Shipping Date Research Articles

Patient-Provider Communication and Colorectal Cancer Screening Completion Using Multi-target Stool DNA Testing.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening continues to be underutilized in the USA despite the availability of multiple effective, guideline-recommended screening options. Provider recommendation has been consistently shown to improve screening completion. Understanding how patient-provider communication influences CRC screening can inform interventions to improve screening completion. We developed a behavioral theory-informed survey to identify patient-provider communication factors associated with multi-target stool DNA (mt-sDNA) screening completion. The survey was administered by RTI International between 03/2022 and 06/2022 to a sample of US adults ages 45-75 who received a valid order for mt-sDNA screening with a shipping date between 5/2021 and 9/2021. Respondents completed an electronic or paper survey. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify patient-provider communication factors associated with mt-sDNA test completion. A total of 2973 participants completed the survey (response rate, 21.7%) and 81.6% of them (n = 2427) reported having had a conversation with provider about mt-sDNA testing before the test was ordered. Having a conversation with the provider about the test, including discussions about costs, the need for follow-up testing and test instructions were associated with higher odds of test completion and being "very likely" to use the test in the future. Lack of discussion about advantages and disadvantages of available CRC screening options and lack of patient involvement in CRC screening decision-making were associated with reduced odds of test completion and likelihood of future use. Healthcare providers play a key role in patient adherence to CRC screening and must be appropriately prepared and resourced to educate and to engage patients in shared decision-making about CRC screening.

Provider communication contributes to colorectal cancer screening intention through improving screening outcome expectancies and perceived behavioral control

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening continues to be underutilized in the US despite the availability of multiple effective, guideline-recommended screening options. Provider recommendation has been consistently shown to improve screening completion. Yet, available literature provides little information as to how specific information providers communicate influence patient decision-making about CRC screening. We tested the pathways through which information communicated by providers about the “Why” and “How” of CRC screening using the mt-sDNA test contributes to intention to complete the test. Data came from a behavioral theory-informed survey that we developed to identify psychosocial factors associated with mt-sDNA screening. RTI International administered the survey between 03/2022-06/2022 to a sample of US adults ages 45–75 who received a valid order for mt-sDNA screening with a shipping date between 5/2021-9/2021. Participants completed an electronic or paper survey. We tested the proposed relationships using structural equation modeling and tested indirect effects using Monte Carlo method. A total of 2,973 participants completed the survey (response rate: 21.7%) and 81.6% (n = 2,427) reported have had a conversation with their health care provider about mt-sDNA screening before the test was ordered. We found that “Why” information from providers was positively associated with perceived effectiveness of mt-sDNA screening, while “How” information was positively associated with perceived ease of use. “Why” information contributed to screening intention through perceived effectiveness while “How” information contributed to screening intention through perceived ease of use. These findings emphasize the critical role of provider communication in shaping patient decision-making regarding CRC screening. CRC screening interventions could consider implementing provider-patient communication strategies focusing on improving patient understanding of the rationale for CRC screening and the effectiveness of available screening options as well as addressing barriers and enhancing patients’ self-efficacy in completing their preferred screening option.

Abstract 770: Provider communication contributes to colorectal cancer screening intention through improving screening outcome expectancies and perceived behavioral control

