A network management perspective

The aim of this research is to explore the managerial role of category managers in purchasing. A network management perspective is adopted. A case based research methodology is applied, and three category managers managing a diverse set of component and service categories in a global production firm is observed while providing accounts of their progress and results in meetings. We conclude that the network management classification scheme originally developed by Harland and Knight (2001) and Knight and Harland (2005) is a valuable and fertile theoretical framework for the analysis of the role of the category manager in purchasing

Untangling the chemical evolution of Titan's atmosphere and surface–from homogeneous to heterogeneous chemistry

The arrival of the Cassini-Huygens probe at Saturn's moon Titan - the only Solar System body besides Earth and Venus with a solid surface and a thick atmosphere with a pressure of 1.4 atm at surface level - in 2004 opened up a new chapter in the history of Solar System exploration. The mission revealed Titan as a world with striking Earth-like landscapes involving hydrocarbon lakes and seas as well as sand dunes and lava-like features interspersed with craters and icy mountains of hitherto unknown chemical composition. The discovery of a dynamic atmosphere and active weather system illustrates further the similarities between Titan and Earth. The aerosol-based haze layers, which give Titan its orange-brownish color, are not only Titan's most prominent optically visible features, but also play a crucial role in determining Titan's thermal structure and chemistry. These smog-like haze layers are thought to be very similar to those that were present in Earth's atmosphere before life developed more than 3.8 billion years ago, absorbing the destructive ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, thus acting as 'prebiotic ozone' to preserve astrobiologically important molecules on Titan. Compared to Earth, Titan's low surface temperature of 94 K and the absence of liquid water preclude the evolution of biological chemistry as we know it. Exactly because of these low temperatures, Titan provides us with a unique prebiotic 'atmospheric laboratory' yielding vital clues - at the frozen stage - on the likely chemical composition of the atmosphere of the primitive Earth. However, the underlying chemical processes, which initiate the haze formation from simple molecules, have been not understood well to date

Physical and cognitive impact following SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large population-based case-control study

© 2023. The Author(s).BACKGROUND: Persistent symptoms are common after SARS-CoV-2 infection but correlation with objective measures is unclear. METHODS: We invited all 3098 adults who tested SARS-CoV-2 positive in Iceland before October 2020 to the deCODE Health Study. We compared multiple symptoms and physical measures between 1706 Icelanders with confirmed prior infection (cases) who participated, and 619 contemporary and 13,779 historical controls. Cases participated in the study 5-18 months after infection. RESULTS: Here we report that 41 of 88 symptoms are associated with prior infection, most significantly disturbed smell and taste, memory disturbance, and dyspnea. Measured objectively, cases had poorer smell and taste results, less grip strength, and poorer memory recall. Differences in grip strength and memory recall were small. No other objective measure associated with prior infection including heart rate, blood pressure, postural orthostatic tachycardia, oxygen saturation, exercise tolerance, hearing, and traditional inflammatory, cardiac, liver, and kidney blood biomarkers. There was no evidence of more anxiety or depression among cases. We estimate the prevalence of long Covid to be 7% at a median of 8 months after infection. CONCLUSIONS: We confirm that diverse symptoms are common months after SARS-CoV-2 infection but find few differences between cases and controls in objective parameters measured. These discrepancies between symptoms and physical measures suggest a more complicated contribution to symptoms related to prior infection than is captured with conventional tests. Traditional clinical assessment is not expected to be particularly informative in relating symptoms to a past SARS-CoV-2 infection.Peer reviewe

Vibrational dynamics of icy aerosol particles : phase transitions and intrinsic particle properties

Phase transitions and other intrinsic properties (shape, size, architecture) of molecularly structured aerosol particles are important for understanding their role in planetary atmospheres and for technical applications. By combining bath gas cooling with time resolved mid-infrared spectroscopy and modeling, information is obtained on dynamic processes and intrinsic properties of fluoroform and ethane aerosol particles. The distinct infrared spectral features of fluoroform aerosol particles make it a particularly suitable model system. Homogeneous crystallization rates of the sub-micron sized aerosol particles are determined (JV = 10⁸ - 10¹⁰ cm-³s-¹ or JS = 10³ – 10⁵ cm-²s-¹ at a temperature of T = 78 K), and the controversial question regarding volume versus surface nucleation in freezing aerosols is addressed. It is demonstrated that current state of the art measurements of droplet ensembles cannot distinguish between the two mechanisms due to inherent experimental uncertainties. The evolution of particle shape from spherical supercooled droplets to cube-like crystalline particles and eventually to elongated crystalline particles is recorded and analyzed in detail with the help of vibrational exciton model calculations. Phase behaviour of pure ethane aerosols and ethane aerosols formed in the presence of other ice nuclei under conditions mimicking Titan’s atmosphere provide evidence for the formation of supercooled liquid ethane aerosol droplets, which subsequently crystallize. The observed homogeneous freezing rates (JV = 10⁷ – 10⁹ cm-³s-¹) imply that supercooled ethane could play a similar role in ethane rich regions of Titan’s atmosphere as supercooled water does in the Earth’s atmosphere.Science, Faculty ofChemistry, Department ofGraduat

Effects of fibrinogen concentrate administration during severe hemorrhage

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldBACKGROUND: Fibrinogen concentrate has been shown to improve coagulation in dilutional coagulopathy in experimental studies, but clinical experience is still scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate laboratory data and the clinical outcome of fibrinogen administration in patients suffering from severe hemorrhage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study over a 3-year observation period of consecutive patients who received a single dose of fibrinogen concentrate but not recombinant factor VIIa as part of their treatment of severe hemorrhage, defined as >6 U of packed red blood cells (PRBCs). RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients were included, most of them suffering from severe hemorrhage following open heart surgery (68%). After a median fibrinogen dose of 2 g (range 1-6 g), an absolute increase in the plasma fibrinogen concentration of 0.6 g/l was observed (P<0.001). The activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) decreased significantly (P<0.001), from 52 to 43 s and the prothrombin time (PT) decreased from 20 to 17 s, respectively. The transfusion requirement for PRBCs decreased from 6 to 3 U (P<0.01) in the 24 h after fibrinogen administration, but fresh-frozen plasma and platelet concentrate transfusions did not change significantly. Eight patients (22%) died in intensive care unit and the pre-operative fibrinogen concentration was not significantly different in these patients. CONCLUSION: Administration of fibrinogen for severe hemorrhage was associated with an increased fibrinogen concentration and a significant decrease in APTT, PT and the requirement for PRBCs