Where\u27s the Next China? Comparative Advantages of Bangladesh and Vietnam Apparel Industries

A growing number of retailers consider building collaborative relationships with global outsourced suppliers as a key strategy to ensure efficiency in their supply chain.Extant literature has suggested that the collaborative relationships with suppliers benefit retailers by allowing them to reduce cost, enhance product quality, and to deliver products on-time. Although collaborative relationships between fashion retailers and global outsourced suppliers have drawn great attention in the fashion industry, little research has explored collaborative relationships in the context of fashion supply chain. In addition, while fashion retailers recognize the positive effect of the collaborative relationship with suppliers on their performance, lack of understanding about their suppliers prevents fashion retailers from developing and managing such collaborative relationships effectively (Fawcett et al., 2015). Furthermore, although suppliers\u27 perception and attitudes are identified as crucial factors in creating effective collaborative relationships between retailers and suppliers (Fawcett et al., 2015), not much research has illuminated collaborative relationships from the stance of global outsourced suppliers. To fill in the aforementioned void, we adopt a qualitative approach to identify the antecedents of building effective collaborative relationships between retailers and suppliers from the suppliers\u27 perspectives, specifically in the domain of global fashion supply chain

Coinduction up to in a fibrational setting

Bisimulation up-to enhances the coinductive proof method for bisimilarity, providing efficient proof techniques for checking properties of different kinds of systems. We prove the soundness of such techniques in a fibrational setting, building on the seminal work of Hermida and Jacobs. This allows us to systematically obtain up-to techniques not only for bisimilarity but for a large class of coinductive predicates modelled as coalgebras. By tuning the parameters of our framework, we obtain novel techniques for unary predicates and nominal automata, a variant of the GSOS rule format for similarity, and a new categorical treatment of weak bisimilarity

Coalgebraic Semantics for Timed Processes

We give a coalgebraic formulation of timed processes and their operational semantics. We model time by a monoid called a “time domain”, and we model processes by “timed transition systems”, which amount to partial monoid actions of the time domain or, equivalently, coalgebras for an “evolution comonad ” generated by the time domain. All our examples of time domains satisfy a partial closure property, yielding a distributive law of a monad for total monoid actions over the evolution comonad, and hence a distributive law of the evolution comonad over a dual comonad for total monoid actions. We show that the induced coalgebras are exactly timed transition systems with delay operators. We then integrate our coalgebraic formulation of time qua timed transition systems into Turi and Plotkin’s formulation of structural operational semantics in terms of distributive laws. We combine timing with action via the more general study of the combination of two arbitrary sorts of behaviour whose operational semantics may interact. We give a modular account of the operational semantics for a combination induced by that of each of its components. Our study necessitates the investigation of products of comonads. In particular, we characterise when a monad lifts to the category of coalgebras for a product comonad, providing constructions with which one can readily calculate. Key words: time domains, timed transition systems, evolution comonads, delay operators, structural operational semantics, modularity, distributive laws

Matching Sourcing Destination with Fashion Brands’ Business Model: Comparative Advantages of Bangladesh and Vietnam Apparel Industries

This study investigated the comparative advantages of the Bangladeshi and Vietnamese apparel industries using Global Value Chain (GVC) framework. In this study, the GVC framework was expanded to include social and environmental sustainability issues. Secondary data, for the 2012 - 2013 period, were collected and analyzed for each component of the apparel GVC. The findings indicated that while both countries have unique comparative advantages, Vietnam clearly emerged as a leader on many GVC components. Bangladesh’s comparative advantage lies in lower wages, producing high volume orders, and lean manufacturing. In spite of Vietnam’s higher labor costs, it has comparative advantages in higher productivity, skilled and trained workers, manufacturing of intricate styles of high quality, agility and flexible manufacturing, more developed infrastructure and logistic services as well as greater social and environmental compliances. This study contributes towards insight into best sourcing fit for fashion brand business models. Based on the findings, fashion driven companies offering more complex styles at a faster rate will benefit from choosing Vietnam. In contrast, Bangladesh might be a better choice for high volume driven companies that offer basic apparel and better value for their consumers. From theoretical perspective, the research makes an important contribution by expanding the GVC framework

