A taxonomy of critical factors towards Sustainable Operations and Supply Chain Management 4.0 in developing countries– A systematic review and fuzzy group decision-making

Supply chain disruptions, intensified by black swan events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war, have increased the interest in resilient supply chains, which can be achieved by adopting sustainable Industry 4.0 (I4.0) practices. However, the critical success factors (CSFs) for sustainable I4.0 in operations and supply chain management (S-OSCM4.0) are unclear, and there is a lack of a holistic and empirically validated taxonomy of CSFs from multiple stakeholders' perspectives to guide organizations in this transition. Moreover, developing countries face specific challenges that require prioritizing the proper set of CSFs for sustainable digitalization. Therefore, this paper aims to develop a CSFs-based taxonomy for S-OSCM4.0 to help organizations stay current in I4.0 adoption and integrate sustainability in OSCM. We first conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of 131 papers using bibliometric and content analyses and synthesized the theoretical findings into an alpha taxonomy of CSFs following an inductive approach. Then, we employed a Delphi survey technique combining fuzzy logic to solicit experts' perceptions from a developing country to analyze and validate the taxonomy and determine the most pertinent CSFs, resulting in a beta taxonomy of CSFs for S-OSCM4.0. The developed taxonomy represents a pioneering managerial artefact that can guide sustainable development through an inclusive digital transformation with less environmental impact, contributing to decision-making in S-OSCM4.0, especially for operations in developing countries

Radioluminescence results from an Al2O3:C fiber prototype: 6 MV medical beam

The Investigations of this article focus on the response of an Al2O3:C radioluminescence (RL) prototype for medical dosimetry in a 6 MV photon beam. The prototype can be configured using two types of detectors coupled to fiber-optic cables - single crystal (1 x 1 x 2 mm(3)) and droplets (in two grain sizes, 38 and 4 mu m, molded in r =0.5 mm,1= 200 mu m). By using the appropriate filters in addition to time gating it is possible to remove disturbance present during irradiation: the stem effect. Pre -irradiation of the dosimeters to a dose of 300 Gy made the memory effects in Al2O3:C negligible, so as to not impair the dosimetric properties of the system. The key findings are that the system is suitable for small field beam dosimetry, while giving overall good dose response in other features (i.e., beam profile, dose rate - FF and FFF modes). The results show that our prototype can be used for real time dose rate assessment in medical photon dosimetry without many correction factors. The 41 mu m RL measurement results are in excellent agreement (i.e. below 1%) with the dose delivered according to standard beam data

Zootechnical performance, degree of steatosis and the genotoxic potential in yellowtail tetra Astyanax lacustris fed with different levels of L-carnitine

ABSTRACT L-carnitine perform a major role in transporting long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria, where they are oxidized. It has been used in animal diets to decrease fat and increase muscle protein. The aim of this study was to evaluate the zootechnical performance, degree of steatosis in the liver, and genotoxic potential in Astyanax lacustris fed with different levels of L-carnitine (LC). Yellowtail tetra juveniles (n = 140) were distributed in 20 tanks of 70 L, with seven fish in each, in a water recirculation system with controlled temperature (27±0.1⁰C). The treatments with different levels of L-carnitine supplementation were: 0 (control), 250, 500, 750, and 1000 mg of LC per kg of food. The diets were provided twice a day for 60 days. The results showed that the different levels of LC did not affect (P>0.05) weight gain, survival, viscerosomatic index, and the liver hepatocytes showed a normal appearance. However, the use of LC supplementation showed genotoxic potential with a significant difference (P<0.05) for cell alterations when compared to the control at concentrations above 500mg kg-1

Capsaicin cyclodextrin complex enhances mepivacaine targeting and improves local anesthesia in inflamed tissues

Acidic environments, such as in inflamed tissues, favor the charged form of local anesthetics LA . Hence, these drugs show less cell permeation and diminished potency. Since the analgesic capsaicin CAP triggers opening of the TRPV1 receptor pore, its combination with LAs could result in better uptake and improved anesthesia. We tested the above hypothesis and report here for the first time the analgesia effect of a two drug combination LA and CAP on an inflamed tissue. First, CAP solubility increased up to 20 times with hydroxypropyl beta cyclodextrin HP amp; 946; CD , as shown by the phase solubility study. The resulting complex HP amp; 946; CD CAP showed 1 1 stoichiometry and high association constant, according to phase solubility diagrams and isothermal titration calorimetry data. The inclusion complex formation was also confirmed and characterized by differential scanning calorimetry DSC , X ray diffraction, and 1H NMR. The freeze dried complex showed physicochemical stability for at least 12 months. To test in vivo performance, we used a pain model based on mouse paw edema. Results showed that 2 mepivacaine injection failed to anesthetize mice inflamed paw, but its combination with complexed CAP resulted in pain control up to 45 min. These promising results encourages deeper research of CAP as an adjuvant for anesthesia in inflamed tissues and cyclodextrin as a solubilizing agent for targeting molecules in drug deliver

Alfvén wave heating and runaway discharges in the TCABR tokamak

Recent results of experiments on Alfvén wave heating and runaway discharges carried out in the TCABR tokamak are presented. A new antenna type has been installed to allow wave excitation with higher RF currents and lower dynamic polarization of the antenna straps than for the one previously used. In spite of edge plasma heating, which causes influx of impurities, we have obtained a clear confirmation of wave deposition inside the plasma from a localized increase of the electron temperature measured with the ECE radiometer. Detailed profiles of the plasma density and Ha emission were obtained in runaway disharges with currents around 100 kA. These profiles confirm our model of a low-temperature plasma maintained in equilibrium by the relativistic electron beam. Analysis of the Ha and density spikes indicate that recombination plays a substantial role in the particle and energy balance