Abstract Background: Multiple guideline-recommended colorectal cancer (CRC) screening options have been shown to reduce CRC incidence and mortality among average-risk patients. Yet, CRC screening continues to be underutilized in the US. Provider recommendation has consistently shown to improve screening completion. Our study aimed to delineate the pathways through which provider communication influences CRC screening completion. We tested how provider communication about the "Why” and “How” of mt-sDNA screening contributes to mt-sDNA screening intention through influencing patients’ screening outcome expectancies and perceived behavioral control. Methods: Data came from a behavioral theory-informed survey that we developed to identify psychosocial factors associated with mt-sDNA screening. The survey was administered between 3/22-6/22 by RTI International, with a sample of US adults ages 45-75 who received a valid order for mt-sDNA screening with a shipping date between 5/21-9/21. Participants completed an electronic or paper survey. We measured patients’ reports of providers’ “Why” communication with items on mt-sDNA screening performance, advantages/disadvantages, and cost. Providers’ “How” communication was measured with items on instructions and need for follow-up testing. We tested the proposed relationships using structural equation modeling and tested indirect effects using bootstrapping. Results: A total of 2973 participants completed the survey (response rate: 21.7%). “Why” communication was positively associated with perceived effectiveness of mt-sDNA screening (b = 0.349, p < .001) and negatively associated with CRC worry (b = -0.078, p = .002). “How” communication was positively associated with perceived ease of use (b = 0.392, p < .001) and perceived comfort of mt-sDNA screening (b = 0.138, p < .001). Perceived effectiveness and perceived ease of use were positively associated with intention to complete mt-sDNA screening (b = 0.404, p < .001; b = 0.339, p < .001). “Why” communication contributed to screening intention through influencing perceived effectiveness (b-indirect effect = 0.141, 95% CI: 0.115, 0.177). “How” communication contributed to screening intention through influencing perceived ease of use (b-indirect effect = 0.133, 95% CI: 0.104, 0.172). Conclusions: Improving patients’ beliefs about the effectiveness and ease of use of screening may be one pathway through which provider communication contributes to CRC screening completion. Efforts are needed to develop and implement provider-patient communication strategies and toolkits that are efficacious at fostering patient understanding of the rationale for CRC screening and the effectiveness of available screening options as well as addressing barriers and enhancing patients’ self-efficacy in completing their preferred screening option. Citation Format: Xuan Zhu, Paul Limburg, Linda Squiers, Leah Helmueller, Gabriel Madson, Brian Southwell, Carlye Gates, Shama Alam, Jennifer Laffin, Lila Finney Rutten. Provider communication contributes to colorectal cancer screening intention through improving screening outcome expectancies and perceived behavioral control [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 770.

Robust Shipping Date Predictions in Manufacturing using High-level Petri Nets

ABSTRACT Machine failures, unavailability of the workforce, and missing raw materials are typical, frequent faults in complex manufacturing systems and cause unstable processes. Plans and schedules become volatile, predictability of shipping dates suffers and delayed delivery appears. However, for a customer reliable shipping can often be of higher benefit than promised short-term shipping with significant probability of delay and error. Inserting buffer times stabilises schedules by reducing the potential impact of disruptions. Therefore, computing appropriately sized buffer times for individual jobs in a flexible job shop manufacturing with setup times is a promising yet difficult mission for production research. In this paper, we discuss methods for buffer time calculation that are based on data collected directly from the underlying production processes. We show how a high-level Petri net model can be used to simulate stochastic variations of the manufacturing process. Using this simulation model, we estimate the effect of buffer times and produce predictions for the expected shipping dates together with probabilities for how likely the predicted dates will actually be met.

Bark charcoal powder containing wood vinegar liquid can shorten the time to shipping of broilers raised in tropical areas by activating performance and intestinal function

The effect of dietary bark charcoal containing vinegar liquid (BCV) on the growth performance, carcass and visceral organs, intestinal histology, fecal ammonia nitrogen, and nutrient digestibility were investigated in a total of 350 one-day-old unsexed Ross 308 broilers raised under a high environmental temperature (heat stress) from 0 to 42 d of age. They were divided into 0% (control group), 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4% dietary BCV groups. Compared with the control group, the body weight gain (BWG) of the 1% dietary BCV group at 21–42 d of age and the feed efficiency of the 2% dietary BCV group at 0–42 d of age increased (P < 0.05). The carcasses of the 1% and 3% dietary BCV groups significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The digestibility of dry matter and gross energy of the 4% dietary BCV group improved at 21 d (P < 0.05). The duodenum of the 3% and 4% dietary BCV groups was significantly heavier than those in the control groups (P < 0.05). This result suggests that BCV can shorten the time to shipping date for broilers to before 42 d of age and can contribute to the development of poultry production in tropical regions.

219 Managing Beef Cattle Growth Amidst a Global Pandemic: Lessons Learned from 2020 and Strategies for the Future

The coronavirus disease-19 related events of 2020 had severe detrimental effects on meat animal production in the United State. Due to harvest facility slowdowns and shutdowns, many market animals, including beef cattle, were on feed greater than 60 d past their optimal endpoint. These dramatic changes caused many changes in feeding and growth technologies management. The two major growth enhancing compounds used in feedlot cattle production are steroidal implants (IMP) and β-adrenergic agonists (β-AA). Implementation of β-AA during the pandemic was extremely difficult due to the lack of knowledge on exact shipping dates. The β-AA are fed the last 28 to 42 d on feed. Ractopamine was approved for cattle with essential a 12-h withdrawal. Many questions arose about the maximum length of withdrawal on ractopamine before losing any of the added growth response in both the live animal and carcass. Many feedlot operators relied on IMP administration to achieve added growth response in cattle held for longer days on feed. With zero-day withdrawal on implants, it was a cost-effective means to hold cattle in an efficient manner. Many producers simply could not manage β-AA feeding during the pandemic period and used other management technologies to enhance growth and efficiency during the end of the feeding period.

