Sustainable Palm Oil Supply Chains: Complexity, Custody and Contention

Demand for palm oil is strong. It and other products of the oil palm are pervasive in modern society. The sustainability of oil palm cultivation is, however, contested. Different interpretations of sustainability have created conflict at the point of production with perceived Western values conflicting with the perceived needs of palm oil producing countries. This paper contributes to the sustainable supply chain management literature by discussing how stakeholders, with differing objectives, influence behaviour along complex palm oil supply chains. Based on field observation and interviews with these key stakeholders, the paper considers economic, ethical and environmental aspects emerging from efforts to create sustainable palm oil supply chains. In particular, the paper looks at efforts to achieve traceability of supplies and the impacts of such efforts. Insights from this research will help raise awareness of the supply chain dynamics of the palm oil industry, the conflicting challenges faced by downstream buyers and upstream producers, and how well-meaning efforts to support socio-economic development potentially harms efforts to drive sustainable production of oil palm

Investigating Possible Synergies in Intermodal Operations With Truck and Rail

As the trucking industry continues to examine ways to provide better service at lower cost, many companies are more heavily utilizing intermodal (IM) strategies between truck and rail, especially for those loads that are relatively non-critical in terms of delivery time requirements and that have longer lengths of haul. As IM business grows, supporting dray infrastructure naturally develops around IM rail yards. What is unknown is whether it is best to have a dedicated set of drivers performing dray operations or if efficiency and cost savings can result when utilizing a joint driving fleet to concurrently support IM and traditionally dispatched truckload freight transportation. This paper describes a set of experiments utilizing a comprehensive discrete-event system simulation model and historical data from J.B. Hunt Transport to determine whether or not operating synergies exist when IM dray operations are integrated with local, regional, and long-haul trucking operations. Performance metrics of interest to drivers, customers, and trucking companies are utilized to ensure that the research addresses issues of importance to all constituencies. The results show that there is a trade-off between different performance variables when combining operations, but that generally speaking synergies do exist when considering the needs of professional drivers. Results are more mixed with respect to the needs of carriers and customers, but the authors reach the conclusion that the positive aspects of combining OTR and IM dispatching activities outweigh the negative. Because the evaluative simulation model itself is considered to be a major contribution, it is also described in some detail herein

Predicting Worker Exposure from a Glovebox Leak

It is difficult to predict immediate worker radiological consequences from a hypothetical accident. This is recognized in DOE safety analysis guidance and the reason such guidance does not call for quantitative determinations of such consequences. However, it would be useful to at least have a means of systematically and formally quantifying worker dose to be able to identify the relative risks of various processes and to provide an order-of-magnitude impression of absolute consequences. In this report, we present such a means in the form of a simple calculation model that is easily applied and generates reasonable, qualitative dose predictions. The model contains a scaling parameter whose value was deduced from extensive laboratory ventilation flow rate measurements performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) over the last several years and from recent indoor radioactive contamination dispersion measurements, also at LANL. Application of the model is illustrated with the aid of two example calculations

BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION DOES NOT AFFECT ACUTE MEASURES OF POWER AND FATIGUE DURING MAXIMAL CYCLING AMONG WOMEN

While it is known that blood flow restriction (BFR) can positively affect training and rehabilitation progression timelines, the physiological basis of this intervention is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the short-term impact of BFR upon power and fatigue performance measures during maximal cycling. In this study, maximal cycling was assessed using the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT). Using a counterbalanced design, fourteen female participants completed standardized BFR and non-BFR protocols while completing the WAnT. No statistically-significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) were found between conditions for measures of peak power (PP), low power (LP) or fatigue index (FI). These findings suggest that BFR had no statistically-significant acute effect on these performance measures commonly assessed during the WAnT

THE EFFECTS OF BLOOD FLOW RESTRICTION ON MEASURES OF GROSS MOTOR COORDINATION DURING THE WINGATE ANAEROBIC TEST

To date little research has addressed the impact of blood flow restriction (BFR) training upon gross motor coordination measures (GMCM) during a wide variety of maximal activities. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of BFR on GMCM exhibited during maximal cycling. The performance of 14 females between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five were analyzed during the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT). The participants completed the test under two conditions, using BFR and without. Results showed statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) between conditions for dependent variables assessed throughout this common 30 second test of maximal cycling. These findings suggest that BFR negatively influenced GMCM exhibited during the WAnT

Skin Dose Equivalent Measurement from Neutron-Deficient Isotopes.

