Redesigning the supply of gasses:co-makership in a hospital

Supply chain management in hospitals has been relatively ignored. Due to tight budget constraints attention has been turned to the supply of materials as a possibility to cut costs. This paper describes the operational logistical relation between a hospital an its supplier of gasses and suggests alternatives for a closer, co-makership-like relation. To describe and analyse this relation a supply chain concept is elaborated upon that consists of four areas of attention: physical supply, control and co-ordination, organisation and relation, and information systems. Three scenarios are developed for an alternative design of the supply chain. The approach yields a considerable grow in insight for the two organisations into the logistical operation. We think that the approach is also valuable for the analysis and redesign of the logistical aspects in the supply of goods in other organisations.

Responsiveness of the order fulfilment process

This paper discusses evidence from field studies undertaken to investigate the responsiveness of the order fulfilment process in a number of companies. The evidence is analysed in the context of the literature on responsiveness and related areas such as time-based competition. Similarities and differences are analysed across a number of industrial sectors with respect to order fulfilment processes and the interpretation and significance of responsiveness. Generic factors that influence different types of companies are identified. Four components of responsiveness - stimuli, awareness, capabilities and goals - emerge from an analysis of the literature. The field and case study evidence allows the development of more precise definitions and descriptions of each of these components. The study also allows a generic responsiveness framework to be developed that incorporates both strategic and operational viewpoints. The need for more field studies on responsiveness is noted. More work is advocated on the assessment and measurement of responsiveness and on developing appropriate responsiveness interventions, particularly with respect to the order fulfilment process

Logistiek Biobased Economy: toekomstbeelden 2025 & agenda 2013-2017

Naast de afzetmogelijkheden van biobased producten (markten) en de technologische verwerkingsmogelijkheden, bepalen de beschikbaarheid, handel en logistiek in sterke mate de wijze waarop de biobased economy in Nederland zich zal ontwikkelen. Het is noodzakelijk in de komende jaren duurzame, economisch rendabele logistieke biomassaketens op te zetten. Op dit terrein bestaat nog veel onduidelijkheid. Het doel van het project is het vormen van: gedragen toekomstbeelden van de logistiek in de biobased economy in 2025 en een gedragen agenda met actiepunten voor 2013-2017 (ofwel waarmee moeten we starten in de eerstkomende 5 jaar om de toekomstbeelden te bereiken)

Transport of steroid hormones in the vadose zone after land application of beef cattle manure

A variety of naturally occurring steroid hormones are regularly excreted by livestock, while additional steroid hormones have been used as growth promoters by the livestock industry. Depending on manure age and storage conditions, both groups of compounds are likely to be present during application to crops. Recent research suggests that some estrogens, androgens and progestagens in surface waters may originate from runoff after land application of livestock manure. Groundwater may also be impacted by livestock manure when used as a nutrient source to crops and may be indicated by excess nitrate in water. Few studies have been conducted to investigate the potential of steroid hormones contamination of groundwater. The objective of this study was to monitor leaching of steroid hormones and other compounds associated with livestock manure through the soil profile after land application of manure. The study was conducted near North Platte, Nebraska between April 2008 and July 2011 on a silt loam soil. Leachate was collected at the bottom of 2.4 meter deep monolithic percolation lysimeters to sample water leached beneath plots fertilized with manure. Soil samples were also collected from surrounding irrigated field plots. Treatments consisted of two manure handling procedures (stockpiling and composting) and a check receiving no manure application. Manure stored from a previous year’s cattle feeding pen study was sampled and analyzed for steroid hormone content. Manure was applied to the lysimeters and adjacent plot areas in April 2008 at a rate satisfying the nitrogen requirements of winter wheat planted in the fall of 2007 and 2008 followed by soybeans planted in the spring of 2010 and 2011. Leachate from the lysimeters and soil samples (down to 2.4 meter depth) from surrounding areas were collected periodically during the study. Laboratory analyses of manure, soil, and leachate samples used liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry to identify 17 steroid hormones and metabolites. Progesterone, estrone, beta-zearalenol and 4-androstenedione were detected at varying concentrations in both composted (1.6-8.4 nanograms per gram) and stockpiled (3.7-11.4 nanograms per gram) manure. Steroid hormones and related compounds were detected in only 5 percent of the leachate samples. The greatest detected concentration was 20 nanograms per liter of natural progesterone in a leachate sample from a lysimeter treated with stockpiled manure. Steroid hormones or metabolites were detected in 10 percent of the soil samples. Seventy four percent of the detections in the soil samples were in the top half (top 1.2 meter) of the sampled soil depth. 17beta-estradiol was detected the most in the soil samples (4 percent) with a maximum concentration of 4.3 nanograms per gram in a plot treated with composted manure. No synthetic steroids were detected in any of the soil or leachate samples. The low detection of steroid hormones in the soil and leachate samples suggests that, while some hormones may move through the soil, most are readily degraded or adsorbed after manure application. Additional research is required to more clearly identify the mechanisms that control the environmental fate and transport of steroid hormones through the soil

Influence of soil properties and test conditions on sorption and desorption of testosterone

