Academic literature on the topic 'Production line management'

Abstract Integrity assessment in ageing exploration and production infrastructure like gathering and flow lines is fast becoming an area of concern owing to the gas fields producing beyond their designed life. The progressive reduction in production flow rate with time magnifies the internal corrosion problems due to bacterial activity and under deposit attack seriously impacts the pipeline integrity. Thus the challenge in integrity management of gathering and flow lines is to accurately predict the internal corrosion rate, detect, size and locate areas of potential internal corrosion and pitting and carry out fitness for service to help enable adequate remediation for safe operation thereby helping to maximize the life cycle performance.; This paper demonstrates a comprehensive methodology for integrity management of ageing gas production lines. The methods involve integration of internal corrosion predictions with intelligent pig data and fitness for service assessment. The remediation strategies are devised based on safety considerations and business needs and they involve a combination of corrosion inhibition, strategic repairs and line maintenance. The method is demonstrated through a case study on a 30 year old 16” Gas gathering line, where strategic repair/remediation allowed continued operation of the asset without curtailing production.

Abstract A comprehensive corrosion assessment has been done to ensure the integrity of 24 inch outside diameter (OD) and 70 km length of transmission pipeline against production figure changes during and beyond of the initial design life. By design, the pipeline was intended to transport the wet gas for 20years design life with medium level of top of line and bottom of line corrosion likelihood. During operation, the pipeline was operated to sustain gas rate more than the designed capacity. Which commonly known as de-bottlenecking. In consequence, the corrosion likelihood increased as obtained from the inspection result. When the initial design life is almost over, the new reserves combining oil and wet gas is found thus the life extension assessment shall be accommodated. This paper summarizes the engineering study methodology and the results, thus the pipeline integrity able to synchronize the fit for purpose and production operation excellence.

In the competitive landscape of today's automotive industry, achieving excellence is fundamental. Our paper delves into the practical application of lean manufacturing principles within a given company.Drawing on collaborative efforts with industry experts and professionals, this paper documents practical experiences gained in the field of production management. By implementing various lean tools on one of the production lines in the company, significant strides were taken towards continuous improvement, resulting in enhanced productivity, reduced lead times, and heightened customer satisfaction.The study focuses on three key dimensions: engineering, economics, and management. The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) method was employed to establish performance indicators and guide continuous improvement initiatives. A 5S system was implemented to optimize the organization of high racks, resulting in a 3.7% reduction in downtime. Standardized work protocols were developed to promote one-piece flow, and operator cycle time balancing was applied to a specific component (Part X). These efforts led to a 30.77% improvement in productivity, with the line now producing 17 pieces of Part X per hour, compared to the previous output. The cycle time for producing one finished good part was reduced by 132 seconds, from 950 seconds to 818 seconds, and the welding robot was strategically designated as the bottleneck to further streamline operations.Economically, the reallocation of operators reduced Daily Labor Cost, creating a surplus of 0.64 hours (38 minutes) per operator per shift. This surplus allows operators to support other tasks or production lines, demonstrating the potential for ongoing resource optimization. Additionally, the integration of digitalized standardized work protocols facilitated training and streamlined production processes.The results highlight the transformative impact of lean manufacturing principles, including reduced downtime, improved cycle times, and optimized labor allocation. This study underscores the importance of lean tools in driving operational excellence and achieving measurable improvements in manufacturing efficiency, providing a practical framework for continuous improvement in the automotive industry.

Abstract Carbon dioxide corrosion models, including empirical, semi-empirical, and mechanistic ones, have been developed to predict corrosion of carbon steel for the past several decades. Although the mechanisms of carbon dioxide corrosion are well understood through laboratory investigations, it is still challenging to apply corrosion models to predict corrosion in actual oil and gas fields. This paper will discuss the applications of corrosion models in oil and gas production, which include calculating corrosion allowance and making prediction of facilities life in the design phase, providing guidance in corrosion management in the production phase, understanding the results obtained from in-line pipeline inspection tools, determining inspection frequency, and serving as a tool for improvement, trouble-shooting, and failure analysis.

