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In recent years, ISO, IFS, BRC and FSSC 22000 standards in the areas of quality, environment and occupational health and safety have been increas-ingly implemented in companies in various industries. The main focus of these developed standards are the processes. But the past shows that the factor human is another very important factor, which should be much more in the middle in organization. The new developed guideline has the human factor in the foreground. In particular, the attitude and awareness of occupational safe-ty and health protection in the behaviour of employees at all levels of the or-ganisation are at the centre of consideration.
Inspired by this approach, a group of experts from the fields of quality scienc-es, standardisation and certification as well as consulting for system-relevant companies in the agricultural and food industry came together to form a committee during the Corona crisis in spring 2020. The common goal is to develop a new standard. The first step is to establish criteria for a guideline.
and establish an evaluation system for several pillars of a House of Total Safety Culture (HSC) tailored to the entire value chains of the agri-food sec-tor. In addition, the essential building blocks of the guideline must be defined. The attitude of managers and employees, their behaviour and their compe-tence form the roof of the standard. The integrated management system with a continuous improvement process forms the foundation of the House of To-tal Safety Culture across the company in value chains. Qualification and communication are the main pillars and thus further elements of the HSC. Particular attention is paid to the fields of action of occupational safety and health protection, food safety, animal and environmental protection as well as sustainability and digitisation. They form the four inner pillars of the House of Total Safety Culture. The design of the respective certification levels is con-sidered as a “construction phase”. As part of the standardisation process, the coordination of the respective requirements for safety culture has not yet been completed. This article first provides an overview of the state of knowledge in relation to the established standards and norms of the agri-food industry with special consideration of the Safety Culture Ladder model. The procedure for developing and establishing the new guideline is then ex-plained. For this purpose, the composition of the expert forum is presented before the concrete steps to establish the guideline are presented. The model of the House of Total Culture is presented below. Building on this, the proce-dure for assessing the degree of maturity and possible concepts of continuing training are explained before the conclusion of this article.
This paper investigates four different mobile robots with respect to their drivingcharacteristics and soil preservation properties in an agricultural environment.Thereby, robots of classical design from agriculture as well as systems from spacerobotics with advanced locomotion concepts are considered to determine theindividual advantages of each rover concept with respect to the application domain.Locomotion experiments were conducted to analyze the general driving behavior,tensile force, and obstacle‐surmounting capability and ground interaction of eachrobot. Various soil conditions typical for the area of application are taken intoaccount, which are varied in terms of moisture and density. The presented workcovers the specification of the conducted experiments, documentation of theimplementation as well as analysis and evaluation of the collected data. In theevaluation, particular attention is paid to the change in driving characteristics underdifferent soil conditions, as well as to the soil stress caused by driving, since soilquality is of critical importance for agricultural applications. The analysis shows thatthe advanced locomotion concepts, as used in space robotics, also have positiveimplications for certain requirements in agricultural applications, such as maneuver-ability in wet conditions and soil conservation. The results show potential for designinnovations in agricultural robotics that can be used, to open up new fields ofapplication for instance in the context of precision farming.
BACKGROUND: Postoperative delirium (POD) is an acute and common complication after surgery that can increase morbidity and mortality. Few previous studies with inconsistent findings have examined the association of preoperative pain and POD. Our purpose is to investigate the association of preoperative chronic pain and POD.
METHODS: This prospective observational cohort study included 200 patients ≥ 18 years scheduled for elective surgery under general anaesthesia in a tertiary care hospital. POD was defined as meeting diagnostic criteria during the study visits (according to delirium screening tests and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition), or by diagnosis of the responsible physicians. Chronic pain was defined as pain lasting six months or longer. Features of chronic pain were assessed with the German Pain Questionnaire, including the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). Associations with POD were assessed using logistic regression analysis adjusting for confounding factors.
RESULTS: Thirty-nine (22%) out of 176 patients developed POD. Chronic pain was not associated with POD after adjustment for ASA physical status, duration of anesthesia and DASS-21 Anxiety score (Odds ratio [OR], 95%-Confidence Interval [CI], 2.216 [0.968;5.070], P=0.060). A subgroup analysis of chronic pain patients revealed that current pain intensity was higher in patients with POD.
CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative chronic pain was no independent predictor for POD. Current pain intensity was higher in chronic pain patients with POD. This indicates that certain features of pain might be influential. Further research is needed to examine different forms of preoperative pain and their possible influence on POD.
The influence of moderate electric fields (MEF) on thermally induced gelation and network structures of patatin enriched potato protein (PPI) was investigated. PPI solutions with 9 wt% protein (pH 7) and 25 mM NaCl were heated from 25 to 65 °C via OH (3–24 V/cm) or conventional heating (COV) at various come-up (240 s and 1200 s) and holding times (30 s and 600 s). Self-standing gels were produced but less proteins denatured when heated via OH. Further, SDS-PAGE and GPC measurements revealed more native patatin remaining after OH treatment. Scanning electron microscopy showed OH gels to have more gap-like structures and frayed areas than COV treated gels which resulted in lower water holding capacity. On molecular scale, less hydrophobic interactions were measured within the protein network and FTIR trials showed the MEF to affect beta-sheet structures. OH gels further showed lower rigidity and higher flexibility, thus, gelling functionality was affected via OH.
The kiwifruit processing industry is focused on product yield maximization and keeping energy costs and waste effluents to a minimum while maintaining high product quality. In our study, pulsed electric field (PEF) pretreatment enhanced kiwifruit processing to facilitate peelability and specific peeling process and enhanced valorization of kiwifruit waste. PEF optimization was applied to obtain the best treatment parameters. A 32 factorial design of response surface methodology was applied to find the effect of time elapsed after PEF treatment and the PEF-specific energy input on specific peeling force and kiwifruit firmness as response criteria. Under the optimized condition, the specific peeling force decreased by 100, and peelability increased by 2 times. The phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of PEF-treated kiwifruit bagasse were 5.1% and 260% richer than the control sample. Overall, the optimized PEF pretreatments incorporated into kiwifruit processing led to decreased energy demand and increased productivity.
Novel foods by process are a special case in the catalogue of the ten novel food categories according to Article 3 (2) point (a) of the Novel Food Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, since the other nine categories derive their assessment as possible novel foods from their purely substantial properties. In the case of novel foods by process, the problem of dealing with the reference date of 15 May 1997, which is in the end a random reference date, is particularly significant. It would make more sense to have a dynamic reference date that ‘moves along the timeline’ or at least is reset from time to time and is more up-to-date. The characteristic that a process causes ‘significant changes in the composition or structure of the food, affecting its nutritional value, metabolism or level of undesirable substances’ must be understood in such a way that it is only a question of the generation of undesirable substances through the application of the process, but not their reduction, e.g. the reduction of undesirable microorganisms. Finally, the question also arises as to how the assessment of the process technology relates to the assessment of a food in the context of a novel food by composition category. This concerns the exemption for foods that have a history of use as safe foods, which, according to the view taken here, must also be interpreted into the category of novel foods by process.
Plant-based proteins are rapidly emerging, while novel technologies are explored to offer more efficient extraction processes. The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of pulsed electric fields (PEFs) and temperature on the extraction of soluble proteins from nettle leaves (Urtica dioica L.) and identify an optimal operational range for the highest yield of soluble proteins. Extractions and kinetic modeling were conducted with whole and ground dried leaves at different temperatures (30–70 °C) and specific energy of PEF (0–30 kJ kg−1) with extraction times of up to 60 min. The influence of temperature and specific energy on the soluble protein extraction yields was investigated and modeled using composite central design and response surface methodology. The experimental results were fitted to Peleg's kinetic model, which satisfactorily described the extraction process (R2 > 0.902), and PEF treated samples resulted in a higher soluble protein yield and shortened processing time. Response surface methodology showed that the linear effect of temperature and quadratic effect of PEF (p < 0.01) were highly significant for protein yield. In the optimized PEF-extraction region (specific energy between 10 and 24 kJ kg−1, and 70–78 °C), soluble protein yield was higher than 60% after 5 minutes of extraction. The achieved results are relevant for developing processes for PEF assisted extraction of soluble proteins from leaves. Understanding the effects of PEFs and process parameters is crucial to obtain high protein yields, while requiring low energy and short processing time.
