Academic literature on the topic 'Supply-Embedded'

PurposeThe purpose of the paper is to analyse how transport activities are embedded in supply chains and networks.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is empirically grounded in a single case study that describes and analyses a supply chain of a particular product, Geocloth, focussing on how transport activities are organised in the supply network.FindingsThe paper concludes that transport activities are embedded in two related settings – the supply chain setting and the transport network setting – with implications for how adjustments can be made to increase transport performance. Furthermore, the paper shows how transport performance can be analysed as a function of how business relationships are connected vertically (i.e. how transport activities are sequentially connected within supply chains) and horizontally (i.e. how transport activities are connected across supply chains with regard to joint resource use).Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the understanding of how transport is integrated in supply networks by focussing on the connections between business relationships in supply chains and by pointing to how transport activities are embedded both in supply chain settings and in transport network settings.

Purpose In today’s ever-changing global business environment, successful survival of manufacturing firms/production units depends on the extent of fulfillment of dynamic customers’ demands. Appropriate supply chain strategy is of vital concern in this context. Lean principles correspond to zero inventory level; whereas, agile concepts motivate safety inventory to face and withstand in turbulent market conditions. The leagile paradigm is gaining prime importance in the contemporary scenario which includes salient features of both leanness and agility. While lean strategy affords markets with predictable demand, low variety and long product life cycle; agility performs best in a volatile environment with high variety, mass-customization and short product life cycle. Successful implementation of leagile concept requires evaluation of the total performance metric and development of a route map for integrating lean production and agile supply in the total supply chain. To this end, the purpose of this paper is to propose a leagility evaluation framework using fuzzy logic. Design/methodology/approach A structured framework consisting of leagile capabilities/attributes as well as criterions has been explored to assess an overall leagility index, for a case enterprise and the data, obtained thereof, has been analyzed. Future opportunities toward improving leagility degree have been identified as well. This paper proposes a Fuzzy Overall Performance Index to assess the combined agility and leanness measure (leagility) of the organizational supply chain. Findings The proposed method has been found fruitful from managerial implication viewpoint. Originality/value This paper aimed to present an integrated fuzzy-based performance appraisement module in an organizational leagile supply chain. This evaluation module helps to assess existing organizational leagility degree; it can be considered as a ready reference to compare performance of different leagile organization (running under similar supply chain architecture) and to benchmark candidate leagile enterprises; so that best practices can be transmitted to the less-performing organizations. Moreover, there is scope to identify ill-performing areas (barriers of leagility) which require special managerial attention for future improvement.

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number seven expressly calls for universal access to affordable and sustainable energy. Energy sustainability will require a reduction in energy consumption, including embedded energy consumption in sectoral demand and supply chains. However, few studies have estimated the amount of coal, petroleum, and gas (fossil fuel) embedded in demand-and-supply chains (FFEDS). Furthermore, the inter-and intra-sectoral energy linkages are understudied. This study quantifies China’s FFEDS, the world’s largest energy consumer. According to the findings, the highest levels of coal, natural gas, and petroleum consumption (CNGPC) are embedded in the construction sector’s input demand. “Electricity and steam production and supply” total intermediate exports (internal plus inter-sectoral) stimulated the highest coal consumption. “Crude petroleum products and natural gas products” and “railway freight transport” aggregate supplies induced the highest volume of natural gas and petroleum consumption. Compared to intra-sectoral demand, inter-sectoral demand stimulated significantly larger CNGPCs. In contrast, CNGPC’s inter- and inter-sectoral supplies were nearly identical. Modifying current carbon taxation and credit mechanisms to include energy embedded in demand and supply can help to achieve SDG 7.

