Corporate Compliance Issues in Managing Supply Chains in the Environmental-Friendly 21 st Century

Recent economic crisis has alerted citizens around the world about the behavioral patterns of corporations that were not in lined with the expectations of the local citizens. These events has re-emerged the global conversations of the responsibilities of corporations that are beyond the conventional wisdom of financial accomplishments. Traditionally, corporations have been in tuned with financial goals and awareness of necessity of Corporate Compliance efforts operationally along their Supply Chains. The recent addition of Social Responsibilities has certainly complicated corporate strategies in varied magnitude. At times, it introduced un- welcomed uncertainty in terms of expectations. The focus of this research is to investigate the first-step for corporations, the understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility expectations so as to allow corporations to refine their strategies so as to be in compliance along their supply chains with minimal additional resources. An empirical model for data collection from corporate practitioners will also be introduced

IT Deplyment Assessment: A Two-Dimensional Supply Chain Life-Cycle Management Framework for Strategic Analysis

This paper is to develop a framework for industries to analyze their information technology deployment efforts based on operational activities along the life-cycle of their supply chains. In particular, industries that is mature and with low profit margin will find this framework applicable. It is an accepted principle in these industries that efforts to streamline and reduce cost are easier to achieve than to increase an equal amount of revenue. The framework encompasses all aspects of operations and provides a complete and comprehensive view of the whole supply chain. The first dimension of the framework includes both product-related and logistics-related activities. These are activities that range from product design to production to materials movement and warehousing. The second dimension addresses product and supply chain specific types of characteristics, which vary by industry that will impact the use of new information technology such as RFID, WiMax, and CPFR. These characteristics include the bitability, modularity, and information intensity of the product, cost structure in relation to product versus logistics, and vertical collaboration or standardization opportunities. By reviewing the life-cycle activities with these characteristics in mind, an industry can establish an information technology platform to guide new IT implementations for the future

Strategic use of E-Commerce in the Transformation of the Publishing Industry

The intent of this paper is to explore the strategic use of e-commerce in the transformation of the publishing industry. The first section of the paper explores the strategic use of e-commerce in the transformation of the publishing industry from a single distribution channel mass producer of printed books to a multiple distribution channel that will include e-books and “print on demand” technologies. Emphasis is placed on management strategies in the use of new information technologies in the global marketplace. The second section of this paper discusses the shift of competitive power among the various tiers along the publishing industry supply chain including the current developments in electronic publishing from the vantage point of the stakeholders The implications and likely scenario awaiting the future business environment of the publishing industry is presented in the third section of this paper

The Role of E-Books in the Future of the Supply Chain of the Publishing Industry

The intent of this paper is to explore the future role of ebooks in the publishing industry. Emphasis is put on the impact it has on the supply chain of the industry. Issues dealing with the legal ramifications and financial implications, such as sales taxes, will also be addressed. The first section describes characteristics of e-books and the current developments in e-books from the consumer’s point of view. With the handling of the content of publications in digital form, intellectual property rights will become more complex and will require new regulations to deal with the new medium. These and other related legal issues are addressed in the third section. With the likelihood of utilizing the Internet for the distribution of the e-book to consumers, the collection of sales taxes will be difficult for government agencies to handle. The situation will be further complicated due to the globalization of the market place. Which policies are in effect, how will they are enforced, and who are responsible for their collection are emerging issues that will need to be addressed in the global and local arenas. Then it will be followed by the impact it has on the supply chain of the industry. For example, one of the benefits of ebooks is the reduction of logistical costs throughout the supply chain. Also, due to the ease of distribution, there most likely will be consolidation of certain levels within the supply chain. It may trigger a shift of competitive power among the various levels. The likely scenario of the future business environment of the publishing industry is discussed in the concluding section

Plant Sterols as Dietary Adjuvants in the Reduction of Cardiovascular Risk: Theory and Evidence

Plant sterol-enriched foods are an effective dietary adjuvant in reducing cardiovascular risk by lowering total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) in serum by up to ∼15%. The mechanism of action of plant sterols is different from those of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A inhibitors (statins) and thus their effect is additive. Combining plant sterols with other dietary components known to reduce cholesterol in a portfolio approach has proven to be most effective for reduction of hypercholesterolemia and provide an alternative treatment option for clinicians. Plant sterol-enriched foods provides clinicians with a relatively cheap, safe, and effective way to help patients manage their cardiovascular risk

Strategic Analysis of the Role of Information Technology in Higher Education – A KPI-centric model

The KPI-centric Strategic Model regarding the Role of Information Technology developed in this research is based on specific details from the University of La Verne’s participation in the 2014 Educause Center for Analysis and Research (ECAR) Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology as a benchmarking participant. It also draws on the experience and directions of other institutions such as California State University, University of California. As one of the participating 213 institutions, the University of La Verne’s undergraduate student responses generally mirror the majority view of students enrolled in all institutions of higher education in the United States surveyed as to preferences for the use of technology in the delivery of courses. This case study examines key data points from the ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology published in 2015, comparing and contrasting all U.S. institution findings with those that are case specific to the University of La Verne. The authors then provide a model for utilizing key performance indicators (KPIs) measuring subjective, descriptive outcomes such as student expectations and student satisfaction with the use of Information Technology in course delivery. The model is presented within the framework of a Balanced Scorecard in order to achieve data-driven continuous improvement toward institutional strategic vision, mission, goals and objectives. This case study may serve as a template for other institutions of Higher Education to develop their own Key Performance Indicators and Balanced Scorecards to not only improve their own institutional performance to goals and objectives, but to provide opportunities for institutional benchmarking in the utilization of Information Technology

Utilization of Information Technology as Instructional Support in Higher Education – A Case Study

Despite significant increases in the growth of online education, a review of research reveals few studies of faculty perceptions of the use of technology in classrooms in higher education. Research can explore and illuminate how to bridge the gap between faculty perceptions and institutional goals and objectives for online programs. The study at hand presents the views of full-time and adjunct faculty across the colleges, both on- and off-campus, and the online community, at the University of La Verne, a private Tier II doctoral degree-granting institution located in Southern California

Cultural Context Index: A Geospatial Measure of Social Determinants of Health in the United States

Minority populations will continue to grow in the United States. Such pluralism necessitates iterative, geospatial measurements of cultural contexts. Our objective in this study was to create a measure of social determinants of health in geographic areas with varying ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity in the United States. We extracted geographic information systems data based on community characteristics that have known associations with population health disparities from 2015 to 2019. We used principal component analysis to construct a Cultural Context Index (CCI). We created the CCI for 73,682 census tracts across 50 states and five inhabited territories. We identified hot and cold spots that are the highest and lowest CCI quintile, respectively. Hot spots census tracts were mostly located in metropolitan areas (84.8%), in the Southern census region (41.5%), and also had larger Black and Hispanic populations. The census tracts with the greatest need for culturally competent health care also had the sickest populations. Census tracts with a CCI rank of 5 (\u27greatest need\u27) had higher prevalences of self-reported poor physical health (17.2%) and poor mental health (17.4%), compared to either the general population (13.9% and 14.5%) or to CCI rank of 1 (\u27lowest need\u27) (11.9% and 10.8%). The CCI can pinpoint census tracts with a need for culturally competent health care and inform supply-side policy planning as healthcare and social service providers will inevitably come in contact with consumers from different backgrounds

Intracranial injection of AAV expressing NEP but not IDE reduces amyloid pathology in APP+PS1 transgenic mice

The accumulation of β-amyloid peptides in the brain has been recognized as an essential factor in Alzheimer\u27s disease pathology. Several proteases, including Neprilysin (NEP), endothelin converting enzyme (ECE), and insulin degrading enzyme (IDE), have been shown to cleave β-amyloid peptides (Aβ). We have previously reported reductions in amyloid in APP+PS1 mice with increased expression of ECE. In this study we compared the vector-induced increased expression of NEP and IDE. We used recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors expressing either native forms of NEP (NEP-n) or IDE (IDE-n), or engineered secreted forms of NEP (NEP-s) or IDE (IDE-s). In a six-week study, immunohistochemistry staining for total Aβ was significantly decreased in animals receiving the NEP-n and NEP-s but not for IDE-n or IDE-s in either the hippocampus or cortex. Congo red staining followed a similar trend revealing significant decreases in the hippocampus and the cortex for NEP-n and NEP-s treatment groups. Our results indicate that while rAAV-IDE does not have the same therapeutic potential as rAAV-NEP, rAAV-NEP-s and NEP-n are effective at reducing amyloid loads, and both of these vectors continue to have significant effects nine months post-injection. As such, they may be considered reasonable candidates for gene therapy trials in AD

LPS- induced inflammation exacerbates phospho-tau pathology in rTg4510 mice

Inflammation and microglial activation are associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Somewhat surprisingly, injection of a prototypical inflammatory agent, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into brains of amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice clears some of the pre-existing amyloid deposits. It is less well understood how brain inflammation modulates tau pathology in the absence of Aβ. These studies examined the role of LPS-induced inflammation on tau pathology. We used transgenic rTg4510 mice, which express the P301L mutation (4R0N TauP301L) and initiate tau pathology between 3-5 months of age. First, we found an age-dependent increase in several markers of microglial activation as these rTg4510 mice aged and tau tangles accumulated. LPS injections into the frontal cortex and hippocampus induced significant activation of CD45 and arginase 1 in rTg4510 and non-transgenic mice. In addition, activation of YM1 by LPS was exaggerated in transgenic mice relative to non-transgenic animals. Expression of Ser199/202 and phospho-tau Ser396 was increased in rTg4510 mice that received LPS compared to vehicle injections. However, the numbers of silver-positive neurons, implying presence of more pre- and mature tangles, was not significantly affected by LPS administration. These data suggest that inflammatory stimuli can facilitate tau phosphorylation. Coupled with prior results demonstrating clearance of Aβ by similar LPS injections, these results suggest that brain inflammation may have opposing effects on amyloid and tau pathology, possibly explaining the failures (to date) of anti-inflammatory therapies in AD patients