31 research outputs found
The Emergence of the Sustainable Development Maturity Model
No full textThe Master’s programme Industrial Ecology is jointly organised by Leiden University and Delft University of Technology. Over the last few years the general awareness concerning sustainability increased significantly. Also companies are making big efforts to make their processes and products more sustainable. One of the key concepts in this search to more sustainable processes is the concept of Sustainable Development which is often defined as development that 'meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'. A concept within Sustainable Development which is often used is the Triple Bottom Line, which indicates the three pillars of sustainability: people, planet and profit. Within companies Management Systems focussed on environmental or social aspects are used to manage sustainability topics. These Sustainability Frameworks are used to identify and manage topics related to the sustainable performance of companies. Three major concepts within the management of Sustainable Development are Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Management System and Environmental and Social Reporting. An overview of a large number of available sustainability frameworks, as well as their properties has been made. The Capability Maturity Model is a model which is used in a wide variety of industries to indicate the maturity of different capabilities for processes within an organization. Based on the outcomes of the model the organization can improve its processes to disciplined management processes. The main advantages of a Capability Maturity Model are increase of business success, increase of cost effectiveness, possibility to combine with other technologies such as ISO standards, used in wide-variety of industries, long life-span and a good reputation among government and research institutes. Within this research the concept of the Capability Maturity Model has been combined with insights from the field of Sustainable Development in order to improve business performance in a sustainable manner, the Sustainable Development Maturity Model. The following components have been identified as essential for building a new Capability Maturity Model: A number of levels, General descriptor of each level, Generic description of the contents and characteristics of each capability level, A number of Key Performance Areas or dimensions, A number of topics and activities for each Key Performance Area, A description of each activity as it might be executed or performed at each maturity level. Six levels for the Sustainable Development Maturity Model have been defined based on existing definitions in other Capability Maturity Models and insights from the field of Sustainable Development. Level 0 indicates compliance to regulation and is a bottom-line requirement. For level 1 to level 5 generic definitions for the levels have been made containing contents and characteristics of the level as well as a generic descriptor for the levels. These descriptors are respectively: Initial, Initial Transformation, Light Sustainability, Sustainable Transformation and Reinforced Sustainability. A scoring system has been developed to indicate the correlation between the different layers of the system. The score of the different topics can be filled in at layer 5. The lowest score of the topics results in the score for the activity. The average score for the activity result in the score for the Key Sustainability Areas, unless there is a score 0, then it will result in a score 0. The lowest score for the Key Sustainability Areas result in the score for the framework (or the condition). The sensitivity of the scoring, which means the influence of a certain score on the end-result, has been tested using several cases. The information on the above mentioned frameworks have been expanded with information from its websites and quantitative information from websites as www.springerlink.com. From this list of frameworks three different frameworks have been selected for use in the Sustainable Development Maturity Model, one for every main category of conditions (Worker, Social and Environmental). By using knock-out criteria the number of frameworks was reduced to 8 (ISO 14001, ISO 26000, EMAS, OHSAS 18001, SA8000, AA1000, the Natural Step and Global Reporting Initiative). By looking to the background of the frameworks as well as the popularity of the frameworks ISO 14001, ISO 26000 and SA8000 have been selected for the Sustainable Development Maturity Model for respectively Environmental Conditions, Social Conditions and Worker Conditions. From the selected frameworks Key Sustainability Activities and Activities belonging have been identified. It appeared that a number of Key Sustainability Activities was overlapping and thus choice have been made to exclude certain aspects to prevent doubles. For all Activities definitions have been made as well as a descriptor for each Activity. For the Social Conditions also definitions have been made for the Topics as well as a descriptor for the Topics to show that it is possible to work on this level of detail within the Sustainable Development Maturity Model. The found Key Sustainability Areas and Activities have been validated using publications of several well-performing companies (by means of sustainable performance). As soon as the maturity of an organization for different aspects has been determined the organization may decide to work on certain aspects. For this several practices in order to improve the maturity of the organization have been suggested. Within this research changes for three different fields of organizational improvement have been suggested: firstly an overview of aspects to improve the organizational performance of an organization, secondly the improvement of organizational processes, including a new organizational structure and thirdly by looking to the organizational learning processes. A