VERTICAL INTEGRATION AND INFORMATION SHARING – AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION IN THE GERMAN APPAREL INDUSTRY

Despite the astounding success of the fast fashion retailers, the management practices leading to these results have not been subject to extensive research so far. Given this background, we analyze the impact of information sharing and vertical integration on the performance of 51 German apparel companies. We find that the positive impact of vertical integration is mediated by information sharing, i.e. that the ability to improve the information flow is a key success factor of vertically integrated apparel supply chains. Thus, the success of an expansion strategy based on vertical integration critically depends on effective ways to share logistical information

Thermokarst lake monitoring on the Bykovsky Peninsula using high-resolution remote sensing data

Thermokarst lakes are a characteristic element of arctic permafrost regions and an indicator for their rapid landscape changes. Assessing their dynamics contributes to the understanding of driving processes of change, to the evaluation of impacts on landscape characteristics as well as to the estimation of the impact on the permafrost-related carbon budget. Monitoring thermokarst lake dynamics on the Bykovsky Peninsula, consisting of ice-rich Yedoma deposits, using high resolution remote sensing imagery from 1951 to 2016, revealed a long-term tendency towards lake drainage. Approximately 17% of the 1951 lake area was lost due to coastal erosion or the development of drainage networks. In parallel, coastal erosion driven land loss amounts to 2.3% of the peninsula. We find process interconnections between coastal erosion and lake change, as well as lake change dependency on land elevation in a developed alas-yedoma thermokarst relief

Uterine Fibroids and Infertility

Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Uterine fibroids are the most common tumor in women, and their prevalence is high in patients with infertility. Fibroids may be the sole cause of infertility in 2-3% of women. Depending on their location in the uterus, fibroids have been implicated in recurrent pregnancy loss as well as infertility. Pregnancy and live birth rates appear to be low in women with submucosal fibroids; their resection has been shown to improve pregnancy rates. In contrast, subserosal fibroids do not affect fertility outcomes and their removal does not confer any benefit. Intramural fibroids appear to reduce fertility, but recommendations concerning their treatment remain unclear. Myomectomy should be discussed individually with the patient; other potential symptoms such as dysmenorrhea or bleeding disorders should be included in the indication for surgery

Large-scale investigation of wave dampening characteristics of organic, artificial floating islands

The concept of floating vegetation-based islands for the bioremediation of aquatic ecosystems is well known. Less so, their hydrodynamic capabilities regarding the damping performance, positional stability and water-structure interactions. To this end, physical model tests with fully organic, reed-based gabions were carried out in a large-scale facility in this study. The initial, reflected, and transmitted waves were recorded and analyzed regarding transmission and reflection coefficients. A motion tracking system was utilized to allow for an investigation regarding the motion of the artificial floating islands under waves. The results show that the artificial floating islands significantly dampen shorter waves with a wave period of T ≤ 2.25 s. The transmission of the incident waves is reduced by 50% for the smallest wave periods (T = 1.5 s). The incident waves are reflected between 20 and 50% for the same wave period. The incident wave energy is dissipated by up to 85% for the smallest wave height and period (H = 0.10 m, T = 1.5 s). The comparable performance regarding more traditional floating breakwaters is discussed as well as the width of the structure as the key parameter for the layout of artificial floating islands in rivers and still waters regarding the damping performance. © 2022 The Author

