State-of-the-Art of RFID-Standardization : Supply Chain Management

Der Beitrag gibt eine Übersicht über gängige Definitionen der mit der Standardisierung assoziierten Begriffe und schafft somit ein grundlegendes Verständnis. Des Weiteren wird der Standardisierungsprozess im Detail beschrieben. Schließlich werden verschiedene Schemata zur Kategorisierung von Standards vorgestellt und in eine auf die RFID-Standardisierung angepasste Systematik überführt

Technologien und Innovationen in der Logistik

Zugleich gedruckt veröffentlicht im Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin unter der ISBN 978-3-7983-2597-5 und im Webshop des Universitätsverlages bestellbar: http://www.ub.tu-berlin.de/universitaetsverlag-und-hochschulschriften/verlagsprogramm/2013/technologien-und-innovationen-in-der-logistik/#c49934Neue technologische Entwicklungen sind gleichermaßen Ursache und Wegbereiter für Innovationen in der Logistik. Technologien und Innovationen sind zudem wichtige Hebel für die Schaffung von Wettbewerbsvorteilen bei Logistikdienstleistern. Vor diesem Hintergrund behandelt diese Studie zwei inhaltliche Schwerpunkte: Zukunftstechnologien in der Logistik und Innovationsmanagement bei Logistikdienstleistern. Im Zentrum der Untersuchung stehen vor allem Kontraktlogistikdienstleister. Aber auch für deren Kunden aus Industrie und Handel können die Ergebnisse der Studie als Orientierungshilfe bei der Gestaltung ihrer Logistiksysteme und ihres Innovationsmanagements dienen. Die Studie analysiert anhand einer Online-Befragung den Umgang mit innovativen Logistiktechnologien bei Logistikdienstleistern und ihren Kunden aus Industrie und Handel. Die Top-Performer unter den Teilnehmern messen den einzelnen Technologien in der Regel eine höhere strategische Bedeutung bei als die übrigen Studienteilnehmer und verfolgen häufiger Wissensaufbau- und Investitionsstrategien. An diese Ergebnisse anknüpfend wurde ein technologieorientiertes Zukunftsbild der Kontraktlogistik entwickelt, das 16 konkrete Anwendungsszenarien von Technologien veranschaulicht. In einer Gruppen-Delphi-Untersuchung wurden diese Anwendungsszenarien mit zwölf Experten aus der Praxis diskutiert und ihre Eintrittswahrscheinlichkeit zu verschiedenen Zeitpunkten eingeschätzt. Bis 2015 halten die Experten nur bei drei Szenarien eine breite Durchsetzung für wahrscheinlich, der Großteil wird sich erst bis 2020 oder danach etablieren. Für das Innovationsmanagement bei Logistikdienstleistern wurde mit Hilfe einer Online-Befragung im ersten Schritt der Status quo wesentlicher Gestaltungsfelder untersucht. Anschließend wurden im Rahmen eines Workshops mit zwölf Praxisexperten spezifische Herausforderungen und konkrete Gestaltungsempfehlungen für ein erfolgreiches Innovationsmanagement bei Logistikdienstleistern abgeleitet. Das Innovationsmanagement sollte eine Kultur der Offenheit und des Wandels etablieren, wobei alle wesentlichen Anspruchsgruppen zu integrieren sind und gleichzeitig ein anforderungsgerechtes methodisches Fundament geschaffen werden muss.New technological developments are the course of innovations in logistics and paving the way for them at the same time. Moreover, technologies and innovations are important leverages for creating competitive advantages for logistics service providers. Against this backdrop, the focus of this study is twofold: future technologies in logistics and innovation management at logistics service providers. Contract logistics service providers take center stage of the investigation. However, the results are of particular interest for companies from industry and commerce as well. They support decision makers in designing their future logistics systems and give guidance for managing logistics innovation. By conducting an online survey, we asked managers of logistics service providers and logistics managers of industry and commerce companies about their knowledge and exposure to future technologies. Top performing companies in our sample show higher engagement and propensity to invest in new technologies. Based on the survey results, a picture of the contract logistics’ future was developed, integrating 16 relevant use cases of future technologies. These use cases were subject to a group Delphi with 12 logistics managers. By this means, these use cases were discussed and estimations for their breakthroughs in different time frames were elaborated. For only three use cases a breakthrough until 2015 was estimated as likely by the majority of the experts. The other scenarios are likely to take place in 2020 or later. The second part of the study begins with the status quo of innovation management at logistics service providers. For that purpose, again an online survey was applied. In a second step, a workshop with 12 logistics managers served to identify logistics service providers’ specific challenges and recommended actions for implementing an innovation management. The results show that an open culture linked with the willingness to change has to be established. Concurrently, all relevant groups have to be integrated and a solid foundation of appropriate methods should be created

