General Electric (Denmark)

This study adopts the opposing theoretical views of legitimacy – institutional and strategic – in evaluating firm performance and top management commitment as antecedents to green procurement and green supplier development. Additionally, the impact of green procurement and green supplier development on supplier performance is analysed. Using a sample of western European companies, we develop a structural equation model to test our hypotheses. We find that the buying firm’s market performance positively relates to the adoption of green procurement. While financial performance has no effect on green procurement, top management commitment is found to be an important driver of both green procurement and green supplier development. Moreover, the relationship between green procurement and supplier performance is fully mediated by green supplier development. The paper addresses a research gap concerning firm-level antecedents for green procurement and green supplier development showing that both practices may impact supplier performance. Furthermore, it is shown that legitimacy concerns drive basic green procurement, whereas top management is decisive for advanced practices, such as green supplier development.

A time-variable time-of-use electricity price can be used to reduce the charging costs for electric vehicle (EV) owners. Considering the uncertainty of price fluctuation and the randomness of EV owner's commuting behavior, we propose a deep reinforcement learning based method for the minimization of individual EV charging cost. The charging problem is first formulated as a Markov decision process (MDP), which has unknown transition probability. A modified long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network is used as the representation layer to extract temporal features from the electricity price signal. The deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm, which has continuous action spaces, is used to solve the MDP. The proposed method can automatically adjust the charging strategy according to electricity price to reduce the charging cost of the EV owner. Several other methods to solve the charging problem are also implemented and quantitatively compared with the proposed method which can reduce the charging cost up to 70.2% compared with other benchmark methods.

This article describes the basic physics of dissolution dynamic nuclear polarization (dissolution-DNP), and the impact of the resulting highly nonequilibrium spin states, on the physics of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detection. The hardware requirements for clinical translation of this technology are also presented. For studies that allow the use of externally administered agents, hyperpolarization offers a way to overcome normal magnetic resonance sensitivity limitations, at least for a brief T(1)-dependent observation window. A 10,000-100,000-fold signal-to-noise advantage provides an avenue for real-time measurement of perfusion, metabolite transport, exchange, and metabolism. The principles behind these measurements, as well as the choice of agent, and progress toward the application of hyperpolarized (13)C metabolic imaging in oncology, cardiology, and neurology are reviewed.

One important issue in the design and optimization of a superconducting cable conductor is the control of the current distribution between single tapes and layers. This presentation is based on a number of experiments performed on a 4-layer three meter long prototype superconducting cable conductor. The self and mutual inductances of the layers are studied theoretically. The current distribution between the superconducting layers is monitored as a function of transport current. The results are compared with the expected current distribution given by the authors' equivalent electrical circuit model. The AC losses are measured as a function of transport current and a given current distribution and compared with the monoblock model. Recommendations for design of future cable conductor prototypes are given.

Installation of wind turbines may be associated with costly grid reinforcements to maintain an acceptable voltage quality. Probabilistic load flow calculation can be performed by using Monte Carlo techniques for representing the uncertainty for loads and wind speed, so that e.g. the total number of hours with overvoltage per year can be estimated for a distribution network with several wind turbines. This new method makes it possible to analyse disconnecting of wind turbines in a distribution network as an alternative to reinforcement. Based on an example it is concluded that grid connection costs can be reduced if unacceptable overvoltage is avoided by stopping wind turbines instead of by reinforcing the grid.

Studies of contorted drift sequence in southeastern Denmark have resulted in a fusion of the working methods and principles of glacial-tectonics and lithostratigraphy and in the formulation of a new type of stratigraphy, kineto-stratigraphy, where main emphasis is placed on the study of the directional elements that reflect the movement patterns (kinetics) of former ice sheets. Through studies of principal localities, where deposits and deformation from more than one glacial advance are found, regional kineto­stratigraphic drift units are established, and local glacial deposits are classified accordingly. The relative significance of the various directional elements is discussed, and a brief outline of the new Weichselian kineto-stratigraphy of southeastern Denmark is given.