Just-in-time scheduling for a distributed concrete precast flow shop system

This paper focuses on the distributed concrete precast flow shop scheduling problem to minimize total weighted earliness and tardiness. It is crucial for a precast manufacturer to schedule jobs effectively to meet shipping dates because of tight due date, limited inventory capacity and huge tardiness penalties. In order to respond quickly to customer demands, many concrete precast manufacturers have adopted the distributed-multiple-factory mode in which job assignment and scheduling have to be decided jointly. To solve this problem, through analyzing the characteristics of distributed precast production, we first develop a novel mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model and then transform it into an effective mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model by linearization techniques. Additionally, since the problem is more complex than the classical distributed flow shop scheduling problem, which is NP-hard in most cases, we propose a hybrid iterated greedy algorithm (HIG) by integrating due date related NEH-based heuristics, problem-specific knowledge, different local search methods, and mechanism of destruction and reconstruction. Subsequently, we propose a hybrid tabu search and iterated greedy (HTS_IG) in which a hybrid tabu search (HTS) is run at first and then an iterated greedy (IG) starts from the best solution obtained by HTS. Aimed at improving search efficiency, some structural properties of the schedules are explored and integrated into the local search steps of HIG and HTS_IG. We also develop a hybrid genetic algorithm and variable neighborhood search (HGA_VNS) and a two-phase heuristic method (TPHM) for comparison. Finally, extensive experiments and deep analysis are conducted on instances with different combination of problem parameters. Computational results show the effectiveness of the MILP model and the proposed algorithms. The computational analysis indicates that, on average, HTS_IG performs best among all the proposed metaheuristics. The effectivenesses of local search based on problem-specific knowledge (PSK) in HIG and HTS_IG are also verified.

Fisher Manufacturing Company (A)

Dorothy Hoffman, plant manager for the Clarksburg, Virginia, location of Fisher Manufacturing Company (Fisher), had a problem: her plant was repeatedly failing to improve its dismal performance when it came to meeting shipping dates. Only 60% of its June shipments had met the well-established four-week service standard of the coated-abrasives industry. She knew that an investment of $8 million in new equipment would provide a significant reduction in setup times for a major portion of Fisher's production process, but she also knew that the board of directors would need more than just her faith that the investment was worthwhile. She needed hard numbers to justify a recommendation.The case can be used to show the benefits of production flexibility through an increase in capacity by setup-reduction efforts. By reducing setup time, smaller batches may be produced, allowing Fisher to be more responsive to the market while lowering its inventory investment. Excerpt UVA-OM-1598 Jul. 5, 2018 Fisher Manufacturing Company (A) Dorothy Hoffman, plant manager for the Clarksburg, Virginia, location of Fisher Manufacturing Company (Fisher), angrily tossed the monthly shipping report back onto her desk and swore under her breath. The Clarksburg plant had again failed to improve its dismal performance when it came to meeting shipping dates. Only 60% of its June shipments had met the well-established four-week service standard of the coated-abrasives industry. Hoffman knew that prompt customer service was necessary to maintain Fisher's competitive position in the industry, but so far, she had seen little improvement in this aspect of the plant's performance. Hoffman was considering the possibility of replacing some of the plant's equipment in hopes of meeting the customer-service targets. An investment of $ 8 million would provide a significant reduction in setup times for a major portion of Fisher's production process. Hoffman knew the board of directors would need more than just her faith that the investment was worthwhile. She needed hard numbers to justify a recommendation. Company Background Fisher was a leading producer of abrasives, including such products as sandpaper and grinding wheels. Industrial firms were the company's primary market. Fisher had four manufacturing plants in the midsouthern and southeastern United States. Fisher's Clarksburg plant produced all of the company's coated-abrasive products—a line consisting of approximately 5,000 finished items in numerous grades, shapes, and sizes. The Clarksburg plant had $ 126.5 million in annual sales, giving it an 18% share of the US coated-abrasives market and making Fisher the third largest of the four major domestic producers. . . .

