Operational Lessons Research Articles

Operational Lessons Learned During Bioreactor Demonstrations for Acid Rock Drainage Treatment

The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Mine Waste Technology Program (MWTP) has emphasized the development of biogeochemically-based treatment technologies for mitigation of acid rock drainage (ARD). Progressive technology demonstrations by the MWTP over the past 15 years have resulted in improved operation of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) bioreactors. Although using SRB to treat ARD is now fairly widespread, it was uncommon in the early 1990s when the MWTP used this innovative biotechnology. The first and longest running demonstration was an in situ bioreactor installed within the flooded subsurface workings of the Lilly/Orphan Boy Mine in 1994. The second project, at the Calliope Mine, compared the performance of several SRB bioreactor configurations and operational attributes, including lime pretreatment and reactor temperature. The third demonstration, at the Golden Sunlight Mine, consisted of two treatment steps with a recycle stream. The fourth project was an investigation of existing bioreactor designs and resulted in an improved bioreactor configuration. Significant findings included: (1) a mineshaft could be used as a long-term, in situ bioreactor, (2) SRB thrive in temperature extremes, (3) sulfide recycle effectively avoids contact of ARD with bacterial populations, and (4) ideal bioreactor substrate provides short-term and long-term nutrients, good support matrix, and enhanced permeability.

Subsurface water detection on Mars by astronauts using a seismic refraction method: Tests during a manned Mars mission simulation

The Mars Society has established a Mars Arctic Research Station (MARS) on Devon Island, North of Canada, on the edge of the Haughton crater. The site was selected for its similarities with the surface of the Mars planet. Since 2001, the MARS Flashline Research Station supports international simulation campaigns of human Mars exploration missions. The second rotation crew conducted in 2001 a geophysics experiment assessing the feasibility of an active seismology method to detect subsurface water on the surface of Mars. A crew of three operators wearing simulated space suits deployed a line of 24 sensors. Reflected and refracted signals produced by a mini-quake generated by a sledge hammer were recorded by a seismograph. The experiment was conducted three times, once in a dry run and twice during simulated extra vehicular activities (EVAs) on the edge of the Haughton crater, allowing a three-dimensional characterization of the subsurface ground to a depth of several hundred meters. Several operational lessons were learned from conducting this experiment under simulated EVA conditions.

Peace Operations and Organised Crime

This report presents the four main themes that emerged from a seminar organized by the International Peace Academy (now the International Peace Institute) and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy in Geneva on 29/30 November 2007. First, it addresses the question of the conceptual relationship between organised crime and peace operations, outlining a framework for functional analysis focusing on the complex environments in which international interventions take place and the functions that organised crime and peace operations play in those environments. Second, it looks at the causal relationship between peace operations and organised crime. Third, it turns to the strategic conclusions flowing from this analysis, investigating a number of trade-offs involved when peace operations confront organised crime. Last, it presents some of the most salient operational considerations and lessons learnt from the Seminar and the discussion papers prepared for it.

Operational lessons from 20 years of the Mectizan Donation Program for the control of onchocerciasis

The donation of ivermectin (Mectizan, Merck & Co., Inc.) to control onchocerciasis (river blindness) was established in 1987 and has since gradually expanded to provide for >570 million treatments cumulatively over the past 20 years. The Mectizan Donation Program (MDP) operates within a broad partnership in 33 endemic countries in need of mass treatment. Particular operational methods and tools are applied to facilitate ivermectin mass treatment. Drug management has been streamlined, including dosing, tablet size and packaging, and monitoring for adverse events. Much of the experience gained in the development of ivermectin mass treatment can be usefully applied in the recent broader perspective of control of neglected tropical diseases. The most important operational lessons of the MDP include: (i) the need to easily define the target population for treatment using rapid, non-invasive techniques; (ii) the value of a broad partnership; (iii) the great potential of working through community-directed treatment; (iv) the need to streamline all drug management aspects and (v) the importance of operations research to tackle new challenges.

The CMS Magnet Test and Cosmic Challenge (MTCC) Operational Experience and Lessons Learnt

The CMS detector is under construction for imminent operation at the LHC machine at CERN. The installation and commissioning of detector elements is being done in a surface hall before all the detector elements are lowered. The solenoidal magnet had to be tested before lowering, therefore the unique opportunity to operate all the sub-detectors and sub-systems together was exploited. This set of tests is called the MTCC Magnet Test and Cosmic Challenge. This article presents an overview of the results obtained when coherently running all CMS subsystems in a magnetic field, as well as operational and safety procedures.