Mechanism of age-dependent susceptibility and novel treatment strategy in glutaric acidemia type I

Glutaric acidemia type I (GA-I) is an inherited disorder of lysine and tryptophan metabolism presenting with striatal lesions anatomically and symptomatically similar to Huntington disease. Affected children commonly suffer acute brain injury in the context of a catabolic state associated with nonspecific illness. The mechanisms underlying injury and age-dependent susceptibility have been unknown, and lack of a diagnostic marker heralding brain injury has impeded intervention efforts. Using a mouse model of GA-I, we show that pathologic events began in the neuronal compartment while enhanced lysine accumulation in the immature brain allowed increased glutaric acid production resulting in age-dependent injury. Glutamate and GABA depletion correlated with brain glutaric acid accumulation and could be monitored in vivo by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectroscopy as a diagnostic marker. Blocking brain lysine uptake reduced glutaric acid levels and brain injury. These findings provide what we believe are new monitoring and treatment strategies that may translate for use in human GA-I

Planet Hunters. V. A Confirmed Jupiter-Size Planet in the Habitable Zone and 42 Planet Candidates from the Kepler Archive Data

We report the latest Planet Hunter results, including PH2 b, a Jupiter-size (R_PL = 10.12 \pm 0.56 R_E) planet orbiting in the habitable zone of a solar-type star. PH2 b was elevated from candidate status when a series of false positive tests yielded a 99.9% confidence level that transit events detected around the star KIC 12735740 had a planetary origin. Planet Hunter volunteers have also discovered 42 new planet candidates in the Kepler public archive data, of which 33 have at least three transits recorded. Most of these transit candidates have orbital periods longer than 100 days and 20 are potentially located in the habitable zones of their host stars. Nine candidates were detected with only two transit events and the prospective periods are longer than 400 days. The photometric models suggest that these objects have radii that range between Neptune to Jupiter. These detections nearly double the number of gas giant planet candidates orbiting at habitable zone distances. We conducted spectroscopic observations for nine of the brighter targets to improve the stellar parameters and we obtained adaptive optics imaging for four of the stars to search for blended background or foreground stars that could confuse our photometric modeling. We present an iterative analysis method to derive the stellar and planet properties and uncertainties by combining the available spectroscopic parameters, stellar evolution models, and transiting light curve parameters, weighted by the measurement errors. Planet Hunters is a citizen science project that crowd-sources the assessment of NASA Kepler light curves. The discovery of these 43 planet candidates demonstrates the success of citizen scientists at identifying planet candidates, even in longer period orbits with only two or three transit events.Comment: 35 pages, 11 figures, 6 tables, accepted and published on ApJ ApJ, 776, 1

Computational Adequacy for Recursive Types in Models of Intuitionistic Set Theory

This paper provides a unifying axiomatic account of the interpretation of recursive types that incorporates both domain-theoretic and realizability models as concrete instances. Our approach is to view such models as full subcategories of categorical models of intuitionistic set theory. It is shown that the existence of solutions to recursive domain equations depends upon the strength of the set theory. We observe that the internal set theory of an elementary topos is not strong enough to guarantee their existence. In contrast, as our first main result, we establish that solutions to recursive domain equations do exist when the category of sets is a model of full intuitionistic Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory. We then apply this result to obtain a denotational interpretation of FPC, a recursively typed lambda-calculus with callby-value operational semantics. By exploiting the intuitionistic logic of the ambient model of intuitionistic set theory, we analyse the relationship between operational and denotational semantics. We first prove an “internal ” computational adequacy theorem: the model always believes that the operational and denotational notions of termination agree. This allows us to identify, as our second main result, a necessary and sufficient condition for genuine “external ” computational adequacy to hold, i.e. for the operational and denotational notions of termination to coincide in the real world. The condition is formulated as a simple property of the internal logic, related to the logical notion of 1-consistency. We provide useful sufficient conditions for establishing that the logical property holds in practice. Finally, we outline how the methods of the paper may be applied to concrete models of FPC. In doing so, we obtain computational adequacy results for an extensive range of realizability and domain-theoretic models