Le ultime novita in ambito automotive sono dovute principalmente ai compoenenti elettronici ed elettrici che favoriscono la riduzione dei livelli di emissione e creano maggiore sicurezza e comfort. L’utilizzo di questi componenti sta aumentando sempre di più, ed essendo generalmente connessi tramite dei bus, stanno rendendo il sistema di cablaggio sempre piu complesso fino a renderlo uno dei blocchi piu critici da progettare. Pertanto, si stanno cercando nuove tecniche per ridurre il numero di interconnessioni. In questo lavoro si analizza un nuovo metodo per integrare la comunicazione e l'alimentazione su un unico bus differenziale. Diversamente dai metodi Power over Ethernet (PoE), l'implementazione proposta si basa sull’iniezione di cariche ben definite sul bus di comunicazione, che allo stesso tempo alimenta i vari dispositivi, al fine di generare dei pulsi. Sono proposti due approcci basati su capacità di commutazione: il Charge Alternation (CA) e il Charge Pump (CP). Il metodo CA, a 2Mbps, richiede solo il 50% della potenza di modulazione del carico resistivo, e il CP migliora ancora di più le prestazioni grazie alla capacità di riutilizzare parzialmente la carica immagazinata. Entrambe i circuiti di transmissione sono validati da una scheda dimostrativa e da un test chip in tecnologia 180nm BCD-on-SOI da cui si sono ottenuti risultati eccellenti. Inoltre, un circuito di ricezione é mostrato ed implementato in un test chip che quindi realizza un ricetrasmettitore completo. La tesi é organizzata come segue: l'introduzione e le motivazioni alla base di questa attivitá sono mostrate nel Capitolo 1. Nel capitolo 2 sono analizzati il concetto basico di transmissione e la modellazione del bus differenziale. Il Capitolo 3 sono esaminate entrambe le implementazioni di trasmettitori proposti, andando nel dettaglio della caratteristica dei pulsi, della codifica e del consumo energetico. Una scheda dimostrativa fatta di componenti discreti e i relativi test sono presentati nel capitolo 4, rimpiazzando con successo un layer fisico di un applicazione simil-CAN per illuminazione interna delle auto. Vengono mostrati anche i risultati sulle emissioni elettromagnetiche che sono in linea con i requisiti standard. L'implentazione in silicio del trasmettitore, includendo entrambi circuiti sviluppati, é descritta dettagliatamente nel capitolo 5. Viene mostrata l’architettura degli switch ad alta tensione, la protezione ESD che fornisce un livello di HBM > 8kV e tutti i blocchi necessari per il funzionamento del chip. Alla fine dello stesso capitolo vengono mostrate le prestazioni del chip integrato. Nel Capitolo 6 si propone il circuito di ricezione e il composizione del chip che implementa il ricetrasmettitore completo in una struttura simile a quella precedente. I test top level del chip sono quindi esplicati prima di trarre le conclusioni finali.
The advancements in modern vehicles are mainly due to electrical and electronic components that support an increasing demand for lower emission levels, higher safety and comfort. Increasingly, these components are connected by bus systems, which lead to more complex wire harnesses in modern cars, than ever before. Because of this, the wire harness of a car became one of the most complex building blocks. Therefore, techniques to reduce the wiring overhead are becoming increasingly important. In this work, a new method for integrating the communication and power supply of network participants on one differential bus, is investigated. Different to methods such as Power over Ethernet (PoE), the proposed implementations are using charges to emit defined pulses in to the communication bus, that is also carrying the power supply. Two switched capacitor approaches are proposed, the charge alternation (CA) and the charge pump (CP) method. While the suggested CA mode, operating at 2, requires only 50% of the power of a resistive load modulation that reaches a comparable signal level, the CP mode improves this even further due to the inherent charge-reuse capability of the concept. The approaches are verified with a demonstrator and a transmitter test chip fabricated in a 180nm BCD-on-SOI technology, that both shows the excellent performance of the concept and the silicon implementation. Furthermore, the receiver is discussed and implemented as part of a transceiver test chip, fabricated in the same technology. The reminder of the work is organized as follows: After the introduction and motivation for this research project in chapter 1, basic transmission concepts are described as well as the modelling of the differential bus based on a twisted pair, is analysed in chapter 2. Chapter 3 examines both switched capacitor transmission concepts in detail, regarding pulse shape, encoding, and power consumption. To check the proposed transmission schemes in a real-world environment, a demonstrator using off-the-shelf components will be discussed and evaluated in chapter 4, that successfully replaces the existing physical layer of a CAN-like state-of-the-art application for interior car illumination. It shows also, that standards for electromagnetic emissions can be met with the proposed solutions. A silicon implementation for the transmitter part, realizing both methods, is described in detail in chapter 5. The architecture of the required high-voltage switches, the design of the ESD protection that withstand an HBM stress level > 8 and all necessary building blocks for a chip implementation that can work in a real network environment, are discussed. At the end of this chapter, the performance of the real silicon results are discussed. Chapter 6 proposes the receiver concept, and the transceiver chip level implementation using the same framework as developed with the transmitter test chip. The top-level verification of the build transceiver test chip is presented before conclusions are drawn.

Negli ultimi anni si è assistito ad un sensazionale aumento della presenza di sistemi e sensori elettronici all'interno delle automobili, che ha portato il sistema di interconnessioni ad essere uno degli aspetti maggiormenti critici e degni di attenzione durante le fasi di progettazione. E' divenuto quindi necessario studiare nuovi metodi di comunicazione al fine di gestire al meglio tale livello di complessità e favorire lo sviluppo dell'automobile del futuro. Nell'ambito di questa attività di ricerca, è stata proposta la progettazione di un ricetrasmettitore Supply-Embedded Communication (SEC) con caratteristiche tali da fornire vantaggi in termini economici, in semplicità costruttiva e relativamente al peso del veicolo stesso. Infatti nel sistema Supply-Embedded Communication utilizzato, l’alimentazione è unita al bus di comunicazione, portando ad una drastica riduzione del numero d'interconnessioni. Pertanto il metodo di comunicazione proposto si pone l'obiettivo di essere un layer fisico addizionale al Controller Area Network (CAN), il bus attualmente più diffuso nell’industria automotive, permettendo il raggiungimento di una velocità di trasmissione dati di diversi Mbps. Sono stati realizzate due diverse tipologie di trasmettitori basati su capacita di commutazione, implementati in un primo test chip in tecnologia 180nm CMOS SOI. Il prototipo realizzato è stato validato da test di comunicazione svolti in laboratorio, connettendo il chip stesso con una scheda dimostrativa a componenti discreti che funge da ricevitore. Inoltre un circuito di ricezione, basato su due latch StrongArm, è stato proposto ed integrato nella seconda versione del prototipo per realizzare il ricetrasmettitore SEC completo. Paragonato alle soluzioni già disponibili sul mercato, il metodo presentato in questa tesi può raggiungere una velocità di trasmissione di 2Mbps, rendendolo in grado d'implementare reti ad alta velocità come avviene nel bus CAN. Come progetto secondario è stato sviluppato un circuito di bandgap reference con compensazione al secondo ordine. I bandgap reference sono presenti ormai in quasi tutti i circuiti integrati e ve ne è presente uno anche nel ricetrasmettitore SEC oggetto di questa tesi, al fine di fornire la necessaria corrente di polarizzazione ai circuiti. Nonostante il progetto principale sia realizzato in tecnologia 180nm, il progetto secondario è svolto in 110nm per scopi didattici. Il circuito proposto è stato validato da simulazioni svolte in un range di temperature da -40°C a 175°C in un processo a 6σ.La compensazione al secondo ordine apporta vantaggi notevoli, in quanto fornisce un massima variazione dalla temperatura ambiente inferiore ad 1mV nel corner tipico e di 1.3mV nel corner peggiore.
Automotive wire harness has become nowadays a very complex system as the number of electronic systems and sensors inside a vehicle has increased dramatically. To manage this complexity, and to support the automotive systems of tomorrow, new communication methods need to be investigated. In this research activity, a Supply-Embedded Communication (SEC) transceiver for differential automotive networks is developed to provide advantages in cost, complexity, and weight. In a Supply-Embedded Communication system, the power supply is merged on the communication bus and hence the number of interconnections is drastically reduced. The proposed approach is intended to be an effective additional physical layer to the Controller Area Network (CAN) which is the most widespread bus in the automotive industry, and hence transmission speed in the order of some Mbps is desired. Two transmitter topologies based on switching capacitors and their implementation in a first test chip in 180nm CMOS SOI technology are presented. The prototype is validated by communication tests in the laboratory connecting it to a discrete component-based demonstrator receiver board through an unshielded twisted pair cable. A receiver circuit based on StrongArm Latches is designed and integrated into the second version of the prototype to realize a full SEC transceiver. Compared to commercially available solutions, the proposed approach can reach a data transmission rate of 2Mbps making it able to implement high-speed event-driven networks, such as the CAN. As a side project, a second order curvature compensated bandgap reference circuit is proposed. Voltage references are used in almost every integrated circuit and, one of them is also present in the SEC transceiver prototype to furnish the required bias to the circuit. Although the main project is done in 180nm technology, the side project is developed in 110nm technology for educational purposes. The proposed circuit is validated by simulation in a temperature range from -40°C to 175°C in a 6σ process spread. The second order compensation introduces a considerable improvement in performance by reducing the maximum variation from the room temperature to a value lower than 1mV in the typical corner and to 1.3mV in the worst corner.

