Exact estimates of soil clay (<2 μm) and silt (2-20 μm) contents are crucial as these size fractions impact key soil functions, and as pedotransfer concepts based on clay and silt contents are ...becoming increasingly abundant. We examined the effect of removing soil organic matter (SOM) by H2O2 before soil dispersion and determination of clay and silt. Soil samples with gradients in SOM were retrieved from three long-term field experiments each with uniform soil mineralogy and texture. For soils with less than 2 g C 100 g-1 minerals, clay estimates were little affected by SOM. Above this threshold, underestimation of clay increased dramatically with increasing SOM content. Silt contents were systematically overestimated when SOM was not removed; no lower SOM threshold was found for silt, but the overestimation was more pronounced for finer textured soils. When exact estimates of soil particles <20 μm are needed, SOM should always be removed before soil dispersion.
Introduction and Aims. Southeast and East Asia has become a global hub for methamphetamine production and trafficking over the past decade. This paper describes the rise of methamphetamine supply and ...to what extent use of the drug is occurring in the region. Method and Design. The current review uses data collected through the Drug Abuse Information Network for Asia and the Pacific (DAINAP) and other available sources to analyse retrospectively methamphetamine trends within Southeast and East Asia. Results. Southeast and East Asia has experienced a methamphetamine epidemic in the past decade which began around 1997 and peaked in 2000 - 2001. While the situation has since stabilised in many countries, methamphetamine trafficking and use are still increasing in parts of the Mekong region and there is evidence of large-scale manufacture in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Methamphetamine is typically smoked or ingested, but injection of the drug is apparent. Conclusion. While the peak of the methamphetamine epidemic has passed in parts of Southeast and East Asia, attention is needed to minimise the potential consequences of spreading methamphetamine production, trafficking and use in the Mekong region and in the peninsular and archipelago of Southeast Asia. McKetin R, Kozel N, Douglas J, Ali R, Vicknasingam B, Lund J, Li J-H. The rise of methamphetamine in Southeast and East Asia. Drug Alcohol Rev 2008;27:220-228
Increasing subsoil organic carbon (C) inputs could potentially mitigate climate change by sequestering atmospheric CO2. Yet, microbial turnover and stabilization of labile C in subsoils are regulated ...by complex mechanisms including the availability of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and sulfur (S). The present study mimicked labile organic C input using a versatile substrate (glucose) to address the interaction between C-induced mineralization, N-P-S availability, and microbial physiology in topsoil (20 cm) and subsoil (60, 100, and 300 cm) from a temperate agricultural sandy loam soil. A factorial incubation study (42 days) showed that net losses of added C in topsoil were constant, whereas C losses in subsoils varied according to nutrient treatments. Glucose added to subsoil in combination with N was fully depleted, whereas glucose added alone or in combination with P and S was only partly depleted, and remarkably 59–92% of the added glucose was recovered after the incubation. This showed that N limitation largely controlled C turnover in the subsoil, which was also reflected by microbial processes where addition of glucose and N increased β-glucosidase activity, which was positively correlated to the maximum CO2 production rate during incubation. The importance of N limitation was substantiated by subsoil profiles of C source utilization, where microbial metabolic diversity was mainly related to the absence or presence of added N. Overall, the results documented that labile C turnover and microbial functions in a temperate agricultural subsoil was controlled to a large extent by N availability. Effects of glucose-induced microbial activity on subsoil physical properties remained ambiguous due to apparent chemical effects of N (nitrate) on clay dispersibility.
•Nutrient availability was not limiting added glucose decomposition in topsoil.•N limitation largely controlled carbon turnover in subsoils.•Costimulation of β-glucosidase activity and respiration occurred in subsoils.•Microbial metabolic diversity in subsoil increased in the presence of added N.•Added glucose could be chemically recovered from N-limited subsoils.
The Ochre works in Løvskal - a contribution to the history of Danish raw materials production
In Løvskal, in the middle of Jutland between Viborg and Randers, there was an ochre works, active from ...1916 to 1965. Today, only a few traces in the landscape are left, and there are only a few written sources of its history. This article paints a portrait of the history of the ochre works as a contribution to the history of Danish raw materials production. The ochre was mainly used by color factories, and the most well-known use was as an ingredient in the paint that gave the DSB's freight wagons its well-known reddish-brown color.
