Green supply chain management practices and operational performance in Australian companies

Green supply chain management has emerged as a key approach for enterprises aiming to become environmentally sustainable. The study will investigate the kinds of environmental management practices that are undertaken by Australian companies in greening the supply chain and how these practices affect the environmental and operational performance of these companies. The study provides additional insight into the growing field of literature examining the relationships between environmental policies and operational performance. This paper is the first of a two-part research paper in the area of green supply chain management

Survey of logistics performance and adoption of logistics technology in Omani companies

A mailed questionnaire was used to collect data from Omani companies regarding their current logistics practices. The questionnaire covers several segments of logistics such as logistics department, importance of logistics activities, performance measurements and logistics technology adoption. The results show that Omani industry is aware of the importance of logistics and working steadily toward an integrative approach of logistics. However, they lack the formal mechanism to guide them through a better use of logistics technology. In addition, performance measurements that are based on cost are used more than those based on customer service

Logistics technology transfer model (LTTM)

This paper gives an integrative model for the transferring of logistics technology into organizations. There are three versions of this model; two for organizational technology and one for inter-organizational technology. The study makes use of previous innovation-diffusion models along with adoption and implementation studies of logistics in literature. Also, the study looks at other relevant empirical studies in logistics (questionnaires and case studies) in order to draw sufficient understanding of logistics technology and to help in forming the constructs for the integrative model. This study contributes to theory with four things. First, it decomposes the adoption stage into three sub stages. Second, it introduces the cyclical effect to the historical stage models. Third, it gives new definitions for the stages in the stage model based on current empirical studies and Lewin-Schein Theory of Change. Fourth, it gives an inter-organizational logistics technology transfer model

Forecasting tropical cyclone-induced rainfall in coastal Australia : implications for effective flood management

This article is designed to predict the amount of rainfall resulting from tropical cyclones (TCs) in Australia’s coastal regions and contributes to predicting the likelihood of extreme rainfall events. For this purpose, a Poisson–Gamma generalised linear model is fitted to the TC-induced rainfall with distance of the rainfall station from the TC track and translational speed (TS) of TC as predictors. Both variables have significant negative impact on rainfall. For the lowest TC TS, the 99th percentiles of rainfall for the furthest and closest station distances from the TC track were estimated as 132.5 mm and 236.9 mm, respectively. When the TC track is the closest to the rainfall station and the TS is the lowest, the 99.9th percentile of the estimated rainfall is 366.3 mm. The ability of the model to capture extremely high rainfall amounts may prove useful in forecasting floods. Improved flood forecasting and management will reduce loss of life and property, thereby contributing to the social and economic well-being of Australia's coastal population

Modeling and analysis of different nano-gratings to enhance light absorption in MSM-PDs

The main purpose of this research is to analyze the light absorption in metal-semiconductor-metal-photo-detectors (MSMPDs) that are assisted with different nano-grating/ nanocorrugated structures. These types of photo-detectors are useful in applications where faster optical fibre communication is required. Also, these MSM-PDs are suitable candidates for high-speed chipto-chip interconnects as well as high-speed sampling. The modeling of these nano-structured MSM-PDs was done by simulating them in the Optiwave simulation tool, using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. The corresponding light absorption enhancement factor (LAEF) of each model was then calculated. In this study, a new type of nano-grating shape, hemispherical nano-structure, is introduced. Based on the simulation results, found from the modeling of different nanostructured MSM-PDs, a comparative analysis was made between the newly developed hemispherical nano-structured MSM-PD with trapezoidal nano-structured, triangular nano-structured, and rectangular nano-structured MSM-PDs. The proposed hemispherical shaped nano-structured MSM-PD was able to achieve 19-times higher light absorption enhancement factor when compared to conventional MSM-PDs which are not assisted by nano-grating structures

Automatic detection and recognition of traffic signs

Automatic detection of road sign is a challenging but demanding job. A new approach namely automatic detection and recognition of traffic signs (ADRTS) considering color segmentation, moment invariants, and neural networks has been proposed in this paper. Experimental result proves the superior performance in the detection and recognition of road signs. Computational time complexity is also quite low that makes it applicable for the real time system