This study was aimed at exploring data analysis techniques for generating accurate estimates of the loss in quality of fresh fruits, vegetables and cut flowers in chilled supply chains based on data from advanced sensors. It was motivated by the recent interest in the application of advanced sensors, by emerging concepts in quality controlled logistics, and by the desire to minimise quality losses during transport and storage of the produce. Cut roses were used in this work although the findings will also be applicable to other produce. The literature has reported that whilst temperature was considered to be the most critical post-harvest factor, others such as growing conditions could also be important in the senescence of cut roses. Kinetic modelling was the most commonly used modelling approach for shelf life predictions of foods and perishable produce, but not for estimating vase life (VL) of cut flowers, and so this was explored in this work along with multiple linear regression (MLR) and partial least squares (PLS). As the senescence of cut roses is not fully understood, kinetic modelling could not be implemented directly. Consequently, a novel technique, called Kinetic Linear System (KLS), was developed based on kinetic modelling principles. Simulation studies of shelf life predictions for tomatoes, mushrooms, seasoned soybean sprouts, cooked shrimps and other seafood products showed that the KLS models could effectively replace the kinetic ones. With respect to VL predictions KLS, PLS and MLR were investigated for data analysis from an in-house experiment with cut roses from Cookes Rose Farm (Jersey). The analysis concluded that when the initial and final VLs were available for model calibration, effective estimates of the post-harvest loss in VL of cut roses could be obtained using the post-harvest temperature. Otherwise, when the initial VLs were not available, such effective estimates could not be obtained. Moreover, pre-harvest conditions were shown to correlate with the VL loss but the correlation was too weak to produce or improve an effective estimate of the loss. The results showed that KLS performance was the best while PLS one could be acceptable; but MLR performance was not adequate. In another experiment, boxes of cut roses were transported from a Kenyan farm to a UK distribution centre. Using KLS and PLS techniques, the analysis showed that the growing temperature could be used to obtain effective estimates of the VLs at the farm, at the distribution centre and also the in-transit loss. Further, using post-harvest temperature would lead to a smaller error for the VL at the distribution centre and the VL loss. Nevertheless, the estimates of the VL loss may not be useful practically due to the excessive relative prediction error. Overall, although PLS had a slightly smaller prediction error, KLS worked effectively in many cases where PLS failed, it could handle constraints while PLS could not.In conclusion, KLS and PLS can be used to generate effective estimates of the post-harvest VL loss of cut roses based on post-harvest temperature stresses recorded by advanced sensors. However, the estimates may not be useful practically due to significant relative errors. Alternatively, pre-harvest temperature could be used although it may lead to slightly higher errors. Although PLS had slightly smaller errors KLS was more robust and flexible. Further work is recommended in the objective evaluations of product quality, alternative non-linear techniques and dynamic decision support system.

As the use of electric vehicles increases, the need for electric vehicle supply equipment to have more advanced functionality also increases. The HomePlug Green PHY standard was developed to allow more advanced communication between electric vehicles and electric vehicle supply equipment. This more advanced form of communication can solve problems such as load balancing during busy charging and seamless payment methods. There are some modem solutions that are based on the Qualcomm QCA7000 chip that allows for implementation of the HomePlug Green PHY standard.             This thesis explores and highlights the implementation of the hardware for the HomePlug Green PHY standard into a solution that is nearly plug and play for most electric vehicles. A module in the form of a PCB based around one of these modem solutions is developed that allows modular expansion of a traditional electric vehicle supply equipment to gain the functionality of HomePlug Green PHY. The final PCB is a near plug and play solution on the hardware side however, the software needs further development.