The article begins with an introduction to ochre as a raw material - including the special qualities of the Løvskal-ochre. In addition, the focus is on company ownership, open pit mining, production, processing and application of the material. Finally, the question of why the ochre works was closed down the mid-1960s is addressed.
Fra 1916 til 1965 lå der i Løvskal mellem Viborg og Randers et okkerværk. I dag er der kun nogle få spor i landskabet tilbage, og der er kun få skriftlige kilder til dets historie. I denne artikel tegnes et portræt af okkerværkets historie som et bidrag til dansk råstofudvindings historie. Okkeren blev bl.a. anvendt af farvefabrikker, men den mest kendte brug var som ingrediens i den maling, som gav DSB’s godsvogne de velkendte rødbrune farver.
Artiklen indledes med en introduktion til okker som råstof – herunder Løvskal-okkerens særlige egenskaber. I fokus er i øvrigt okkerværkets ejerforhold, den åbne minedrift, produktionen, forarbejdningen og anvendelsen af okkeren. Til sidst belyses spørgsmålet om, hvorfor okkerværket blev indstillet i midten af 1960’erne.
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The Ochre works in Løvskal - a contribution to the history of Danish raw materials production
In Løvskal, in the middle of Jutland between Viborg and Randers, there was an ochre works, active from 1916 to 1965. Today, only a few traces in the landscape are left, and there are only a few written sources of its history. This article paints a portrait of the history of the ochre works as a contribution to the history of Danish raw materials production. The ochre was mainly used by color factories, and the most well-known use was as an ingredient in the paint that gave the DSB's freight wagons its well-known reddish-brown color.
The article begins with an introduction to ochre as a raw material - including the special qualities of the Løvskal-ochre. In addition, the focus is on company ownership, open pit mining, production, processing and application of the material. Finally, the question of why the ochre works was closed down the mid-1960s is addressed.
•We studied organic and conventional systems with use of cover crop, manure and ley.•Soil kept good quality over 14 years regardless of cropping system and management.•Earthworm density varied, but ...was most abundant in grass clover ley.•Managing soil quality requires accounting for several management factors.
Improving or maintaining soil health is crucial to support human needs, with the concept of soil quality connecting soil functions and sustainability concerns. In 2019, we assessed soil chemical, physical and biological properties in a long-term crop rotation experiment initiated in 1997 at Foulum, Denmark, with the aim of determining the long-term soil quality effects of the use of cover crops, animal manure, different crop sequences (with or without a legume-based ley) and organic vs conventional management. The concentration of soil organic carbon has been relatively stable across all treatments for 14 years prior to this investigation; in 2019, we found high aggregate stability, porosity, air permeability and pore organization in all treatments. Bulk density, air permeability and pore organization were affected to some extent by soil and crop management, with bulk density being the lowest in the organic treatment without cover crops, which had the most frequent harrowing. Earthworm density was the greatest in the organic system with grass-clover, especially following the ley year, thanks to a combination of high quality plant input and reduced soil disturbance. From a system perspective, none of the treatments investigated represented extremes, and all maintained good soil quality in the long-term. This indicates that long-term management should take into account the combination of different factors affecting soil quality.