reflection of how these practices can be used have been given as well as an overview of how aspects to improve the organizational performance can specifically be used to improve the performance of an activity or topic from one level to another. Finally a concept version of the model has been made using Microsoft Excel showing that it is possible to build the model with previous steps. A reflection has been given on the use of the model and on the challenges and limitations as identified in the introduction of the thesis. A total overview of the model in one figure has been given showing the relation between the different steps. This thesis ends with the conclusion that it is possible possible to combine insights from the field of the Capability Maturity Model with insights from the field of Sustainable Development. In further research the Sustainable Development Maturity Model should be further developed and it should be determined if the model has an added value for the sustainable management and performance of an organization.Industrial EcologyMulti-Scale PhysicsApplied Science
Recyclable Nonfunctionalized Paper-Based Ultralow-Cost Wearable Health Monitoring System
No full textA wearable health monitor using low-cost and recyclable paper continuously supervises and assesses body vital conditions simultaneously and in real time, such as blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, and skin hydration. The affordability and high performance of the integrated “Paper Watch” provide an unprecedented flexible and portable approach for advanced personalized healthcare on the go.The authors thank Swnalund Chair Professor of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Prof. John Rogers for useful discussion about this paper. This publication is based upon work supported by the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) under Award No. Sensor Innovation Initiative OSR-2015-Sensors-2707 and KAUST-KFUPM Special Initiative OSR-2016-KKI-2880. M.M.H. conceptualized and directed the study. J.M.N. led the study. K.M. developed the electronic circuit. K.L. assisted with human subject testing. A.A.A. helped with design. J.M.N. and M.M.H. coauthored the paper. Every author reviewed the final draft
Reference values for multifrequency bioimpedance analysis in dialysis patients
No full textReference values for multifrequency bioimpedance analysis in dialysis patients. van de Kerkhof J, Hermans M, Beerenhout C, Konings C, van der Sande FM, Kooman JP. St. Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. BACKGROUND: The role of multifrequency bioimpedance(MF-BIA) in the assessment of fluid status in dialysis patients is still not fully elucidated. Especially, the predictive value of reference values for extracellular water (ECW) has not yet been addressed. Aim of the present study was to validate cut-off values for MF-BIA in the diagnosis of hypervolemia in dialysis patients, using strict clinical criteria and echocardiography as reference techniques. METHODS: 90 patients [42 on hemodialysis; 48 on peritoneal dialysis] were divided into the following groups: clinically normovolemic (mean 24- or 48-hour systolic blood pressure below 133 mm Hg without use of antihypertensive agents; n = 12), 'hypervolemic' (mean systolic blood pressure above 133 mm Hg with 2 or more antihypertensive agents; n = 34) or undetermined (n = 44). The 80th percentile for normalized ECW in the clinically normovolemic patients was used as reference value. 20 healthy age-matched controls were included for comparison. RESULTS: The 80th percentiles for ECW:body weight (BW) and ECW:height in 'normovolemic' subjects were, respectively, 0.245 liters/kg and 10.96 liters/m in males, and 0.232 liters/kg and 9.13 liters/m in females. ECW:BW and ECW:height were above these values in, respectively, 26 (sensitivity 76%) and 29 (sensitivity 86%) of the 34 'hypervolemic' patients. In the undetermined group, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter was significantly different between patients with normalized ECW below and above these cut-off values (49.0 +/- 5.1 vs. 52.4 +/- 5.7 mm; p < 0.05). Use of the ECW:TBW ratio resulted yielded low sensitivity (45%). ECW:height was lower in the 'normovolemic' dialysis patients compared to healthy controls (9.7 +/- 1.3 l/m versus 12.2 +/- 1.9 l/m). CONCLUSION: In our study population, ECW by MF-BIA, normalized for height was able to predict hypervolemia, based on strict clinical criteria, with a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 80%. The normalization procedure for ECW may influence the classification of hydration status. Strictly normotensive dialysis patients had lower normalized ECW than healthy control subjects
PAST AND PRESENT LAND TENURE SYSTEMS IN ALBANIA: PATRILINEAL, PATRIARCHAL, FAMILY-CENTERED
No full textThis paper attempts to evaluate whether Albanian rural social structure has changed to the extent that individual rights and protection of those rights have become important policy questions. If the evaluation suggests that rural Albanians retain the set of family-oriented norms and beliefs that are based primarily on patriarchalism and patrilineal inheritance, we must address the following questions: How appropriate is the mixture of western law that emulates individualistic notions of property rights with the customary family-tenure system of rural Albania? What are the likely problems that could emerge during the transition given a potential conflict between family notions of ownership and individual notions of ownership? This paper discusses five broad issues: the contemporary importance of family ownership, the role of the patriarch, the contemporary inheritance procedures, the vulnerability of specific groups of women, and the structure of the Albanian family. Keywords: Land tenure -- Albania Right of property -- Albania Inheritance and succession -- Albania Albania -- Social conditionsLand tenure -- Albania, Right of property -- Albania, Inheritance and succession -- Albania, Albania -- Social conditions, Land Economics/Use,