Informationssäkerhet är en viktig aspekt i företagande. Informationssäkerhet har länge betraktats som ett IT-initiativ men har på senare år breddats till en affärsangelägenhet vilket ökat intresset hos företagsledningar. Litteraturen inom informationssäkerhet fokuserar på hur företag upprätthåller säkra system som motstånd för cyberattacker och oönskad tillgång till information. Forskning identifierar nya säkerhetshot som uppkommit efter framsteg inom internetteknik men lite är känt om hur dessa hot kan hanteras. Forskare efterfrågar undersökning om hur samarbete i försörjningskedjor utgör risker mot säker informationshantering. Logistikföretag förser kunder med logistiktjänster som lagerhantering, transport, orderläggning och packning. Logistikföretag är en central nod i försörjningskedjor. De deltar ofta i flera försörjningskedjor i olika branscher. Den omfattande sammankopplingen av företag utgör en säkerhetsrisk. Det gör också att logistikföretag kan ses som måltavlor för cyberattacker. Studiens syfte har med den anledningen varit att skapa en förståelse för vilka utmaningar logistikföretag står inför vid hantering av informationssäkerhet i försörjningskedjan. Studiens forskningsfråga har besvarats genom att intervjua representanter från logistikföretag. Den empiriska data har tematiserats och analyserats. Studiens resultat visar att hanteringen av informationssäkerhet varierar mellan företagen. Studiens slutsatser presenterar rekommendationer. Rekommendationerna beskriver hur logistikföretag kan hantera informationssäkerhet i försörjningskedjan.
Information security is an important aspect when running a business. Before, information security has been separated to the business area of IT. But lately this issue has broadened and become an important part of business-activity. This has resulted in a growing interest among business leaders. Literature within the subject information security mainly focuses on how organizations maintain safe systems and protect themselves from cyber-attacks and information infringements. Existing literature identifies new security threats that have emerged after advances in internet technology, but little is known about how these threats can be managed. Researchers request research on how cooperation in supply chains poses risks to secure information management. Logistics companies provide customers with logistics services such as warehouse management, transport, order processing and packaging. Logistics companies are a central node in supply chains. They often participate in several supply chains in different industries. The extensive interconnection of companies poses a security risk. It also means that logistics companies can be seen as targets for cyber-attacks. The purpose of the study has therefore been to create an understanding of the challenges logistics companies face in managing information security in the supply chain.   The research question has been answered by interviewing representatives from logistics organizations. The empirical data has undergone a thematic analysis. The results of the study show that the management of information security varies between companies. The study’s conclusions present recommendations. The recommendations describe how logistics companies can manage information security in the supply chain.

