Analyzing and simulating supply chain disruptions to the automobile industry based on experiences of the Great East Japan Earthquake

The Great East Japan Earthquake revealed serious weaknesses in the supply chain management (SCM) employed by Japanese industries, and particularly by the automobile industry. Observed supply chain disruptions and production line shutdowns are recognized as symbolic of weaknesses in industrial SCM. The Japanese automobile industry in particular is now keen to improve supply chain resiliency in terms of automobile assembly line continuity. In view of this, we i) review observed negative impacts of the Great East Japan Earthquake on the automobile industry, ii) identify current strategies being evaluated by the automobile industry for improving supply chain resiliency, iii) develop a numerical supply chain model for the automobile industry, and iv) evaluate efforts to improve SCM practice through inclusion of risk mitigation measures. We conclude with recommendations for policy development to further strengthen automobile industry resiliency

The Amusic Brain: Lost in Music, but Not in Space

Congenital amusia is a neurogenetic disorder of music processing that is currently ascribed to a deficit in pitch processing. A recent study challenges this view and claims the disorder might arise as a consequence of a general spatial-processing deficit. Here, we assessed spatial processing abilities in two independent samples of individuals with congenital amusia by using line bisection tasks (Experiment 1) and a mental rotation task (Experiment 2). Both amusics and controls showed the classical spatial effects on bisection performance and on mental rotation performance, and amusics and controls did not differ from each other. These results indicate that the neurocognitive impairment of congenital amusia does not affect the processing of space