Development of integrated supply chain system in manufacturing industry

This paper presents the model of integrated halal supply chain in food manufacturing industries. There is global increase in the demand for halal products by Islamic countries as well as by non-Islamic countries. Halal food consumers are presently more alert and concern about the integrity of Halal status. Furthermore, they also curious about all the activities involved along the supply chain whether the products that they purchased were truly halal from the beginning to the end. The need of halal supply chain is crucial in ensuring that the concept of halal is not only applicable for the food itself but also for the whole supply chain starting from the farm to the customer. This project attempts to develop an integrated halal supply chain system that can be used by food manufacturers that are developing halal products for better productivity and quality. The identified supply chain components are human resources, process, environment, accreditations, logistics and traceability

The Dynamics of Global Crude Oil Production

We analyze the dynamic effect of prices and price volatility on current oil production, both on the level of country groups and the major individual producer countries. A comprehensive dataset at monthly frequency allows us to include a rich lag structure while controlling for key global and local determinants as well as seasonality. Our set of explanatory variables also includes real economic activity, investment, the strength of the U.S. dollar and institutional quality. We provide a naïve regression analysis using a broad model to show that lagged explanatory variables are important determinants of current oil production. We find that the reaction of oil production is heterogeneous across both country groups and the major individual producer countries

Endogenous Shifts in OPEC Market Power: A Stackelberg Oligopoly with Fringe

This article proposes a two-stage oligopoly model for the crude oil market. In a game of several Stackelberg leaders, market power increases endogenously as the spare capacity of the competitive fringe goes down. This effect is due to the specific cost function characteristics of extractive industries. The model captures the increase of OPEC market power before the financial crisis and its drastic reduction in the subsequent turmoil at the onset of the global recession. The two-stage model better replicates the price path over the years 2003-2011 than a standard simultaneous-move, one-stage Nash-Cournot model with a fringe. I also discuss how most large-scale numerical equilibrium models, widely applied in the energy sector, over-simplify and misinterpret market power exertion. Furthermore, I show that this two-stage Stackelberg model can be solved numerically as a Mixed Complementarity Problem with heterogeneous firms and discuss uniqueness

From gut dysbiosis to altered brain function and mental illness: mechanisms and pathways

The human body hosts an enormous abundance and diversity of microbes, which perform a range of essential and beneficial functions. Our appreciation of the importance of these microbial communities to many aspects of human physiology has grown dramatically in recent years. We know, for example, that animals raised in a germ-free environment exhibit substantially altered immune and metabolic function, while the disruption of commensal microbiota in humans is associated with the development of a growing number of diseases. Evidence is now emerging that, through interactions with the gut-brain axis, the bidirectional communication system between the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract, the gut microbiome can also influence neural development, cognition and behaviour, with recent evidence that changes in behaviour alter gut microbiota composition, while modifications of the microbiome can induce depressive-like behaviours. Although an association between enteropathy and certain psychiatric conditions has long been recognized, it now appears that gut microbes represent direct mediators of psychopathology. Here, we examine roles of gut microbiome in shaping brain development and neurological function, and the mechanisms by which it can contribute to mental illness. Further, we discuss how the insight provided by this new and exciting field of research can inform care and provide a basis for the design of novel, microbiota-targeted, therapies.GB Rogers, DJ Keating, RL Young, M-L Wong, J Licinio, and S Wesseling

Effect of material modifier and vibration on mechanical and microstructure properties of aluminium LM6 composite casting

Advances in materials such as Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) are rapidly developed due to demands and applications. Reinforced particles of silicon carbide with Al-matrix composites are expected to have many applications in automotive, aircraft, aerospace, and electronics industries due to their enhancement of mechanical properties. Improvement of strength to weight ratio and corrosion resistance still need to be explored in material research activities. Therefore, in this project, the effect of different wt % of Sr on mechanical and microstructure properties of Al-SiC composite + LM6 and the use of copper as corrosion resistance were investigated. For microstructure analysis, the effect strontium was observed, and all samples were characterized on surface morphology by means of SEM equipped with EDS. In addition, the fabrication and identifying the characterizations of aluminium alloy with copper also have been carried out. The amount of copper additions was varied from 0%wt with the intervals of 3%wt for every alloying process. In the process of casting, there were two common types of moulding process; static moulding and vibrating moulding have been carried out. The results showed that the more Sr added, the greater number of alpha dendrites was present and it can clearly be seen. Same as EDS analysis where it also showed that addition of Sr increased the value of Si and Al chemical composition. Next, to fabricate Al-SiC composite, 10 wt % silicon carbide and different percentages (0.02, 0.5) wt % of Al-10Sr was added to LM6 and the particles were mixed by using sand casting vortex method. The addition of different values of Al-10Sr (0.01, 0.02, 0.5) wt % of mechanical properties of Al was also examined. Meanwhile, the analysis results found that UTS for Al increased by adding wt % of Sr and the highest value was 110.23 MPa for Al-0.5 wt % Sr. It was observed that the tensile for the composite did not dramatically increase for each sample. It can be concluded that the weak interface between particles and matrix leads to decreasing UTS value. Strong interface between particles in the matrix showed high strength and stiffness but typically a low resistance to fracture. Moreover, from the analysis of the hardness test on every sample obtained the highest value of Rockwell number was for Al-SiC + 0.5 wt % Sr which was 73.52. This showed that by adding particulate reinforcement of SiC and Sr addition improved the LM6 microstructure and boosted the mechanical properties for better industrial applications especially in automotive and aircraft applications. The fabrication of LM6 alloy with various amounts of copper and using the mechanical vibrations moulding and without vibration moulding was successfully accomplished and the characterizations and mechanical properties of the Al-Si-Cu composite was determined. It was found that the optimum and the best percentage of copper composition in casted LM6 was found to be the 9%wt of copper

