Planning for shortages? Net present value analysis for a deteriorating item with partial backlogging

This paper develops inventory models to help answer strategic questions concerning whether planning for shortages offers financial benefits. A production-inventory system producing a deteriorating product in batches at a finite production rate with partial backordering is considered. Customers pay a deposit when placing a backorder. Backordered items receive a discount on the sales price. As lost sales may lead to customers not returning, the demand rate may depend on the fraction of lost sales. We develop a cash-flow based profit maximising Net Present Value (NPV) model without the inventory cost parameters commonly used in this context: unit holding cost, unit backorder cost, unit deterioration cost, and unit lost sales cost. The model finds the optimal inventory policy just like NPV models that discount the traditional parameters but has the advantage of not needing to estimate the value of the traditional parameters. It is shown that in models based on discounting the traditional parameters, the parameters are not exogenously determinable but are non-trivial functions of non-financial endogenous system parameters such as the production rate, annual demand rate, and backorder rate. Extensive numerical experiments illustrate how cash-flow NPV models provide insights into the value of planning for shortages and strategic choices about the design of the production-inventory system. It also provides insight into the classical problem of how to interpret unit backorder cost and unit lost sales cost. The study indicates that these insights cannot be reliably obtained from NPV models based on discounting unit backorder costs and unit lost sales costs.<br/

A bi-level model and solution methods for partial interdiction problem on capacitated hierarchical facilities

Due to the importance of gaining high levels of customer satisfaction in today's competitive world, making appropriate decisions in the face of malicious attacks is valued highly by many organizations. In this paper, to predict and handle the destructive effects of an intentional attack on capacitated nested hierarchical facilities, a bi-level partial interdiction problem is proposed. In this problem, there is an interdictor who can attack facilities partially in different levels. Subsequently, the system defender could respond to the customers’ demand in two different ways, namely through the remaining system facilities and the outsourcing option. The goal of the defender is to minimize the satisfaction cost of all customers’ demand under the interdictor's attacking scenario. This problem can be modeled as a bi-level programming model in which an interdictor and the system defender play the role of the leader and the follower, respectively. Due to the inherent complexity of the bi-level programming models, we develop a heuristic approach, namely “FDS”, to obtain near optimal solutions within a reasonable running time. In each iteration of the FDS, an interdiction scenario is produced heuristically and, thereupon CPLEX solver is called to solve the lower level of the model. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed model, a comparison between the cost of customers’ demand satisfaction in both absence and presence of the bi-level model is drawn. Computational results show that for those instances in which the optimal solutions are available, the proposed model can, on average, achieve a saving of 7.94%

The hidden curriculum of a special education program in a Junior Science College in Malaysia

The purpose of this study was to explore the facets of the hidden curriculum in a Junior Science College from the perspective of students labelled as gifted. This college is set up specifically for gifted and high academic achiever students. A qualitative approach was chosen to gather the data from former students and current teachers of this college. The data was collected from three focus group interviews with 16 former students, individual interviews with four students and 6 teachers, observations of school activities and document reviews. The data was analysed manually, codes and categories were identified and a rich description based on the categories was written to answer the research question. The results showed that the hidden curriculum is the result of the practices, procedures, rules, relationships, structures and physical characteristics of the Special Education Program (SEP). Eight themes were identified which resulted in the learning of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. The study concluded that the hidden curriculum facilitated the transmission of social norms while the learning improved positive interpersonal and intrapersonal skills in the students, in spite of the restrictive nature of the special education program. According to the results, it can be concluded that flexibility and creativity in instruction promotes positive traits in students and teachers