Between February and December, 1977, 133,493 test-day observations of somatic cell count were taken on 27,009 Holstein cows in 676 herds on the Quebec Dairy Herd Analysis Service. Data were transformed to a log (natural) scale, and analyses were separate within lactation age group (42, 3, 4, 5, and />6 yr). Joint estimates of fixed effects of month of test, age of sample at time of laboratory analysis, stage of lactation, age of cow at calving (mo) within lactation age (yr), and season of calving, and components of variance for herd, cow, and error were obtained by maximum likelihood. Patterns of month of test, age of sample, and stage of lactation were similar for all lactation ages. Somatic cell counts were lowest in May, rose through summer and autumn, and peaked in December. As age of sample increased, somatic cell count decreased. Somatic cell counts were highest shortly after freshening, declined rapidly to a nadir between 25 and 45 days in milk, and rose throughout the remainder of lactation. Effects of age at calving within lactation age were generally small. Effects of season of calving were small and were significant only for 3 and >/6 yr olds. Within lactation repeatability of somatic cell count ranged

The flow past a NACA 0018 airfoil with sawtooth trailing edge serrations has been investigated using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (PIV). The serration flap angle and airfoil incidence are varied in order to study the effect of secondary flow establishing between the suction and pressure sides of the serrations. The flow topology around the serrations is inferred from the analysis of time-averaged streamlines close to the airfoil surface and from the wall-normal flow velocity in between serrations. Additional PIV measurements with a plane in cross-flow highlight the formation of streamwise vortex pairs. The flow behavior is further characterized in terms of its turbulence statistics. Noise emissions are measured with an acoustic phased array in combination with beamforming. The serrations are found to be effective in reducing noise, and their application is studied for different degrees of airfoil incidence and serration flap angle.

The variation in zoning and An-content of plagioclases in the Skaergaard intrusion was investigated using microprobe analysis and optical methods on material from the surface of the intrusion as well as from a drill core from the hidden zone of the layered series. The plagioclases display cryptic variation and prominent variations in type of zoning with structural height: oscillatory zoned and resorbed plagioclase cores are predominant in the hidden zone, unzoned cores are typical of the lower zone, and plagioclases of the upper zone display skeletal zoning. The reverse, oscillatory and skeletal zoning of plagioclase cores is ascribed to supercooled crystallization, and not to convection or other petrogenetic factors. The variations in type of zoning and An-content of plagioclases from the hidden zone suggest onset of convection at the same time in the cooling history of the intrusion as is indicated by the transition between the tranquil division and the banded division of the marginal border group. A crystallization model is suggested, which accounts for the observed variations. The variation in An-content of plagioclases from the hidden zone suggests a limited extension of some hundred metres of the intrusion at depth.

Pulmonary hypertension is a condition of varied etiology, commonly associated with poor clinical outcome. Patients are categorized on the basis of pathophysiological, clinical, radiologic, and therapeutic similarities. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is often diagnosed late in its disease course, with outcome dependent on etiology, disease severity, and response to treatment. Recent advances in quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allow for better initial characterization and measurement of the morphologic and flow-related changes that accompany the response of the heart-lung axis to prolonged elevation of pulmonary arterial pressure and resistance and provide a reproducible, comprehensive, and noninvasive means of assessing the course of the disease and response to treatment. Typical features of PAH occur primarily as a result of increased pulmonary vascular resistance and the resultant increased right ventricular (RV) afterload. Several MRI-derived diagnostic markers have emerged, such as ventricular mass index, interventricular septal configuration, and average pulmonary artery velocity, with diagnostic accuracy similar to that of Doppler echocardiography. Furthermore, prognostic markers have been identified with independent predictive value for identification of treatment failure. Such markers include large RV end-diastolic volume index, low left ventricular end-diastolic volume index, low RV ejection fraction, and relative area change of the pulmonary trunk. MRI is ideally suited for longitudinal follow-up of patients with PAH because of its noninvasive nature and high reproducibility and is advantageous over other biomarkers in the study of PAH because of its sensitivity to change in morphologic, functional, and flow-related parameters. Further study on the role of MRI image based biomarkers in the clinical environment is warranted.