Sammanfattning Denna rapport behandlar en kartläggningsmetod kallad ”Value Stream Mapping” som syftar på att effektivisera en produktionskedja men hjälp av Lean-produktion. Value Stream Mapping ger ...en visuellt tydlig överblick av produktionen och innehåller information om lagernivåer, maskinernas takttid och omställningstid. Förutom detta kan även maskinernas tillförlitlighet återfinnas i rapporten tillsammans med den skiftgång som används. Rapporten innehåller bakgrunden till denna kartläggningsmetod samt varför Lean är applicerbart och dess fördelar detta ger. Rapporten förklarar de avgränsningar som gjorts, presenterar ett syfte samt en metod för att uppnå detta. I arbetet presenteras en studie på ett företag som refereras till ”Processindustri AB”, denna studie ger nödvändig information för att genomföra en kartläggning. Bakgrunden till arbetet var ”Processindustri AB”s långa omställningstider i produktionen där det finns flexibilitetsproblem som behöver lösas. Det finns problematik i materialflödet där ett tryckande flöde skapar stora mellanlager och lång genomloppstid. Material som får ligga i lager för länge kan få problem med oxidering av ytskikt, något som kan leda till att materialet skrotas eller att undermålig kvalitet uppmärksammas senare i produktionen. Målet är, med hjälp av en kartläggning och Lean, att effektivisera ett produktionsflöde och minska genomloppstider. Rapporten går in i detalj på vilken information som behövs och varför den är vital vid en kartläggning. Det presenteras även en förbättrad karta som syftar på att sänka genomloppstiden och minska lagernivåerna. Rapporten förklarar tankegångarna kring dessa förbättringar och de problem som sätter begränsningar. Genom att besöka företaget och följa de steg som kartläggningsmetoden föreslår har kartläggningen tagits fram. De problem som finns i produktionen har diskuteras med de anställda och även den inställning till förändringar som finns diskuteras i rapporten. De två kartläggningarna jämförs och fördelarna de föreslagna förbättringarna leder till listas. Resultatet diskuteras och summeras i en slutsats och arbetet granskas kritiskt. De slutsatser och potentiella resultat som togs fram genom denna studie redovisas i kapitel 5. Slutligen ges förslag på fortsatt arbete. Genom att applicera denna förbättringsstrategi kan stora potentiella förändringar genomföras för ”Processindustri AB” för att få en mer kostnadseffektiv och konkurrenskraftig produktion. Enligt den utarbetade framtida kartläggningen kan genomloppstiden för helstångsborr minska från 11,25 till 3 dagar. Konstänger kan minska från 10 till 4,33 dagar. Detta är ett resultat av minskade lagernivåer som hänvisas till figur 4 på sidan 15. För att kunna göra dessa förändringar krävs ett ökat leveransintervall från tre till fem dagar i veckan som dock påverkar tidigare produktion utanför området för denna studie. Dessa implementeringar skulle minska lagerbundna likvida medel från 2 772 000 kronor till 1 164 000 kronor. En minskning på totalt 1 608 000 kronor.
Abstract This report refer to a process industry mapping method called “Value Stream Mapping” aimed to increase the efficacy in the production chain applying the mindset of Lean Production. Value Stream Mapping provides a visually clear overview of production and provides information about stock levels, machine cycle time and setup time. Besides this, the machines' reliability is found in the report along with the shifts in use. The report provides the background to this mapping method and why Lean is applicable and the benefits this provides. The report explains the limitations made, presents a purpose and a method to achieve this. The report presents a study of a company that is referenced to “Processindustri AB”, this study provides the information necessary to conduct such a mapping. The background of the work was "Processindustri AB” 's long lead times in production and the flexibility problem that needs to be solved. There are problems in the material flow where a pushing flow creates big stocks between the processes and generates long lead times. Materials that may be in store for a long time may have problems with oxidation of the surface layer, which may cause the material to be scrapped or of inferior quality that is noticed later in the production chain. The goal is, by using mapping and Lean, streamlining the production flow and reduce throughput times. The report goes into detail on what information is needed and why it is vital for the mapping. It also presents a “future state map” aimed at reducing the throughput time and reduces inventory levels. The report explains the thinking around these improvements and the limitations made by practical problems. By visiting the company and follow the steps the mapping method proposed has the mapping established. The problems found in production have been discussed with the employees and also the attitudes to changes are discussed in the report. Finally the two mappings are compared and the benefits the suggested improvements will lead to are structured. The results are discussed and summarized in a conclusion and the work is critically examined. Finally, suggestions for further work are taken in consideration. The conclusions and the potential results that were developed through this study are presented in chapter 5. By applying this improvement strategy large potential changes can be implemented in “Processindustri AB” to get a more cost efficient and competitive production. According to the “future state mapping” the lead-time for “helstångsborr” can be reduced from 11.25 to 3 days. “Konstänger” can be reduced from 10 to 4.33 days. This is a result of reduced stock levels as referred to figure 4 on page 15. In order to make these changes an increased supply range from the supplier is require from three to five times a week. However, this will affect the production outside the extent of this study. These implementations would reduce the amount held in inventory from 2 772 000 SEK to 1 164 000 SEK. A decrease of total 1 608 000 SEK.