The objective of this project is to validate the existing mechanical damage (MD) assessment and management tools based on in-service field dents data provided by pipeline operators. The data provided included in-line inspection (ILI), dent geometry data, operating pressure history data and in-ditch inspection observations. The dent fatigue life analysis tools were developed on behalf of Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI), Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA), other research organizations and individual pipeline operators and are included in API Recommended Practice (RP) 1183 (1). Since the assembly of API RP 1183, PRCI has continued its mechanical damage strategic research priority in the development of a greater understanding of the behavior of mechanical damage and the production of data to support engineering assessment. The research work included the following series of tasks: - Collect and collate mechanical damage field data provided by various pipeline operators. - Implement the fatigue life screening and assessment approaches using the provided dent geometry and pressure loading data. - Validate the fatigue life assessment results against the in-ditch inspection data. The data included presence of through wall cracks in dents resulting in leaks, location of surface cracks within dents and co-incident features like welds, corrosion, or gouges.

To reduce financial risk and N losses to the environment, fertilization methods are needed that improve NUE and increase the quality of wheat. In the literature, ample attention is given to grid-based and zone-based soil testing to determine the soil N available early in the growing season. Plus, information is available on in-season N topdressing applications as a means of improving GPC. However, the vast majority of research has focused on wheat that is grown under N limiting conditions in sub-humid regions and irrigated fields. Less attention has been given to wheat in dryland that is water limited. The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine accuracy in determining GPC of HRSW in Israel and SWWW in Oregon using on-combine optical sensors under field conditions; (2) develop a quantitative relationship between image spectral reflectance and effective crop physiological parameters; (3) develop an operational precision N management procedure that combines variable-rate N recommendations at planting as derived from maps of grain yield, GPC, and test weight; and at mid-season as derived from quantitative relationships, remote sensing, and the DSS; and (4) address the economic and technology-transfer aspects of producers’ needs. Results from the research suggest that optical sensing and the DSS can be used for estimating the N status of dryland wheat and deciding whether additional N is needed to improve GPC. Significant findings include: 1. In-line NIR reflectance spectroscopy can be used to rapidly and accurately (SEP <5.0 mg g⁻¹) measure GPC of a grain stream conveyed by an auger. 2. On-combine NIR spectroscopy can be used to accurately estimate (R² < 0.88) grain test weight across fields. 3. Precision N management based on N removal increases GPC, grain yield, and profitability in rainfed wheat. 4. Hyperspectral SI and partial least squares (PLS) models have excellent potential for estimation of biomass, and water and N contents of wheat. 5. A novel heading index can be used to monitor spike emergence of wheat with classification accuracy between 53 and 83%. 6. Index MCARI/MTVI2 promises to improve remote sensing of wheat N status where water- not soil N fertility, is the main driver of plant growth. Important features include: (a) computable from commercial aerospace imagery that include the red edge waveband, (b) sensitive to Chl and resistant to variation in crop biomass, and (c) accommodates variation in soil reflectance. Findings #1 and #2 above enable growers to further implement an efficient, low cost PNM approach using commercially available on-combine optical sensors. Finding #3 suggests that profit opportunities may exist from PNM based on information from on-combine sensing and aerospace remote sensing. Finding #4, with its emphasis on data retrieval and accuracy, enhances the potential usefulness of a DSS as a tool for field crop management. Finding #5 enables land managers to use a DSS to ascertain at mid-season whether a wheat crop should be harvested for grain or forage. Finding #6a expands potential commercial opportunities of MS imagery and thus has special importance to a majority of aerospace imaging firms specializing in the acquisition and utilization of these data. Finding #6b on index MCARI/MVTI2 has great potential to expand use of ground-based sensing and in-season N management to millions of hectares of land in semiarid environments where water- not N, is the main determinant of grain yield. Finding #6c demonstrates that MCARI/MTVI2 may alleviate the requirement of multiple N-rich reference strips to account for soil differences within farm fields. This simplicity will be less demanding of grower resources, promising substantially greater acceptance of sensing technologies for in-season N management.