Ohmic heating (OH) is an alternative sustainable heating technology that has demonstrated its potential to modify protein structures and aggregates. Furthermore, certain protein aggregates, namely amyloid fibrils (AF), are associated with an enhanced protein functionality, such as gelation. This study evaluates how Ohmic heating (OH) influences the formation of AF structures from ovalbumin source under two electric field strength levels, 8.5 to 10.5 and 24.0–31.0 V/cm, respectively. Hence, AF aggregate formation was assessed over holding times ranging from 30 to 1200 sunder various environmental conditions (3.45 and 67.95 mM NaCl, 80, 85 and 90 °C, pH = 7). AF were formed under all conditions. SDS-PAGE revealed that OH had a higher tendency to preserve native ovalbumin molecules. Furthermore, Congo Red and Thioflavin T stainings indicated that OH reduces the amount of AF structures. This finding was supported by FTIR measurements, which showed OH samples to contain lower amounts of beta-sheets. Field flow fractioning revealed smaller-sized aggregates or aggregate clusters occurred after OH treatment. In contrast, prolonged holding time or higher treatment temperatures increased ThT fluorescence, beta-sheet structures and aggregate as well as cluster sizes. Ionic strength was found to dominate the effects of electric field strength under different environmental conditions.
Olive oil holds significant importance in the European diet and is renowned globally for its sensory attributes and health benefits. The effectiveness of producing olive oil is greatly influenced by factors like the maturity and type of olives used, as well as the milling techniques employed. Generally, mechanical methods can extract approximately 80% of the oil contained in the olives. The rest 20% of the oil remains in the olive waste generated at the end of the process. Additionally, significant amounts of bioactive compounds like polyphenols are also lost in the olive pomace. Traditionally, heat treatment, enzymes, and other chemicals are used for the enhancement of oil extraction; however, this approach may impact the quality of olive oil. Therefore, new technology, such as pulsed electric field (PEF), is of great benefit for nonthermal yield and quality improvements.
Easy and inexpensive methods for measuring ammonia emissions in multi-plot field trials allow the comparison of several treatments with liquid manure application. One approach that might be suitable under these conditions is the dynamic tube method (DTM). Applying the DTM, a mobile chamber system is placed on the soil surface, and the air volume within is exchanged at a constant rate for approx. 90 s. with an automated pump. This procedure is assumed to achieve an equilibrium ammonia concentration within the system. Subsequently, a measurement is performed using an ammonia-sensitive detector tube. Ammonia fluxes are calculated based on an empirical model that also takes into account the background ammonia concentration measured on unfertilized control plots. Between measurements on different plots, the chamber system is flushed with ambient air and cleaned with paper towels to minimize contamination with ammonia. The aim of this study was to determine important prerequisites and boundary conditions for the application of the DTM.
We conducted a laboratory experiment to test if the ammonia concentration remains stable while performing a measurement. Furthermore, we investigated the cleaning procedure and the effect of potential ammonia carryover on cumulated emissions under field conditions following liquid manure application. The laboratory experiment indicated that the premeasurement phase to ensure a constant ammonia concentration is not sufficient. The concentration only stabilized after performing more than 100 pump strokes, with 20 pump strokes (lasting approximately 90 s) being the recommendation.
However, the duration of performing a measurement can vary substantially, and linear conversion accounts for those differences, so a stable concentration is mandatory. Further experiments showed that the cleaning procedure is not sufficient under field conditions. Thirty minutes after performing measurements on high emitting plots, which resulted in an ammonia concentration of approx.
10 ppm in the chamber, we detected a residual concentration of 2 ppm. This contamination may affect measurements on plots with liquid manure application as well as on untreated control plots. In a field experiment with trailing hose application of liquid manure, we subsequently demonstrated that the calculation of cumulative ammonia emissions can vary by a factor of three, depending on the degree of chamber system contamination when measuring control plots. When the ammoni background values were determined by an uncontaminated chamber system that was used to measure only control plots, cumulative ammonia emissions were approximately 9 kg NH3-N ha1.