Evaluation of Physicochemical and Microstructure Properties of Expanded Quinoa

Introduction  Quinoa, which is known as the mother grain,has higher protein content than common cereals and possesses a large lysine content. Quinoa is composed mainly of carbohydrates (60-75%), of which 10-13% is dietary fiber. Quinoa also has a slightly higher protein content (12-16%) compared with cereal grains and fat content (5-9%) that is rich in unsaturated fatty acids. Quinoa seeds contain similar or slightly higheramounts of bioactive compounds such as polyphenols (2.7-3.8 g/kg). Moreover, quinoa is gluten-free, thus providing the ability to enhance the selection of gluten-free products forconsumers with celiac disease, but this type of characteristicis challenging to development of bakery products from quinoa with desirable physicochemical properties. Processing of cereal grains and pseudo-cereals into products that deliver a nutritive valueto consumers represents a considerable opportunity for large scale food processing. There havebeen some reported studies on roasting, extrusion, steam pre-conditioning and pearling of quinoafor further uses. Extrusion cooking is a promising technology for improvement of functional properties of quinoa flour. The Evaluation of physicochemical properties and microstructure of Expanded quinoa as affected by extrusion conditions was the main goal of this project.   Material and Methods  In this study, a parallel twin-screw extruder (Jinan Saxin, China) with die diameter of 3 mm was applied. The effects of extrusion process parameters including feed moisture content (14 and 16%) and die temperature (130, 150 and 170 °C) on final moisture content, bulk density, water absorption index (WAI), color parametersL* (lightness), a*(redness), b*(yellowness), hardness, and microstructure of Expanded quinoa were studied. Extrusion was carried out using a co-rotating twin screw extruder with L/D ratio of 10:1 and die diameter of 4 mm. The feed rate of flour and the screw speed were set at 40 kg/h and 200 rpm, respectively. The physicochemical properties were measured using standard methods. The hardness measurement was performed by a texture analyzer. The cylinder steel probe (2 mm diameter) was set to move at a speed of 1 mm/s The samples were punctured by the probe to a distance of 10 mm . The color parameters of the samples were determined by the Hunterlab machine. The morphology of samples was assessed using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM).       Results and Discussion  A comprehensive study on impacts of extrusion processing conditions on quinoa flour was conducted. The effect of process variables on the physicochemical attributes of the extrudates was observed. the expanded quinoa with higher feed moisture content had greater moisture and those extruded at higher die temperatures showed lower moisture content (p<0.05). Moisture can reduce the shear force as a plasticizer and increase the amount of moisture absorption of the product. While increasing the die temperature, the effect of shear force on starch dextrification increases and reduces moisture absorption (p<0.05). WAI was significantly influenced by extrusion variables. In fact, feed moisture content and die temperature both positively changed the WAI of quinoa flour so that all extruded samples had significantly higher WAI than the untreated sample (p<0.05). Moreover, the sample with the higher feed moisture content (24%) treated at the highest extrusion temperature (170 °C) showed the largest and lowest water absorption and Hardness respectively (p<0.05). Another important feature of expanded quinoa is the lightness index, the results revealed that extrusion cooking caused a reduction in L* and enhancements in a* and b*. While changes in color parameters were more pronounced at more severe die temperature, higher feed moisture content counteracted the effects of cooking temperature on the color of the products. As expected from changes in the abovementioned color parameters, the sample with lower feed moisture content (16%) treated at the highest extrusion temperature (170 °C) experienced the greatest color change (ΔE). The texture profile analysis (TPA) indicated that higher feed moisture content yielded extrudates with harder texture whereas, extrusion at higher temperature resulted in lower hardness. The scanning electron micrographs showed that the native quinoa flour encompassed both small- and large-sized starch granules while the extruded sample mainly consisted of disaggregated particles. Furthermore, extrusion cooking of samples with higher feed moisture content caused formation of more uniform starch aggregates with smoother surfaces

Rural primary school children body fat and their parents' physical image perceptions

Parent’s perception of their children’s physical images such as body shape or type, weight and eating habit plays an important role in determine their attitude toward their children’s development. This study was conducted to determine perceptions of rural schools’ parents or guardians regarding their children’s body shape, weight and eating habit and to investigate whether there was a correlation with the children’s body fat mass measured with bio impedance analyzer. This descriptive study was conducted in selected rural areas located in the East of Peninsular Malaysia. A total number of 145 year one school children and their parents or guardians (total 145) participated in this study. A questionnaire was developed to measure the parents’ or guardians’ perceptions, while the children’s actual body fat mass was measured separately using Tanita body composition analyzer. Body fat mass results showed that majority of the rural primary school children had less body fat mass for both gender. Correlation analysis using Chi-square indicated that there were significant association presences between the body fat mass with body shape, body weight and eating habit. The reported Chi-square values were X2 (3)=27.15, p<.01 for body shape, X2 (3)=22.68, p<.01 for body weight and X2 (3)=19.67, p<.01 for eating habit, respectively. In conclusion, early awareness pertaining their children’s physical images changes will contribute to a more successful prevention and treatment of obesity among children, and this will have an impact in term of reducing the adult incidences of cardiovascular diseases in the near future

Parents perceptions of their children body fat percentage and weight

Parents’ perception of their children’s weight and fat percentage may play an important role in developing and maintaining healthy lifestyle. This study was conducted to determine the perceptions of parents of first-grade studentsin a Malaysian urban school setting regarding their children’s weight and body fat percent. A descriptive statistic was used in the study. A number of 197 first-grade students participated in this study. The students’ anthropometric data,such as weight, body mass index (BMI) and body fat were measured using TANITA TBF-410 GS Body Composition Analyzer. Also The questionnaire for parents used in the study included parents’ perception of their child body shape,body weight and eating habit. Results showed a statistically significant correlation between the parents perception and children’s real fat percentage with (r = −.46, p .05) was not significant. Results of the current study show that girls’ parents have misperceive of their children weight. In contrast to the focus of the previous studies on prevalence of overweight among children, most of the underweight children in this study were perceived as normal

Word illumination

Some people experience a continuous battle in their brain when they attempt to read. This condition akin to an alphabet war is normally referred to as “Dyslexia”. It is neurological in origin and primarily affects the ability to spell, read and write. Literally, it means difficulty with words. Dyslexia sufferers also known as Dyslexics are highly gifted and talented individuals. They learn like other students but with more focus on letter and word recognition. In the education discipline, dyslexic students are addressed as students with special educational needs

Effects of a stage-based intervention on exercise self-efficacy

Studies on the changes of physical activity patterns demonstrated that physical activity rates decline sharply in adolescence and goes on well into adulthood. Psychological readiness, not physical readiness and facilities, is likely to be the main barrier to activity for most of the people. This seems to signify the importance of designing interventions to improve psychological factors related to exercise behavior willingness. This study evaluated the effect of an intervention contained strategies related to psychological factors of exercise behavior. Fifty-six sedentary adolescents completed an assessment at baseline, 2 months, and 4 months. Experimental group participants received the intervention lasting for 16 weeks and consisting of a 30-minute session every week with the aim of raising learners’ awareness about the factors affecting intention to physical activity. Control group attended physical education classes based on the guidelines of the Ministry of Education. Changes in psychological variables were compared between groups using analysis of two-way repeated measure ANOVA. The interaction between group and test was statistically significant, F (2, 108) =127, P =.01, η2=702). There was a significant difference between the scores of self-efficacy in the 3 times measurements in the experimental group. It can be concluded that the stage-based intervention had a significant positive effect on self-efficacy hence enhancing sedentary students’ intention towards physical activity

Elit erkek tenis maçlarının notasyonel analizi

The purpose of this study was to determine profiles of performance in elite male tennis players during competition The aim of this study was to determine profiles of performance in elite male tennis players during competition. The study made that adults championship of Turkey tournament category (February 2008 ENKA adults cup winter n=59, January 2010 TED adults winter cup n=25, November 2010 TAÇ Championships in Turkey n=19) the purpose of have been used that analysis capable 2 pieces of 7 hours shooting tournaments cameras. Smekal et al. were analyzed that match the player’s stroke in the form developed by analyzing the number of time points, game-rest intervals values.  Descriptive statistical analysis of data (arithmetic mean, Standard deviation, frequency distribution) was performed using SPSS 16.0 for Windows program. As a result; values were that effective playing time 21.02±3.38%, average number of strokes 3,62±2,29,  average duration of the rally 5,71±4,87 sec, average of rest period 24,81±18,19 sec, match during the work-rest ratio 1:4,34.  These values are similar to the literature in general. These results, performance athlete training for coaches will provide guidance for the preparation of a comprehensive training program. &Ouml;zet Bu &ccedil;alışmanın amacı elit erkek tenis&ccedil;ilerin m&uuml;sabaka sırasındaki performans profillerini belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. &Ccedil;alışmada b&uuml;y&uuml;kler kategorisi tenis turnuvalarının (Şubat 2008 ENKA b&uuml;y&uuml;kler kış kupası n=59, Ocak 2010 TED b&uuml;y&uuml;kler kış kupası n=25, Kasım 2010 TA&Ccedil; b&uuml;y&uuml;kler T&uuml;rkiye şampiyonası n=19 ) ma&ccedil; analizleri yapılmıştır. Turnuvaların analizlerini yapmak amacıyla 7 saat &ccedil;ekim yapabilen 2 adet kamera kullanılmıştır.&nbsp; Smekal ve ark. geliştirdiği ma&ccedil; analiz formunda oyuncuların vuruş sayısı, puan s&uuml;resi, oyun-dinlenme aralıkları analiz edilmiştir. Verilerin tanımlayıcı istatistik analizleri (aritmetik ortalama, standart sapma, frekans dağılımı) SPSS 16,0 for Windows programı kullanılarak yapılmıştır. Sonu&ccedil; olarak; Etkin oyun s&uuml;resi %21.02&plusmn;3.38, ortalama vuruş sayısı 3.62&plusmn;2.29, ortalama ralli s&uuml;resi 5.71&plusmn;4.87 sn, ortalama dinlenme s&uuml;resi 24.81&plusmn;18.19 sn, ma&ccedil; s&uuml;resince &ccedil;alışma-dinlenme oranları 1:4,34 &ccedil;ıkmıştır. Bu değerler genelde literat&uuml;rle benzerlik g&ouml;stermektedir. Bu sonu&ccedil;lar, performans sporcusu yetiştiren antren&ouml;rler i&ccedil;in kapsamlı antrenman programı hazırlamada yol g&ouml;sterici olacaktır. Anahtar kelimeler: tenis, notasyonel, analiz. &nbsp

Roles of restorativeness in improving the psychological well-being of university students

Many university students experience high levels of study-related fatigue, hence, necessitating opportunities for restoration. They could potentially benefit from campus-based physical activities that provide them with effective restoration breaks and allow them to return to their studies cognitively refreshed. Thus, a cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the association between perceived restorativeness among postgraduates and their psychological well-being by using the four constructs of Kaplan’s attention restoration theory (ART): fascination, being away, extent, and compatibility. In this study, nature view windows were also used as a moderator. Malaysian postgraduate students [n = 192; 94 females; age in years (M = 30.64, SD = 2.73)] completed the Ryff’s scale of psychological wellbeing (PWB) and perceived restorativeness scale for activity (PRAS). This study used the partial least squares-structural equation model (PLS-SEM) to examine these relationships. The results demonstrate that three ART constructs, namely, being away, fascination, and compatibility, are significant predictors of psychological well-being across the sample size. Furthermore, for participants who reside in university dormitories, windows that overlook nature can enhance the relationship of being away, compatibility, and fascination to psychological well-being, compared with those with less natural views. Thus, this study confirmed the moderating effect of nature view windows and provided insight into the ART constructs that facilitate and enhance restorative experiences. By strengthening ART with additional factors, this study has also contributed toward the improvement of the psychological well-being of university students