Paisajes culturales y desarrollo local: ¿Alta costura o prêt a porter?

Este texto se divide en tres partes. En la primera se defiende que la antigüedad y el aprecio que se siente por ella, es un invento moderno. Dicho reconocimiento llevó de una exclusiva preservación de piezas monumentales a una visión más amplia de patrimonio, el paisaje cultural. A partir de ahí se intentará aclarar el concepto de paisaje cultural y el de parques patrimoniales, instrumento de desarrollo de los mismos. En la segunda parte se valorará la relación de ambos con la condición postmoderna, los posibles riesgos de la tematización y de las figuras de reconocimiento universal, así como de las implicaciones de determinados instrumentos y figuras de gestión. Del análisis de un centenar de proyectos y propuestas repartidas en varios continentes interesa destacar algunas lecciones operativas. Pero más allá del reconocimiento de la singularidad de determinados ámbitos, de la especificidad de los proyectos de intervención en los mismos, o de los mecanismos más adecuados para sugestión, lo que resulta relevante y urgente abordar son los retos que plantea esta enriquecedora concepción del territorio y del paisaje a la disciplina urbanística.

E‐marketing and SMEs: operational lessons for the future

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on a study that re‐examines the impact of the internet on small to medium‐sized enterprise marketing activities, following a similar study four years earlier (2000) in order to see what, if any, changes have occurred.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research approach was adopted using one‐to‐one, in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with the marketing managers or IT professionals of ten small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) who were directly involved in introducing the internet and e‐marketing activities within their respective company.Findings – The all‐encompassing role of the internet in today's business world and the findings of this study raise some serious issues for the future of SMEs operating in a peripheral location and their e‐marketing provisions. It is still very much in its infancy for some SMEs although its use has generally continued since 2000. SMEs still do not use it to its full scope and potential.Originality/value – The ou...

Rescuing Dialogue between Jews and Arabs in the Course of Escalating Conflict: What Students Can Tell us about Living in Protracted Conflict Environment?

The current article provides an account and analysis of a two year project designed to create a framework for Jewish and Arab students (citizens of Israel) on academic campus, aimed at rescuing dialogue in spite of an escalating course of the protracted Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A learning community was established, addressing issues of joint concern for both groups of students, while confronting and introspecting the about the participants multiple social identity, mutual images and contextual influences, namely the growing polarization between Jews and Arabs due to the escalation in Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The projects were designed as experiential workshops co-facilitated by Jewish and Arab trained and experienced women in the domain of co-existence. Operational and conceptual lessons drawn from both projects are presented and some future directions are delineated.

Lessons and Controversies: planning and executing immediate relief in the aftermath of the war in Iraq

The international community since the end of the Cold War has failed to agree on a satisfactory solution as to how it should respond to protect vulnerable populations at risk from internal state wars and human rights abuse. Western powers frustrated by this have increasingly resorted to intervention on the basis of ‘right to intervene’. This paper argues that what is required is for the international community to exercise ‘a right to protect’ through the UN. Meanwhile the USA since 9/11 has gone down the route of unilateral intervention on the basis of ‘self-defence’ and in the case of Iraq has extended this concept by placing humanitarian as well as military operations under the single command of the Defense Department. The paper demonstrates how this led to the exclusion of expertise from planning, co-ordination and professional support in the field of humanitarian work. The operational lessons learned are listed and the conclusion is reached that, to avoid the problems experienced in Iraq, military and humanitarian operations should as far as possible be separated, leaving the leadership of relief to the dedicated international agencies but setting ground rules for liaison and lateral communication with the military which leave humanitarian response outside the political arena. A necessary condition for this would be the reform of the legal framework for UN response.