However, when ammonia background values were determined using the contaminated chamber system that was also used to measure on plots with liquid manure application, the calculation of cumulative ammonia losses indicated approximately 3 kg NH3-N ha1. Based on these results, it can be concluded that a new empirical DTM calibration is needed for multi-plot field experiments with high-emitting treatments.
Introduction Postoperative delirium (POD) is seen in approximately 15% of elderly patients and is related to poorer outcomes. In 2017, the Federal Joint Committee (Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss) introduced a ‘quality contract’ (QC) as a new instrument to improve healthcare in Germany. One of the four areas for improvement of in-patient care is the ‘Prevention of POD in the care of elderly patients’ (QC-POD), as a means to reduce the risk of developing POD and its complications.
The Institute for Quality Assurance and Transparency in Health Care identified gaps in the in-patient care of elderly patients related to the prevention, screening and treatment of POD, as required by consensus-based and evidence-based delirium guidelines. This paper introduces the QC-POD protocol, which aims to implement these guidelines into the clinical routine. There is an urgent need for well-structured, standardised and interdisciplinary pathways that enable the reliable screening and treatment of POD. Along with effective preventive measures, these concepts have a considerable potential to improve the care of elderly patients.
Methods and analysis The QC-POD study is a non-randomised, pre–post, monocentric, prospective trial with an interventional concept following a baseline control period. The QC-POD trial was initiated on 1 April 2020 between Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the German health insurance company BARMER and will end on 30 June 2023. Inclusion criteria: patients 70 years of age or older that are scheduled for a surgical procedure requiring anaesthesia and insurance with the QC partner (BARMER). Exclusion criteria included patients with a language barrier, moribund patients and those unwilling or unable to provide informed consent. The QC-POD protocol provides perioperative intervention at least two times per day, with delirium screening and non-pharmacological preventive measures.
Ethics and dissemination This protocol was approved by the ethics committee of the Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany (EA1/054/20). The results will be published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal and presented at national and international conferences.
A brief questionnaire for measuring alarm fatigue in nurses and physicians in intensive care units
(2023)
When exposed to hundreds of medical device alarms per day, intensive care unit (ICU) staff can develop “alarm fatigue” (i.e., desensitisation to alarms). However, no standardised way of quantifying alarm fatigue exists. We aimed to develop a brief questionnaire for measuring alarm fatigue in nurses and physicians. After developing a list of initial items based on a literature review, we conducted 15 cognitive interviews with the target group (13 nurses and two physicians) to ensure that the items are face valid and comprehensible. We then asked 32 experts on alarm fatigue to judge whether the items are suited for measuring alarm fatigue. The resulting 27 items were sent to nurses and physicians from 15 ICUs of a large German hospital. We used exploratory factor analysis to further reduce the number of items and to identify scales. A total of 585 submissions from 707 participants could be analysed (of which 14% were physicians and 64% were nurses). The simple structure of a two-factor model was achieved within three rounds. The final questionnaire (called Charité Alarm Fatigue Questionnaire; CAFQa) consists of nine items along two scales (i.e., the “alarm stress scale” and the “alarm coping scale”). The CAFQa is a brief questionnaire that allows clinical alarm researchers to quantify the alarm fatigue of nurses and physicians. It should not take more than five minutes to administer.
Knowledge of the maximum friction coefficient µmax between tire and road is necessary for implementing autonomous driving. As this coefficient cannot be measured via existing serial vehicle sensors, µmax estimation is a challenging field in modern automotive research. In particular, model-based approaches are applied, which are limited in the estimation accuracy by the physical vehicle model. Therefore, this paper presents a data-based µmax estimation using serial vehicle sensors. For this purpose, recurrent artificial neural networks are trained, validated, and tested based on driving maneuvers carried out with a test vehicle showing improved results compared to the model-based algorithm from previous works.
Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades (Dr. rer. nat.)
Universität Osnabrück
Fachbereich Kultur- und Sozialwissenschaften
Institut für Geographie
in Kooperation mit der Hochschule Osnabrück
Fakultät Agrarwissenschaften und Landschaftsarchitektur
This textbook provides a comprehensive foundation of food physics by addressing the physical properties of food, food ingredients, and their measurements. Physical properties of food play a key role in all fields where modern technological processes are applied for the generation of food raw materials and the production of food. The determination of the physical properties of food and related products is a pre-requisite for product and process development, production engineering and automation in today’s food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, as well as related quality control activities.
