The use of membrane technology as a processing and separation method in the food industry is gaining wide application for demineralization, desalination, stabilization, separation, deacidification, purification, and reducing microbial load.

Perhaps the most obvious application for membrane filtration is reducing dissolved or suspended solids from process water or liquid ingredients. However, membrane filtration can be used to remove microorganisms to prolong shelf life and provide a healthier option than utilizing additives and preservatives.

Membrane separation can also be combined with cold pasteurization and sterilization techniques to create products and ingredients with favorable characteristics. Since membrane separation eliminates the need for heat temperature treatment of products, it can preserve the natural taste of food products and the nutritional value of heat-sensitive components. Also, less energy is required.

Membrane processing plays a key role in wastewater treatment, as well. Wastewater derived from food production varies depending on the type of food (animal processors/rendering plants, fruit/vegetable washers, or edible oil refiners). By implementing membranes, the separated substances and clean water are recoverable.

Narrative frames are fundamental to unifying ideologies. They frame what is possible and impossible, which ideas can be accepted, and which must be rejected. In her book, Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics (Zed Books, 2018), storyteller and political analyst Nanjala Nyabola examines the framing of the Fourth Industrial Revolution narrative in this light.

She argues that it is being used by global elites to deflect from the drivers of inequality and enable ongoing processes of expropriation, exploitation, and exclusion. During a recent policy dialogue on the Future of Work(ers), she commented: “The real seduction of this idea is that it’s apolitical. We can talk about development and progress without having to grapple with power.”

Walter Orthmann has worked for the same textile manufacturer in Brazil for more than 84 years, setting the Guinness World Record last month for longest career at a single company.

It’s a remarkable stretch, considering American workers now spend a median of 4.1 years with their employers, according to federal data collected just before the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted a spectrum of industries and spurred the so-called Great Resignation.

The record high quit rate—more than 40 million last year—has led to the tightest U.S. labor market in decades, with employees using that leverage to call the shots and find better jobs. They’re renegotiating everything, from their salaries and shifts to remote or hybrid work, and forcing employers to be more flexible.

Ultra-low temperature freezers became popular due to the storage of Covid-19 vaccines, but they have been important components of laboratories for many years. There’s a lot, however, to think about—quality, productivity, maintenance, different types of technology, warranties, etc. And if you end up with the wrong unit, you could incur unnecessary expenses or delays.

In this guide, we’ll talk about some of the most important factors when purchasing an ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezer so you can end up with the right unit for your laboratory needs and budget.

Types of ultra-low temperature freezers

An ultra-low temperature freezer is a unit that preserves and stores biological samples within a temperature range of -50°C to -86°C. First, let’s quickly review the two different types of ultra-low temperature freezers:

Let’s consider how to build a data analytics community. Many organizations want to establish communities of practice or other structures with a similar aim, fostering best practice and collaboration, often with analysts working in different parts of a corporation.

A data analytics community can bring real value to people across your organization. But how do you set one up? What challenges will you face? And how can you make it as successful as possible?

I learned a lot from setting up a data analytics community in my last role. Here are the top three areas I recommend focusing on to make it a success.

1. Identify your content and your audience

This is the first step. What is your community for?

It’s hard to miss the flashing lights of fire engines, ambulances, and police cars ahead of you when you’re driving down the road. But in at least 11 cases from January 2018 to July 2021, Tesla’s Autopilot advanced driver-assistance system did just that. This led to 11 accidents in which Teslas crashed into emergency vehicles or other vehicles at those scenes, resulting in 17 injuries and one death.

In August 2021, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched an investigation into Tesla’s Autopilot system in response to the crashes. The incidents took place in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, and Texas. It’s also not the first time the federal government has investigated Tesla’s Autopilot.

During the past two and a half years, we’ve seen unparalleled innovation and private-public collaboration in the global fight against Covid-19. The rapid development and rollout of new vaccines, diagnostic tests, and therapeutics have saved millions of lives. 

However, these developments haven’t benefited everyone equally. Although more than 67 percent of the global population has received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, disparities between higher and lower income countries are wide. As of May 2022, 72 percent of people in high-income countries have received one dose, compared to 18 percent in low-income countries, according to the United Nations Development Programme’s Global Dashboard for Vaccine Equity.

Since the 1940s, engineers have used a common design language—a set of definitions, symbols, and practices—to draft engineering drawings that can serve as clear manufacturing blueprints or inspection checklists.

Although this system still works well for many traditional manufacturing methods, it hasn’t equipped engineers to produce clear and consistent design documents for additive manufacturing, commonly called 3D printing. That absence of standard methods of communication risks information about 3D-printing designs being lost in translation.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) published an updated standard—based in large part on research by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)—that includes language specifically for 3D printing. ASME’s standard, titled Y14.46—“Product definition for additive manufacturing,” identifies important features unique to 3D printing and outlines how they should be documented. 

Researchers at the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ONRL) have developed an upcycling approach that adds value to discarded plastics for reuse in additive manufacturing, or 3D printing. The readily adoptable, scalable method introduces a closed-loop strategy that could globally reduce plastic waste and cut carbon emissions tied to plastic production.

Results published in Science Advances detail the simple process for upcycling a commodity plastic into a more robust material compatible with industry 3D-printing methods.

The team upgraded acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or ABS, a popular thermoplastic found in everyday objects ranging from auto parts to tennis balls to LEGO blocks. ABS is a popular feedstock for fused filament fabrication, or FFF, one of the most widely used 3D printing methods. The upcycled version boasts enhanced strength, toughness, and chemical resistance, which makes it attractive for FFF to meet new and higher-performance applications not achievable with standard ABS.

The United States has more than 6,000 hospitals, and each one has thousands, if not tens of thousands, of clinical assets, such as imaging machines, ventilators, and IV pumps. Managing this equipment becomes a mighty task when hospital staff must handle the monitoring, repair, and maintenance of each.

Even a minor mistake could prove problematic. Missteps can bring on unnecessary expenditures, compromise patient care, and exhaust both the time and spirits of hospital staff. According to TRIMEDX’s health provider surveys, nurses spend up to an hour each shift just locating equipment or verifying its cleanliness.

Avoiding such troubles begins with determining your vulnerabilities within your asset management system. Healthcare facilities struggle with clinical asset management in four fundamental ways.