Neutron-deficient-isotopes decay via positron emission and/or electron capture often followed by x-ray, gamma-ray, and 0.511 MeV photons from positron annihilation. For cases of significant area and/or personnel contamination with these isotopes, determination of skin dose equivalent (SDE) is required by 10CFR835. For assessment of SDE, we evaluated the MICROSPEC-2(TM) system manufactured by Bubble Technology Industries of Canada which uses three different probes for dose measurement. We used two probes: (1) the X-probe which measures lower energy (4 - 120 keV) photon energy distributions and determines deep dose equivalent, SDE and dose equivalent to eyes, and (2) the B-probe which measures electron (positron) energy distributions, and determines skin dose equivalent. Also, the measured photon and beta spectra can be used to identify radioactive isotopes in the contaminated area. Measurements with several neutron-deficient sources showed that this system provided reasonably accurate SDE rate measurements when compared with calculated benchmark SDE rates with an average percent difference of 40%. Variations were expected because of differences between the assumed geometries used by MlCROSPEC-2 and the calculations when compared to the measurement conditions

Do marketing and logistics understand each other? An empirical investigation of the interface activities between logistics and marketing

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the understanding between logistics and marketing functions, to highlight specific issues relating to the interface activities between the two areas, and to discuss the impact for business processes. Findings are presented from a research-based case study with a major international food manufacturer, the results of which have helped the company to gain a better understanding between the marketing and logistics functions. The research has highlighted further implications for the supply chain. The paper discusses key findings and proposes a number of recommendations for marketing and logistics educators, practitioners and researchers

Behavior and Impact of Zirconium in the Soil–Plant System: Plant Uptake and Phytotoxicity

Because of the large number of sites they pollute, toxic metals that contaminate terrestrial ecosystems are increasingly of environmental and sanitary concern (Uzu et al. 2010, 2011; Shahid et al. 2011a, b, 2012a). Among such metals is zirconium (Zr), which has the atomic number 40 and is a transition metal that resembles titanium in physical and chemical properties (Zaccone et al. 2008). Zr is widely used in many chemical industry processes and in nuclear reactors (Sandoval et al. 2011; Kamal et al. 2011), owing to its useful properties like hardness, corrosion-resistance and permeable to neutrons (Mushtaq 2012). Hence, the recent increased use of Zr by industry, and the occurrence of the Chernobyl and Fukashima catastrophe have enhanced environmental levels in soil and waters (Yirchenko and Agapkina 1993; Mosulishvili et al. 1994 ; Kruglov et al. 1996)

The ecology of dust: local- to global-scale perspectives

Emission and redistribution of dust due to wind erosion in drylands drives major biogeochemical dynamics and provides important aeolian environmental connectivity at scales from individual plants up to the global scale. Yet, perhaps because most relevant research on aeolian processes has been presented in a geosciences rather than ecological context, most ecological studies do not explicitly consider dust-driven processes. To bridge this disciplinary gap, we provide a general overview of the ecological importance of dust, examine complex interactions between wind erosion and ecosystem dynamics from the plant-interspace scale to regional and global scales, and highlight specific examples of how disturbance affects these interactions and their consequences. Changes in climate and intensification of land use will both likely lead to increased dust production. To address these challenges, environmental scientists, land managers and policy makers need to more explicitly consider dust in resource management decisions