Following the success of its first edition published in 2007, the book has been updated to reflect recent industrial applications of novel physical food processing technologies. Each chapter begins with basic principles and progresses to a comprehensive coverage of the topic. The authors enriched this second edition with several didactic elements, including definition boxes, examples, and chapter-end summaries.
This textbook helps readers to build up their knowledge of the important aspects surrounding the physical properties of foods and food ingredients. It is also an essential resource for students of food science and technology to complement textbooks in food chemistry and food microbiology, as well as for food and chemical engineers, technologists, and technicians in the food industry.
Computer-image processing becomes more and more important in the analysis of data in biological and agricultural research and practice. However, robust image processing is highly de pendent on the histogram analysis algorithms used and the quality of the data being processed. The algorithm presented here aims to improve the accuracy of the classification of image data generated under complex boundary situations and inconsistent lighting conditions. Using the example of the determination of nitrogen content of tomato leaves and the qualitative determination of starch con tent of apples on the basis of color image processing, we showed that the developed algorithm is able to perform a robust classification and represents an improvement to simple histogram analysis.
Within the consortium “Experimentation Field Agro-Nordwest”, a practical concept for knowledge and technology transfer of digital competence in agriculture was created. For this purpose, the web-based e-learning system “SensX” was set up, consisting of videos, presentations and instructions. In addition, the classical e-learning concept was extended by data sets, student experiments and sensor data of plants acquired by a remote phenotyping robot. This resulted in a massive open online course (MOOC), which was tested with agricultural and biotechnology students in higher education at the University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück over two years. The evaluation process of “SensX” included an empirical survey, qualitative interviews of the participating students by an external institution and an evaluation of the concept by the lecturers.
In a protein reduction feeding trial (Study 1) on a commercial broiler farm in northern Germany, it was attempted to be shown that research results from station tests on protein reduction can be transferred to agricultural practice. In a second study, the limits of the N reduction were tested in a research facility. In Study 1, commercial standard feeds were fed to the control group (variant 1:210,000 animals; n = 5 barns). In the test group (variant 2:210,000 animals; n = 5 barns), the weighted mean crude protein (CP) content was moderately reduced by 0.3%. The nitrogen reduction in the feed did not affect performance (feed intake (FA), daily gain (DG), feed conversion (FCR)), but nitrogen conversion rate increased from approx. 61% to approx. 63%. The solid litter weight was reduced by 12% and nitrogen excretion by 9% (p < 0.05). Significantly healthier footpads were due to lower water intake (−4%; p < 0.05) and a numerically drier bedding. In Study 2, responses of treatments (1250 broiler per variant; n = 5) showed that sharper N-lowering (−1.5% CP; weighted average) did not impair performance either, but N-conversion improved and N-excretions decreased significantly. Converted to a protein reduction of one percentage point, the N excretions were able to be reduced by 22% in Study 1 and 18% in Study 2. Feeding trials in the commercial sector, such as the present Study 1, should convince feed mills and farmers to allow the latest scientific results to be used directly and comprehensively in commercial ration design.
Duckweed is gaining attention in animal nutrition and is considered as a potential alternative protein source for broiler chickens. In order to evaluate the nutritional value of duckweed, three individual batches were investigated. They consisted of a mixture of Lemna minuta and Lemna minor (A, 17.5% crude protein), Spirodela polyrhiza (B, 24.6% crude protein) and Lemna obscura (C, 37.0% crude protein). Treatment diets contained 50% batch A, 50% batch B, and 25, 50 and 75% of batch C. All diets were fed to broiler chickens (Ross 308) from an age of 21 to 27 days. Diets with a share of 50 and 75% of batch C led to decreased feed intake (109.3 and 74.9 g/day, respectively) compared to the control. Standardized ileal digestibility of crude protein and amino acids differed significantly between duckweed batches, at values for methionine between 49.9 and 90.4%. For all amino acids, batch A consistently had the lowest and batch C the highest digestibility. Batches had different tannin contents of 2943, 2890 and 303 mg/kg for batches A, B and C, respectively. The apparent ileal digestibility of phosphorus differed significantly between all batches (50.8–78.9%). Duckweed can be used as a protein feed for broiler chickens. However, a defined and stable biomass composition optimized for the requirements of broiler chickens is needed.