Dazz Manufacturing Company

While maintaining Lean manufacturing standards, the plant manager for the Clarksburg, Virginia, location of a manufacturer of coated abrasives must evaluate a capital investment of $8 million. The investment would reduce labor needs and provide reduced setups. A discounted cash flow analysis must be performed to analyze the investment. Relevant costs and valuation of production flexibility are key issues.This case is taught jointly in two of Darden's first-year courses, Financial Management and Policies and Operations. Excerpt UVA-OM-1503 Aug. 27, 2013 DAZZ MANUFACTURING COMPANY Dorothy Hoffman, plant manager for the Clarksburg, Virginia, location of DAZZ Manufacturing Company, angrily tossed the monthly shipping report back onto her desk and swore under her breath. The Clarksburg plant had again failed to improve its dismal performance meeting shipping dates. Only 60% of its June shipments had met the well-established four-week service standard of the coated-abrasives industry. Hoffman knew that prompt customer service was necessary to maintain DAZZ's competitive position in the industry, but so far, she had seen little improvement in this aspect of the plant's performance. Hoffman was considering the possibility of replacing some of the plant's equipment and revising the production schedule in hopes of more closely meeting her customer-service targets. An investment of $ 8 million would provide a significant reduction in setup times for a major portion of DAZZ's production process. Hoffman believed in lean thinking, the latest management philosophy, but knew the board of directors would need more than just her faith that the lean investment was worthwhile. What Hoffman needed was hard-number justification. Company Background DAZZ was a leading producer of abrasives, including such products as sandpaper and grinding wheels. Industrial firms were the company's primary market. DAZZ had four manufacturing plants in the midsouthern and southeastern United States. DAZZ's Clarksburg plant produced all the company's coated-abrasive products—a line consisting of approximately 5,000 finished items in numerous grades, shapes, and sizes. The Clarksburg plant had $ 126.5 million in annual sales, giving it an 18% share of the U.S. coated-abrasives market and making DAZZ the third-largest of the four major domestic producers. In recent years, DAZZ had achieved a 28% gross margin and 8% operating margin on sales of its coated-abrasive products. . . .

Location of distribution centers in a multi-period collaborative distribution network

This paper presents a research study which aims at determining optimal locations of regional distribution centers in a collaborative distribution network. We consider a multi-layered distribution system between a cluster of suppliers from a given region and several thousands customers spread over the whole country. The optimization problem consists of finding the locations of intermediate logistics facilities called regional distribution centers and assigning customers to these facilities according to one year of historical data. The distribution system combines full truckload (FTL) routes and less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments. The use of several rates for transportation, as well as the high impact of seasonality implies that, for each shipping date, the number of FTL routes and the cost of LTL shipments should be precisely evaluated. This problem is modeled as a mixed integer linear problem and used as a decision aiding tool on a real case study related to the distribution of horticultural products in France.

Thermophile-fermented compost extract as a possible feed additive to enhance fecundity in the laying hen and pig: Modulation of gut metabolism

Recently, we reported that the oral administration of an extract of compost fermented with marine animal resources and thermophilic Bacillus species should confer health benefits in fish, pigs and rodents. Herein, the relations between fecundity and gut metabolites in laying hens and pigs on farms after oral exposure to compost were investigated. On the hen farms, the egg production of hens continuously administered the extract was maintained at significantly higher levels compared with the hens not administered the extract. On the swine farms, after the compost treatment, the shipping dates of fattening pigs were shortened, with an improvement in the death rate of the pigs. When the levels of fecal organic acids, such as short-chain fatty acids, lactate, and ammonium, as indicators of gut metabolism and energy sources for peripheral tissues, were examined, the levels of the acetate, propionate, and butyrate in the feces of the hens and pigs in the compost-treated group were not always different from those in the untreated control group. However, the levels of lactate were consistently low in the feces of both animals after the compost treatment. The fecal ammonium concentrations in old hens (age 597-672 days) and 2-month-old piglets from the compost-fed mother sows were low when compared with the untreated groups. The concentrations of free organic acids and their related compounds in the animal products (eggs and pig loins) were nearly equal to those in the untreated control products. Thus, the oral administration of the thermophile-fermented compost should improve the fecundity of hens and pigs by modifying their gut metabolism.

