfection process as they influence disinfection failure or success.</p>

La performance d'un projet de conception de produits manufacturés est souvent caractérisée par un ensemble d'indicateurs qui ne repose pas uniquement sur la performance du produit mais sur celle du triptyque produit processus et organisation (PPO). L’utilisation d’indicateurs de performance dans un projet de conception ne peut être efficace que si les liens de traçabilité entre les données sont formalisés. Durant le cycle de conception, de très nombreuses spécifications PPO, également appelées spécifications projet, sont déployées dans un environnement de conception collaborative. Ce déploiement consiste à transférer les spécifications de niveaux de détail donnés vers des niveaux de détail plus affinés (transfert interniveaux) et depuis des vues globales vers des vues particulières (transfert intervues). Ce travail propose de caractériser ces deux mécanismes de transferts, déjà introduits pour les spécifications géométriques, à l’ensemble des spécifications projet. La formalisation et la généralisation de ces mécanismes de transferts ont été identifiées pour un ensemble de modèles pour la conception collaborative (un modèle produit, deux modèles processus (un pour le système décisionnel et un pour le système technologique) et un modèle organisation). Ces modèles constituent ainsi un environnement PPO. Le système décisionnel et le système technologique y sont décrits comme deux aspects du système de conception : l’un s’intéressant à l’organisation et aux processus, l’autre travaillant sur le produit même au travers d’un processus de conception. Les transferts de spécifications y sont ainsi illustrés. La mise en place de perturbations dans un scénario de conception de turbine haute pression permet de mettre en évidence les liens de traçabilité entre les spécifications ainsi que les impacts des perturbations et des solutions censés les corriger. Un indicateur de performance énergétique ayant été défini, des perturbations sont simulées et des solutions sont proposées. La notion de compromis apparaît alors lorsque les solutions améliorent une caractéristique de l’indicateur de performance énergétique mais en dégrade une autre. / Design project performance of manufactured products is often characterised by a set of indicators which does not depend only on the product’s performance but also on that of the product process and organisation (PPO) triptych. The use of performance indicators in a design project can only be effective if the traceability links between the data are formalised. During the design cycle, a lot of PPO specifications, also called project specifications, are deployed in a collaborative design environment. This deployment consists in transferring the specifications from a given detail level towards finer ones (interlevel transfer) and from a global view towards particular ones (interview transfer). This work proposes to characterise these two mechanisms of transfers, already introduced for geometrical specifications, with the whole of project specifications. The formalisation and the generalisation of these mechanisms of transfers were identified for a set of models for collaborative design (one product model, two process models (one for the decision-making system and one for the technological system) and one organisation model). These models provide thus a PPO environment. The decision-making system and the technological system are described there as two aspects of design system: one concerned with the organisation and the processes, the other working on the product through a design process. Specifications transfers are thus illustrated there. The introduction of disturbances in a design scenario of a high-pressure turbine can highlight the traceability links between specifications and the impacts of the disturbances and the solutions to correct them. An energetic performance indicator has been defined, disturbances are simulated and solutions are proposed. The compromise notion appears then when the solutions go better a characteristic of the energetic performance indicator but degrade another one.

Dans le développement logiciel en industrie, les documents de spécification jouent un rôle important pour la communication entre les analystes et les développeurs. Cependant, avec le temps, les changements de personel et les échéances toujours plus courtes, ces documents sont souvent obsolètes ou incohérents avec l'état effectif du système, i.e., son code source. Pourtant, il est nécessaire que les composants du système logiciel soient conservés à jour et cohérents avec leurs documents de spécifications pour faciliter leur développement et maintenance et, ainsi, pour en réduire les coûts. Maintenir la cohérence entre spécification et code source nécessite de pouvoir représenter les changements sur les uns et les autres et de pouvoir appliquer ces changements de manière cohérente et automatique. Nous proposons une solution permettant de décrire une représentation d'un logiciel ainsi qu'un formalisme mathématique permettant de décrire et de manipuler l'évolution des composants de ces représentations. Le formalisme est basé sur les triplets de Hoare pour représenter les transformations et sur la théorie des groupes et des homomorphismes de groupes pour manipuler ces transformations et permettrent leur application sur les différentes représentations du système. Nous illustrons notre formalisme sur deux représentations d'un système logiciel : PADL, une représentation architecturale de haut niveau (semblable à UML), et JCT, un arbre de syntaxe abstrait basé sur Java. Nous définissons également des transformations représentant l'évolution de ces représentations et la transposition permettant de reporter les transformations d'une représentation sur l'autre. Enfin, nous avons développé et décrivons brièvement une implémentation de notre illustration, un plugiciel pour l'IDE Eclipse détectant les transformations effectuées sur le code par les développeurs et un générateur de code pour l'intégration de nouvelles représentations dans l'implémentation. / When developing software system in industry, system specifications are heavily used in communication among analysts and developers. However, system evolution, employee turn-over and shorter deadlines lead those documents either not to be up-to-date or not to be consistent with the actual system source code. Yet, having up-to-date documents would greatly help analysts and developers and reduce development and maintenance costs. Therefore, we need to keep those documents up-to-date and consistent. We propose a novel mathematical formalism to describe and manipulate the evolution of these documents. The mathematical formalism is based on Hoare triple to represent the transformations and group theory and groups homomorphisms to manipulate these transformations and apply them on different representations. We illustrate our formalism using two representation of a same system: PADL, that is an abstract design specification (similar to UML), and JCT, that is an Abstract Syntax Tree for Java. We also define transformations describing their evolutions, and transformations transposition from one representation to another. Finally, we provide an implementation of our illustration, a plugin for the Eclipse IDE detecting source code transformations made by a developer and a source code generator for integrating new representations in the implementation.