Joint pricing and production management: A geometric programming approach with consideration of cubic production cost function

Coordination and harmony between different departments of a company can be an important factor in achieving competitive advantage if the company corrects alignment between strategies of different departments. This paper presents an integrated decision model based on recent advances of geometric programming technique. The demand of a product considers as a power function of factors such as product's price, marketing expenditures, and consumer service expenditures. Furthermore, production cost considers as a cubic power function of outputs. The model will be solved by recent advances in convex optimization tools. Finally, the solution procedure is illustrated by numerical example

A new strategic approach for R&D project portfolio selection using efficiency-uncertainty maps

Purpose: New business practices and the globalization of markets force firms to take innovation as the fundamental pillar of their competitive strategy. Research and Development (R&D) plays a vital role in innovation. As technology advances and product life cycles become shorter, firms rely on R&D as a strategy to invigorate innovation. R&D project portfolio selection is a complex and challenging task. Despite the management\u27s efforts to implement the best project portfolio selection practices, many projects continue to fail or miss their target. The problem is that selecting R&D projects requires a deep understanding of strategic vision and technical capabilities. However, many decision-makers lack technological insight or strategic vision. This article aims to provide a method to capitalize on the expertise of R&D professionals to assist managers in making informed and effective decisions. It also provides a framework for aligning the portfolio of R&D projects with the organizational vision and mission. Design/methodology/approach: This article proposes a new strategic approach for R&D project portfolio selection using efficiency-uncertainty maps. Findings: The proposed strategy plane helps decision-makers align R&D project portfolios with their strategies to combine a strategic view and numerical analysis in this research. The proposed strategy plane consists of four areas: Exploitation Zone, Challenge Zone, Desperation Zone and Discretion Zone. Mapping the project into this strategic plane would help decision-makers align their project portfolio according to the corporate perspectives. Originality/value: The new approach combines the efficiency and uncertainty dimensions in portfolio selection into an integrated framework that: (i) provides a complete representation of the stochastic decision-making processes, (ii) models the endogenous uncertainty inherent in the project selection process and (iii) proposes a computationally practical and visually unique solution procedure for classifying desirable and undesirable R&D projects

Increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with type 2 diabetes and its correlates: a cross-sectional, matched case–control survey

Abstract Background So far, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels and mortality were shown to have a U-shaped relationship. Additionally, high HDL-C levels increase the risk of developing a variety of diseases. However, a paucity of data exists regarding the characteristics of people with high HDL-C levels. The aim of this study was to assess the demographics and characteristics of patients with high HDL-C levels and compare their features with normal and low HDL-C groups. Methods As a cross-sectional, matched case–control study, a total of 510 patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) were enrolled in the study and categorized into three matched groups according to their HDL-C concentrations. The studied groups were matched by their age and gender. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) curves were designed to evaluate the relationship between height, blood pressure, triglyceride, and vitamin D concentrations with the probability of having high HDL-C levels. Furthermore, violin plots were conducted to illustrate the distribution of continuous variables within each group. Results This study showed that having high HDL-C (more than 70 mg/dL) compared to having low HDL-C (less than 40 mg/dL in men and 50 mg/dL in women) was significantly associated with height (OR 0.918, 95% CI 0.866–0.974), systolic blood pressure (SBP) (0.941, 0.910–0.972), vitamin D (0.970, 0.941–0.999), and triglyceride (0.992, 0.987–0.998) serum concentrations. Further analysis investigated that having high HDL-C levels compared to desired HDL-C levels (40 ≤ HDL-C levels < 70 in men and 50 ≤ HDL-C levels < 70 in women) was inversely associated with having SPB values greater than 130 mmHg. Besides, sufficient vitamin D levels (above 20 ng/ml) could 0.349 times decrease the odds of having high HDL-C versus normal HDL-C levels. Conclusion Sufficient vitamin D levels, SPB values higher than 130 mmHg, as well as increased triglyceride levels, were inversely associated with having high HDL levels. However, higher height values were associated with a decreased likelihood of having high HDL

Quercetin may reduce the risk of developing the symptoms of COVID-19

Objective: Recent evidence reported that some dietary compounds like quercetin and apigenin as the most well-known flavonoids with anti-inflammatory effects may inhibit SARS-CoV-2 main protease. The hypothesis of the promising effects and possible mechanisms of action of quercetin against COVID-19 were assessed in this article.Materials and Methods: Related papers on the inhibitory effects of quercetin against COVID-19 were collected using the following search strategy: “corona or coronavirus or COVID or COVID-19 or viral or virus” AND “nutrient or flavonoid or Quercetin”.Results: The findings indicated that quercetin can be considered an effective agent against COVID-19 because of its SARS-CoV-2 main protease and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitory effects. In addition, quercetin may attenuate angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) receptors leading to a reduction of SARS-CoV-2 ability to enter host cells. Moreover, the antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities of quercetin have been frequently reported.Conclusion: Quercetin may be an effective agent for managing the complications of COVID-19. Further longitudinal human studies are warranted

Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Adult Mortality Risk: A Systematic Review and Dose&ndash;Response Meta-Analysis of 207,291 Participants

We performed a systematic review and dose&ndash;response meta-analysis of observational studies assessing the association between UPF consumption and adult mortality risk. A systematic search was conducted using ISI Web of Science, PubMed/MEDLINE, and Scopus electronic databases from inception to August 2021. Data were extracted from seven cohort studies (totaling 207,291 adults from four countries). Using a random-effects model, hazard ratios (HR) of pooled outcomes were estimated. Our results showed that UPF consumption was related to an enhanced risk of all-cause mortality (HR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.30; I2 = 21.9%; p &lt; 0.001), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)-cause mortality (HR = 1.50; 95% CI: 1.37, 1.63; I2 = 0.0%; p &lt; 0.001), and heart-cause mortality (HR = 1.66; 95% CI: 1.50, 1.85; I2 = 0.0%; p = 0.022), but not cancer-cause mortality. Furthermore, our findings revealed that each 10% increase in UPF consumption in daily calorie intake was associated with a 15% higher risk of all-cause mortality (OR = 1.15; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.21; I2 = 0.0%; p &lt; 0.001). The dose&ndash;response analysis revealed a positive linear association between UPF consumption and all-cause mortality (Pnonlinearity = 0.879, Pdose&ndash;response = p &lt; 0.001), CVDs-cause mortality (Pnonlinearity = 0.868, Pdose&ndash;response = p &lt; 0.001), and heart-cause mortality (Pnonlinearity = 0.774, Pdose&ndash;response = p &lt; 0.001). It seems that higher consumption of UPF is significantly associated with an enhanced risk of adult mortality. Despite this, further experimental studies are necessary to draw a more definite conclusion