Analyzing potential effects of implementing Green Supply Chain Management practices: A case study of the buyer-supplier relationship between Equinor ASA and Simon Møkster Shipping AS

Master's thesis Industrial Economics and Technology Management IND590 - University of Agder 2019Green supply chain management is receiving a growing attention from both academia and practitioners, as a response to environmental concerns and an increasing synonymous between business operation and supply chain management. This concept is highly relevant for industriesthat extensively impact the environment. Where operators in the Norwegian petroleum industry is becoming aware of the environmental impact in their supply chain, especially within themarine fleet.This thesis will therefore focus on a central practice to implement the concept: cooperationwith suppliers for environmental objectives. The objectiveis to analyze how contract management may positively influence thispractice, withanemphasize on the contracts. A literature review was initiated to develop an understanding of the research field and key aspects, and to iteratively construct the research model. The study was empirically driven, where a case study research was conducted based on the buyer-supplier relationship between Equinor and Simon Møkster Shipping. Empirical data was collected and analyzed from a total of seven participants, divided between the case companies.Findings indicatedthat the standard contracting option: time-charter, resultsin a conflict of interest, especially with the increasing focus on energy efficiency. The supplier’slack of reasoning for collaborative efforts, appears to derive from an inefficient allocation of benefits. Time-charter contracts was therefore analyzed based on the applicability for energy efficiency, where empirical findings directedthe attention towards the strategic fit of performance-based contracts. A conceptual change corroborates with this interest, where collaborative efforts for greening appears to be strengthen, as it potentially aligns their objectivesand ties performance to an incentive structure. Enablers and operational barriers were further investigated,where the complex supply chain of petroleum was discovered as one ofthe key aspects. Hence,it would be demanding tochallengethe standard and easily managed time-charter contracts, but at the same time increasingly important in an industry highly vulnerable to environmental concerns. The practicein focus is perceived as an antecedent for further implementation of green supply chain management and would therefore be part of a proactive response to a topical demand

Changes in the secretory profile of NSCLC-associated fibroblasts after ablative radiotherapy: potential impact on angiogenesis and tumor growth

In the context of radiotherapy, collateral effects of ablative ionizing radiation (AIR) on stromal components of tumors remains understudied. In this work, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) isolated from freshly resected human lung tumors were exposed to AIR (1x18Gy) and analyzed for their release of paracrine factors. Inflammatory mediators and regulators of angiogenesis and tumor growth were analyzed by multiplex protein assays in conditioned medium (CM) from irradiated and non-irradiated CAFs. Additionally, the profile of secreted proteins was examined by proteomics. In functional assays, effects of CAF-CM on proliferative and migratory capacity of lung tumor cells (H-520/H-522) and endothelial cells (HUVECs), and on the tube-forming capacity of endothelial cells was assessed. Our data show that exposure of CAFs to ablative doses of ionizing radiation results in a) down-regulated release of angiogenic factors SDF-1, angiopoietin and thrombospondin-2; b) up-regulated release of growth factor bFGF from most donors, and c) unaffected expression-levels of HGF and inflammatory mediators IL-6, IL-8, IL-1ƒÒ and TNF-£. Conditioned medium from irradiated and control CAFs did not affect differently the proliferative or migratory capacity of tumor cells (H-520/H-522), whereas migratory capacity of endothelial HUVEC cells was partially reduced in the presence of irradiated CAF conditioned medium. Overall we conclude that AIR mediates a transformation on the secretory profile of CAFs that could influence the behavior of other cells in the tumor tissue and hence guide to some extent therapeutic outcomes. The downstream consequences of the changes observed in this study merits further investigations

Melting in multilayer adsorbed films

We present both an improved model and new experimental data concerning the problem of melting in multilayer adsorbed films. The model treats in a mutually consistent manner all interfaces in a stratified film. This results in the prediction of substrate freezing, a phenomenon thermodynamically analogous to surface melting. We also compare the free energies of stratified films to those of homogeneous films. This leads to an orderly classification of multilayer phase diagrams in the vicinity of the bulk triple point. The results of the model are compared with the experimentally known systems. Of these, only methane/graphite exhibits melting from homogeneous solid to homogeneous liquid in multilayer films. The systems Ne/graphite and Ar/graphite, studied by Zhu and Dash, exhibit surface melting and substrate freezing instead. We observe experimentally, by means of pulsed nuclear magnetic resonance, that melting in methane adsorbed on graphite extends below the film thickness at which the latent heat of melting is known to vanish. The multilayer melting curve in this system is a first-order prewetting transition, extending from triple-point dewetting at bulk coexistence down to a critical point where the latent heat vanishes at about four layers, and apparently extending to thinner films as a higher-order, two-dimensional phase transition. It would therefore seem that methane/graphite is an ideal system in which to study the evolution of melting from two dimensions to three dimensions

Mitral Valve Surgery for Severe Mitral Regurgitation and Dilated Cardiomyopathy—A Bridge to Transplant: Case Report and a Review of Literature

We report a child with myocardial necrosis, dilated cardiomyopathy, and severe mitral valve (MV) regurgitation following neonatal enteroviral myocarditis. He underwent MV annuloplasty at 18 months and MV replacement at 3 years of age. He remains asymptomatic on medical therapy at 8 years of age. Mitral valve surgery may stabilize the evolution of dilated cardiomyopathy and delay the ultimate need for heart transplant.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/93665/1/chd626.pd

Photometric Variability in the Ultracool Dwarf BRI 0021-0214: Possible Evidence for Dust Clouds

We report CCD photometric monitoring of the nonemission ultracool dwarf BRI 0021-0214 (M9.5) obtained during 10 nights in 1995 November and 4 nights in 1996 August, with CCD cameras at 1 m class telescopes on the observatories of the Canary Islands. We present differential photometry of BRI 0021-0214, and we report significant variability in the I-band light curve obtained in 1995. A periodogram analysis finds a strong peak at a period of 0.84 day. This modulation appears to be transient because it is present in the 1995 data but not in the 1996 data. We also find a possible period of 0.20 day, which appears to be present in both the 1995 and 1996 datasets. However, we do not find any periodicity close to the rotation period expected from the spectroscopic rotational broadening (< 0.14 day). BRI 0021-0214 is a very inactive object, with extremely low levels of Halpha and X-ray emission. Thus, it is unlikely that magnetically induced cool spots can account for the photometric variability. The photometric variability of BRI 0021-0214 could be explained by the presence of an active meteorology that leads to inhomogeneous clouds on the surface. The lack of photometric modulation at the expected rotational period suggests that the pattern of surface features may be more complicated than previously anticipated.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 26 pages, 13 figures include

Glucose enhancement of memory is modulated by trait anxiety in healthy adolescent males

Glucose administration is associated with memory enhancement in healthy young individuals under conditions of divided attention at encoding. While the specific neurocognitive mechanisms underlying this ‘glucose memory facilitation effect’ are currently uncertain, it is thought that individual differences in glucoregulatory efficiency may alter an individual’s sensitivity to the glucose memory facilitation effect. In the present study, we sought to investigate whether basal hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis function (itself a modulator of glucoregulatory efficiency), baseline self-reported stress and trait anxiety influence the glucose memory facilitation effect. Adolescent males (age range = 14–17 years) were administered glucose and placebo prior to completing a verbal episodic memory task on two separate testing days in a counter-balanced, within-subjects design. Glucose ingestion improved verbal episodic memory performance when memory recall was tested (i) within an hour of glucose ingestion and encoding, and (ii) one week subsequent to glucose ingestion and encoding. Basal hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis function did not appear to influence the glucose memory facilitation effect; however, glucose ingestion only improved memory in participants reporting relatively higher trait anxiety. These findings suggest that the glucose memory facilitation effect may be mediated by biological mechanisms associated with trait anxiety

