Factor Analysis and Methods of Supplier Selection

We discuss in this paper the decision making in choosing the best alternative from some available options based on possibly a large number of selection criteria. This multi-criteria decision problem typically arises in supplier selection in supply chain management. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in the applications of dimensional reduction methods such as factor analysis to such decision processes. They have been widely applied in conjunction with some classical methods such as AHP to create a hierarchical structure and identify the underlying factors or constructs. There are, however, a number of inherent issues and difficulties which have not been adequately addressed in the literature. For instance, there may be some criteria which load significantly on more than one factor, creating considerable difficulties in categorizing the criteria into mutually exclusive groups. More importantly, it is seen in this paper that it is not always sensible to determine the importance of an identified factor according to its amount of shared common variance or explained variation. Similarly, attempts to routinely determine the local relative weight (within a factor) of importance of a criterion based on its factor loading or correlation with the factor may also lead to results markedly different from those based on the views or judgement of the practitioner or expert. To circumvent these difficulties, a simple, practical and easily implemented procedure is proposed. Although factor analysis is employed, it merely serves as a means of facilitating the direct rating of importance of each criterion, alleviating many of the difficulties of the classical factor analysis approach. Two examples are given to illustrate the proposed method and illustrate some potential problems of current approaches in the literature

Analysis of Robust Parameter Designs

The analysis of robust parameter design is discussed via a model incorporating mean-variance relationship which, when ignored as in the classical regression approach, can be problematic. The model is also capable of alleviating the difficulties of the regression approach in the search of the minimum variance occurring region

On the Maximum Likelihood estimation of a linear structural relationship when the intercept is known

AbstractThis paper considers the Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimation of the five parameters of a linear structural relationship y = α + βx when α is known. The parameters are β, the two variances of observation errors on x and y, the mean and variance of x. When the ML estimates of the parameters cannot be obtained by solving a simple simultaneous system of five equations, they are found by maximizing the likelihood function directly. Some asymptotic properties of the estimates are also obtained

Consumers Trust in Online Shopping: The Case of Singapore

The emergences of the Internet and World Wide Web have changed the way businesses ply their trades. Many organizations now have established an online presence, particularly businesses that provide products or services directly to consumers, the so-called business-to-consumer (B2C) e-business. Trust is an important component for the continued viability and success of online businesses, as unlike traditional businesses, consumers do not have physical contact with the products to evaluate their suitability and quality. In this paper, we adopt the trust model constructed by Lee and Turban [7] to study how the drivers of trust in B2C e-commerce would affect the level of trust consumers have in online shopping in Singapore. We will also investigate if there are any moderating effects due to consumer’ trust propensity on the relationship between each trust driver and consumer trust in online shopping. Our results show that most of the trust drivers identified by Lee and Turban have a positive effect on the level of trust on online shopping and trust propensity also has a moderating effect on the relationship between the trust drivers and consumers’ trust in online shopping

Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Link

AbstractThe Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Link will be built across the mouth of the Pearl River Delta linking Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao in the south of China. The link will comprise of a dual 3-lane with hardshoulder motorway with a total length of approximately 42km, of which approximately 30km will be in mainland territory and approximately 12km will be within Hong Kong territory. The link will comprise of Border Crossing Facilities on reclaimed land in Zhuhai and Hong Kong, approximately 30km of sea-crossing bridges, approximately 5km of immersed tunnel, two artificial islands, approximately 2km of at-grade road and approximately 2km of cut and cover tunnel. The preliminary design of the link on the mainland side has been carried out by a joint venture of HPDI+ARUP+COWI+SHTDI+FHCL and on the Hong Kong side by ARUP alone. The division of work is as follows:•HPDI-Lead•ARUP-Bridges•COWI-Tunnel•SHTDI-Islands•FHCL-Electrical & MechanicalThis paper describes the design of the bridges on the link. The client for the link on the mainland side comprises the governments of the Guangdong Province PRC, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR. The client on the Hong Kong side is the Highways Department of the Hong Kong SAR

T cell receptor alpha-chain gene rearrangements in B-precursor leukemia are in contrast to the findings in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Comparative study of T cell receptor gene rearrangement in childhood leukemia.

We have analyzed T cell receptor alpha-chain gene configuration using three genomic joining (J) region probes in 64 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). 11 out of 18 T-ALLs were T3 positive; alpha-chain gene rearrangements were demonstrated in only two of 18, indicating that the majority of T-ALLs would have rearrangements involving J alpha segments located upstream of these probes. In contrast, 15 out of 46 B-precursor ALLs showed rearrangements of the alpha-chain gene and J alpha segments located approximately 20-30 kb upstream of the constant region were involved in 13 of these patients. Nine of 15 B-precursor ALLs with rearranged alpha-chain genes had rearrangements of both gamma- and beta-chain genes, whereas the remaining six had no rearrangements of gamma- and beta-chain genes. These findings indicated that alpha-chain gene rearrangement is not specific for T lineage cells and gamma- and/or beta-chain gene rearrangement does not appear essential for alpha-chain gene rearrangement, at least in B-precursor leukemic cells

An all-digital associated particle imaging system for the 3D determination of isotopic distributions

Associated particle imaging (API) is a non-destructive nuclear technique for the 3D determination of isotopic distributions. By detecting the alpha particle associated with the emitted neutron in the deuterium-tritium fusion reaction with a position- and time-resolving detector, the direction of the 14.1 MeV neutron and its time of emission can be determined. Employing this method, isotope characteristic gamma rays emitted in inelastic neutron scattering events can be correlated with the neutron interaction location. An API system consisting of a sealed-type neutron generator, gamma detectors, and a position-sensitive alpha detector was designed, constructed, and characterized. The system was tested with common soil elements and shown to be sensitive to 12C, 16O, 28Si, 27Al, and 56Fe. New aspects of our approach are the use of a yttrium-aluminum-perovskite (YAP) scintillator, using a sapphire window instead of a fiber-optic faceplate for light transport to the photomultiplier, and the all-digital data acquisition system. We present a description of the system with simulations and experimental results that show a position resolution on the alpha detector of 1 mm, a depth resolution using a LaBr3 detector of 6.2 cm, and an angular resolution of 4.5 degrees. Additionally, we present single-element gamma response measurements for the elements mentioned above together with a comparison to Monte Carlo simulations (MCNP6)