Towards Cyber-Physical Product-Service Systems Design

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building.As markets evolve, businesses recognise that customers perceive value in the utility of a product rather than in the product itself. Consequently, strategies are being reconfigured from selling products to providing solutions. These solutions combine products and services with advanced technology to form smart or cyber-physical product-service systems (CPPSSs) that provide numerous benefits to stakeholders through mutual collaboration. This research implemented the six-step design science research method to identify the opportunities in developing service-oriented CPPSS. A CPPSS design method reference model adaptable to customers’ dynamic needs through value co-creation was developed and tested. In contrast to available design methods, this study integrates the concepts of actor-network theory and service-dominant logic into a single methodological approach. This model consists of four stages that address how providers, managers, designers, and end-users (1) identify problems, (2) negotiate relationships, (3) integrate resources and (4) communicate solutions. At the same time, it contributes a new theory to PSS/CPPSS design literature with new research directions. The case studies and practitioner feedback derived suggest that this value co-creation model effectively adapts to customer needs. Further knowledge translation and improvement are suggested for the CPPSSDM through application in the industry

An Efficient Solution to Travelling Salesman Problem using Genetic Algorithm with Modified Crossover Operator

The traveling salesman problem (TSP) is a famous NP-hard problem in the area of combinatorial optimization. It is utilized to locate the shortest possible route that visits every city precisely once and comes back to the beginning point from a given set of cities and distance. This paper proposes an efficient and effective solution for solving such a query. A modified crossover method using Minimal Weight Variable, Order Selection Crossover operator, a modified mutation using local optimization and a modified selection method using KMST is proposed. The crossover operator (MWVOSX) chooses a particular order from multiple orders which have the minimum cost and takes the remaining from the other parent in backward and forward order. Then it creates two new offspring. Further, it selects the least weight new offspring from those two offspring. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm is compared to the classical genetic algorithm. Comparisons show that our proposed algorithm provides much efficient results than the existing classical genetic algorithm

Qualitative exploration of sociocultural determinants of health inequities of Dalit population in Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Objectives In recent years, Bangladesh has made remarkable advances in health outcomes; however, the benefits of these gains are unequally shared among citizens and population groups. Dalits (jaat sweepers), a marginalised traditional working community, have relatively poor access to healthcare services. This study sought to explore the sociopolitical and cultural factors associated with health inequalities among Dalits in an urban setting. Design An exploratory qualitative study design was adopted. Fourteen in-depth interviews, five focus group discussions and seven key informant interviews were conducted. The acquired data were analysed using an iterative approach which incorporated deductive and inductive methods in identifying codes and themes

Population assessment of the endangered Western Hoolock Gibbon Hoolock hoolock Harlan, 1834 at Sheikh Jamal Inani National Park, Bangladesh, and conservation significance of this site for threatened wildlife species

Sheikh Jamal Inani National Park (Inani) is a wildlife habitat in Bangladesh located under the Cox’s Bazar South Forest Division, Cox’s Bazar. It constitutes significant habitat for the charismatic and globally ‘Endangered’ Western Hoolock Gibbon Hoolock hoolockin Bangladesh. Here, we show that Inani is a poorly-known gibbon habitat with a population of seven groups, comprising a total of 18 individuals. Among them, 77.8% were adults (males and females), and 11.1%, 5.6%, and 5.6% were sub-adults, juveniles, and infants, respectively, indicating low reproductive output. Five of seven groups had no offspring present in the group, and the mean group size of 2.57 individuals/group is low compared to other habitats in Bangladesh. Beside Western Hoolock Gibbon, Inani is home to many threatened wildlife species. The first record of the Slaty-backed Flycatcher Ficedula erithacus in Bangladesh occurred in Inani, adding this new species to the national bird checklist of Bangladesh. The presence of the globally ‘Endangered’ Asian Elephant Elephas maximus, Phayre’s Langur Trachypithecus phayrei, & Elongated Tortoise Indotestudo elongata and the globally ‘Vulnerable’ Northern Pig-tailed Macaque Macaca leonina, Capped Langur Trachypithecus pileatus, Indian Leopard Panthera pardus, & Asiatic Softshell Turtle Amyda cartilaginea highlight the importance of Inani as a conservation area in Bangladesh. The Western Hoolock Gibbon and other threatened wildlife of Inani are now on the verge of local extinction due to a sharp increase in forest resource extraction resulting from the recent influx of large numbers of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, many of whom have settled around Inani. Through stakeholder interviews in the area, we have identified feasible and measurable conservation actions at Inani that are urgently needed to prevent further loss of wildlife and to protect this important gibbon habitat

Assessment of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Models in Health Systems in Least Developed, Low Income and Lower-Middle-Income Countries and Territories : A Protocol for a Systematic Review.

Background: Private sectors play a significant role in health provision along with the public sector in both developed and developing countries. Given the limited resources of the public sector, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are considered as a good solution to address the growing public health challenges. But inadequate assessment of various health-related PPPs has resulted in a failure to gather knowledge and evidence that would facilitate the establishment of effective partnerships, sustain, and systematize them over time, as well as determine the role of PPPs in health system strengthening, particularly in terms of urban health provision. The objective of this research is to systematically review the effectiveness of PPPs on the utilization of urban health provision to achieve health outcomes in the urban contexts of least developed, low income, and lower-middle-income countries and territories.Methods: This systematic review will follow PRISMA-P guidelines for reporting. Relevant databases-EMBASE, MEDLINE, Health Management Information Consortium, Social Sciences Citation Index, Science Citation Index, Emerging Sources, CENTRAL, i.e., Database of disability and inclusion information resources, and WHO Library Database–will be searched for published articles in the urban context. Reference lists of relevant systematic reviews and commentaries and citations of key included studies will be checked for additional studies. Two reviewers will independently screen the studies in covidence following the exclusion and inclusion criteria. Data will be thematically analysed and narratively synthesized.Discussion: This review will comprehensively assess and appraise all the existing PPP models for urban health provision in the least developed, low income, and lower-middle-income countries and territories. The findings of the review will help to understand the modalities of the existing health related PPPs in urban areas, their functionalities, and their contribution in achieving health outcomes.Protocol registration: This protocol is registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, PROSPERO (ID-CRD42021289509, 23 November 2021)