An evaluation of the logistics functions of the Chemical Specialties Division, Ralston Purina Company

This study was originally designed to examine the Chemical Specialties Division of the Ralston Purina Company and to make recommendations concerning the development of a more efficient distribution system for the products of the Division. During the course of the examination, the Ralston Purina corporate management announced plans to terminate all national sales of the Chemical Specialties Division. In doing so, the corporate management terminated all ’’outside” sales and limited the functions of the Chemical Specialties Division to supplying the necessary chemical cleaners to Ralston Purina1 s plants. This eliminated any need for a more efficient distribution program required to maintain a competitive position in chemical specialty sales since all products would now be distributed only to Ralston Purina plants within the corporate distribution system. As a result of this decision on the part of Ralston Purina1 s corporate management, the original purpose of this study -- to develop and recommend improvements in logistical management for the Chemical Specialties Division keyed to competitive requirements of a national sales market -- was lost and the objective was changed to the development of the requirements for an effective and efficient distributive system for a small division within a large corporation, using the experience of the Chemical Specialties Division as a case study.--Introduction

Gender in the Midst of Change: Examining the Rights of Muslim Women in Predominately Muslim Countries

This study aims at contributing to the debate on whether countries with large Muslim populations will embrace gender equality. The role of women in Islamic societies remains a highly charged political and cultural issue. Women’s issues are vital in the shaping of modern debates on democracy in predominantly Muslim countries. This study utilized the 2012 Pew Global Attitudes Survey. The seven Islamic countries polled by the Pew Global Attitudes Project were Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey. In the survey, nine questions were asked of a sample size of roughly 7,000 respondents. We examined attitudes towards women’s equality by analyzing Muslims’ responses, looking at the effects of country, education, socio-economic status, age, income, religiosity and other variables. Some of the preliminary findings suggest that across the seven nations surveyed, broad majorities support gender equality but women are generally more likely to endorse equality than men

Metro’s Regional Land Information System: The Virtual Key to Portland’s Growth Management Success

Though metropolitan Portland, Oregon, has perhaps the best-known growth management program in the world, one of the most important elements of that system has been conspicuously overlooked: the regional land information system (RLIS). Since RLIS was developed in the late 1980s, it has played a critical role in the development of every significant plan, the evaluation of every key policy, and the formulation of every major development model. RLIS created conditions that enabled a sophisticated and now muchstudied approach to metropolitan growth management to emerge. In this paper, we discuss the development, use, and maintenance of RLIS, illustrating its importance for both the practice of regional planning and the advancement of planning research. We begin with an overview of planning at Metro, since it is that context that provides RLIS with much of its local and political meaning. We then examine the relationship of RLIS to specific Metro planning activities. We conclude that RLIS in particular, and regional GIS systems in general, have become vital to the success of urban growth management

Development of a Large Scale, High Speed Wheel Test Facility

Draper Laboratory, with its internal research and development budget, has for the past two years been funding a joint effort with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the development of a large scale, high speed wheel test facility. This facility was developed to perform experiments and carry out evaluations on levitation and propulsion designs for MagLev systems currently under consideration. The facility was developed to rotate a large (2 meter) wheel which could operate with peripheral speeds of greater than 100 meters/second. The rim of the wheel was constructed of a non-magnetic, non-conductive composite material to avoid the generation of errors from spurious forces. A sensor package containing a multi-axis force and torque sensor mounted to the base of the station, provides a signal of the lift and drag forces on the package being tested. Position tables mounted on the station allow for the introduction of errors in real time. A computer controlled data acquisition system was developed around a Macintosh IIfx to record the test data and control the speed of the wheel. This paper describes the development of this test facility. A detailed description of the major components is presented. Recently completed tests carried out on a novel Electrodynamic (EDS) suspension system, developed by MIT as part of this joint effort are described and presented. Adaptation of this facility for linear motor and other propulsion and levitation testing is described

Pharmacokinetic Analysis of a Phenobarbital Overdose Treated With Urinary Alkalinization Alone

Phenobarbital is a long-acting barbiturate used to treat alcohol withdrawal and epilepsy. Acute overdoses present with varying levels of central nervous system depression and large overdoses can be life threatening. Phenobarbital is an attractive candidate for enhanced elimination using urinary alkalinization given it is a weak acid with a long half-life and extensive urinary elimination. Limited human data exist regarding use of urine alkalinization for the treatment of phenobarbital overdose. We present a fourteen-year-old female who was treated with urinary alkalinization alone following an intentional ingestion of 3800 mg (84.4 mg/kg) of phenobarbital tablets. Urine drugs of abuse screening was preliminary positive for barbiturates and confirmed to be phenobarbital only. The initial serum phenobarbital concentration, drawn nine hours post-ingestion, was 97.4 mcg/ml (normal range 15-40 mcg/ml). Urinary alkalinization with sodium bicarbonate was started approximately 12 h post-ingestion and stopped at 72 h post-ingestion; clinical toxicity resolved by hospital day 5. The infusion was titrated to a urinary pH of greater than 7.5. Serial serum and urine phenobarbital measurements were obtained to determine elimination half-life and urinary excretion. The elimination half-life while undergoing urinary alkalinization was 81.3 h. Prior to initiation of urinary alkalinization, the urine phenobarbital concentration was 37 mcg/ml. Approximately 8.75 h after initiation, it was greater than 200 mcg/ml at a urine pH of 8.5. Urinary alkalinization appeared to augment urinary phenobarbital excretion, though with no discernible effect on elimination half-life and unclear clinical benefit. Further research is needed to better characterize the clinical effects of urinary alkalinization for phenobarbital overdose

Gendered nationalism : the gender gap in support for the Scottish National Party

Recent major surveys of the Scottish electorate and of Scottish National Party (SNP) members have revealed a distinct gender gap in support for the party. Men are markedly more likely than women to vote for the SNP and they comprise more than two-thirds of its membership. In this article, we use data from those surveys to test various possible explanations for the disproportionately male support for the SNP. While popular accounts have focused on the gendered appeal of recent leaders and on the party’s fluctuating efforts at achieving gender equality in its parliamentary representation, we find much stronger support for a different explanation. Women are less inclined to support and to join the SNP because they are markedly less supportive of its central objective of independence for Scotland. Since men and women barely differ in their reported national identities, the origins of this gender gap in support for independence presents a puzzle for further research

Ammonia-Free NOx Control System

Research is being conducted under United States Department of Energy (DOE) Contract DE-FC26-03NT41865 to develop a new technology to achieve very low levels of NOx emissions from pulverized coal fired boiler systems by employing a novel system level integration between the PC combustion process and the catalytic NOx reduction with CO present in the combustion flue gas. The combustor design and operating conditions will be optimized to achieve atypical flue gas conditions. This approach will not only suppress NOx generation during combustion but also further reduce NOx over a downstream catalytic reactor that does not require addition of an external reductant, such as ammonia

Severe Arsenic Poisoning Due to Ayurvedic Supplements

Patients that are taking Ayurvedic supplements have an increased risk of heavy metal toxicity. Lead, arsenic, and mercury are frequently identified in these supplements and can cause clinically significant toxicity. Clinicians should screen patients routinely for use of non-pharmaceutical medications and supplements