The present study aims to compare the effects of maternal and offspring treatment with 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD3) and vitamin D3 on vitamin D status, mineral homoeostasis, bone metabolism and locomotion in the offspring. Either vitamin D3 (50 μg/kg diet) or 25-OHD3 (50 μg/kg diet) was supplemented to the gestation and lactation diets of 49 multiparous sows and/or to the diets of their growing offspring. Treatment of the sows did not affect plasma concentrations of 25-OHD3 of the offspring. Pigs fed 25-OHD3 had higher plasma concentrations of 25-OHD3 than pigs that received vitamin D3 during rearing and fattening. However, neither plasma concentrations of calcium, phosphate and bone markers during the observation period nor bone ash and bone mineral density at slaughter were clearly affected by the treatment. Maternal and offspring treatment with 25-OHD3 instead of vitamin D3 resulted in a slight reduction in the prevalence of leg swelling. In addition, more pigs walked with even steps and normal stride length. Further studies are needed to test whether the slight effects observed in the present experiment are reproducible and of relevance for animal health and welfare. In that case, the underlying mechanisms should be revealed in order to take advantage of potentially beneficial influences especially under certain feeding regimes.
Leftovers lovers vs. haters: A latent class analysis on dinner leftover management behaviours
(2023)
Die Studie untersucht die Heterogenität im Umgang mit Speiseresten in Haushalten, insbesondere unter Verwendung von Mahlzeitensets mit angepassten Portions- und Zutatengrößen. Durch eine latenten Klassenanalyse werden Verbrauchersegmente identifiziert, wobei die positive Einstellung zu Essensresten und bewusster Umgang damit untersucht werden. Die Studie analysiert auch die Auswirkungen von Emotionen, persönlichen Normen, Intentionen und Essensbeschaffungsroutinen auf die Zugehörigkeit zu einem Resteverwertungssegment. Daten von 868 Haushalten aus sechs Ländern zeigen fünf Verbrauchersegmente mit Unterschieden in der Menge der Essensreste. Mahlzeitensets haben heterogene Auswirkungen, indem sie in einigen Segmenten die Menge der Essensreste verringern, in anderen jedoch nicht. Die Ergebnisse bieten neue Erkenntnisse über die Vielfalt im Umgang mit Speiseresten und liefern Implikationen für Theorie und Politik zur Reduzierung von Lebensmittelverschwendung im Haushalt.
Die Autoren präsentieren einen innovativen Ansatz für Circular Economy (CE)-Strategien mit hohem Umweltpotenzial. Dieser Ansatz betont Verweigerung, Umdenken und Reduzieren, indem die Perspektive vom Verbraucher auf soziale Praktiken verschoben wird. Dabei wird Suffizienz als Schlüsselkonzept eingeführt, das entscheidend ist, um Umweltbelastungen durch CE zu reduzieren und die Transformation des Produktions- und Konsumsystems zu fördern. Die Autoren betonen, dass nachhaltige Kreislaufwirtschaft ohne Suffizienz nicht möglich ist.
Die Studie berichtet über einen Fall, in dem die Über-Verfügbarkeit durch das Konzept der Genügsamkeit ersetzt wurde. Die Autoren beobachten, wie Suffizienz in die Lebensstile der Teilnehmer integriert wird, insbesondere durch einen Farmboxing-Ansatz. Obwohl die Verallgemeinerung des Falls begrenzt ist, zeigt die Studie das Potenzial niedrigschwelliger Einführungen von Suffizienz, wie beispielsweise öffentlicher Raum für gärtnerische Aktivitäten.
Die Autoren betonen jedoch die Notwendigkeit weiterer empirischer Arbeit, um die Bedeutung von Suffizienz in verschiedenen sozialen Praktiken zu verstehen. Sie schlagen vor, dass der Zeitpunkt für solche Forschungen günstig ist, angesichts aktueller globaler Entwicklungen und der steigenden Nachfrage nach Strategien zur Ressourcenverringerung.