La produzione agricola industriale su larga scala e il commercio di prodotti sono sempre più connessi a fenomeni di deforestazione e degradazione delle foreste tropicali. Tale fenomeno è descritto tramite il concetto di ‘rischio di deforestazione’ o forest-risk. I prodotti agricoli i cui processi produttivi implicano deforestazione e rimozione della vegetazione autoctona, sono classificati beni a rischio deforestazione (forest risk commodities). Carne bovina, soia, olio di palma e legname – i beni a rischio deforestazione – sono considerati ‘i grandi 4’ tra le forest-risk commodities. A causa della complessità dei sistemi globali di produzione e commercio alcuni beni sono indirettamente legati a tale rischio, poiché derivano da aree deforestate senza essere essi stessi causa diretta di deforestazione. Questa dimensione del rischio viene spesso tralasciata e permane un tema secondario nel dibattito sulla deforestazione derivata dalla produzione e il commercio di beni di consumo. La distinzione tra beni con un legame causale diretto con la deforestazione e beni che includono nella propria filiera il rischio di deforestazione incide su come la responsabilità della deforestazione viene attribuita e considerata sia tramite misure legali che tramite standard volontari di auto-regolamentazione. Pertanto risulta necessario sviluppare una concettualizzazione migliore per concordare una terminologia da utilizzare sia nella letteratura accademica che in quella informale e raggiungere delle decisioni politiche basate su un approccio scientifico. Nella ricerca effettuata si è voluto espandere la concettualizzazione di deforestation risk facendo riferimento al caso delle pelli bovine (di qui in avanti semplicemente, pelli) e in particolare al caso della produzione di pelli/prodotti di conceria in Brasile. Il focus sulle pelli ha molteplici ragioni. In primo luogo, mentre il ruolo degli allevamenti zootecnici come causa di deforestazione in Brasile è soggetto ad una crescente attenzione da parte dell’opinione pubblica, la filiera di produzione delle pelli rimane ancora inesplorata. Fatta eccezione per poche imprese leader del settore dei prodotti in pelle, il dibattito sulla trasparenza di questa filiera e il rischio di deforestazione ad essa associato è praticamente assente. In secondo luogo, la filiera della pelle è di norma molto più complessa rispetto a quella della carne bovina e coinvolge numerosi attori sia a livello nazionale che internazionale, ivi compresi gli intermediari, le concerie, le case di moda, ecc. Ciò crea delle discontinuità nella tracciabilità della pelle e complica l’identificazione del rischio di deforestazione lungo la filiera. Infine, la pelle è un bene che per propria stessa natura è legato a rapporti di forza squilibrati tra gli attori della filiera. Una terza ragione per la scelta del settore della pelle è data dal fatto che, poiché la pelle è spesso considerata un prodotto di scarto secondario della carne bovina, ne consegue che gli attori coinvolti nella filiera sostengono di avere uno scarso potere di negoziazione per imporre i loro standard e delle condizioni di non-deforestazione ai produttori. Al contempo, gli attori a valle della filiera, come le case di moda, sono maggiormente esposti a rischi di natura reputazionale rispetto alle imprese del settore della carne. In conseguenza di tale situazione vi è il fatto che la pelle è un bene con costi e benefici distribuiti in maniera asimmetrica all’interno della filiera. Mentre a monte gli allevatori mancano delle risorse per rispettare standard di sostenibilità e spesso non beneficiano di nessuna compensazione economica per il pellame dei propri bovini, i prodotti finiti in pelle sono visti come beni di lusso, con elevati margini di guadagno per le aziende che li producono e commerciano. Questa ricerca impiega sia dati primari che secondari. I dati primari sono principalmente di tipo qualitativo e derivano da trentanove interviste semi-strutturate e audio-registrate condotte sotto forma sia di colloqui vis-à-vis che a distanza (video-chiamate) durante una missione in Brasile tra maggio e agosto 2018. Tali dati sono stati utilizzati prevalentemente ai fini dell’analisi del discorso (discourse analysis) presentata nel secondo capitolo e come riferimenti interpretativi e di lettura del contesto per l’analisi dei dati quantitativi secondari presentata nei rimanenti capitoli. I dati e le informazioni secondari sono stati derivati da un’estesa analisi della letteratura e analisi di dati statistici relativi a mattatoi, registri su pelli bovine grezze e semilavorate e processi di deforestazione; sono stati inoltre considerati dati geospaziali relativi alle aree deforestate e alla localizzazione dei mattatoi e delle concerie; da ultimo sono stati considerati dati relativi al commercio di pelli e prodotti derivati tra Brasile e Italia. Nessun intervallo di tempo specifico è stato selezionato a priori per l’analisi dei dati: le serie temporali sono state selezionate a seconda della disponibilità di dati e delle necessità relative alle singole tipologie di analisi impiegate. Dai risultati emerge che la filiera delle pelli ha un rischio deforestazione significativo nonostante il pellame non sia un prodotto primario dell’allevamento bovino e un fattore diretto di deforestazione. Il rischio si colloca principalmente nel legame con le attività zootecniche e di allevamento, nell’incompleta tracciabilità della filiera così come nel commercio interno e internazionale di pelle. Le pelli prodotte in Brasile e importate per essere successivamente lavorate in Italia incorporano un livello significativo di rischio di deforestazione a causa degli intensi scambi commerciali tra i due Paesi. Il rischio di deforestazione legato alle pelli è affrontato in maniera diversa dai diversi discorsi esistenti sul tema e pone in evidenza come l’articolarsi della trama di ciascun discorso comporti l’attenzione sia su aspetti visibili che invisibili rispetto alla sostenibilità, all’equità e alla legalità delle filiere in questione. I risultati mettono in risalto l’importanza del ruolo e della voce degli agricoltori di frontiera, mostrando come la loro visione e interpretazione informi un discorso politico incentrato sul tema della sopravvivenza e del sostentamento. È quindi necessaria una maggiore attenzione da parte dell’opinione pubblica sulle filiere produttive, ivi comprese quelle delle pelli e dei prodotti derivati, e in particolare sulle relazioni non eque di potere, così come sull’importanza di un’inclusione significativa di gruppi vulnerabili della popolazione. L’industria del pellame e i grandi marchi dovrebbero essere più proattivi, inviando al mercato un chiaro segnale per cui la deforestazione e altre forme di illegalità non possono essere tollerate. Una piena tracciabilità della filiera e il coinvolgimento dei produttori è imprescindibile se l’industria mira a produrre e commerciare prodotti che non siano responsabili di o coinvolti in processi di deforestazione.
Large-scale industrial agricultural production and commodity trade are increasingly linked to deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics. This link is described via the concept of ‘deforestation risk’. Agricultural products whose production or extraction involves deforestation and native vegetation clearing are classified as forest-risk commodities. Beef, soybean, palm oil, and timber - the commodities with deforestation risk - are considered the “big four” of forest-risk commodities. Due to the complexity of global production and trade systems there are commodities that possess the risk of originating from deforested areas without being direct deforestation/forest degradation drivers. This dimension of the risk is either overlooked or held as secondary in the debates about commodity-driven deforestation. Differentiation between commodities with direct causal links and those with the exposure to deforestation in their supply chain has impact on how responsibility and accountability is constructed both through legal measures and self-regulatory voluntary standards. Better conceptualization is needed to approximate the usage of the terms both in grey and academic literature and to achieve science backed policy decisions. By referring to the case of bovine leather (hereinafter just leather) and the case of Brazilian leather production we aim to expand the conceptualization of deforestation risk. We focus on leather for multiple reasons. First, while the role of cattle in driving deforestation in Brazil is subject to increasing public scrutiny, the leather commodity chain largely remains in the shadow. Except for a few leading firms in leather goods, public discussion about transparency across the leather supply chain and associated deforestation risk is mostly absent. Second, leather supply chains are more complex compared to beef and involve many national and international players, including intermediary sellers, tanneries, fashion houses, etc. This creates traceability gaps and complicates identifying deforestation risk along the chain. Third, leather is a commodity with inherently uneven power relations among the actors in the supply chain and with costs and benefits unevenly distributed across the chain. Often considered a waste or by-product to beef meat, actors in the leather supply chain argue to lack important negotiation power to impose their standards and no deforestation conditions upon producers. At the same time, downstream actors of leather supply chain, such as fashion brands, are more susceptible to reputational risks compared to that of beef. While upstream farmers lack resources to adhere to sustainability standards and hardly get any financial compensation for the skin of their cattle, finished leather products are often regarded as luxury products presenting very high price margins for producing/trading brands. This research employs both primary and secondary data. Primary data is mostly qualitative and entails thirty-nine semi-structured, recorded, and transcribed interviews, in the form of both face-to-face and video call interviews conducted during extended field visit to Brazil in May-August 2018. This data is mainly used for the discourse analysis in the second chapter and for interpretative and contextual purposes to analyse the secondary quantitative data in the other chapters. Secondary information consists of extensive literature review, statistical data on annual slaughter, bovine hide/leather registry and annual deforestation, geospatial data on deforestation, slaughterhouse and tannery locations, as well as, trade statistics on Brazilian-Italian leather trade. No specific time frame was chosen to analyse the data and time series for each data set were selected according to availability and the specific requirements of each type of analysis. The results show that bovine leather supply chains possess significant risk of embedded deforestation despite leather not being a primary product of cattle ranching and driver of deforestation. The risk reveals itself in the link with cattle ranching, incomplete supply chain traceability, as well as in interstate and international leather trade. The Brazilian-Italian bovine leather has significant level of embedded deforestation due to intensive trade relations. Different discourses articulate deforestation risk of bovine leather differently and highlight how the storylines of each discourse bring attention both to what is made visible and invisible in relation to sustainability, legitimacy, and fairness. The results emphasise the importance of the role and voice of frontier settlers, by presenting how their storylines inform a political discourse on livelihoods. There is a need for increased public scrutiny of supply chains, including the leather one, and for special attention to unequal power relations and the importance of meaningful inclusion of vulnerable groups and populations. The leather industry and big brands need to be more proactive by sending clear market signals that deforestation and other illegalities are not tolerated. Full coverage and traceability of the supply chain and engagement with the producers is necessary if the industry wants to produce and trade deforestation-free products.

