Third Party Logistics Service Selection using Fuzzy Multiple Attribute Decision – Making System

This study models the selection of third party logistics service provider (3PL) process considering comprehensive criteria and fuzzy nature of such problems. Criteria are identified and selected with respect to various aspects of logistics management, and existing vagueness in their behaviours and their relational preferences. Multiple attribute decision-making (MADM) approach and fuzzy methodology are applied. Based on a wide review of previous research, a fuzzy MADAM (FMADM) procedure is developed. Accordingly, especial algorithm in applying FMADM to 3PL selection problems is defined. A numerical example supports the developed procedure. Then, a real-world case study is explained and its 3PL selection problem is discussed. Results show reliability and efficiency of the model

Grocery omnichannel perishable inventories: performance measures and influencing factors

Purpose- Perishable inventory management for the grocery sector has become more challenging with extended omnichannel activities and emerging consumer expectations. This paper aims to identify and formalize key performance measures of omnichannel perishable inventory management (OCPI) and explore the influence of operational and market-related factors on these measures. Design/methodology/approach- The inductive approach of this research synthesizes three performance measures (product waste, lost sales and freshness) and four influencing factors (channel effect, demand variability, product perishability and shelf life visibility) for OCPI, through industry investigation, expert interviews and a systematic literature review. Treating OCPI as a complex adaptive system and considering its transaction costs, this paper formalizes the OCPI performance measures and their influencing factors in two statements and four propositions, which are then tested through numerical analysis with simulation. Findings- Product waste, lost sales and freshness are identified as distinctive OCPI performance measures, which are influenced by product perishability, shelf life visibility, demand variability and channel effects. The OCPI sensitivity to those influencing factors is diverse, whereas those factors are found to moderate each other's effects. Practical implications- To manage perishables more effectively, with less waste and lost sales for the business and fresher products for the consumer, omnichannel firms need to consider store and online channel requirements and strive to reduce demand variability, extend product shelf life and facilitate item-level shelf life visibility. While flexible logistics capacity and dynamic pricing can mitigate demand variability, the product shelf life extension needs modifications in product design, production, or storage conditions. OCPI executives can also increase the product shelf life visibility through advanced stock monitoring/tracking technologies (e.g. smart tags or more comprehensive barcodes), particularly for the online channel which demands fresher products. Originality/value- This paper provides a novel theoretical view on perishables in omnichannel systems. It specifies the OCPI performance, beyond typical inventory policies for cost minimization, while discussing its sensitivity to operations and market factors

From ambition to action: How to achieve integration in omni-channel?

The paper aims to identify how companies can enhance their omni-channel activities through improved data management and integration. Multiple case studies of ten leading UK companies are conducted by using multiple sources of data, including interviews, archival documents and expert focus groups. The case companies are manufacturers and retailers in the clothing, food, and Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sectors. A thorough list of challenges in the implementation of omni-channel systems is generated and a number of propositions on enablers and barriers to omni-channel data integration are recommended. Our findings emphasise the importance of automating and standardising data capturing and sharing methods, and centralising data storage among companies and channels, which lead to improved efficiencies. They also indicate that omni-channel systems should be responsive to the choices of customers, and integration of the information systems of logistics service providers and their buyers is crucial in making omni-channels more efficient and consumer-responsive

The journey toward omni-channel retailing

The article informs that shifting in omni-channel retailing will increase sales in bricks-and-mortar retailers, and will enable them to compete with electronic commerce firms. Topics discussed include need of changing marketing based descriptions to operational explanations, improving of customer buying process along with customer overall interaction with a retailer, and providing features such as comparison shopping and transparent availability visibility

Noninvasive temporal detection of early retinal vascular changes during diabetes

Diabetes associated complications, including diabetic retinopathy and loss of vision, are major health concerns. Detecting early retinal vascular changes during diabetes is not well documented, and only few studies have addressed this domain. The purpose of this study was to noninvasively evaluate temporal changes in retinal vasculature at very early stages of diabetes using fundus images from preclinical models of diabetes.Non-diabetic and Akita/+ male mice with different duration of diabetes were subjected to fundus imaging using a Micron III imaging system. The images were obtained from 4 weeks- (onset of diabetes), 8 weeks-, 16 weeks-, and 24 weeks-old male Akita/+ and non-diabetic mice. In total 104 fundus images were subjected to analysis for various feature extractions. A combination of Canny Edge Detector and Angiogenesis Analyzer plug-ins in ImageJ were utilized to quantify various retinal vascular changes in fundus images. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine significant differences in the various extracted features from fundus images of diabetic and non-diabetic animals. Our novel image analysis method led to extraction of over 20 features. These results indicated that some of these features were significantly changed with a short duration of diabetes, and others remained the same but changed after longer duration of diabetes. These patterns likely distinguish acute (protective) and chronic (damaging) associated changes with diabetes. We show that with a combination of various plugging one can extract over 20 features from retinal vasculature fundus images. These features change during diabetes, thus allowing the quantification of quality of retinal vascular architecture as biomarkers for disease progression. In addition, our method was able to identify unique differences among diabetic mice with different duration of diabetes. The ability to noninvasively detect temporal retinal vascular changes during diabetes could lead to identification of specific markers important in the development and progression of diabetes mediated-microvascular changes, evaluation of therapeutic interventions, and eventual reversal of these changes in order to stop or delay disease progression

Preparation and in vitro characterization of 9-nitrocamptothecin-loaded long circulating nanoparticles for delivery in cancer patients