Designing potential siRNA molecules for silencing the gene of the nucleocapsid protein of Nipah virus: A computational investigation

Nipah virus (NiV), a zoonotic virus, engenders severe infections with noticeable complications and deaths in humans and animals. Since its emergence, it is frightening, this virus has been causing regular outbreaks in various countries, particularly in Bangladesh, India, and Malaysia. Unfortunately, no efficient vaccine or drug is available now to combat this baneful virus. NiV employs its nucleocapsid protein for genetic material packaging, which is crucial for viral replication inside the host cells. The small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) can play a central role in inhibiting the expression of disease-causing viral genes by hybridization and subsequent inactivation of the complementary target viral mRNAs through the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. Therefore, potential siRNAs as molecular therapeutics against the nucleocapsid protein gene of NiV were designed in this study. First, ten prospective siRNAs were identified using the conserved nucleocapsid gene sequences among all available NiV strains collected from various countries. After that, off-target binding, GC (guanine-cytosine) content, secondary structure, binding affinity with the target, melting temperature, efficacy analysis, and binding capacity with the human argonaute protein 2 (AGO2) of these siRNAs were evaluated to predict their suitability. These designed siRNA molecules bear promise in silencing the NiV gene encoding the nucleocapsid protein and thus can alleviate the severity of this dangerous virus. Further in vivo experiments are recommended before using these designed siRNAs as alternative and effective molecular therapeutic agents against NiV

Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease, 1990–2017: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background: Health system planning requires careful assessment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) epidemiology, but data for morbidity and mortality of this disease are scarce or non-existent in many countries. We estimated the global, regional, and national burden of CKD, as well as the burden of cardiovascular disease and gout attributable to impaired kidney function, for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017. We use the term CKD to refer to the morbidity and mortality that can be directly attributed to all stages of CKD, and we use the term impaired kidney function to refer to the additional risk of CKD from cardiovascular disease and gout. Methods: The main data sources we used were published literature, vital registration systems, end-stage kidney disease registries, and household surveys. Estimates of CKD burden were produced using a Cause of Death Ensemble model and a Bayesian meta-regression analytical tool, and included incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, mortality, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). A comparative risk assessment approach was used to estimate the proportion of cardiovascular diseases and gout burden attributable to impaired kidney function. Findings: Globally, in 2017, 1·2 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1·2 to 1·3) people died from CKD. The global all-age mortality rate from CKD increased 41·5% (95% UI 35·2 to 46·5) between 1990 and 2017, although there was no significant change in the age-standardised mortality rate (2·8%, −1·5 to 6·3). In 2017, 697·5 million (95% UI 649·2 to 752·0) cases of all-stage CKD were recorded, for a global prevalence of 9·1% (8·5 to 9·8). The global all-age prevalence of CKD increased 29·3% (95% UI 26·4 to 32·6) since 1990, whereas the age-standardised prevalence remained stable (1·2%, −1·1 to 3·5). CKD resulted in 35·8 million (95% UI 33·7 to 38·0) DALYs in 2017, with diabetic nephropathy accounting for almost a third of DALYs. Most of the burden of CKD was concentrated in the three lowest quintiles of Socio-demographic Index (SDI). In several regions, particularly Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, the burden of CKD was much higher than expected for the level of development, whereas the disease burden in western, eastern, and central sub-Saharan Africa, east Asia, south Asia, central and eastern Europe, Australasia, and western Europe was lower than expected. 1·4 million (95% UI 1·2 to 1·6) cardiovascular disease-related deaths and 25·3 million (22·2 to 28·9) cardiovascular disease DALYs were attributable to impaired kidney function. Interpretation: Kidney disease has a major effect on global health, both as a direct cause of global morbidity and mortality and as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. CKD is largely preventable and treatable and deserves greater attention in global health policy decision making, particularly in locations with low and middle SDI. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation