Influence of Local Dynamic Conditions on Logistics Costs of Timber Procurement: Analyzed by Applying a Technique of Geographically Decentralized Decision Making

Timber procurement is part of the flow of wood from forest to production. In the present study, it is referred to as timber flow, which consists of logging, roadside inventory, transportation, and mill inventory functions. Local timber flows should be managed by tactical means of decentralized decision making (DDM), which are facilitated by dynamic models of a decision system. The technique consists of several hierarchical negotiation levels which can solve a local procurement problem by the technique of functionally decentralized decision making (FDDM). Models describing the system are also bigger and more complicated than models which are constructed for geographically decentralized decision making (GDDM). Consequently, the models may cause different dynamic results. Therefore, this study has two main objectives: 1) to introduce a technique of GDDM and 2) to consider the effects of the time-factor using dynamically determined functions of local procurement. Using this application, the system can be controlled for balancing timber flows, because the system's internal adjustment process is defined with higher precision; the extra costs caused by a disturbance can be diminished by adjusting the durations of local timber-flow functions. The implications of these results for improving decision making (DM) of local timber procurement in Finland are discussed

Cutting productivity of windfalls in Finland

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Comparison of serious inhaler technique errors made by device-naïve patients using three different dry powder inhalers: a randomised, crossover, open-label study

Background: Serious inhaler technique errors can impair drug delivery to the lungs. This randomised, crossover, open-label study evaluated the proportion of patients making predefined serious errors with Pulmojet compared with Diskus and Turbohaler dry powder inhalers. Methods: Patients ≥18 years old with asthma and/or COPD who were current users of an inhaler but naïve to the study devices were assigned to inhaler technique assessment on Pulmojet and either Diskus or Turbohaler in a randomised order. Patients inhaled through empty devices after reading the patient information leaflet. If serious errors potentially affecting dose delivery were recorded, they repeated the inhalations after watching a training video. Inhaler technique was assessed by a trained nurse observer and an electronic inhalation profile recorder. Results: Baseline patient characteristics were similar between randomisation arms for the Pulmojet-Diskus (n = 277) and Pulmojet-Turbohaler (n = 144) comparisons. Non-inferiority in the proportions of patients recording no nurse-observed serious errors was demonstrated for both Pulmojet versus Diskus, and Pulmojet versus Turbohaler; therefore, superiority was tested. Patients were significantly less likely to make ≥1 nurse-observed serious errors using Pulmojet compared with Diskus (odds ratio, 0.31; 95 % CI, 0.19–0.51) or Pulmojet compared with Turbohaler (0.23; 0.12–0.44) after reading the patient information leaflet with additional video instruction, if required. Conclusions These results suggest Pulmojet is easier to learn to use correctly than the Turbohaler or Diskus for current inhaler users switching to a new dry powder inhaler

Irish pig farmer's perceptions and experiences of tail and ear biting.

peer-reviewedAbnormal behaviours such as ear and tail biting of pigs is of significant welfare and economic concern. Currently, pig welfare legislation is under renewed focus by the EU commission and is likely to be enforced more thoroughly. The legislation prohibits routine tail docking and requires adequate enrichment to be provided. In Ireland, tail-docking is still the most utilised control mechanism to combat tail biting, but biting is still widespread even in tail-docked pigs. In addition, as pig farms are almost all fully slatted, bedding type material cannot be provided. Thus, the opinions, and practices of farmers in countries like Ireland, which may need to make significant adaptations to typical pig management systems soon, need to be considered and addressed. We carried out a survey of pig farmers during 2015 in order to gain a greater understanding of the extent of biting on Irish farms, perception on the most important preventive measures, current enrichment use and actions following outbreaks. Fifty-eight farmers from 21 Counties responded with an average herd size of 710 ± 597 sows (range 90–3000 sows). Only two farms had experienced no biting in the last year. Of the farms that had experienced tail biting (88%), 86% had also experienced ear biting. The most common concerns relating to biting were condemnation and reduced productivity of bitten pigs with both receiving an average score of 4 (most serious). Ear biting occurred most commonly in the 2nd stage (approximately 47–81 days from weaning) weaner and tail biting in the finishing stage. The most important preventive measures were felt to be taking care of animal health, restricting density, maintaining an even quality of feed/content and maintaining good air movement. Sixty-five percent of respondents added additional enrichment following an outbreak. Chains were the most common form of enrichment currently used (83%). Those not using chains favoured wood, toys and rope (17%). Identification of the most effective and accessible control and prevention measures both for the animals and for the farming community is thus essential. Improved understanding of the concerns and practices of producers, which this survey contributes to, is a first step towards this aim

A Dynamic Analysis of Interest Rate and Logging Factors in Reducing Saw Timber Procurement Costs

Wood harvesting operations were controlled in terms of financial expenditure and material flow at three related steps in the wood procurement system — logging, roadside inventorying, and transportation. Wood flow from sawtimber to available sawlogs in the mill yard was evaluated using the technique of dynamic programming. This program was successfully linked with data processing (input) and interactive interpretation procedures (output). The power of the algorithm was increased by implementing separable programming. In this model a nonlinear transportation function was linked to linear logging and inventorying functions. The dynamic programming procedure was not as effective computationally as the Simplex procedure, but future trends in computer development can be expected to offer increasing computing capacity for dynamic procedures. Small tactical problems were solved more accurately as the model construction was closer to real-life systems. No interest rate effects on sawtimber allocation were observed in the sensitivity analyses conducted, but transportation allocation as a phase of material flow changed when the effect of varying volumes of logging was analyzed