The purpose in this study was to investigate poly(ethylene glycol)-modified poly (d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles (PLGA-PEG-NPs) loading 9-nitrocamptothecin (9-NC) as a potent anticancer drug. 9-NC is an analog of the natural plant alkaloid camptothecin that has shown high antitumor activity and is currently in the end stage of clinical trial. Unfortunately, at physiological pH, these potent agents undergo a rapid and reversible hydrolysis with the loss of antitumor activity. Previous researchers have shown that the encapsulation of this drug in PLGA nanoparticles could increase its stability and release profile. In this research we investigated PLGA-PEG nanoparticles and their effect on in vitro characteristics of this labile drug. 9-NC-PLGA-PEG nanoparticles with particle size within the range of 148.5 ± 30 nm were prepared by a nanoprecipitation method. The influence of four different independent variables (amount of polymer, percent of emulsifier, internal phase volume, and external phase volume) on nanoparticle drug-loading was studied. Differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffractometry were also evaluated for physical characterizing. The results of optimized formulation showed a narrow size distribution, suitable zeta potential (+1.84), and a drug loading of more than 45%. The in vitro drug release from PLGA-PEG NPs showed a sustained release pattern of up to 120 hours and comparing with PLGA-NPs had a significant decrease in initial burst effect. These experimental results indicate that PLGA-PEG-NPs (versus PLGA-NPs) have a better physicochemical characterization and can be developed as a drug carrier in order to treat different malignancies

Nik Defense: An Artificial Intelligence Based Defense Mechanism against Selfish Mining in Bitcoin

The Bitcoin cryptocurrency has received much attention recently. In the network of Bitcoin, transactions are recorded in a ledger. In this network, the process of recording transactions depends on some nodes called miners that execute a protocol known as mining protocol. One of the significant aspects of mining protocol is incentive compatibility. However, literature has shown that Bitcoin mining's protocol is not incentive-compatible. Some nodes with high computational power can obtain more revenue than their fair share by adopting a type of attack called the selfish mining attack. In this paper, we propose an artificial intelligence-based defense against selfish mining attacks by applying the theory of learning automata. The proposed defense mechanism ignores private blocks by assigning weight based on block discovery time and changes current Bitcoin's fork resolving policy by evaluating branches' height difference in a self-adaptive manner utilizing learning automata. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed protocol is the literature's first learning-based defense mechanism. Simulation results have shown the superiority of the proposed mechanism against tie-breaking mechanism, which is a well-known defense. The simulation results have shown that the suggested defense mechanism increases the profit threshold up to 40\% and decreases the revenue of selfish attackers.Comment: Paper is submitted to Journal of IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computin

Influence of white mineral trioxide aggregate on inflammatory cells before and after expiry date

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/92149/1/edt1069.pd

Cleanliness of Canal Walls following Gutta-Percha Removal with Hand Files, RaCe and RaCe plus XP-Endo Finisher Instruments: A Photographic in Vitro Analysis

Introduction: Gutta-percha must be removed from the root canal space during retreatment to ensure a more favorable outcome. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of hand instruments, RaCe and RaCe plus XP-endo finisher instruments in removal of gutta-percha from root canal walls during retreatment. Methods and Materials: Thirty single-rooted premolars were prepared, obturated, and divided into three groups according to retreatment method; in group 1, retreatment was carried out by hand instruments, while in groups 2 and 3 retreatment was done using RaCe rotary files alone or accompanied by XP-endo finisher instruments, respectively. After retreatment, teeth were sectioned longitudinally and photographic images were taken. The amount of remaining gutta-percha in coronal, middle and apical thirds was quantified using Image J software. The two-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey’s tests were used to analyze data. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results: RaCe cleaned the apical third significantly better than hand instrumentation. In the coronal third, RaCe+XP-endo finisher was more effective than RaCe. RaCe+XP-endo finisher was more effective than hand instrumentation in the entire root canal. The amount of remaining gutta-percha was the least in the apical part and increased toward the coronal part with the use of XP-endo finisher (P<0.05). Conclusion: Rotary instrumentation was more effective in removing gutta-percha from the canal walls. Furthermore, use of XP-endo finisher file resulted in cleaner canal walls and was more effective in removing gutta-percha from the coronal toward the apical part of the canal.Keywords: Gutta-Percha Removal; RaCe; Root Canal Retreatment; XP-endo Finishe

The effect of Morinda Citrifolia juice as an endodontic irrigant on smear layer and microhardness of root canal dentin

AbstractPurposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Morinda Citrifolia Juice (MCJ) on smear layer removal and microhardness value of root canal dentin in compared with various endodontic irrigants.Material and methodsEighty-four single-rooted human teeth were prepared to apical size of #35. Since decoronation, samples were divided into seven groups of 12 in each (n=12). Specimens were finally irrigated by either 1: 2.5% NaOCl, 2: 6% MCJ, followed by a final flush of 17% ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), 3: 6% MCJ, 4: 2.5% NaOCl then17% EDTA, 5: MTAD, 6: 2% chlorhexidine (CHX), and 7: saline. After irrigation, all samples were subjected to Vickers microhardness test at 100 and 500-μm depths and then were examined under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ImageJ program was used to calculate open dentinal tubules. One way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey tests were used to reveal any significant differences among and between groups respectively.ResultsThe microhardness values at 100μm and 500μm for MTAD were significantly lower than for NaOCl+EDTA and MCJ+EDTA groups (p<0.05). MCJ+EDTA, NaOCl+EDTA, and MTAD protocol significantly removed smear layer in compared with control group (p<0.05), with no significant differences among these three groups.ConclusionsIt was concluded that 6% MCJ followed by a final flush of 17% EDTA can be regarded as an effective solution on smear layer removal without any adverse influence on microhardness property of root canal dentin