양파 출하시기 도매가격 예측모형 연구

Abstract This paper predicts the onion’s cultivation areas, yields per unit area, and wholesale prices during ship dates by usingwholesale price data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, the production data from the Statistics Korea, and the weather data from the Korea Meteorological Administration with an ARDL model. By analyzing the data of wholesale price, rural household income and rural total earnings, onion cultivation areas in 2015 are estimated to be 21,035, 17,774 and 20,557(ha). In addition, onion yields per unit area of South Jeolla Province, North GyeongsangProvince, South Gyeongsang Province, Jeju Island, and the whole country in 2015 are estimated to be 5,980, 6,493,6,543, 6,614, 6,139 (kg/10a) respectively. By using onion production’s predictive value found from onion’s cultivationareas and yields per unit area in 2015, the onion’s wholesale prices in June are estimated to be 780 won, 1,100 won,and 820 won for each model. Predicted monthly price after the onion’s ship dates is analyzed to exceed 1,000 won after August. Key words:cultivation areas, yields, price, forecasting, onion

The effects of tipping policies on customer satisfaction: A test from the cruise industry

Many in the media have called for the abolition of the practice of tipping and at least some resorts, private clubs, hotels, and restaurants have replaced tipping with automatic service charges or service inclusive pricing. Particularly notable in this regard is the cruise industry, where several of the largest brands have switched to an automatic service charge system. Given the popularity of tipping and its perceived role as an incentive/reward for service, such moves to replace tipping with service charges seem likely to have negative effects on customer satisfaction. We test this expectation by examining the effects of Carnival Cruise Line's tipping policy change in the early 2000s on its customers’ evaluations of their cruise experience. After controlling for the effect of ship and review date, we found that Carnival Cruise Line's guests rated their cruise more positively when they sailed under a voluntary-tipping policy than when automatic service charges were added to their onboard bills. However, this effect was small and need not deter firms from replacing voluntary tipping with service charges. Discussion of this finding focuses on ways services marketers might be able to mitigate this modest negative effect of service charges.

An Empirical Study on Asymmetric and Non-Proportional Price Response Function in the Shipment Timing Decision-Making Support System for Agricultural Products

STSS (Shipment Timing Decision-Making Support System for Agricultural Products) is designed to manage shipping dates to improve sales profits for agricultural products that are stored in warehouses. The purpose of this study is to increase the predictability of the price variable among other variables included in this system to better predict wholesale prices at the shipping dates. This study suggests the use of an asymmetric price response function and a non-proportional price response function, which can comprehensively trace price changes in the next period based on price increases or decreases at certain levels in the previous period. Additionally, the study aims to conduct an empirical analysis of the whole market as well as the market segments. The data used were wholesale prices and delivery volumes for 15kg of fine grade Fuji apples traded at Garak Agro-Fishery Market located in Garak-dong, Seoul. The analysis was conducted by market segment, and confirmed periods when the responses towards a given day’s price levels were big and small when previous day’s price levels for wholesale apples decreased or increased during the year. Through this, the best opportunity to adjust shipping dates of apples and to increase profits could be suggested.

Rough cut capacity planning-(RCCP)-(case study)

Many people are familiar with the Manufacturing Planning and Control (MPC) Systems which are driven by Material requirements planning (MRP) engines. In such systems MRP uses a master production schedule (MPS) of end items to determine the quantity and timing of component parts’ production. MRP does not consider any capacity limitation; it strictly assumes that, sufficient capacity is available to produce components at the time when they are needed. The most common problem which is encountered in operating MRP based systems is the existence of an overstated MPS. An overstated master production schedule is the one which orders more than the production resources can complete. An overstated MPS causes raw materials and WIP inventories to increase because more materials are purchased and released to the shop than are completed and shipped. It also causes a buildup of queues on the shop floor. Since jobs have to wait to be processed, actual lead times increase, causing ship dates to be missed. As lead times increase, forecast over the planning horizon becomes less accurate. This is because of the fact that, forecasts are more accurate for shorter periods than for longer ones. Thus, overstated master production schedules lead to missed due dates. Because of all the above given reasons, validating the MPS with respect to available capacity is an extremely important step in MRP. The term used for this validation exercise is “Rough Cut Capacity Planning (RCCP)”. The methods commonly used in energy planning outline is a technique factors College ((Overall Factors, and is a way to convert the amount of products contained in the scheduling main production to the power requirements are expressed in hours of work a total of some or all production resources (processes or certain sections). Then these requirements are being distributed from the total energy required to types of energy depending on the rates of use of each type to

