ShowdeChemie bevat 40 fraaie scheikunde demonstratie-experimenten voor het voortgezet onderwijs
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Summary Project objectives This study fits into a larger research project on logistics collaboration and outsourcing decisions. The final objective of this larger project is to analyze the logistics collaboration decision in more detail to identify thresholds in these decisions. To reach the overall objectives, the first step is to get a clearer picture on the chemical and logistics service providers industry, sectors of our study, and on logistics collaboration in these sectors. The results of this first phase are presented in this report. Project Approach The study consists of two parts: literature review and five case studies within the chemical industry. The literature covers three topics: logistics collaboration, logistics outsourcing and purchasing of logistics services. The five case studies are used to refine the theoretical findings of the literature review. Conclusions Main observations during the case studies can be summarized as follows: Most analyzed collaborative relationships between shippers and logistics service providers in the chemical industry are still focused on operational execution of logistics activities with a short term horizon. Supply management design and control are often retained by the shippers. Despite the time and cost intensive character of a logistics service buying process, shippers tendering on a very regular basis. The decision to start a new tender project should more often be based on an integral approach that includes all tender related costs. A lower frequency of tendering could create more stability in supply chains. Beside, it will give both, shippers and LSPs, the possibility to improve the quality of the remaining projects. Price is still a dominating decision criterion in selecting a LSP. This is not an issue as long as the comparison of costs is based on an integral approach, and when shippers balance the cost criterion within their total set of criteria for sourcing logistics services. At the shippers' side there is an increased awareness of the need of more solid collaboration with logistics service providers. Nevertheless, in many cases this increased awareness does not actually result in the required actions to establish more intensive collaboration. Over the last years the logistics service providers industry was characterized by low profit margins, strong fragmentation and price competition. Nowadays, the market for LSPs is changing, because of an increasing demand for logistics services. To benefit from this situation a more pro-active role of the service providers is required in building stronger relationships with their customers. They should pay more attention on mid and long term possibilities in a collaborative relation, in stead of only be focused on running the daily operation.
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Treatment of crops with insecticides remains essential because globally more than 75 billion dollars is lost through crop destruction by invasive insects. However it is accompanied by severe disadvantages including i. increasing resistance of the target insects against insecticides and ii. the undesired lethality of beneficial insects such as bees and other pollinator species. The significant reduction of insect species during the last years, at least partly caused by the presently available insecticides has also effects on insect-eating species. Last but not least the presence of residual amount of insecticides in the environment (soil and plants), because of poor (bio)degradation, is another distinct disadvantage. Therefore, the overall aim of this proposal is to design and synthesize peptide based biopesticides. This should lead to Nature inspired green alternatives for insect control because "Peptides" are the small equivalents of "proteins", that are biomolecules, which are universally present in all organisms and subject to their natural biodegradation mechanisms, as well as also chemically degraded in the soil (water, heat, UV, oxygen). Design and synthesis of these environmentally benign compounds will eventually take place in a founded company called "INNOVAPEPLINE". Evaluation of candidate peptide based biopesticides can be carried out in collaboration with a recently founded company (spin-out of the University of Glasgow) called "SOLASTA BIO" (founders professors Shireen Davies, Julian Dow and Rob Liskamp) and/or with other (third) parties such as the University of Wageningen. Upon recent identification of promising candidate compounds ("leads"), chemical optimization studies of leads will take place, followed by evaluation in field trials. In this proposal design, synthesis and chemical optimization of the biological activity of new peptides and development of methods to monitor their biodegradation rate will take place. Thereby expanding the repertoire of peptide based biopesticides. (292 words)