Impact of nicotine and maternal BMI on fetal birth weight

Data from 110.047 singleton pregnancies, achieved from the German Perinatal Survey in Schleswig-Holstein and registered between 2010 and 2017 were analyzed in August 2018 concerning maternal BMI and smoking. The BMI was taken from the maternity log. Information concerning the smoking status were self-reported and further subdivided into the following four categories: a) non-smokers; b) 1-7 cigarettes/day; c) 8-14 cigarettes/ day; and d) ≥ 15 cigarettes/ day. Furthermore, we classified women by their BMI into underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese. Comparisons between non-smokers and the respective smoking group, and their relationship with maternal BMI were performed by the t-test (birth weight). A number of 97.092 women (88.2%) were non-smokers and 12.955 (11.8%) were smokers. Furthermore 10.3% of women of normal weight smoked during pregnancy, but both high and low BMI were associated with a high prevalence of smoking. The proportion of smokers was highest (18.1%) among underweight women (BMI ≤ 18.5 kg/m2). A large number of smokers (15.5%) were registered in the obesity group (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Mean birth weight (≥ 37 + 0 gestational age) increased with increasing maternal BMI, and was reduced by smoking for every BMI category. The differences between smokers and non-smokers were always highly significant (p < 0.001). Mean birth weight varied between 2995 g in underweight frequent smokers and 3607 g in obese non-smokers. Conclusion Both maternal BMI and smoking during pregnancy influences the birth weight and therefore pregnancy outcome. Smoking during pregnancy was significantly associated with low birth weight. Pregnant women should be advised to cease or at least reduce smoking in order to improve the birth weight of the newborn and to minimize child morbidities

Concept For Databased Sales And Resource Planning For Re-Assembly In The Automotive Industry

In linear economy, the growing wealth in the world is linked to a growing resource consumption and greenhouse gas emission. This results in a shortage of primary resources, environmental destruction through resource extraction, and global warming. A high productivity of the manufacturing industry, overcapacities and a decrease in the value of existing products intensify this situation. Circular economy offers resource-efficient value addition by multiple utilization of resources. One challenge in this form of value creation is the duration of reconditioning processes and the lack of product innovation in reconditioned products. To bring products back to the market as quickly as possible, the method of Re-Assembly is introduced and focused in this paper. Re-Assembly can be defined as reconditioning old products into new or higher-valued products, by assembling new or remanufactured parts and components after disassembly. However, manufacturing companies face difficulties in industrialization of such methods. In practice, one of the biggest challenges is the mid- and long term planning of the reconditioning process. Due to uncertainties in the quality and quantity of the returning end-of-life products the resulting reconditioning process is challenging to predict in terms of process time and production costs. To encounter this, this paper presents a concept for sales and resource planning in the context of Re-Assembly. In the first step the uncertainties for the long term production planning and the resulting data requirements are identified. Based on this, a concept for sales and resource planning is presented. The approach is based on the Internet of Production reference framework and includes data from the whole product lifecycle. As the area of application, the automotive industry is chosen as it is the largest manufacturing industry in Germany and already leading in the recording of usage data of their products

Live Birth Rates after Active Immunization with Partner Lymphocytes

Although many potential causes have been established for recurrent implantation failure (RIF) and recurrent miscarriage (RM), about 50% of these remain idiopathic. Scientific research is focused on immunological risk factors. In the present study, we aim to evaluate live birth rates after immunization with paternal lymphocytes (lymphocyte immunotherapy (LIT)). This retrospective study consisted of 148 couples with a history of RM and/or RIF. The women underwent immunization with lymphocytes of their respective partners from November 2017 to August 2019. Fifty-five patients (43%) had live births. Stratified by indication (RM, RIF, combined), live birth rates in the RM and the combined group were significantly higher than that in the RIF group (53%, 59% and 33%, respectively, p = 0.02). The difference was especially noticeable during the first 90 days after immunization (conception rate leading to live births: 31%, 23% and 8% for RM, the combined group and RIF, respectively; p = 0.005), while there was no difference between groups during the later follow-up. LIT was associated with high live birth rates, especially in women with recurrent miscarriage. In view of the limited data from randomized studies, LIT cannot be recommended as routine therapy. However, it may be considered in individual cases

Low threshold monocrystalline Nd:(Gd,Lu)₂O₃ channel waveguide laser

We report the first waveguide laser based on a rare-earth-doped sesquioxide. A 2 μm thick lattice matched Nd(0.5%):${(Gd, Lu)_2O_3}$ film with a nearly atomically flat surface has been epitaxially grown on a $Y_2O_3$ substrate, using pulsed laser deposition. The film has been structured with reactive ion etching and a rib channel waveguide laser has been realized. Laser radiation at 1075 nm and 1079 nm has been observed under 820-nm pumping. The laser possesses a threshold power of about 0.8 mW and a preliminary slope efficiency of 0.5% versus incident pump power. A maximum output power of 1.8 mW has been obtained for 370 mW incident pump power