Drivers of pelagic and benthic microbial communities on Central Arctic seamounts

Seamounts are abundant features on the seafloor that serve as hotspots and barriers for the dispersal of benthic organisms. The primary focus of seamount ecology has typically been on the composition and distribution of faunal communities, with far less attention given to microbial communities. Here, we investigated the microbial communities in the water column (0-3400 m depth) and sediments (619-3883 m depth, 0-16 cm below seafloor) along the ice-covered Arctic ridge system called the Langseth Ridge. We contextualized the microbial community composition with data on the benthic trophic state (i.e., organic matter, chlorophyll-a content, and porewater geochemistry) and substrate type (i.e., sponge mats, sediments, basaltic pebbles). Our results showed slow current velocities throughout the water column, a shift in the pelagic microbial community from a dominance of Bacteroidia in the 0-10 m depth towards Proteobacteria and Nitrososphaeria below the epipelagic zone. In general, the pelagic microbial communities showed a high degree of similarity between the Langseth Ridge seamounts to a northern reference site. The only notable differences were decreases in richness between ~600 m and the bottom waters (~10 m above the seafloor) that suggest a pelagic-benthic coupling mediated by filter feeding of sponges living on the seamount summits. On the seafloor, the sponge spicule mats, and polychaete worms were the principal source of variation in sedimentary biogeochemistry and the benthic microbial community structure. The porewater signature suggested that low organic matter degradation rates are accompanied by a microbial community typical of deep-sea oligotrophic environments, such as Proteobacteria, Acidimicrobiia, Dehalococcoidia, Nitrospira, and archaeal Nitrososphaeria. The combined analysis of biogeochemical parameters and the microbial community suggests that the sponges play a significant role for pelagic-benthic coupling and acted as ecosystem engineers on the seafloor of ice-covered seamounts in the oligotrophic central Arctic Ocean

Standardizing Terminology and Assessment for Orofacial Conditions in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis : International, Multidisciplinary Consensus-based Recommendations

Objective. To propose multidisciplinary, consensus-based, standardization of operational terminology and method of assessment for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) involvement in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Methods. Using a sequential expert group–defined terminology and methods-of-assessment approach by (1) establishment of task force, (2) item generation, (3) working group consensus, (4) external expert content validity testing, and (5) multidisciplinary group of experts final Delphi survey consensus. Results. Seven standardized operational terms were defined: TMJ arthritis, TMJ involvement, TMJ arthritis management, dentofacial deformity, TMJ deformity, TMJ symptoms, and TMJ dysfunction. Conclusion. Definition of 7 operational standardized terms provides an optimal platform for communication across healthcare providers involved in JIA-TMJ arthritis management.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Management of Orofacial Manifestations of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Interdisciplinary Consensus-Based Recommendations

Involvement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is common in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). TMJ arthritis can lead to orofacial symptoms, orofacial dysfunction, and dentofacial deformity with negative impact on quality of life. Management involves interdisciplinary collaboration. No current recommendations exist to guide clinical management. We undertook this study to develop consensus-based interdisciplinary recommendations for management of orofacial manifestations of JIA, and to create a future research agenda related to management of TMJ arthritis in children with JIA. Recommendations were developed using online surveying of relevant stakeholders, systematic literature review, evidence-informed generation of recommendations during 2 consensus meetings, and Delphi study iterations involving external experts. The process included disciplines involved in the care of orofacial manifestations of JIA: pediatric rheumatology, radiology, orthodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orofacial pain specialists, and pediatric dentistry. Recommendations were accepted if agreement was >80% during a final Delphi study. Three overarching management principles and 12 recommendations for interdisciplinary management of orofacial manifestations of JIA were outlined. The 12 recommendations pertained to diagnosis (n = 4), treatment of TMJ arthritis (active TMJ inflammation) (n = 2), treatment of TMJ dysfunction and symptoms (n = 3), treatment of arthritis-related dentofacial deformity (n = 2), and other aspects related to JIA (n = 1). Additionally, a future interdisciplinary research agenda was developed. These are the first interdisciplinary recommendations to guide clinical management of TMJ JIA. The 3 overarching principles and 12 recommendations fill an important gap in current clinical practice. They emphasize the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to diagnosis and management of orofacial manifestations of JIA

Cost-effectiveness analysis of guidelines for antihypertensive care in Finland

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hypertension is one of the major causes of disease burden affecting the Finnish population. Over the last decade, evidence-based care has emerged to complement other approaches to antihypertensive care, often without health economic assessment of its costs and effects. This study looks at the extent to which changes proposed by the 2002 Finnish evidence-based Current Care Guidelines concerning the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of hypertension (the ACCG scenario) can be considered cost-effective when compared to modelled prior clinical practice (the PCP scenario).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A decision analytic model compares the ACCG and PCP scenarios using information synthesised from a set of national registers covering prescription drug reimbursements, morbidity, and mortality with data from two national surveys concerning health and functional capacity. Statistical methods are used to estimate model parameters from Finnish data. We model the potential impact of the different treatment strategies under the ACCG and PCP scenarios, such as lifestyle counselling and drug therapy, for subgroups stratified by age, gender, and blood pressure. The model provides estimates of the differences in major health-related outcomes in the form of life-years and costs as calculated from a 'public health care system' perspective. Cost-effectiveness analysis results are presented for subgroups and for the target population as a whole.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The impact of the use of the ACCG scenario in subgroups (aged 40–80) without concomitant cardiovascular and related diseases is mainly positive. Generally, costs and life-years decrease in unison in the lowest blood pressure group, while in the highest blood pressure group costs and life-years increase together and in the other groups the ACCG scenario is less expensive and produces more life-years. When the costs and effects for subgroups are combined using standard decision analytic aggregation methods, the ACCG scenario is cost-saving and more effective.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The ACCG scenario is likely to reduce costs and increase life-years compared to the PCP scenario in many subgroups. If the estimated trade-offs between the subgroups in terms of outcomes and costs are acceptable to decision-makers, then widespread implementation of the ACCG scenario is expected to reduce overall costs and be accompanied by positive outcomes overall.</p

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good