For decades, the population of the European eel has been in severe decline. In 2007, the European Union decided on a Regulation establishing measures for the recovery of the stock, which obliged Member States to implement a national Eel Management Plan by 2009. Sweden submitted its plan in 2008. According to the Regulation, Member States shall report regularly to the EU-Commission, on the implementation of their Eel Management Plans and the progress achieved in protection and restoration. The current report provides an assessment of the eel stock in Sweden as of spring 2024, intending to feed into the national reporting to the EU in August this year. This report updates and extends previous evaluation reports by Dekker (2012, 2015) and Dekker et al. (2018, 2021). In this report, the impacts on the stock - of fishing, restocking and mortality related to hydropower generation - are assessed. Other anthropogenic impacts (climate change, pollution, increased impacts of predators, spread of parasites, disruption of migration due to disorientation after transport, and so forth) probably have an impact on the stock too, but these factors are hardly quantifiable, and no management targets have been set. For that reason, and because most factors were not included in the EU Eel Regulation, these other factors are not included in this report. Our focus is on the quantification of silver eel biomass escaping from continental waters towards the ocean (current, current potential and pristine) and mortality risks endured by those eels during their whole lifetime. The assessment is broken down on a geographical basis, with different impacts dominating in different areas (west coast, inland waters, Baltic coast). In the last decade, a break in the downward trend in glass eel recruitment has been observed, with recruitment no longer declining consistently. Whether that relates to recent protective actions, or is due to other factors, is yet unclear. Nevertheless, recruitment levels remain at historically low levels. This report contributes to the required international assessment, but does not discuss the causing factors behind the recent recruitment trend and the overall status of the stock across Europe. For the different assessment areas, results summarise as follows: On the west coast, a commercial fyke net fishery on yellow eel was exploiting the stock, until this fishery was completely closed in spring 2012. A fishery-based assessment no longer being achievable, we present trends from research surveys (fyke nets). Insufficient information is currently available to assess the recovery of the stock in absolute terms. Obviously, current fishing mortality is zero (disregarding the currently unquantifiable effect of illegal fishing), but none of the other requested stock indicators (current, current potential and pristine biomass) can be presented. The formerly exploited size-classes of the stock show a recovery in abundance after the closure of the commercial fishery, and the smaller size classes show a break in their decline in line with the recent global trend of glass eel recruitment. In order to support the recovery of the stock, or to compensate for anthropogenic mortality in inland waters, young eel has been restocked on the Swedish west coast since 2010. Noting the quantity of restocking involved, the expected effect (ca. 50 t silver eel) is relatively small, and hard to verify – in comparison to the potential natural stock on the west coast (an order of 1000 t). However, for the currently depleted stock, the contribution will likely constitute a larger share of silver eel escapement. For inland waters, this report updates the 2021 assessment, with substantial changes in methodology being the use of a new natural recruitment model, and the full separation of Trap & Transport catches from the fisheries statistics. The assessment for the inland waters relies on a reconstruction of the stock from information on the youngest eels in our waters (natural recruits, assisted migration, restocking). Based on 78 years of data on natural recruitment into 22 rivers, a statistical model is applied which relates the number of immigrating young eel caught in traps to the location and size of each river, the distance from the trap to the river mouth, and the year in which those eels recruited to continental waters as a glass eel (year class). The further into the Baltic, the larger and less numerous recruits generally are. Distance upstream comes with less numerous recruits. Using the results from the above recruitment analysis, in combination with historical data on assisted migration (young eels transported upstream within a drainage area, across barriers) and restocking (young eels imported into a river system), we have a complete overview of how many young eels recruited to Swedish inland waters. From this, the production of fully grown silver eel is estimated for every lake and year separately, based on best estimates of growth and natural mortality rates. Subtracting the catch made by the fishery (as recorded) and down-sizing for the mortality incurred when passing hydropower stations (percentwise, as recorded or using a default percentage), an estimate of the biomass of silver eel escaping from each river towards the sea is derived. Results indicate, that since 1960, the production of silver eel in inland waters has declined from over 700 to below 300 tonnes per year (t/yr). The production of naturally recruited eels is still falling; following the increase in restocking since 2010, an increase in restocking-based production is expected to be starting right around now. Gradually, restocking has replaced natural recruitment (assisted and fully natural), now making up over 90 % of the inland stock. Fisheries have taken 20-30 % of the silver eel (since the mid-1980s), while the impact of hydropower has ranged from 25 % to 60 %, depending on the year. Escapement is estimated to have varied from 72 t in the late 1990s, to 175 t in the early 2000s. The biomass of current escapement (including eels of restocked origin) is approximately 15 % of the pristine level (incl. restocked), or almost 30 % of the current potential biomass (incl. restocked). This is below the 40 % biomass limit of the Eel Regulation, and anthropogenic mortality (70 % over the entire life span in continental waters) exceeds the limit implied in the Eel Regulation (60 % mortality, the complement of 40 % survival). Mortality being that high, Swedish inland waters currently do not contribute to the recovery of the stock. The temporal variation (in production, impacts and escapement) is partly the consequence of a differential spatial distribution of the restocking of eel over the years. The original natural (not assisted) recruits were far less impacted by hydropower, since they could not climb the hydropower dams when immigrating. Since 2010, inland restocking is increasingly concentrated to drainage areas falling to the Kattegat-Skagerrak, also including obstructed lakes (primarily Lake Vänern, and many smaller ones). Even though Trap & Transport of silver eel - from above barriers towards the sea - has contributed to reducing the hydropower impact, hydropower mortality remains the largest estimated contributor to silver eel mortality in inland waters. Without restocking, the biomass affected by fishery and/or hydropower would be only 5-10 % of the currently impacted biomass, but the stock abundance would reduce from 15 % to less than 3 % of the pristine biomass. In summary: the inland eel stock biomass is below the minimum target, anthropogenic impacts exceed the minimum limit that would allow recovery, and those impacts have been increasing. It is therefore recommended to reconsider the current action plans on inland waters, taking into account the results of the current, comprehensive assessment. For the Baltic coast, the 2021 assessment has been updated without major changes in methodology. Results indicate that the impact of the fishery continues to decline over the decades. The current impact of the Swedish silver eel fishery on the escapement of silver eel along the Baltic Sea coast is estimated at 0.3 %. However, this fishery is just one of the anthropogenic impacts (in other areas/countries) affecting the eel stock in the Baltic, including all types of impacts, on all life stages and all habitats anywhere in the Baltic. Integration with the assessments in other countries has not been achieved. Current estimates of the abundance of silver eel (biomass) indicates an order of several thousand tonnes, but those estimates are extremely uncertain, due to the low impact of the fishery (near-zero statistics). Moreover, these do not take into account the origin of those silver eels, from other countries. An integrated assessment for the whole Baltic will be required to ground-truth these estimates. This would also bring the eel assessments in line with the policy to regionalise stock assessments for other (commercial) fish species (see https://ec.europa.eu/oceans-and-fisheries/fisheries/rules/multiannual-plans_en). It is recommended to develop an integrated assessment for the entire Baltic Sea eel stock, and to coordinate protective measures with other range states.

