The use of information systems for logistics and supply chain management in South East Europe: Current status and future direction

This research aims to investigate the current status and future direction of the use of information systems for logistics and supply chain management (LSCM) in South East Europe. The objectives are threefold: (1) to identify major challenges and developments on the use of information systems for LSCM by enterprises, (2) to examine the actual level of satisfaction of current policy on LSCM, and (3) to reveal the actual need of enterprises in South East Europe on effective use of information systems for LSCM. Mixed methodology of literature review and questionnaire survey is adopted in this research. Data collected from 79 enterprises are analysed using descriptive analysis in SPSS. The findings suggest that enterprises in Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Romania, and Serbia and Montenegro, face similar challenges but all are in different stages of developments of LSCM. Their use of information systems explains their heavy focus on supply chain partnership and weakness in demand chain partnership. Major findings suggest that companies and governments alike in that region do not seem to be ready for playing a significant and demanding role in global supply chains. Current deficiencies, including limited abilities in building valuable forward relations, weak strategic planning and organisation, and infrastructural problems, are major obstacles for fast development in LSCM. At the same time though, traces of changing mentalities do exist, setting the ground for improved performance and ultimately for a better position in global business

Factors of Influence in Choosing Alternative Accommodation:A Study with Reference to Pondicherry, A Coastal Heritage Town

AbstractAccommodation establishments such as Commercial homes, Bed & Breakfast and Guest Houses provide alternatives to tourists who prefer accommodation other than traditional hotels. The purpose of this research study is to identify the factors that lead tourists to choose such alternative accommodation. Given the differences in the product – both in terms of acuity and actuality, the tourists’ motive in choosing alternative accommodation may be different from traditional accommodation. The study location.- Pondicherry, a heritage coastal town in India - experienced a recent spurt in the growth of alternative accommodation. Alternative hoteliers provide a different tourism product with several points of differences when compared with traditional hoteliers. From the primary data collected from guests at alternative accommodations, the factors that influenced their decision to.stay are identified using Factor analysis. Knowledge and understanding of these factors will help alternative hoteliers to develop meaningful and appealing points of differences

Optimization of fermentation conditions for producing Indian rock bee (Apis dorsata) mead using response surface methodology

Mead is a traditional drink which results from the alcoholic fermentation of diluted honey carried out by yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae KF233529). The present investigation was carried out for the optimization of fermentation parameters for maximizing the yield of ethanol. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based central composite design was employed to obtain best combination of temperature, fermentation time and total soluble solids (TSS). The optimum conditions for ethanol yield were temperature 28°C, TSS 15°Brix and 6 days after fermentation. The model showed that the value of R2 (0.9998) was high and p- value of interaction of variance was <0.0001. Hence the model can be said to be of highly significant

Yield and quality improvement in Bt cotton through foliar application of trifloxystrobin and tebuconazole

In agriculture, fungi can cause serious damage, resulting in critical losses of yield, quality and profit. Fungicides help in reducing the damage caused by fungus, reduce the yield loss and play a major role in quality improvement. The present investigation was carried out at Tamil Nadu Agricultural University to evaluate the influence of trifloxystrobin 50% + tebuconazole 25% (Nativo 75WG) on the yield and quality improvement on Bunny hybrid Bt cotton.  Nativo 75WG was applied on the leaves of cotton plants at 40-60 (DAS) and 60-80 (DAS) at the concentration of 250, 300, 350 g/ha and Carbendazim @ 500 g/ha.  The observations recorded were related to yield and quality attributes in all treatments. The application of Nativo @ 300 g/ha showed a significant increase in boll weight (4.86 g), lint yield per boll (3.86 g boll-1) and lint per plant (138.48 g plant -1) than other treatments. With respect to seed cotton yield and harvest index (0.37 %), the Nativo @ 300 g/ha registered a higher yield (20.2 %) and HI than control under the irrigated situation. Foliar application of treatments during the flowering stage (40-60 DAS) and boll formation stages (60-80 DAS) had increased the quality parameters such as fiber length (2.5% staple length, 50 % staple length) and fiber strength. Further, the foliar spray of  Nativo @ 300 g/ha applied to bunny hybrid Bt cotton had resulted in a higher yield (2920.15 kg ha-1) due to an increase in leaf area index, greenness of leaf and higher dry matter production of the plant