Die Studie identifiziert Herausforderungen, darunter unklare Faktoren, die nicht berücksichtigt wurden, wie die Rolle des sozialen Umfelds und die Übertragbarkeit der Ergebnisse auf andere Lebensbereiche. Die Autoren planen bereits eine Folgestudie mit quantitativen und qualitativen Analysen sowie Lebenszyklusanalysen.
Abschließend schlagen die Autoren vor, klare Definitionen für Wiederverwendung, Umdenken und Reduzierung zu entwickeln, basierend auf empirischen Daten und Beispielen sozialer Praktiken. Sie fordern auch dazu auf, Theorien sozialer Praktiken auf andere CE-Strategien anzuwenden, da soziale Praktiken nicht auf privaten Konsum beschränkt sind.
The BBI is a first step toward putting biodiversity conservation into practice in the OHC context. The results are consistent with studies related to nutrition However, the results also show that there is room for improvement and that there are further areas to be addressed. It is also clear that commercial kitchens currently have only limited room for maneuver. If OHC is to become more biodiversity-friendly, greater transparency is needed in terms of origin labels and species/variety identifiers, and a wide range of options will also be required in terms of procurement. That being the case, it is essential to focus on the entire value chain. Furthermore, in addition to the initial recommendations, much more knowledge is required about the impacts of farming methods and heritage varieties and species, as well as about the use of fish, other marine animals and game meat. In principle, however, the BBI can already be implemented in commercial kitchens by identifying recipe optimizations that kitchens can feasibly implement, that align with their budgets, and that maintain acceptance among patrons. In addition, this approach has the potential to be integrated into the assessment framework of the NAHGAST calculator, making it readily accessible and free for OHC facilities to use. In the OHC context in particular, this could be leveraged to drive sustainable change in the food system.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to distinguish different types of sustainable digital entrepreneurs (SDEs) and explore their approaches toward enhancing organizational resilience.
Design/methodology/approach
Investigation of entrepreneur characteristics using Grounded Theory methodology; 12 semi-structured telephone interviews with (owner-)managers of digital-resilient small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups in Germany; adaptation of a sustainability-digitalization-matrix for initial clustering; investigation of reoccurring patterns (within and between clusters) through variable-oriented content analysis; application of the capability-based conceptualization of organizational resilience for synthesis and extension.
Findings
First, the authors present a new typology of SDEs, including descriptions of the four main types (Process-Oriented System Thinker, Unconventional Strategist, Dynamic Visionary and Success-Oriented Opportunist). Second, the authors propose a conceptual framework with six success factors of organizational resilience. The framework accentuates the influence of SDEs on organizational culture and the macro-environment.
Practical implications
Digital sustainability and resilience are emerging management principles. The insights gained will allow (future) entrepreneurs to perform a self-assessment and replicate approaches toward enhancing SME resilience; for example, governing the co-creation of an organizational culture with a strong integrative view on sustainability and digitalization.
Originality/value
SMEs are characterized by high vulnerability and a reactive response to the disruptions caused by sustainability crises and digitalization. Blending sustainable and digital entrepreneurship at a micro-level, the authors identified the success factors underpinning organizational resilience that are associated with the characteristics of four types of SDEs.
In the race against climate change, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a fundamental role. To clarify the contribution of corporate culture to SMEs' emission reduction, three perspectives can be useful: corporate culture as driver and barrier, current and planned corporate culture development actions, and the corporate culture profile as an outcome. As the first application of the extended Belief-Action-Outcome framework, this single case study exemplifies the role of corporate culture in an SME from the steel construction and manufacturing sector in Germany. The investigated SME has achieved emission reduction while increasing its revenue and is an early adopter of sustainable and digital development. The rich insights from an employee survey, semi-structured interviews, observation, and document analysis allowed us to outline an informed approach toward corporate culture development that emphasizes vision development of the desired corporate culture and the role of information systems for promoting emission reduction.
