Developing supply chain resilience through integration: an empirical study on an e-commerce platform

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted supply chains and increased the uncertainties faced by firms. While firms are struggling to survive and recover from the pandemic, Chinese e-commerce platforms have demonstrated resilient supply chains. We develop a framework that investigates the impacts of integration between an e-commerce platform and suppliers on supply chain resilience and the moderating effect of the suppliers' product flexibility. An analysis of data from a Chinese e-commerce platform using operational indicators finds that integration between the e-commerce platform and suppliers in terms of information sharing, joint planning and logistics cooperation has positive impacts on supply chain resilience, while procurement automation has the opposite effect. Furthermore, product flexibility positively moderates the impacts of information sharing, joint planning and logistics cooperation. The results enhance current understandings of the factors that contribute to the development of supply chain resilience and reveal that the relationship between integration and resilience should be examined within a contingency framework. The findings also provide guidelines for managers taking measures to mitigate the negative influences of supply chain disruptions

Using off-the-shelf solutions as assistive technology to support the self-management of academic tasks for autistic university students

Having the skills to self-manage the demands of academic life in third level education is critical to the successful completion of courses taken there. Independent study behaviour is an aspect of university life that pervades all topics but one that requires the self-management of time in relation to study goals. Individuals with additional educational needs, such as autism, often have difficulty self-managing independent study. This may result in students failing to meet the standards required for successful course completion. The current study (n=2) used a range bound changing criterion design to evaluate the effects of a behavioural intervention that included assistive technology in the form of a smartphone and wearable smartwatch. The intervention targeted duration of independent study behaviour for increase amongst university students with autism. The intervention combined self-management (goal setting, self-monitoring, self-recording) together with assistive tech. to prompt engagement in, and recording of, independent study behaviour. Findings showed the intervention to be effective at increasing independent study duration for autistic adults attending third level education

Remaining useful life estimation of lenses for an ion beam etching tool in semiconductor manufacturing using deep convolutional neural networks

Maintenance plays a significant role in semiconductor manufacturing as plant yield, factory downtime and operation cost are all closely related to maintenance efficiency. Accordingly, maintenance strategies in semiconductor manufacturing industries are increasingly shifting from traditional preventive maintenance (PM) to more efficient predictive maintenance (PdM). PdM uses manufacturing process data to develop predictive models for remaining useful life (RUL) estimation of key equipment components. Traditional approaches to building predictive models for RUL estimation involve manual selection of features from manufacturing process data. This paper proposes to use deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) for the task of estimating RUL of lenses for an ion beam etch tool in semiconductor manufacturing. The proposed approach has the advantage of automatic feature extraction through the use of convolution and pool filters along the temporal dimension of the optical emission spectroscopy (OES) data from the endpoint detection system. Simulation studies demonstrate the feasibility and the effectiveness of the proposed approach

A potential biomarker of radiosensitivity in metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer patients treated with combination external beam radiotherapy and radium-223

PurposeThe ADRRAD trial reported the safety and feasibility of the combination of external beam radiotherapy and radium-223 in the treatment of de novo bone metastatic prostate. This study aimed to determine if any biomarkers predictive of response to these treatments could be identified.Experimental design30 patients with newly diagnosed bone metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer were recruited to the ADRRAD trial. Blood samples were taken pre-treatment, before cycles 2 to 6 of radium-223, and 8 weeks and 6 months after treatment. Mononuclear cells were isolated and DNA damage was assessed at all timepoints.ResultsDNA damage was increased in all patients during treatment, with bigger increases in foci observed in patients who relapsed late compared to those who relapsed early. Increases in DNA damage during the radium-223 only cycles of treatment were specifically related to response in these patients. Analysis of hematology counts also showed bigger decreases in red blood cell and hemoglobin counts in patients who experienced later biochemical relapse.ConclusionsWhile some patients responded to this combination treatment, others relapsed within one year of treatment initiation. This study identifies a biomarker based approach that may be useful in predicting which patients will respond to treatment, by monitoring both increases in DNA damage above baseline levels in circulating lymphocytes and decreases in red blood cell and hemoglobin counts during treatment.<br/

Changes in mixed ethnicity households and neighbourhood transitions in England and Wales

