Micro foundations of strategic capability development: A case study within auto industry

The importance of firms’ adaptation processes is prominent in today’s business environment which is characterised by ever changing customers, technologies, and competition. Ever since Schumpeter’s (1942) classic work strategic renewal has been found crucial for firms’ adaptation to environmental change. The role of strategic renewal in firms’ adaptation processes includes development of capabilities for the purpose of sustainability of competitive advantage against environmental changes

Designing a Reverse Logistics Network for End-of-Life Vehicles Recovery

The environmental factors are receiving increasing attention in different life cycle stages of products. When a product reaches its End-Of-Life (EOL) stage, the management of its recovery process is affected by the environmental and also economical factors. Selecting efficient methods for the collection and recovery of EOL products has become an important issue. The European Union Directive 2000/53/EC extends the responsibility of the vehicle manufacturers to the postconsumer stage of the vehicle. In order to fulfill the requirements of this Directive and also efficient management of the whole recovery process, the conceptual framework of a reverse logistics network is presented. The distribution of new vehicles in an area and also collecting the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELVs) and their recovery are considered jointly. It is assumed that the new vehicles distributors are also responsible for collecting the ELVs. Then a mathematical model is developed which minimizes the costs of setting up the network and also the relevant transportation costs. Because of the complexity of the model, a solution methodology based on the genetic algorithm is designed which enables achieving good quality solutions in a reasonable algorithm run time

Multiwall carbon nanotube reinforced HA/HDPE biocomposite for bone reconstruction

The healing of bone fractures naturally occurs without surgical intervention. Some damage and fractures in bone tissue are complex and leave remnant deformation, and this requires the use of bone replacement material. Hydroxyapatite (HA) is the main element of the bone mineral form and consider as a bioactive material which supports bone growth. Nevertheless, the HA has poor mechanical properties, such as low tensile strength. Thus the applications in bone replacement have been limited, especially in high load-bearing applications. A Carbone nanotube has newly obtained considerable concern because of their mechanical properties, potentially enhancing the bone implant's clinical efficiency. This study attempted to explain the effect of adding Multi-walled carbon nanotubes MWCNT Nanoparticles to the HDPE/HA bio-composites. Two groups of the composites samples were produced 20HA/80 HDPE and 40 HA/ 60 HDPE with adding (0.6, 1, 1.4, 2) % weights of (MWCNT) to each group. The composites were fabricated using a hot pressing technique with various pressing pressures (29, 57, 86, and 114 Mpa) at a compounding temperature of 150 C° and a holding time of 15 minutes. To evaluate samples' characteristics and performance, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), surface topography by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), tensile strength and, microhardness test were investigated. The results showed that the hybrid bio-composites demonstrated excellent structural integrity, homogeneous with the fibrous structure, and improved mechanical properties. When increasing in MWNT additions and increasing hot-press pressure, enhancing the composites' fracture strength and microhardness is beneficial. The excellent properties of hybrids bio-composite (HA/HDPE/MWCNT) samples for homogeneous fibrous structure and high mechanical properties could be applied in bone tissue engineering for bone reconstruction

Board governance mechanisms and liquidity creation: Empirical evidence from GCC banking sector

While various board governance mechanisms, such as board independence, expertise, diversity, and committee structures, play a crucial role in over-seeing and guiding bank operations, the extent of their impact on liquidity creation as the preeminent function of the GCC banking sector remains unclear and unexplored. To fill this gap, therefore, this study examines the impact of board governance attributes on liquidity creation in the GCC banking sector. In addition, this study investigates the moderating effect of government ownership on the association between board governance features and bank liquidity creation. To accomplish the objectives of our study, a sample of 68 listed banks over the period of 2010– 2021 in the GCC region were employed, and feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) regression was used. The findings indicate that board governance mechanisms in terms of independence, foreign directors, education level, meetings, and board size play a positive role in enhancing bank liquidity creation, whereas the presence of female board members does not affect liquidity creation. Moreover, the supplementary analyses and endogeneity tests provide further validation for the primary regression results, thereby confirming the robustness of the findings. The study’s findings are among the earliest empirical evidence of the effect of board governance attributes on liquidity creation in the GCC banking sector