식물공장 발전방향 설정을 위한 정책 우선순위 도출

이 연구에서는 산 학 연 전문가들을 대상으로 향후 국내 식물공장 시스템의 활성화를 위한 발전방향의 우선순위를 도출하고 부문별 중요도를 분석하였다. 분석결과에 따르면, 식물공장 발전을 위해서는 최우선적으로 경제성이 확보되어야 한다. 경제성을 확보하기 위해서는 계약재배에 의한 주년생산을 통해 판로확보와 출하시기 조절이 요구되며, 기술개발 R&D 부문에서는 LED, 형광등 등 광원 및 조명기술이 중요한 것으로 나타났다. 한편, 정책 및 제도개선 부문에서는 무엇보다 소비자 인식 전환이 이루어져야 하며 그 다음 설비 투자 지원정책이 뒷받침되어야 한다. 식물공장의 정착을 위해서는 전후방 산업을 중심으로 인프라가 구축되어야 하며 기술개발과 지원정책을 통해 설치 운영비 절감이 이루어져야 한다. This study was carried out to find prioritization and evaluation of importance factor for plant factory development direction. According to the results, experts have put profitability secure at the top of development of plant factory industry. It is urgently needed in economic sector that products from plants factory secure the market and adjust the shipping date through contract cultivation and year-round production. Also, illuminant technology is also important in technology development section and R&D. On the other hand, consumers do not yet fully understand the benefits of the plant factory, and this will lead to continued slow sales. Therefore, the government needs to draw up measures to support producers who cultivated agricultural products from plant factory.

Reflections on Educational Leadership & Innovation: An Agenda for New Research

Park Service and museum professionals live by a multitude of calendar demands that seem to define their days; from grant submissions to shipping dates, from project reports to newsletter deadlines, it isn't easy to build in time for reflection and analysis, let alone the development of strategies that help visitors have meaningful connections and experiences with our resources. In addition, organizational cultures can sometimes feel chaotic, or they can move at a snail's pace, so when professionals are identified as real innovators, they're “Googled,” “friended,” or “followed,” and they're invited to present and publish. There is no doubt in my mind that innovators have resolve and push the limits. They tackle challenges, question assumptions, create richer visitor experiences, get results, and raise the bar for the field. So how do we achieve dramatic outcomes as a result of, or in spite of, organizational cultures?

ULUBURUN – THE DISCOVERY AND EXCAVATION OF THE WORLD’S OLDEST KNOWN SHIPWRECK

The oldest and most exciting shipwreck ever discovered is that of a 15 metre Syro-Palestinian trading vessel whose cargo was sighted on the sea-bed by a sponge diver off a promontory called Uluburun, near Kas, on the south Turkish coast. The ship dates from about 1300 BC. According to Wachsmann (1998:xi) “The Uluburun shipwreck is without doubt the single most significant key to understanding Bronze Age seafaring”, and Bass (1998:49) adds that “few if any Bronze Age excavations in the past 50 years have been more important than the Uluburun shipwreck.”

Length of the ranch-of-origin weaning period Does not affect post-receiving growth or carcass merit of ranch-direct, early-weaned beef calves (2009)

Study Description: Angus crossbred calves (n = 400) were stratified by age and assigned randomly to one of five weaning periods that corresponded to the length of time between separation from dam and shipping to market: 60, 45, 30, 15, or 0 days. Calves were vaccinated against common diseases 14 days before and again on the day of maternal separation. On a common shipping date (day 0; August 24), calves were transported 3 hours to a commercial auction market and held for 14 hours. Calves were then transported for less than 1 hour to a feedlot. All calves were fed the same diet ad libitum throughout the trial. Upon slaughter, livers and lungs were evaluated and carcass measurements were collected.

Balancing Accuracy of Promised Ship Data and IT Costs

In an ideal e-business environment, when a customer order is scheduled and a ship date is computed, the availability should immediately be reserved and not be available for future orders. However, in reality the availability data that are used for the scheduling the orders are not real time availability (physical availability), but they are availability information stored in an IT system (system availability). The availability data in the IT system (static view of availability) is typically refreshed (synchronized with real time availability) only periodically since it is very expensive to update the database in real time. Due to this potentially inaccurate view of the availability, some orders cannot be shipped on the promised ship date. Therefore, for certain customer orders, products are shipped later than the promised ship date resulting in customer dissatisfaction. Therefore, one of key decisions in order fulfillment process is to properly balance IT system (e.g., IT expense) and accuracy of promised ship date. In this work, we study how availability fresh rate (IT system) impacts customer service level. The simulation model we develop helps making critical business decision on refresh rate of availability, and avoiding expensive IT investment.