Lessons from a Successful Counterinsurgency: The Philippines, 1899-1902

should be the earnest and paramount aim of the military administration to win the confidence, respect, and affection of the inhabitants of the Philippines ... and by proving to them that the mission of the United States is one of benevolent assimilation, substituting the mild sway of justice and right for arbitrary rule. --President William McKinley 21 December 1898 The United States topples an unsavory regime in relatively brief military action, suffering a few hundred fatalities. America then finds itself having to administer a country unaccustomed to democratic self-rule. Caught unawares by an unexpectedly robust insurgency, the United States struggles to develop and implement an effective counterinsurgency strategy. The ongoing US presidential campaign serves as a catalyst to polarize public opinion, as the insurrectionists step up their offensive in an unsuccessful attempt to unseat the incumbent Republican President. These events--from a century ago--share a number of striking parallels with the events of 2003 and 2004. The Philippine Insurrection of 1899-1902 was America's first major combat operation of the 20th century. The American policy of rewarding support and punishing opposition in the Philippines, called attraction and chastisement, was an effective operational strategy. By eliminating insurgent resistance, the campaign successfully set the conditions necessary for achieving the desired end-state. After a brief review of the conflict, this article will examine the strategic and operational lessons of America's successful campaign. It will consider the belligerents' policy goals, strategies, and their centers of gravity. (While neither side planned their campaign using these strategic concepts, these terms will be used in analyzing the campaign to facilitate understanding.) Without addressing the considerations of any particular ongoing campaign, the article will identify lessons applicable for winning today's counterinsurgencies. In order to determine the relevance of the campaign today, this article will consider changes in the international environment that mitigate the direct application of methods successfully employed in the Philippines. To apply some lessons, one must identify alternative ways more appropriate for modern norms that achieve the same ends. Historical Overview Annexation Unfamiliar to many, the major events of the insurrection that followed America's victory in the Spanish-American War bear review. Admiral George Dewey's May 1898 naval victory over the Spanish fleet was followed in August by a brief, face-saving Spanish defense and surrender of Manila. Filipino forces had vanquished the Spanish from the rest of the country, but the Spanish surrendered the capital to US Army forces under Major General Wesley Merritt. Filipino forces were under the command of Emilio Aguinaldo, a 29-year-old member of the educated class known as the illustrados. Having led an insurrection against Spanish rule in 1896, Aguinaldo, the self-proclaimed President, was wary but hopeful that the American victory would facilitate Philippine independence. US President William McKinley decided to annex the archipelago for two principal reasons, one ideological, the other interest-based. He announced his decision to a group of missionaries, citing America's duty to educate the Filipinos and uplift them and Christianize them. (1) Like many, he believed the Filipinos were too backward to capably govern themselves. (2) The practical consideration in an era of unbridled colonialism was that a weak, independent Philippines would be a tempting acquisition for other colonial powers. Insurrection Filipinos were shocked when it became known that the Treaty of Paris provided for the United States to purchase the islands from Spain for $20 million. Buoyed by their success in defeating nearly all of the Spanish garrisons, Filipino insurgents under Aguinaldo attacked American forces in Manila on 4 February 1899. …

Vigilance or Vigilantes: The Paulsgrove Riots and Policing Paedophiles in the Community Part II: The Lessons of Paulsgrove

Following on from Part I this article examines both the media myths surrounding Paulsgrove and the potential strategic and operational lessons that can be learned from this ethnographic study. In doing so we continue our account with a critique of Silke's proposition that the most effective operational response to vigilantism is to exploit media reports of vigilantes' personal weaknesses. In doing so we offer our own alternatives of how to relate to community vigilantism. We believe that by addressing the real origin and nature of the dispute, as opposed to the media myths, we provide alternative options for police forces and MAPPAs (Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements) that face the difficult task of managing potentially dangerous offenders in the community against a ***back-drop of high media scrutiny and immense public concern.

Operational Lessons from the Pathways to Desistance Project

Implementing a large, longitudinal study of any sample is a major undertaking. The challenges are compounded when the study involves multiple sites and a high-risk sample. This article outlines the methodology for the Pathways to Desistance study, a multisite, longitudinal study of serious juvenile offenders, and discusses the key operational decisions with the greatest impact on the study design.

Operational Lessons of the Mesopotamia Campaign, 1914–18

In Mesopotamia a safe game must be played. 1 A force of 13,000 British and Indian troops surrendered to a Turkish Army at Kut‐el Amara, Mesopotamia, now Iraq, on 29 April 1916. No fewer than 7,000 ...

Effective strategic and operational practices of manufacturing, service, and public sector organizations: An empirical examination

AbstractThe objective of this empirical investigation is to gain insights into the operational strategies, practices and characteristics of 130 manufacturing, 61 services and 86 public sector organizations. Based on this survey‐based research conducted in the USA, it is concluded that operational lessons learned from the manufacturing experience may improve the operations of service and public sector organizations. In this context, benchmarking manufacturing organizations' operational know‐how may prove to be a worthy investment for service and public sector organizations. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

OSCE peacekeeping: Lessons from the Kosovo Verification Mission

The Kosovo Verification Mission (KVM) was a watershed in the development of the peacekeeping role of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). It was to be larger than every other OSCE mission combined and ten times larger than the previous largest mission. However, there has been little analysis of the mission. This article places the mission in the context of evolving OSCE practices of peacekeeping and long‐term deployments and poses two sets of questions: Where does OSCE peacekeeping fit into the wider European security architecture? And, if the role is to be developed further, what operational lessons does the organisation have to learn? The authors argue that the OSCE fulfils a particular and valuable role through facilitation, confidence‐building and the human dimension but that this role lends itself to a qualitatively different type of peacekeeping to that offered by military organisations such as NATO. This brings with it advantages that allow the OSCE to deploy in places that NATO cannot, but is also restricted by being unarmed and consent‐dependent. What the Kosovo case showed, however, is that different organisations can complement each other with OSCE reporting ultimately providing the tripwire for NATO military action.