This thesis entails the design and fabrication of a smartphone charger that is powered by a bicycle dynamo hub. In addition to the design and validation of the charger prototype, this thesis involves the testing and characterization of the dynamo hub power source, the design and construction of specialized test equipment, and the design and prototyping of a handlebar-mounted case for the smartphone and charging electronics. With the intention of making the device a commercial product, price, aesthetics, and marketability are of importance to the design. An appropriate description of the charger circuit is a microcontroller-based energy management system, tailored to meet strict power demands of current smartphones. The system incorporates a switched-mode power supply, lithium polymer battery, microcontroller, and specialized protection circuitry. Prototype testing confirms that the circuit meets the charging requirements of the smartphone at bicycle speeds ranging from 7 miles per hour to as high as 55 miles per hour.

The objective of the proposed research is to design, fabricate, characterize and test silicon-embedded magnetic components for on-chip integrated power applications. Driven by the trend towards continued system multi-functionality and miniaturization, MEMS technology can be used to enable fabrication of three-dimensional (3-D) functional devices into the silicon bulk, taking advantage of the 'dead volume' in the substrate and achieving a greater level of miniaturization and integration. As an example, one of the challenges in realizing ultra-compact high-frequency power converters lies in the integration of magnetic components due to their relatively large volume. Embedding 3-D magnetic components within the wafer volume and implementing high-power, through-wafer interconnect for connection to circuitry on the wafer surface is a promising solution for achieving ultra-compact power converters, in which digital control circuitry and power switches are located on the wafer surface, and suitable magnetic components are embedded within the silicon substrate. In order to do this, key tasks in the following areas have been accomplished: development of new fabrication technologies for silicon embedding and 3-D structure realization; creation of high-current, through-wafer interconnects for connection of the device to circuitry; ability to incorporate a variety of magnetic materials when performance enhancement of the device is needed; exploration of a new design space for the devices due to ultra-compactness and silicon interaction; understanding of the complicated loss mechanisms in the embedded devices; and demonstration of device performance and in-circuit operation.

This study presents a methodology and the necessary analytical tools to evaluate the alternatives to provide Internet access with embedded power generation in remote areas. The objective is to provide a screening tool for policy makers to analyze possible telecom and power alternatives. Results from the study demonstrate the technical alternatives to providing sustainable Internet and power access. The dissertation investigates innovative telecom technologies currently available on the market, and develops a model that generates a Telecom-and-Internet access map of a region or a small country. The map illustrates the combination of technologies and their locations that can provide wide-area Internet access to cover a majority of the population at the least cost. The model then looks at the design of a small-scale power system for a remote location where grid power is unavailable or unreliable. The methodology takes into account locally available energy resources, technical and economic parameters of each power generating technology, and the trade-off among investment costs, environmental costs and system robustness. Lastly, a computer simulation is conducted to verify that the power system design has the ability to meet the demand at the level of required reliability. A remote area of a developing country (Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts - Bangladesh) is selected as a case study. Several scenarios are simulated in order to explore the possibility of extending the reach of the Internet and electric power to the remote area, and to conceptualize pilot projects as building blocks to build a countrywide infrastructure. Since the selected area is one of the least developed and most difficult to access in Bangladesh, demonstrating that the Internet and local power access can be provided to this area can serve as a model for similar places around the world.
Ph. D.

With 92 percent of the water used by society for food-water, the behavior of consumers determines the demand for food and water. This chapter examines the extent to which global society can manage sustainably the water resources on which its food security depends. Many market players ensure the demand for food is met in supply chains that are embedded in the global food system, linking farmers, agri-industries that supply inputs, food traders, food manufacturers, and food retailers. Food-water risk highlights the importance of the food choices of consumers, as their wasteful practices squander volumes of water and energy along the food supply chains. It is important to recognize that food supply chains are often blind to the costs of blue and green water as an input and to the impacts of misallocating and mismanaging water. This chapter thus discusses the politics of food and the need to account for water.