Conventional explanations of neighbourhood ethnic transitions consider what drives differential growth in ethnic group populations without regard to household composition. We enrich these nonhousehold approaches by using consistent Census data on neighbourhoods and households for England and Wales for 2001, 2011 and 2021 to analyse connections between mixed-ethnicity households and neighbourhood ethnic diversity. We employ a neighbourhood typology of ethnic diversity that identifies neighbourhoods as either low- or moderate-diversity, or high-diversity, where no single ethnic group is in the majority. We focus particularly on White-majority and highly diverse neighbourhoods given the dominance of the former in residential spaces in England and Wales, and because they are the principal source of transitions to highly diverse neighbourhoods. Mixed-ethnicity households have become an increasingly important feature of the ethnic diversification of England and Wales; by 2021, almost 15% of multiperson households were mixed, a growth from 12% in 2011 and 9% in 2001. We find that higher levels of neighbourhood ethnic diversity are associated with higher shares of mixed-ethnicity households. In high-diversity neighbourhoods, for example, around 30% of multiperson households (nearly a quarter of a million households) were ethnically mixed in 2021. Levels of household mixing in moderate-diversity White neighbourhoods were considerably higher than in low-diversity White neighbourhoods. The same is found for diversifying neighbourhoods. Neighbourhoods that become more ethnically diverse were typically home to higher rates of mixed-ethnicity households. Stably moderately diverse White neighbourhoods also had a higher proportion of mixed households. Studies of neighbourhood transition that focus on individuals in neighbourhoods may be missing important processes operating in the intimate spaces of the home. Including this intermediate scale of analysis adds to our understanding of neighbourhood ethnic mixing and processes of integration.<br/

Insights into the influence of diet and genetics on feed efficiency and meat production in sheep

Feed costs and carcass yields affect the profitability and sustainability of sheep production. Therefore, it is crucial to select animals with a higher feed efficiency and high-quality meat production. This study focuses on the impact of dietary and genetic factors on production traits such as feed efficiency, carcass quality, and meat quality. Diets promote optimal sheep growth and development and provide sufficient protein can lead to higher-quality meat. However, establishing an optimized production system requires careful consideration and balance of dietary parameters. This includes ensuring adequate protein intake and feeding diets with higher intestinal absorption rates to enhance nutrient absorption in the gut. The study identifies specific genes, such as Callipyge, Calpastatin, and Myostatin, and the presence of causal mutations in these genes, as factors influencing animal growth rates, feed efficiency, and meat fatty acid profiles. Additionally, variants of other reported genes, including PIGY, UCP1, MEF2B, TNNC2, FABP4, SCD, FASN, ADCY8, ME1, CA1, GLIS1, IL1RAPL1, SOX5, SOX6, and IGF1, show potential as markers for sheep selection. A meta-analysis of reported heritability estimates reveals that residual feed intake (0.27 ± 0.07), hot carcass weight (0.26 ± 0.05), dressing percentage (0.23 ± 0.05), and intramuscular fat content (0.45 ± 0.04) are moderately to highly heritable traits. This suggests that these traits are less influenced by environmental factors and could be improved through genetic selection. Additionally, positive genetic correlations exist between body weight and hot carcass weight (0.91 ± 0.06), dressing percentage (0.35 ± 0.15), and shear force (0.27 ± 0.24), indicating that selecting for higher body weight could lead to favorable changes in carcass quality, and meat quality.</p

Utilizing undissolved portion (UNP) of cement kiln dust as a versatile multicomponent catalyst for bioethylene production from bioethanol: an innovative approach to address the energy crisis

This study focuses on upcycling cement kiln dust (CKD) as an industrial waste by utilizing the undissolved portion (UNP) as a multicomponent catalyst for bioethylene production from bioethanol, offering an environmentally sustainable solution. To maximize UNP utilization, CKD was dissolved in nitric acid, followed by calcination at 500 °C for 3 h in an oxygen atmosphere. Various characterization techniques confirmed that UNP comprises five different compounds with nanocrystalline particles exhibiting an average crystal size of 47.53 nm. The UNP catalyst exhibited a promising bioethylene yield (77.1%) and selectivity (92%) at 400 °C, showcasing its effectiveness in converting bioethanol to bioethylene with outstanding properties. This exceptional performance can be attributed to its distinctive structural characteristics, including a high surface area and multiple-strength acidic sites that facilitate the reaction mechanism. Moreover, the UNP catalyst displayed remarkable stability and durability, positioning it as a strong candidate for industrial applications in bioethylene production. This research underscores the importance of waste reduction in the cement industry and offers a sustainable path toward a greener future.<br/