Integrated landscape management for sustainable livelihoods and positive environmental outcomes has been desired by many developing countries, especially for mountainous areas where agricultural activities, if not well managed, will likely degrade vulnerable landscapes. This research was an attempt to characterize the landscape in Chieng Yen Commune, Son La Province in Northwest Viet Nam to generate knowledge and understanding of local conditions and to propose a workable governance mechanism to sustainably manage the landscape. ICRAF, together with national partners — Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences, Soil and Fertilizer Research Institute — and local partners — Son La Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Son La Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Chieng Yen Commune People’s Committee — conducted rapid assessments in the landscape, including land-use mapping, land-use characterization, a household survey and participatory landscape assessment using an ecosystem services framework. We found that the landscape and peoples’ livelihoods are at risk from the continuous degradation of forest and agricultural land, and declining productivity, ecosystem conditions and services. Half of households live below the poverty line with insufficient agricultural production for subsistence. Unsustainable agricultural practices and other livelihood activities are causing more damage to the forest. Meanwhile, existing forest and landscape governance mechanisms are generally not inclusive of local community engagement. Initial recommendations are provided, including further assessment to address current knowledge gaps.

The body condition (BC) score is recognized in the dairy industry as an essential tool for managing the energy reserves of the dairy cow, which is essential for sustaining optimal and efficient production over several lactations. The current use of BC scoring depends on the accuracy of subjective visual estimates, and this limits its kusefulness as a management aid in the dairy industry. A measuring tool that would frequently provide objective data on the cow's body reserves would be a major contribution to efficient dairy herd management. Ultrasonic sensors have the potential to be developed into an efficient BC measuring device, and the experimental use of such sensors for subcutaneous fat thickness (SDFT) estimates, as an indication for BC in beef cattle, supports this assumption. The purposes of this project were: 1. To compare visual BC scoring and ultrasonic fat thickness with on-line automated body weight (BW) measurements as monitors of nutritional adequacy of dairy cows at various stages of lactation. 2. To determine the effects of variation in digestive fill in early and late lactation on the accuracy of body weight measurements in lactating cows. 3. To modify an existing ultrasonic system and develop a specialized, low-cost sensor for repeatable determination of body condition scores by users with minimal training and skill. 4. To develop a standard for the assignment of body condition scores based on ultrasonic measurements of subdermal fat thickness. The procedure to execute these objectives involved: 1. Frequent measurement of BW, milk yield (MY), BC (visually scored) and subdermal fat thickness ultrasonically measured of dairy cows, and data analysis on average and individual basis. 2. Testing and selection of an appropriate special-purpose sensor, finding an optimum body location for working an ultrasonic measurement, prcessing the signals obtained, and correlating the resulting measurements with performance responses in lactating cows. Linking the ultrasonic signals to BC scores, and developing a BC scoring data acquisition system are the first steps towards fulfilling the necessary requirements for incorporating this device into an existing dairy herd management system, in order to provide the industry with a powerful managment tool. From the results obtained we could conclude that: 1. BC does not correlate with BW changes during all stages of lactation, although in general terms it does. These results were confirmed by individual cow BW and BC data obtained during the course of lactation, that were supported by individual objective ultrasonic measurement of SDFT. 2. BW changes reflect energy metabolism reliably ony after peak milk yield; early in lactation, a decrease in BW expresses mobilization of body reserves only qualitatively, and not quantitatively. 3. Gastrointestinal content increases throughout the whole period during which dry matter intake (DMI) increases. The drastic increase very early in lactation prevents the use of BW changes as a basis for quantitative estimatio of energy meatabolism; at this stage of lactation, konly a BC score or any other direct measurements willl provide a quantitative estimate of energy metabolism. 4. Ultrasonic measurements of subdermal fat thickness can be used to quantify changes that correlate with the actual condition of the cow, as assessed by performance and the traditional way of scoring. 5. To find the best site on the cow's body at which to obtain responses to BC and its changes in the course of lactation, additional sites have to be examined. From the present study, it seems that the sites between ribs 12 and 13 have the potential for this purpose. 6. The use of templates made it easier to repeat measurements at a desired site and spot. However, the convenient easy-to-handle way to standardize the measurement, described in this study, koffers scope for improvement. 7. The RF peak values of the A-mode are better indicators of the location of fat layer borders than image analysis, from the point of view of future commercial development. 8. The distances between the RF peaks of the A-mode can be automatically measured by suitable software, for future commercial development. 9. Proper analysis of daily body weight and milk yield data can provide the necessary information on body condition changes during lactation, until a direct BC measurement device is developed. 10. In any case, at least one visual BC assessment has to be done, preferably immediately after calving, for calibration purposes.

In the fast-paced and time-sensitive fields of construction and concrete production, real-time monitoring of concrete strength is crucial. Traditional testing methods, such as hydraulic compression (ASTM C 39) and maturity methods (ASTM C 1074), are often laborious and challenging to implement on-site. Building on prior research (SPR 4210 and SPR 4513), we have advanced the electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique for in-situ concrete strength monitoring, crucial for determining safe traffic opening times. These projects have made significant strides in technology, including the development of an IoT-based hardware system for wireless data collection and a cloud-based platform for efficient data processing. A key innovation is the integration of machine learning tools, which not only enhance immediate strength predictions but also facilitate long-term projections vital for maintenance and asset management. To bring this technology to practical use, we collaborated with third-party manufacturers to set up a production line for the sensor and datalogger assembly. The system was extensively tested in various field scenarios, including pavements, patches, and bridge decks. Our refined signal processing algorithms, benchmarked against a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 16%, which is comparable to the ASTM C39 interlaboratory variance of 14%, demonstrate reliable accuracy. Additionally, we have developed a comprehensive user manual to aid field engineers in deploying, connecting, and maintaining the sensing system, paving the way for broader implementation in real-world construction settings.