3-Benzoyl-1,1-dibenzyl­thio­urea

Two independent thio­urea mol­ecules comprise the asymmetric unit of the title compound, C22H20N2OS. The central N–C(=S)N(H)C(=O) atoms in each mol­ecule are virtually superimposable and each is twisted [C—N—C—S torsion angles = 121.3 (3) and −62.3 (4)°]. The mol­ecules differ only in terms of the relative orientations of the benzyl benzene rings [major difference between the C—N—C—C torsion angles of −146.6 (3) and −132.9 (3)°]. The presence of N—H⋯S hydrogen bonding leads to the formation of supra­molecular chains along the a axis. These are consolidated in the crystal packing by C—H⋯O inter­actions. The crystal was found to be a combined non-merohedral and racemic twin (twin law 00/00/001), with the fractional contribution of the minor components being approximately 9 and 28%

1-Benzoyl-3,3-dibutyl­thio­urea

The title mol­ecule, C16H24N2OS, is twisted about the central N(H)—C bond with a C—N(H)—C—N torsion angle of −62.67 (15)°. The carbonyl group is twisted out of the plane of the benzene ring, forming a C—C—C=O torsion angle of −25.06 (17)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules related by centres of symmetry are linked by pairs of inter­molecular N—H⋯S hydrogen bonds, forming eight-membered {⋯HNCS}2 synthons. These are further connected by weak via C—H⋯O contacts, forming a two-dimensional array in the bc plane

1-Benzoyl-3,3-bis­(propan-2-yl)thio­urea

Two independent thio­urea derivatives comprise the asymmetric unit of the title compound, C14H20N2OS. The major difference between the mol­ecules relates to a twist in the relative orientation of the benzene rings [torsion angles = 4.5 (2) and −19.9 (2)° for the two independent mol­ecules]. The thio­carbonyl and carbonyl groups lie to opposite sides of the mol­ecule as there are twists about the central N—S bond [torsion angles = 83.90 (15) and 81.77 (15)°]. Supra­molecular chains extending parallel to [101] with a stepped topology and mediated by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonding feature in the crystal structure. C—H⋯O and C—H⋯π inter­actions are also present

Crystal structure of [4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-3-methyl-1-phenyl-6-trifluoromethyl-1H-pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridin-5-yl](thiophen-2-yl)methanone

The title compound, C[subscript 26]H[subscript 18]F[subscript 3]N[subscript 3]O[subscript 2]S, a 2-meth­oxy-substituted derivative, is closely related to its 4-methyl- and 4-chloro-substituted analogues and yet displays no structural relationships with them. The thio­phene ring is disorder free and the -CF[subscript 3] group exhibits disorder, respectively, in contrast and similar to that observed in the 4-methyl- and 4-chloro-substituted derivatives. The torsion angle which defines the twist of the thio­phene ring is -69.6 (2)° (gauche) in the title compound, whereas it is anti­clinal in the 4-methyl- and 4-chloro-substituted derivatives, with respective values of 99.9 (2) and 99.3 (2)°. The absence of disorder in the thio­phene ring facilitates one of its ring C atoms to participate in the lone inter­molecular C-H...O hydrogen bond present in the crystal, leading to a characteristic C(5) chain graph-set motif linking mol­ecules related through glides along [010]. An intra­moleculr C-H...N hydrogen bond also occurs

On elementary extensions in Fuzzy Predicate Logics

10 páginas.-- Comunicación presentada a la International Conference on Information Processing and Management of Uncertainty in Knowledge-Based Systems (IPMU) celebrada en Dortmund (Alemania) del 28 de Junio al 2 de Julio de 2010.Our work is a contribution to the model-theoretic study of equality-free fuzzy predicate logics. We give a characterization of ele- mentary equivalence in fuzzy predicate logics using elementary exten- sions and introduce an strengthening of this notion, the so-called strong elementary equivalence. Using the method of diagrams developed in [5] and elementary extensions we present a counterexample to Conjectures 1 and 2 of [8].Research partially funded by the spanish projects CONSOLIDER (CSD2007- 0022), MULOG2 (TIN2007-68005-C04-01) and ARINF (TIN2009-14704-C03-03) by the ESF Eurocores-LogICCC/MICINN project FFI2008-03126- E/FILO and by the Generalitat de Catalunya under the grants 2009-SGR 1433 and 1434.Peer reviewe