Building Partnerships with the Community: Lessons from the Camden Health Improvement Learning Collaborative

This case study describes the Camden City Health Improvement Learning Collaborative (the Collaborative), a community care network initiative formed in 1993. The organization is composed of representatives from local healthcare providers, public agencies, religious organizations, and neighborhoods. The major goal of this initiative is to improve the health status of the community by involving and empowering residents in the solution of their needs. The Collaborative represents a grassroots strategic model of community inclusion in the formulation of goals and programs to improve community health status. The case study describes the dynamics of the Collaborative by examining the following: historical development; political, institutional, and social context; planning process; organization and structure; and performance evaluation. The article concludes with a discussion of the strategic and operational lessons learned from the Collaborative.

Improving the effectiveness of external resource management: strategic and operational lessons from the privatisation experience in the UK

This paper is based on a study of 28 UK privatised companies undertaken between 1995 and 1998. A model of procurement is used based on concepts of functional professionalism and procurement competence and supply alignment. The objective was to ascertain whether privatisation leads to more efficient external resource management, in line with government objectives to increase the efficiency of the organisations concerned. The key finding is that, whilst privatisation acts as a stimulus to improve the efficiency of procurement, there are several other factors than ownership that affect the development of the purchasing and supply function within a company. The paper concludes that privatisation has been associated with an improvement in purchasing and supply functional professionalism in the organisations studied, but it has not as yet had a significant impact on procurement and supply alignment competence at the strategic level. The research also finds that public sector organisations, with the right incentives and determined management, can bring about similar changes.

Well-Being Revisited: Improving the Health of a Population

Changes in society and the healthcare system are challenging healthcare executives to do more than provide medical services. Leaders now take broader responsibility for the health and well-being of the people and communities they serve. Health--the "state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" (World Health Organization 1944)--is determined by four forces: environment, heredity, lifestyle, and medical care services. Health-care managers who want to improve the health of their served populations must improve these forces. Strategic and operational lessons can be learned from the pioneering work done by several hospitals, health plans, and healthcare systems to improve their local environment, heredity, lifestyles, and medical care services. Managers who wish to improve health in their communities should strongly embrace and commit to "health" rather than mere "medical services" in their mission, vision, and values. They should collaborate with many other organizations and people--such as schools, churches, police, and businesses--to build partnerships that extend beyond the healthcare sector into the total community. Healthcare organizations should provide some resources and funds to improve the health of their served populations, and they should view this commitment as an investment (especially if there are capitated lives) rather than as an expense. They should also obtain public and private grant funds and leverage the resources of their collaborative partners to improve their local environment, heredity, lifestyles, and medical care services. Finally, leaders can advocate and support public policy that would improve the four forces that shape health.

Operational lessons from a sanitation programme in Kerala

There is no shortage of literature on the theory of community participation in water supply and sanitation. But is enough attention being paid to implementation — the operational strategies needed to involve communities effectively?

HOW TO DO AND USE REQUIREMENTS TRACEABILITY EFFECTIVELY

AbstractEvery customer wants good requirements traceability when they start a new program. They want to ensure their contractor provide “tops down” traceability when deriving lower‐level requirements to ensure the original customer requirements are met thus avoid what is commonly called “requirements creep”. However, most customers are soon disappointed about the methodology their contractors use when trying to actually implement requirements traceability. After a while most contractors persuade their customers to relax their expectations and finally drop the requirements traceability task and say “Let's just design and build it, we're just wasting time.”This paper will present a “how‐to‐do” requirements traceability more efficiently as well as “how‐to‐use” the information more effectively once you've done all that work. Topics include customer requirements traceability; derived requirements traceability; requirements allocation traceability; design compliance traceability; verification traceability; product sell‐off traceability; and operational lessons learned traceability. Real experience and lessons learned from many programs are revealed to help avoid some of the pitfalls and provide more efficient methods for performing these tasks. A generic, multi‐user requirements traceability database is discussed to describe how to automate the requirements traceability process for increased productivity.