Damage progression in unidirectional glass fibre reinforced composites manufactured of a non-crimp fabric subjected to tension-tension fatigue is investigated, and a quantitative explanation is given for the experimentally observed stiffness degradation. The underlying damage-mechanisms are examined using three distinct microscopic analyses, and the transverse crack density is measured. It is documented that the stiffness loss in fatigue is directly related to fibre fractures in the load-carrying axial fibre bundles, initialised by interface debonding and cracking in the transverse backing bundles. A simple stiffness spring model validates the stiffness loss observed. A fatigue damage scheme is presented, which suggests that damage initiates due to failure of the backing bundle causing a stress concentration in the axial load-carrying fibres. This stress concentration, along with fretting fatigue, gives rise to axial fibre fractures and a loss of stiffness, eventually leading to final failure. The uniqueness of the present work is identification of the mechanisms associated with tension fatigue failure of unidirectional non-crimp fabrics used for wind turbine blades. The observed damage mechanisms need further attention and understanding in order to improve the fatigue life-time of unidirectional glass fibre reinforced non-crimp fabrics.

The 85,271 observations of test-day somatic cell count were on 17,477 Holstein cows with identified sires in 664 herds on the Quebec Dairy Herd Analysis Service during 1977. Somatic cell counts were transformed to a log (natural) scale and corrected for effects of month of test, age of sample at analysis, stage of lactation, season of calving, and age of cow. Analysis was within lactation and age. Heritability of test-day somatic cell count ranged from .05 for ~ 2 yr olds to 10 for mature (/> 6 yr) cows, and averaged .08 over all ages. Phenotypic correIations between somatic cell count and milk, fat, and protein yield, and fat and protein percent averaged -. 13, -. 13, -. 11, -. 02, and .09 and increased in absolute size with advancing age of cow. Respective average genetic correlations were. 14, .08, .18, --.08, and .04.

In a prospective, block-randomized, multicenter study, the safety and efficacy of cefoxitin in preoperative prophylaxis were studied. 1735 patients undergoing appendectomy were evaluable, and half of these patients received 2 g of cefoxitin before undergoing operation. The patients were divided into three groups: patients with a normal appendix, patients with an acutely inflamed appendix, and patients with a gangrenous appendix. The study showed for each group a significant reduction of the incidence of wound infection in patients receiving prophylaxis. However, intra-abdominal abscess formation was not influenced by preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis. Consequently, routine preoperative prophylaxis is recommended before appendectomy.

Level of Evidence: 5 Technical Efficacy Stage: 1

This study investigates how the morphology of spray-dried particles is related to the formulation and properties of the components in the formulation. Further, the scale effects in comparisons of levitation-dried single particles and spray-dried particles in a lab-scale spray dryer have been addressed. The Drying Kinetics AnalyzerTM generates single particles from a levitated drop under simulated spray-drying conditions. A set of surface-active polymers (bovine serum albumin, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, and triblock co-polymer Poloxamer), in combination with lactose, were analyzed for their dynamic surface properties in solution, and their effect on particle morphology and surface composition were determined by low-vacuum SEM and XPS analyses. The morphology obtained in spray drying was reproduced in the single-particle drying. The surface compositions were also similar, but higher levels of surface-active materials were found at the surface of the single particles as compared to the spray-dried particles. Further, the adsorption rate of surface-active compounds at the drop surface estimated by dynamic surface tension was found to be an important parameter to estimate the surface composition at different drying scales. The particle morphology was primarily determined by the surface rheological properties of the feed solution and, to a lesser extent, by the surface composition.

This study examined the latent structure of spontaneous social attention in 11- to 26-month-olds with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n = 90) and typically developing (n = 79) controls. Application of the joint and individual variance explained decomposition technique revealed that attention was driven by a condition-independent tuning into the dynamic social scenes construct and context-specific constructs capturing selection of the most relevant social features for processing. Gaze behavior in ASD is characterized by a limited tuning into the social scenes and by a selection of atypical targets for processing. While the former may be due to early disruption of the reward circuitry leading to limited appreciation of the behavioral relevance of social information, the latter may represent secondary deficits reflecting limited knowledge about social partners.