The prevalence of substandard medicines in Africa is high but not well documented. Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) are likely to face considerable challenges with substandard medications. Africa faces inadequate drug regulatory practices, and in general, compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) in most of the pharmaceutical industries is lacking. The majority of pharmaceutical manufacturers in developing countries are often overwhelmed by the GMP requirements and therefore are unable to operate in line with internationally acceptable standards. Non-conformances observed during regulatory inspections provide the status of the compliance to GMP requirements. The study aimed to identify the GMP non-conformances during regulatory inspections and gaps in the production of pharmaceuticals locally manufactured in Uganda by review of the available 50 GMP reports of 21 local pharmaceutical companies in Uganda from 2016. The binary logistic generalized estimating equations (GEE) model was applied to estimate the association between odds of a company failing to comply with the GMP requirements and non-conformances under each GMP inspection parameter. Analysis using dummy estimation to linear regression included determination of the relationship that existed between the selected variables (GMP inspection parameters) and the production capacity of the local pharmaceutical industry. Oral liquids, external liquid preparations, powders, creams, and ointments were the main categories of products manufactured locally. The results indicated that 86% of the non-conformances were major, 11% were minor, and 3% critical. The majority of the non-conformances were related to production (30.1%), documentation (24.5%), and quality control (17.6%). Regression results indicated that for every non-conformance under premises, equipment, and utilities, there was a 7-fold likelihood of the manufacturer failing to comply with the GMP standards (aOR=6.81, P=0.001). The results showed that major non-conformances were significantly higher in industries of small scale (B=6.77, P=0.02) and medium scale (B=8.40, P=0.04), as compared to those of large scale. This study highlights the failures in quality assurance systems and stagnated GMP improvements in these industries that need to be addressed by the manufacturers with support from the regulator. The addition of risk assessment to critical production and quality control operations and establishment of appropriate corrective and preventive actions as part of quality management systems are required to ensure that quality pharmaceuticals are manufactured locally.

Background The tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCV) has been a major deterrent to tomato production in Israel for the last 20 years. This whitefly-transmitted viral disease has been found in the Caribbean Island in the early 1990s, probably as an import from the Middle East. In the late 1990s, the virus has spread to the US and is now conspicuous in Florida and Georgia. Objectives Because of the urgency facing the TYLCV epidemics, there was a compelling need to mobilize scientists to develop tomato variety resistant to TYLCV. The major goal was to identify the virus movement protein (MP) and to express a defective from of MP in a cultivar that contained the natural Ty-1 resistance gene. The research included 1. cloning of the TYLCV isolate from the Dominican Republic (DR) which is (or a close variant) also present in the continental USA; 2. ddefining the role of the MP; 3. mutating the putative MP gene; 4. introducing the modified gene into an advance Ty-1 line; 5. testing the transgenic plants in the field. The pressing threat to tomato production in the US resulted in an extension of the objectives: more emphasis was placed on characterization of TYLCV i the DR, on determination of the epidemiology of the virus in the DR, and on using new TYLCV resistance sources for tomato breeding. Achievements and signification 1. The characterization of TYLCV-DR allowed for more effective TYLCV management strategies that are now implemented in the DR. 2. The identification of the TYLCV MPs and, more importantly, insight into their function has provided a model for how these proteins function in TYLCV movement and support the targeting of one or more of these proteins in a dominant lethal strategy to engineer plants for TYLCV resistance. 3. The transgenic plants that are being generated with wild-type and mutated TYLCV MPs will serve to test the hypothesis that interference with one or more of the TYLCV movement proteins will be a strategy for generating TYLCV-resistant plants. 4. The fine mapping of the resistance Ty-1 gene allowed eliminating deleterious chromosome segments from the wild tomato genitor L. chilense. It may in a near future allow the cloning of the first geminivirus resistance gene. 5. Another resistance source from the wild tomato species L. hirsitum was introgressed into the domesticated tomato, resulting in the production of resistant breeding lines. Implications 1. The monitoring of TYLCV in whiteflies has been applied in the DR. These tools are presently being used to assist in the evaluation of the host-free period and to help select the appropriate locations for growing tomatoes in the DR. 2. An overall strategy to obtain resistance against TYLCV has been used. The expression of wild-type or mutated TYLCV MPs in transgenic tomato is another addition to the arsenal used to fight TYLCV, together with marker assisted breeding and mobilization of additional resistant genes from the wild.

This project builds on and supplements existing mechanical damage (MD) assessment and management tools, developed on behalf of Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI), Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA), American Petroleum Institute (API), other research organizations and individual pipeline operators, many of which are included in API Recommended Practice (RP) 1183 (1). Since the assembly of API RP 1183, PRCI has continued its mechanical damage strategic research priority in the development of a greater understanding of the behavior of mechanical damage and the production of data to support engineering assessment. The objective of this research project is to develop and/or modify: - Scaling factors to develop separate safety factors associated with fatigue life prediction of restrained and unrestrained dents, - Modification of dent weld interaction approach to consider distance of welds from the dent peak, and - Development of stress range magnification factor approach for Level 2 assessment similar to other screening life approaches incorporated in API RP 1183.