Evidence-informed policy is a deliberate process that features analysis of evidence as a necessary step to reaching a public policy decision. Risk is inherent in policy decisions, and decision-makers must often balance consideration of costs; social, economic, and environmental impacts; differential outcomes for various stakeholders; and political considerations. Policymakers rely on evidence to help reduce uncertainty and mitigate these risks. This chapter considers the policymaking process as infrastructure and takes a constructivist approach to the development of evidence. It highlights the reflexivity between the demand for, and supply of, evidence and issues of power, authority, expertise, and inclusion. Finally, the chapter addresses the challenges of applying evidence to complex problems where multiple, heterogeneous variables affect outcomes and concludes with a call for further research to examine the decisions, values, and norms embedded in the design and development of the technical architectures and processes used in policy analysis and decision support.

The INRA Feeding System for Ruminants has been renewed to better address emerging challenges for animal nutrition: prevision of productive responses, product quality, animal health and emissions to the environment, in a larger extent of breeding contexts. The new system is mainly built from meta-analyses of large data bases, and modelling. The dietary supply model accounts for digestive interactions and flows of individual nutrients, so that feed values depend on the final ration. Animal requirements account for variability in metabolic efficiency. Various productive and non-productive animal responses to diets are quantified. This book presents the whole system for dairy and meat, large and small ruminant production, including specificities for tropical and Mediterranean areas. The first two sections present biological concepts and equations (with their field of application and statistical accuracy) used to predict intake (including at grazing) and nutrient supply (Section 1), animal’s requirements and multiple responses to diets (Section 2). They apply to net energy, metabolisable protein and amino acids, water, minerals and vitamins. Section 3 presents the use of concepts and equations in rationing with two purposes: (1) diet calculation for a given performance objective; and (2) prediction of the multiple responses of animal to diet changes. Section 4 displays the tables of feed values, and their prevision. All the equations and concepts are embedded in the fifth version of INRAtion® software for practical use.

The Oxford Handbook of the Corporation assesses the contemporary relevance, purpose, and performance of the corporation. The corporation is one of the most significant, if contested, innovations in human history, and the direction and effectiveness of corporate law, corporate governance, and corporate performance are being challenged as never before. Continuously evolving, the corporation, as the primary instrument for wealth generation in contemporary economies, demands frequent assessment and reinterpretation. The focus of this work is the transformative impact of innovation and change on corporate structure, purpose, and operation. Corporate innovation is at the heart of the value-creation process in increasingly internationalized and competitive market economies, and corporations today are embedded in a world of complex global supply chains and rising state and state-directed capitalism. In questioning the fundamental purpose and performance of the corporation, this Handbook continues a tradition commenced by Berle and Means, and contributed to by generations of business scholars. What is the corporation and what is it becoming? How do we define its form and purpose and how are these changing? To whom is the corporation responsible, and who should judge the ultimate performance of corporations? By investigating the origins, development, strategies, and theories of corporations, this volume addresses such questions to provide a richer theoretical account of the topic.

Abstract Professor Gustaf Olsson has devoted countless hours over many years to Water Science and Technology, Water Supply and Water Practice and Technology as an author, reviewer, editor and Editor in Chief until finally stepping down from all functions in 2021. In order to honour Prof. Olsson's devotion and contribution to the journals, IWA Publishing has compiled a Festschrift: that is, a book made up of contributions from Prof. Olsson's former students, his colleagues (past and present), and of course his friends. As the contributions testify, Gustaf's devotion and influence by far exceeds his work at Water Science and Technology. It has been a joy to read through the testimonies about Gustaf and how he has shaped and influenced lives and academic careers. They express an overwhelming gratitude for the way he has influenced and, in some cases, significantly formed both the professional and personal attitude of those he has touched. It also testifies to great scientific contributions, contributions that are strongly embedded in the water sector industry and with great impact at the time of publishing and clearly also well into the future. His leadership example is a source of inspiration to everybody in the water sector whether in academia or industry. We urge you to read this Festschrift to celebrate Gustaf and get inspired about how to work in service for the greater good of water. ISBN: 9781789063363 (print) ISBN: 9781789063370 (eBook) ISBN: 9781789063387 (ePUB)

The chapter provides insights into the different characteristics and manifestations of energy poverty—a condition that prevents the achievement of socially and materially necessary levels of domestic energy services. On the one hand, the discourse on energy poverty in developed countries (known as “fuel poverty”) is discussed (especially in the European Union), focusing on different forms of definitions and measurement, coping strategies, and attempts to combat the problem. On the other hand, the discourse on energy poverty in developing countries is outlined, highlighting especially rural electrification processes and gender relations. It is shown that energy poverty is deeply embedded in wider social, economic, political, and cultural structures, reflecting inequalities both within and across nations. Therefore, the chapter concludes that measures and interventions to tackle energy poverty must take into account wider societal structures and power relations in order to achieve a just and sustainable energy system and society.