Viterbi Accelerator for Embedded Processor Datapaths

We present a novel architecture for a lightweight Viterbi accelerator that can be tightly integrated inside an embedded processor. We investigate the accelerator’s impact on processor performance by using the EEMBC Viterbi benchmark and the in-house Viterbi Branch Metric kernel. Our evaluation based on the EEMBC benchmark shows that an accelerated 65-nm 2.7-ns processor datapath is 20% larger but 90% more cycle efficient than a datapath lacking the Viterbi accelerator, leading to an 87% overall energy reduction and a data throughput of 3.52 Mbit/s

Plasma Desmosine for Prediction of Outcomes after Actue Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND: Elastin degradation is implicated in the pathology of vulnerable plaque. Recent studies show promising results for plasma desmosine (pDES), an elastin-specific degradation product, as a marker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of pDES as a marker of clinical outcome in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this case-control study, we studied 236 AMI patients: 79 patients who had death and/or myocardial infarction (MI) at 2 years, and 157 patients who did not have an event at 2 years. pDES was measured using a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. Association of pDES with adverse outcomes, and the incremental value of pDES to global registry of acute coronary events (GRACE) score for risk stratification was assessed. RESULTS: pDES levels were elevated in patients with the composite outcome of death/MI at 2 years (p = 0.002). Logistic regression analyses showed pDES to be associated with death/MI at 2 years [Odds ratio (OR) 5.99 (95% CI 1.81–19.86) p = 0.003]. pDES remained a significant predictor of death/MI at 2 years even after adjustment for age, sex, history of CVD, revascularisation, blood pressure, medications on discharge, Troponin I, and NT-proBNP levels.[OR 5.60 (95% CI 1.04–30.04) p = 0.044]. In another multivariable model including adjustment for eGFR, pDES was significantly associated with the composite outcome at 6 months, but not at 2 years follow up. DES was also able to reclassify risk stratification for death/MI at 6 months, when added to the GRACE risk model [Net Reclassification Index (NRI) 41.2 (95% CI 12.0–70.4) p = 0.006]. CONCLUSION: pDES concentrations predict clinical outcomes in patients with AMI, demonstrating its potential role as a prognostic marker in AMI

COVID-19-Associated Cardiovascular Complications

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been reported to cause cardiovascular complications such as myocardial injury, thromboembolic events, arrhythmia, and heart failure. Multiple mechanisms—some overlapping, notably the role of inflammation and IL-6—potentially underlie these complications. The reported cardiac injury may be a result of direct viral invasion of cardiomyocytes with consequent unopposed effects of angiotensin II, increased metabolic demand, immune activation, or microvascular dysfunction. Thromboembolic events have been widely reported in both the venous and arterial systems that have attracted intense interest in the underlying mechanisms. These could potentially be due to endothelial dysfunction secondary to direct viral invasion or inflammation. Additionally, thromboembolic events may also be a consequence of an attempt by the immune system to contain the infection through immunothrombosis and neutrophil extracellular traps. Cardiac arrhythmias have also been reported with a wide range of implicated contributory factors, ranging from direct viral myocardial injury, as well as other factors, including at-risk individuals with underlying inherited arrhythmia syndromes. Heart failure may also occur as a progression from cardiac injury, precipitation secondary to the initiation or withdrawal of certain drugs, or the accumulation of des-Arg9-bradykinin (DABK) with excessive induction of pro-inflammatory G protein coupled receptor B1 (BK1). The presenting cardiovascular symptoms include chest pain, dyspnoea, and palpitations. There is currently intense interest in vaccine-induced thrombosis and in the treatment of Long COVID since many patients who have survived COVID-19 describe persisting health problems. This review will summarise the proposed physiological mechanisms of COVID-19-associated cardiovascular complications

A conceptual analysis of strategic capability development within product innovation projects

Strategic capability development refers to the renewal of the organisational capabilities which are sources of competitive advantage. The aim of this paper is to examine how strategic capability and competitive advantage build up over time. Recent literature points to the integration of dynamic capability and ambidexterity perspectives in explaining organisational capability development. Literature analysis reveals the role of knowledge integration and product innovation in integrating dynamic capability and ambidexterity. However, little attention has yet been paid to knowledge integration within innovation projects as a context for capability development. Accordingly, this paper aims to develop a conceptual framework for strategic capability development focusing on the role of knowledge integration within product innovation projects. This framework contributes to identifying and emphasising the role of micro processes in capability renewal which in turn enhances our understanding of strategic capability development