In recent years, the issue of land consumption or land use has become increasingly important in many areas of our society. Logistics processes in particular take up a lot of space and have a significant impact on the environment. The question is how this use of land can be optimised. Based on a systematic literature review and interviews with experts in the period between May 2021 and July 2021, this paper presents indicators that constitute or influence space-efficient logistics in the context of cooperation. The results show that in addition to the established cooperation characteristics, there are other indicators that are directly related to land use. In the logistics sector, there is strong competitive pressure and, as a result, little trust between companies. It has been shown that with the help of a neutral moderator, the gap between trusting, land-efficient cooperation and one’s own entrepreneurial interests can be narrowed, and cooperation can be profitable for all participants. In addition, digitisation actually does not seem to be sufficient to meet the information needs of a cooperation. The exchange of information not only serves to automate processes, but also makes cooperation more transparent. It shows that legal and municipal requirements need to be developed. It also becomes clear that the indicators have a mutual influence on each other and cannot be considered in isolation when it comes to the actual implementation of a cooperation. By increasing the efficiency of cooperative processes and value creation, it offers the opportunity to make land use more sustainable.
In view of the rapid depletion of natural resources and the associated overloading of the biological ecosystem, the concept of circular business models (CBMs) is increasingly discussed in the literature as well as in business practice. CBMs have the potential to significantly reduce the demand for natural resources. Despite their increasing relevance, the diffusion of CBMs in business practice is largely unexplored. Consequently, this article investigates the extent to which CBMs have already been adopted by large German companies. To answer this question, the annual and sustainability reports of the members of the DAX40 are analyzed for the presence of five specific types of CBMs. Data was gathered for the years 2015 and 2020 in order to describe the development over time. The results show an increasing prevalence of CBMs in the DAX companies. In addition, it is noticeable that CBM types that serve to close material cycles are implemented more frequently than those that decelerate material cycles. In particular Sharing Platforms and Product as a Service stand out due to comparatively low adoption. Potential reasons for these findings are discussed and managerial as well as policy implications suggested.
This chapter examines the integration of Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) into identity-based brand management by focusing on Dove’s brand management as a case study. The Dove “Real Beauty” campaign highlights the potential for brands to address gender equality and female empowerment by aligning with pro-female and feminist principles. A narrative literature review shows how the components of identity-based brand management have been observed in scholarly discussions. Despite mixed responses and criticisms, Dove initiated important conversations around beauty standards and gender equality. The chapter emphasizes the need for authenticity, sensitivity, and continuous improvement in integrating SDG 5 into brand management while acknowledging the potential risks and limitations of consumerist therapy and false hopes. Future research could therefore explore diverse brands, industries, and cultural contexts, as well as the role of intersectionality in identity-based brand management.
Spinach is a nitrogen (N)-demanding crop characterized by a shallow root architecture. Especially in the first weeks after sowing, significant N uptake is limited to the uppermost few centimetres of the soil. However, base fertilization is usually based on the soil mineral N (Nmin) concentration in the upper 30 cm. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine whether the soil sample depth for calculating the base N fertilization can be reduced to the 0-15 cm layer. In seven field trials, conducted during spring, summer and autumn seasons, either a low or high base fertilization dose was applied at sowing. Until top dressing, soil samples were frequently taken in the upper 0-15 and 15-30 cm layers to determine the average Nmin concentration in each layer. Top dressing was applied when the first true leaves had unfurled. With this fertilizer application, the total N supply was aligned between both treatments based on the Nmin concentration in the upper 30 cm of the soil. Aboveground fresh and dry masses were determined after reaching a fresh mass yield of 15-20 t ha‑1 and related to the mean Nmin concentration in the first 3 to 4 weeks of cultivation between sowing and top dressing. It was shown that the Nmin concentration in the upper 0-15 cm of the soil highly reflects the base fertilization rate. By contrast, the Nmin concentration in the 15-30 cm layer remained unaffected. However, the Nmin concentration of both top soil layers can affect fresh and dry mass yield at harvest. Therefore, the entire 0-30 cm soil layer should be considered when calculating the base N fertilization rate in field-grown spinach. Measurements revealed that spinach fresh and dry masses were increased until the N availability of between 54 and 59 kg ha‑1 (0-30 cm) was reached at the seedlings stage, respectively.