AbstractThis chapter proposes a selective flip-flop optimization method (Golanbari et al., IEEE Trans Very Large Scale Integr VLSI Syst 39(7):1484–1497, 2020; Golanbari et al., Aging guardband reduction through selective flip-flop optimization. In: IEEE European Test Symposium (ETS) (2015)), in which the timing and reliability of the VLSI circuits are improved by optimizing the timing-critical components under severe impact of runtime variations. As flip-flops are vulnerable to aging and supply voltage fluctuation, it is necessary to address these reliability issues in order to improve the overall system lifetime. In the proposed method, we first extend the standard cell libraries by adding optimized versions of the flip-flops designed for better resiliency against severe Bias Temperature Instability (BTI) impact and/or supply voltage fluctuation. Then, we optimize the VLSI circuit by replacing the aging-critical and voltage-drop critical flip-flops of the circuit with optimized versions to improve the timing and reliability of the entire circuit in a cost-effective way. Simulation results show that incorporating the optimized flip-flops in a processor can prolong the circuit lifetime by 36.9%, which translates into better reliability.This chapter is organized as follows. Section 1 introduces wide-voltage operation reliability issues and motivates the proposed selective flip-flop optimization approach. The impacts of runtime variations on flip-flops are explained in Sect. 2. Consequently, Sect. 3 presents cell-level optimization of the flip-flops. The proposed selective flip-flop optimization methodology is described in Sect. 4, and optimization results are discussed in Sect. 5. Finally, Sect. 7 concludes the chapter.

AbstractClusters for high-value crops are ubiquitous in China and in African countries. Drawing from three case studies (potato cluster in China, medicinal and aromatic cluster in Egypt, and dates cluster in Tunisia), this chapter discusses the major challenges facing cluster development and the roles of different agents (e.g., entrepreneurs, business associations, and local governments). Cluster development involves supply-side or demand-side bottlenecks along the way, which are beyond the capacity of individual enterprises. Whether a cluster can develop to the next stage depends crucially upon whether the bottlenecks can be resolved. Because the bottlenecks are context- and temporal-specific, it would be impossible for a planner or outsider donor to prescribe a one-size-fits-all intervention to overcome all the binding constraints. Instead, local elites, such as business leaders and local officials, can play a greater role in identifying the emerging bottlenecks and figuring out indigenous solutions. In China, because local governments have an embedded interest in promoting local economic development, they are keen to provide local public goods or initiate joint actions to address the successive binding constraints and facilitate cluster development. By comparison, the role of the local government is more muted in Africa, limiting the growth potential of agricultural clusters.

The United States uses approximately 5% of its primary energy and 6% of its electricity to pump, convey, treat, distribute, heat, and recondition water in the US public water supply. Allocating this energy towards water has contributed to a national public water distribution system that is considered among the best in the world, providing its users with a clean and reliable water supply. This water supply, treated to stringent water standards defined by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Act, has been critical to the health and livelihood of United States’ citizens. However, this energy-expenditure comes at an environmental cost, since the majority of water-related energy is derived from burning fossil fuels. Fossil-fuel combustion emits carbon-dioxide, a greenhouse gas that has become of concern in recent years because of its connection to anthropogenic climate change. The amount of carbon-dioxide that is emitted from fossil-fuel combustion is principally a function of the quantity and type of fuel that is burned for energy. This first-order analysis quantifying national water-related carbon dioxide emissions is the second in a series of several analyses by the authors, quantifying the energy and greenhouse emissions embedded in the US public water supply. Results indicate that water withdrawal, conveyance, treatment, distribution, end-use preparation, and wastewater treatment produces approximately 301 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. This quantity is 5.1% of total US CO2 emissions in 2009, which is approximately equal to emissions from the gasoline consumed by one-quarter of the US passenger fleet in the same year. Considering that the emissions associated with water for industrial, municipal and self-supplied sectors (such as agriculture) were not included in this analysis, the actual quantity of carbon emissions released as a result of water-related activities is likely to be higher. Consequently, identifying efficiency measures and conservation schemes to reduce the amount of water-related energy consumed in the US might be significant in achieving future greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.

n line with Scottish Net Zero targets and the national strategy for a Just Transition, the Northeast of Scotland is transforming towards a low carbon future with a number of high-profile industry and policy initiatives. With the region home to global energy companies and historical high levels of energy sector employment, the narrative on transition is predominantly framed within an industrial and technological context, including narratives on new opportunities in green jobs, green industrial development, technical innovation and new infrastructure to support energy transition. As the energy landscape shifts in the North-East of Scotland, the impacts will be felt most keenly in communities from shifts in employment to changes to local supply chains. It is important to note that Net Zero ambitions will also change the nature and structure of communities in the region, for those within a shifting oil and gas industry and those without. A just transition ensures that all voices are heard, engaged and included in the process of change, and that communities, including those who have benefited and those who have not, have a stake in determining the direction of travel of a changing society and economy of the North-east. As a result, there is a need for a community-oriented perspective to transition which discusses a range of values and perspectives, the opportunities and resources available for transition and how communities of place can support the process of change toward Net Zero. Social transformation is a key element of a just transition and community engagement, inclusion and participation is embedded in the principles laid down by the Just Transition Commission. Despite this high-level recognition of social justice and inclusion at the heart of transition, there has been little move to understand what a just transition means in the context of local communities in the NorthEast. This project aims to address this imbalance and promote the ability of communities to not only engage but to help steer net zero transitions. It seeks to uncover and build a stronger local consensus about the vision and pathways for civil society to progress a just transition in the Northeast of Scotland. The project aims to do this through bringing together civil society, academic, policy and business stakeholders across three interactive workshops to: 1. Empower NE communities to engage with the Just Transition agenda 2. Identify what are the key issues within a Just Transition and how they can be applied in the Northeast. 3. Directly support communities by providing training and resources to facilitate change by working in partnership. The project funding supported the delivery of three professionally facilitated online workshops that were held over 2021/22 (Figure 1). Workshop 1 explored the global principles within a just transition and how these could apply to the Scottish context. Workshop 2 examined different pathways and options for transition in the context of Northeast Scotland. Workshop 3, in partnership with NESCAN explored operational challenges and best practices with community participants. The outcomes from the three workshops are explored in detail.