The relationship between lactose tolerance test results and symptoms of lactose intolerance
No full textOBJECTIVE: A standard for the assessment of lactose malabsorption does not exist. As measured by lactose tolerance tests, insufficient increase in blood glucose or increased breath hydrogen (H2) excretion after lactose ingestion is regarded as pathological. In this study, we have tried to elucidate the relationship between lactose tolerance test results and symptoms after a lactose challenge. This relationship might be an indicator for the validity of the test. METHODS: In a prospective study, 309 consecutive patients with suspected lactose malabsorption underwent a lactose tolerance test. After consumption of 50 g of lactose, blood glucose and breath H2 concentrations were measured. During the test (240 min), the severity of bloating, flatulence, abdominal distention, and diarrhea were semiquantitatively scored as 0, 1, or 2. The individual sum of these four scores was calculated and denoted as the total symptom score (TSS). All subjects were classified according to their TSS to compare symptoms with peak breath-H2 concentration and change in blood glucose concentration, respectively. RESULTS: The glucose and breath H2 response were pathological in 51.1 and 39.5% of cases, respectively. A stepwise increase in TSS of 1 point was associated with a significant increase (p < 0.05) in mean peak H2 concentration. However, a significantly lower glucose increment compared with patients with a TSS of 0 was found only in patients with a TSS of 2 or 4. The mean symptom score differed significantly between the positive and negative breath tests (p < 0.001), but did not differ between the positive and negative glucose response results. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that GI symptoms after a lactose challenge are strongly associated with the amount of H2 excretion. The relationship between the increase in glucose concentration and symptoms after a lactose load is less evident. Thus, the H2 breath test seems to be superior to the measurement of blood glucose increment as a diagnostic tool in lactose malabsorption, although the true predictive value of this test only can be determined after a period of dietary treatment
Correlation Between Thermal Diffusivity Variation and Quality of Cold Preserved Fish
No full textThe present paper deals with establishment of correlation between thermal behaviour and quality of cold preserved fish. Experiments were designed and transient temperature-time variations were recorded at the center and other three equidistant locations during air blast cooling of slab shaped pieces of fresh water fish. A number of pieces from the same lot were cold preserved at 3°C for a period of 28 days and experiments were repeated daily. Time-temperature records were used to determine thermal diffusivity of each sample using the empirical approach of the first author, reported elsewhere. It was observed that the measured thermal diffusivity increased up to 14 days and then stayed approximately constant up to the end of the preservation period (28 days). According to the reported literature, it was found that the shelf life of fish preserved at 3°C is 14 days. Regression analysis was made to develop an empirical correlation between thermal diffusivity and preservation time of the fish under investigation
Developing Overall Equipment Effectiveness Metrics for Prototype Precision Manufacturing
No full textOverall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is a powerful metric of manufacturing performance incorporating measures of the utilisation, yield and efficiency of a given process, machine or manufacturing line. When associated with the reasons for performance loss, OEE provides the means to compare and prioritise improvement efforts. This research assesses the current systems used in the high-volume production lines of Company-X, a precision manufacturer of computer components. This assessment led to the design of a singular methodology that functions in a high-volume production environment, in the rapid prototyping production, and the program qualification production divisions of Company-X. The methodology defined indicators (Utilisation, Efficiency and Yield), and factors that must be recorded on an individual piece of equipment within a manufacturing line to determine its OEE. These equipment-level records were captured utilising the equipment’s computer-controller, supplemented by minimal user input, to minimise the non-value added activities associated with data-entry. The methodology also determined the means to aggregate the records to prioritize improvement activities (Weighted OEE Pareto) and calculate the manufacturing lines overall performance (Overall Line Effectiveness)
Correlation Between Thermal Diffusivity Variation and Quality of Cold Preserved Fish
No full textThe present paper deals with establishment of correlation between thermal behaviour and quality of cold preserved fish. Experiments were designed and transient temperature-time variations were recorded at the center and other three equidistant locations during air blast cooling of slab shaped pieces of fresh water fish. A number of pieces from the same lot were cold preserved at 3°C for a period of 28 days and experiments were repeated daily. Time-temperature records were used to determine thermal diffusivity of each sample using the empirical approach of the first author, reported elsewhere. It was observed that the measured thermal diffusivity increased up to 14 days and then stayed approximately constant up to the end of the preservation period (28 days). According to the reported literature, it was found that the shelf life of fish preserved at 3°C is 14 days. Regression analysis was made to develop an empirical correlation between thermal diffusivity and preservation time of the fish under investigation.</jats:p