In this study, batch sorption and desorption experiments were conducted for testosterone using four agricultural soils and five clay minerals. Significant differences in sorption behavior were observed between abiotic and biotic systems. The Freundlich sorption coefficient Kf (µg per g)/(µg per mL) ranged from 8.53 to 74.46 for soils and from 35.28 to 1243 for clays. The maximum sorption capacity (µg per g) of soils ranged from 25.25 to 440.61 for soils and 168.46 to 499.84 for clays. Correlation of sorption model parameters with soil properties indicated that both clay content and soil organic matter are important variables in predicting testosterone sorption behavior. Observed testosterone desorption from agricultural soils ranged from approximately 14 to 100 percent after 3 desorption cycles, and the desorption percentage decreased as the initial testosterone concentration decreased. Temperature, ionic strength, the water/soil ratio and soil depth were determined to influence sorption and desorption of testosterone. Desorption significantly increase with the soil depth and with the increase in the water to soil ratio. Temperature had an inverse effect on the sorption capacity of the soils tested. Thermodynamic calculations showed that the enthalpy change of the soils tested were the range of 12.9-20.7 kJ per mol, indicating weak interaction between testosterone and soil. Our results suggest that additional studies on how soil particles with different size fractions affect hormones fate and transport are needed in order to determine the potential risk of testosterone leaching or runoff

Effect of rainfall timing and tillage on the transport of steroid hormones in runoff from manure amended row crop fields

Manure generated from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) represents one of the major sources of steroid hormones found in surface water. This paper presents results of a study conducted near Concord, NE to determine the effects of manure handling (compost vs. stockpile), tillage (no-till, plow plus disk and disk), and rainfall timing (24 h and 30 d after manure application (DAT)) on the transport of steroids from row crop fields via surface runoff. Manure was collected following a feedlot study where one set of female cattle were administered growth promoting steroids and mycotoxins and one set received no treatments. Manure was either stockpiled for 9 months or composted prior to application. Twelve of 17 steroids or their metabolites were identified in the manure that was applied at agronomic rates to cropland in a no-till production system for more than 5 years. Chemical analysis of runoff samples detected steroids in less than 50% of the runoff samples and less than 10% of the samples contained more than one individual steroid or mycotoxin. The median concentration of androgens, and progestagens in surface runoff samples decreased by more than 50% between the 1 DAT to 30 DAT sampling dates. The percentage of detections increased between 24-h and 30-d after manure application largely due to increased levels of mycotoxins produced by the Fusarium genus of fungi common to corn fields. In addition, the physical and chemical properties of the steroids result appear to contribute to their long term degradation once applied to the soil. Based on this study, the combination of stockpiling manure prior to application and incorporation into the soil would likely result in the least potential for steroid transport to surface waters

Effect of composting on the fate of steroids in beef cattle manure

In this study, the fate of steroid hormones in beef cattle manure composting is evaluated. The fate of 16 steroids and metabolites was evaluated in composted manure from beef cattle administered growth promotants and from beef cattle with no steroid hormone implants. The fate of estrogens (primary detected as estrone), androgens, progesterone, and the fusarium metabolite and implant a-zearalanol were monitored in manure compost piles. First-order decay rates were calculated for steroid half-lives in compost and ranged from 8 days for androsterone to 69 days for 4-androsterone. Other steroid concentration data did not fit first-order decay models which may indicate that other microbial processes may result in steroid production or synthesis in composting systems. We demonstrate that composting is an effective strategy to remove steroid hormones from manure. Total steroid hormone removal in composted beef cattle manure ranged from 79-87%

Use of a surrogate to evaluate the impact of tillage on the transport of steroid hormones from manure-amended agricultural field

Beef feedlot manure distributed to row crop production areas is a potential surface water contaminant source of the steroid hormones commonly used in beef cattle production. This article reports on research conducted at the University of Nebraska Haskell Agricultural Laboratory near Concord, Nebraska, in July 2009. Manure, collected from beef feedlot pens, was stockpiled for ten months prior to application to a row crop field. Previous research identified that the detection frequency of steroid hormones in beef manure varies greatly. Thus, a surrogate (17 alpha-ethynylestradiol, EE2) was applied at a rate of 75 g per ha to ensure detectable concentrations in surface runoff samples. EE2 was applied directly to beef cattle manure and to bare soil. The EE2 and manure were either incorporated using a single disk treatment (T) or left on the soil surface in a no-till practice (NT). A rainfall simulation experiment was conducted 24 h after manure and EE2 incorporation using a factorial design consisting of tillage, manure, and EE2 treatments. Runoff samples were collected at 5 min intervals during a 30 min runoff period for each plot. Results indicated 96 percent less EE2 mass transport from disk tilled plots compared to no-till. The greatest loss of EE2 was 156 and 6 mg per ha from no-till and disked plots, respectively. Results of this study showed that a single-pass disk tillage treatment can limit the overland transport of steroid hormones from crop production areas

Knowledge network modelling to support decision-making for strategic intervention in IT project-oriented change management

This is the Accepted Manuscript version of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Decision Systems on 20 March 2014, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/12460125.2014.886499.This paper focuses on knowledge management to enhance decision support systems for strategic intervention in information technology (IT) project-oriented change management. It proposes a model of change management knowledge networks (CMKNM) to support decision by tackling three existing issues: insufficient knowledge traceability based on the relationships between knowledge elements and key factors, lack of procedural knowledge to provide adequate policies to guide changes, and lack of ‘lessons learned’ documentation in knowledge bases. A qualitative method was used to investigate issues surrounding knowledge mobilisation and knowledge networks. Empirical study was undertaken with industries to test the CMKNM. Results are presented from the empirical study on the key factors influencing knowledge mobilisation in IT project-oriented change management, knowledge networks and connections. The CMKNM model allows key knowledge mobilisation factors to be aligned with each other; it also defines the connections between knowledge networks allowing knowledge to be mobilised by tracing knowledge channels to support decision.Peer reviewe