Hardening of Irradiated Alloys Due to the Simultaneous Formation of Vacancy and Interstitial Loops

A model is presented for the simultaneous nucleation and growth of vacancy and interstitial loops in irradiated metals. The model is based on the homogeneous time-dependent rate theory. Conservation equations are developed for single defects as well as defect clusters. Defect-conservation equations include production by irradiation and thermal sources; and destruction by mutual recombination, migration to sinks as well as clustering into loops. Interstitial clustering is assumed to occur by diffusion of interstitial atoms. Vacancy loops, on the other hand, are assumed to form by an athermal cascade-collapse process. The density of such loops is determined as a result of the production of cascades and the finite loop lifetime. Cascade overlap and coalescence are also included in the model. The calculations are extended to the analysis of the radiation-induced changes in tensile properties due to formation of interstitial and vacancy loops. A simpe hardening model relates the microstructural calculations to predictions of changes in tensile strength. The results of this study show good agreement with hardening data for copper irradiated in RTNS-II at room temperature. The results also provide insight on differences in microstructural results observed in various experimental studies on copper. 7 figures

Do Red Seaweed Nanoparticles Enhance Bioremediation Capacity of Toxic Dyes from Aqueous Solution?

Based on their functional groups, the use of various seaweed forms in phytoremediation has recently gained significant eco-friendly importance. The objective of this study was to determine whether a novel, sustainable, and ecologically acceptable adsorbent could be employed to remove toxic textile dye (Ismate Violet 2R (IV2R)) from an aqueous solution. The low-cost adsorbent was prepared from the nanoparticles form of the native red seaweed species, Pterocladia capillacea. Before and after the adsorption procedure, comprehensive characterization experiments on the bio-adsorbent were carried out, including BET, SEM, FTIR, UV, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) examination. The adsorption performance of the prepared nano-Pterocladia capillacea was optimized by adjusting operating parameters such as the initial dye concentration of 60 mg L−1, pH of 2, and contact time of 15 min, all of which were obtained by batch experiments in the lab. At the optimum conditions, the prepared adsorbent had maximum removal effectiveness of 87.2%. Most typical kinetics and isotherm models were used to test the experimental results. The equilibrium data fit well with the Langmuir isotherm model, with comparatively higher R2 values and fewer standard errors, while the pseudo-second-order kinetic model fits better with a decent correlation coefficient. Thermodynamic parameters revealed that the sorption process on nano-alga was exothermic and spontaneous

"Because the resources aren't there, then we fail. We fail as a society": A Qualitative Analysis of Human Trafficking Provider Perceptions of Child Welfare Involvement among Trafficked Mothers

Background Little is understood about child welfare involvement (CWI) in cases where the birth mother has experienced human trafficking. Objectives The aim of this study was to explore provider perceptions of the impact of CWI for the trafficked mother. Methods Participants were selected among providers caring for trafficked birth mothers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with providers and qualitative content analysis was conducted. Results Interviewees reported reasons for CWI, positive and negative impacts of CWI and provided recommendations for systems improvement. Conclusion for Practice Recommendations from this exploratory study include mechanisms to support trafficked mothers, train hospital social workers, and systems change. During the prenatal period, strategies to support the trafficked mother may include addressing gaps in social determinants of health, ensuring appropriate medical and mental health care, early screening and referral to substance use treatment services, enhancing community support, and working to develop safety plans for survivors and their families. Enhanced engagement of social workers and all providers to improve understanding of the unique complexity of trafficked mothers is needed. Education should include an understanding that judgement of a caretaker's ability to parent should be current and holistic and not reflexive based on history in the electronic medical record. An exploration of the child welfare system itself should also be undertaken to identify and modify discriminatory laws and policies. Finally, efforts to address social determinants of health in the community and enhance the trauma-informed nature of child welfare referrals could improve the lives of trafficked mothers