Ninety-seven mildly obese females (BMI = 27.4 kg/m2) were in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial treated for 52 weeks. The treatment consisted of a hypocaloric diet providing 5000 kJ/day (1200 kcal) and a dietary fibre supplement of 7 g/day for 11 weeks, (part I), followed by a diet providing 6720 kJ/day (1600 kcal) and a dietary fibre supplement of 6 g/day for 16 weeks (part II). Finally placebo was withdrawn and all still adhering subjects were given a dietary fibre supplement of 6 g/day and an ad libitum diet for the rest of the period (part III). Initial body weights were comparable, 76.9 +/- 0.8 kg in the fibre group versus 77.7 +/- 1.3 kg in the placebo group. During part I the weight reduction in the fibre group of 4.9 kg was significantly higher compared to that of 3.3 kg in the placebo group (P = 0.05). Accumulated weight reduction during part II was still significantly higher in the fibre group, 3.8 kg, compared to 2.8 kg in the placebo group (P less than 0.05). Total weight loss in the fibre group after 52 weeks was 6.7 kg. Probability of adherence to the treatment regimen was significantly higher in the fibre group from week 13 and onwards (P less than 0.01). Initial blood pressures were comparable. A significant reduction of systolic blood pressure occurred in both groups. A significant reduction of diastolic blood pressure occurred in the fibre group only, from 85.4 +/- 1.2 mmHg to 81.7 +/- 1.1 mmHg (P less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The language of risk has many meanings, and in this article we demonstrate a discrepancy between individually perceived risk and the medical understanding of risk as understood and communicated by general practitioners (GPs). Risk is experienced and interpreted by people in a cultural context, i.e. the same objective risk can be perceived in many different ways and given a different meaning in daily life. GPs' evaluation of risk is made on the basis of our epidemiological knowledge, the medical culture of risk perception and the GP's personal experience and interpretation. The theoretical focus in the article is a synthesis of two theories: patient-centred general practice and theory based in anthropology about risk as culturally and socially constructed. We use empirical data from a qualitative study to illuminate the discussion.

BACKGROUND: The impact of response to treatment on subsequent symptoms, quality of life, health care consumption, and absence from work in functional dyspepsia is unknown. METHODS: Patients with functional dyspepsia from Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Hungary, and Poland (n = 567 (215 men), 18-80 years old) were followed up for 3 months after a 4-week treatment trial with omeprazole (20 mg or 10 mg) or placebo. The patients were blinded to the initial treatment. Dyspeptic symptoms and quality of life were assessed, and dyspepsia-related costs were calculated in terms of number of clinic visits, days on medication, and absence from work. RESULTS: Responders had fewer clinic visits than non-responders (1.5 versus 2.0 mean visits) and fewer days on medication (mean, 9 days versus 23 days) over the 3-month period (both, P < 0.001). The quality of life in responders was better at study entry and persisted over 3 months (all, P < 0.001). When analysed country by country, health care costs due to clinic visits and medications were significantly lower in responders in all countries (P < 0.05), except Denmark and The Netherlands. CONCLUSION: Symptom resolution in patients with functional dyspepsia has a positive impact on quality of life and reduces the subsequent costs over a 3-month period after cessation of initial treatment.

This analysis represents a 5-year update of our mortality study of 7075 PCB exposed capacitor workers that now includes 1654 deaths and 235,984 person-years of observation with follow-up through 1998. In hourly males and females the observed number of deaths from all-cancers and all-causes were similar to the expected numbers. In salaried males all-cause and all-cancer mortality were significantly below the expected. In salaried females, all-cause mortality was significantly below the expected and all-cancer mortality was below the expected, but not significantly. We again failed to find any significant excess mortality in the a priori cancers of concern or in any other cancers in the total cohort or in the highly exposed portion of the cohort. These results expand on our previous observations and as before the data fail to demonstrate any causal association between occupational PCB exposure and excess cancer mortality or any other causes of death.