Cavitation induced by explosion in a model of ideal fluid

We discuss the problem of an explosion in the cubic-quintic superfluid model, in relation to some experimental observations. We show numerically that an explosion in such a model might induce a cavitation bubble for large enough energy. This gives a consistent view for rebound bubbles in superfluid and we indentify the loss of energy between the successive rebounds as radiated waves. We compute self-similar solution of the explosion for the early stage, when no bubbles have been nucleated. The solution also gives the wave number of the excitations emitted through the shock wave.Comment: 21 pages,13 figures, other comment

The Patterns of High-Level Magnetic Activity Occurring on the Surface of V1285 Aql: The OPEA Model of Flares and DFT Models of Stellar Spots

Statistically analyzing Johnson UBVR observations of V1285 Aql during the three observing seasons, both activity level and behavior of the star are discussed in respect to obtained results. We also discuss the out-of-flare variation due to rotational modulation. Eighty-three flares were detected in the U-band observations of season 2006 . First, depending on statistical analyses using the independent samples t-test, the flares were divided into two classes as the fast and the slow flares. According to the results of the test, there is a difference of about 73 s between the flare-equivalent durations of slow and fast flares. The difference should be the difference mentioned in the theoretical models. Second, using the one-phase exponential association function, the distribution of the flare-equivalent durations versus the flare total durations was modeled. Analyzing the model, some parameters such as plateau, half-life values, mean average of the flare-equivalent durations, maximum flare rise, and total duration times are derived. The plateau value, which is an indicator of the saturation level of white-light flares, was derived as 2.421{\pm}0.058 s in this model, while half-life is computed as 201 s. Analyses showed that observed maximum value of flare total duration is 4641 s, while observed maximum flare rise time is 1817 s. According to these results, although computed energies of the flares occurring on the surface of V1285 Aql are generally lower than those of other stars, the length of its flaring loop can be higher than those of more active stars.Comment: 44 pages, 10 figures, 5 tables, 2011PASP..123..659

Predictors of Left Ventricular Remodeling after Aortic Valve Replacement in Pediatric Patients with Isolated Aortic Regurgitation

Objective. To identify the risk factors that could predict postoperative outcome after aortic valve replacement in pediatric patients with isolated aortic regurgitation ( AR ). Background. There is controversy regarding the appropriate timing of surgery in asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patients with isolated AR . In the pediatric age group, there are limited studies in this regard and most of them are on combined aortic valve stenosis and regurgitation. Methods. All patients with biventricular physiology and morphologic left ventricle ( LV ) who underwent aortic valve surgery for AR from J anuary 1988 to J uly 2010 were included in the study. Demographic, clinical, and echocardiographic data were collected at presurgical visit, early postoperative, 1 year, and most recent follow‐up. Results. Among 53 patients (36 males), 18 had LV end‐diastolic diameter ( LVEDD ) z ‐score >4 standard deviation ( SD ) (group I ) and 35 had LVEDD 4 SD predicted persistent LV dilation (>2 SD ) at early post‐op ( P  4 SD ) are significant predictors of incomplete LV remodeling or persistent LV dysfunction.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/97538/1/chd703.pd

The Chromospheric Activity and Ages of M Dwarf Stars in Wide Binary Systems

We investigate the relationship between age and chromospheric activity for 139 M dwarf stars in wide binary systems with white dwarf companions. The age of each system is determined from the cooling age of its white dwarf component. The current limit for activity-age relations found for M dwarfs in open clusters is 4 Gyr. Our unique approach to finding ages for M stars allows for the exploration of this relationship at ages older than 4 Gyr. The general trend of stars remaining active for a longer time at later spectral type is confirmed. However, our larger sample and greater age range reveals additional complexity in assigning age based on activity alone. We find that M dwarfs in wide binaries older than 4 Gyr depart from the log-linear relation for clusters and are found to have activity at magnitudes, colors and masses which are brighter, bluer and more massive than predicted by the cluster relation. In addition to our activity-age results, we present the measured radial velocities and complete space motions for 161 white dwarf stars in wide binaries.Comment: 22 pages including 9 figures and 5 tables. Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa