A collaborative framework for feasibility analysis in automotive product development with global supply chain

In the competitive world, time to market, new technology and innovation are the measures of the performance of New Product Development (NPD). Companies tend to use a conventional approach to NPD by assigning representatives from their own support functions to review and recommend changes as projects evolve. In recent years, this approach has been questioned since it is a costly and time-consuming approach due to its iterative nature. Researchers argue that the time to market process and the cost of NPD can be reduced considerably by involving the support functions of the supply chain to a greater extent and also earlier in the NPD process. There is a potential industrial requirement for a collaborative framework that facilitates the linkage between Supply Chain Management (SCM) and New Product Development (NPD). This research project focuses on the early stages of the collaborative product development process in the extended enterprise. The research output includes the functional requirements of a framework and a developed prototype methodology with tools and technologies that are tested from case studies within industry. The research also introduces the development and analysis of the framework that allows the integration of the flow of product development related activities within original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and suppliers providing future business benefits. An industrial investigation of an OEM in the automotive industry within the research identified that there are different decision making points in product development and manufacturing. The proposed methodology and framework use key drives to predict and quantify its impact on four main criteria namely: feasibility, time, cost and capability that support or advise on key decision making of OEM’s product development and management process

An overview of change management within manufacturing environment

In this competitive world, where features like time to market, new technology and change management are the features that can affect the performance of New Product Development (NPD). Companies tend to use a conventional approach to NPD by assigning representatives from support functions to review and recommend changes as projects evolve. This approach has, in recent years, been questioned since it is a costly and time-consuming approach due to its iterative nature. It is argued that the change management process can reduced the negative effect and has the ability to support the functions of a supply chain to a greater extent and also earlier in the NPD process. This paper focuses on different change management techniques to support the required changes by management to integrate the NPD within supply chain (SC)

Use of process modelling in product development integration within manufacturing environment

The impact of supply chain on new product development (NPD) and product introduction is particularly important in a time when (i) there are pressures for growing product proliferation in order to meet varied demands and constraints, (ii) the research and development pipeline is a key focus in companies, and (iii) technology life cycles have shortened so much that obsolete inventories and time to market are crucial for companies’ margin performance. This research focuses on the early stages of the collaborative product development process in the extended enterprise and shows it is a contribution to the business world. The output of the research includes the functional requirements of a framework and a developed prototype methodology with tools and technologies that are tested with case studies in the industrial environment. The study also focuses on using modern modelling tools to represent the product development processes of an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and its suppliers

The Greenness of Rural and Urban Pakistan Over Time: Household Energy Use and Carbon Emissions

This study provides the first empirical estimates of household energy use and carbon emissions from 2005 to 2014 for all Pakistani rural and urban districts, using four rounds of nationwide household survey data. This is significant, because Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world and has the highest population growth rate and urbanization level of all South Asian countries. Following Glaeser and Kahn (2010), we estimate and predict carbon emissions every 2 years during 2005-2014 for each district in Pakistan using household-level survey data on energy consumption. We then rank all districts based on the predicted carbon emissions for representative median households, rating districts with less per capita carbon emissions as greener, and finally explain the changes in the district’s “greenness” rank over time. We find, first, that Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, has the higher per capita emissions, at 1 ton per year in 2013-14, and emission hotspots tend to cluster around urban centers and remote rural areas with heavy reliance on firewood use. Although Pakistan’s major cities’ household carbon emissions are still drastically lower than in the U.S., they are comparable to, and sometimes even higher than, cities in India and China. Second, our results demonstrate the importance of accounting for carbon emissions over time using multiple rounds of surveys—as opposed to focusing on a single year—because 52% of Pakistani districts experienced changes in their greenness rankings over the past decade. Finally, we show that while electricity, gasoline, and natural gas consumption drive carbon emissions in urban districts in Pakistan, firewood accounts for half of all carbon emissions in rural areas in KP and Balochistan provinces. Ignoring household garbage, therefore, would lead to underestimation of the urban carbon footprint by at least 15% in developing countries such as Pakistan

Will Urbanization in Developing Countries Reduce Carbon Emissions? Panel Data Evidence from Pakistani Household Surveys

Using four rounds of nationwide household survey data from the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey from 2005 to 2014, we provide the first empirical estimates of districts’ carbon emissions and their changes over time based on representative households’ energy consumption. We find that hotspots for carbon emissions in Pakistan tend to cluster around megacities—Islamabad has the highest per capita carbon emissions. This is contradictory to the compact city hypothesis that denser cities are greener, with lower per-capita carbon emissions, than remote cities, and suggest that urbanization in developing countries may not reduce carbon emissions. Our results also show that ignoring household garbage would underestimate the urban carbon footprint by at least 15%. Finally, our results demonstrate the importance of incorporating rural households and their primary energy usage such as firewood, and the fluid nature of carbon emissions and greenness ranking over time in developing countries like Pakistan

Chemical Modification Effect on the Mechanical Properties of Coir Fiber

Natural fiber has a vital role as a reinforcing agent due to its renewable, low cost, biodegradable, less abrasive and eco-friendly nature. Whereas synthetic fibers like glass, boron, carbon, metallic, ceramic and inorganic fibers are expensive and not eco-friendly. Coir is one of the natural fibers easily available in Bangladesh and cheap. It is derived from the husk of the coconut (Cocos nucifera). Coir has one of the highest concentrations of lignin, which makes it stronger. In recent years, wide range of research has been carried out on fiber reinforced polymer composites [4-13].The aim of the present research is to characterize brown single coir fiber for manufacturing polymer composites reinforced with characterized fibers. Adhesion between the fiber and polymer is one of factors affecting the strength of manufactured composites. In order to increase the adhesion, the coir fiber was chemically treated separately in single stage (with Cr2(SO4)3•12(H2O)) and double stages (with CrSO4 and NaHCO3). Both the raw and treated fibers were characterized by tensile testing, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic analysis, scanning electron microscopic analysis. The result showed that the Young's modulus increased, while tensile strength and strain to failure decreased with increase in span length. Tensile properties of chemically treated coir fiber was found higher than raw coir fiber, while the double stage treated coir fiber had better mechanical properties compared to the single stage treated coir fiber. Scanning electron micrographs showed rougher surface in case of the raw coir fiber. The surface was found clean and smooth in case of the treated coir fiber. Thus the performance of coir fiber composites in industrial application can be improved by chemical treatment

Synthesis and Characterization of Dihydrouracil Analogs Utilizing Biginelli Hybrids

Dihydrouracil presents a crucial intermediate in the catabolism of uracil. The vital im-portance of uracil and its nucleoside, uridine, encourages scientists to synthesize novel dihydroura-cils. In this paper, we present an innovative, fast, and effective method for the synthesis of dihy-drouracils. Hence, under mild conditions, 3‐chloroperbenzoic acid was used to cleave the carbon– sulfur bond of the Biginelli hybrids 5,6‐dihydropyrimidin‐4(3H)‐ones. This approach led to thirteen novel dihydrouracils synthesized in moderate‐to‐high yields (32–99%)

Perceptions and practices of self-medication among undergraduate medical students at Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalaburagi, India

Background: Self-medication practice is widespread in many countries and the irrational use of drugs is a cause of concern. It assumes a special significance among medical students as they are exposed to knowledge about diseases and drugs. To assess practice and perception of self-medication among undergraduate medical students.Methods: It is a descriptive study in which study population was comprised of 2nd year undergraduate medical students of Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences, Kalaburagi, Karnataka, India. Total 134 students were included in the study. Written informed consent was obtained from each volunteer prior to the study. Students were given a questionnaire that included both open and close ended questions about self-medication practice. Data was analysed and presented as counts and percentages.Results: It was found that 72 (54%) students practiced self-medication. The principal morbidity for seeking self-medication was cold and cough as reported by 70 (53%) students. Antibiotics were most commonly self-medicated as reported by 55 (36%) students. Only 34 (25%) students opined that self-medication is part of self-care.Conclusions: Self-medication is widely practiced among under­ graduate medical students. In this situation, we should educate the students about advantages and disadvantages of self-medication