A comprehensive pathological survey of duodenal biopsies from dogs with diet-responsive chronic enteropathy

Background: The detailed pathological phenotype of diet-responsive chronic enteropathy (CE) and its modulation with dietary therapy remain poorly characterized. Hypothesis/Objectives: Key mucosal lesions of diet-responsive CE resolve with dietary therapy. Methods: This was a prospective observational study of 20 dogs with diet-responsive CE. Endoscopic duodenal biopsies collected before and 6 weeks after the start of a dietary trial were assessed by means of qualitative and quantitative histopathological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural criteria. Control duodenal biopsies were obtained from 10 healthy Beagle dogs on 1 occasion. Results: Compared with control dogs, the CE dogs had higher villus stunting scores and higher overall WSAVA scores, a lower villus height-to-width ratio, and higher lamina propria density of eosinophils. The CE dogs also had ultrastructural lesions of the mitochondria and brush border. In common with other studies in which the disease and control populations are not matched for breed, age, sex, and environment, these comparisons should be interpreted with caution. Comparing biopsies collected at presentation and 6 weeks after starting the dietary trial, mean lamina propria mononuclear cell score and lamina propria densities of eosinophils and mononuclear cells decreased. Dietary therapy also improved ultrastructural lesions of the mitochondria and brush border, eliciting a decrease in intermicrovillar space and an increase in microvillus height. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: In dogs with diet-responsive CE, the remission of clinical signs with dietary therapy is associated with subtle decreases in lamina propria density of eosinophils and mononuclear cells, and resolution of ultrastructural lesions of the enterocyte. © 2013 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine

Planet Hunters. VI: An Independent Characterization of KOI-351 and Several Long Period Planet Candidates from the Kepler Archival Data

We report the discovery of 14 new transiting planet candidates in the Kepler field from the Planet Hunters citizen science program. None of these candidates overlapped with Kepler Objects of Interest (KOIs) at the time of submission. We report the discovery of one more addition to the six planet candidate system around KOI-351, making it the only seven planet candidate system from Kepler. Additionally, KOI-351 bears some resemblance to our own solar system, with the inner five planets ranging from Earth to mini-Neptune radii and the outer planets being gas giants; however, this system is very compact, with all seven planet candidates orbiting $\lesssim 1$ AU from their host star. A Hill stability test and an orbital integration of the system shows that the system is stable. Furthermore, we significantly add to the population of long period transiting planets; periods range from 124-904 days, eight of them more than one Earth year long. Seven of these 14 candidates reside in their host star's habitable zone.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures, 5 tables, Accepted to AJ (in press) (updated title from original astro-ph submission

Neuromuscular synaptic transmission in aged ganglioside-deficient mice

Gangliosides are sialylated glycosphingolipids that are present in high density on neuronal membranes, especially at synapses, where they are assumed to play functional or modulating roles. Mice lacking GM2/GD2-synthase express only the simple gangliosides GD3 and GM3 and develop progressive motor behaviour deficits upon ageing, apparently due to failing complex ganglioside-dependent maintenance and/or repair processes or, alternatively, toxic GM3/GD3 accumulation. We investigated the function of neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) of aged (>9 month-old) GM2/GD2-synthase null-mutant mice, because synaptic dysfunction might develop with age and could potentially contribute to the late-onset motor phenotype. In addition, we studied NMJs of old mice lacking GD3-synthase (expressing only O- and a-series gangliosides), which do not show an overt neurological phenotype but may develop subclinical synaptic deficits. Detailed electrophysiological analyses showed subtle changes in presynaptic neurotransmitter release. Acetylcholine release at 40 Hz nerve stimulation at aged GM2/GD2-synthase null-mutant NMJs ran down slightly more pronounced than at wild-type NMJs, and spontaneous acetylcholine release rate at GD3-synthase null-mutant NMJs was somewhat higher than at wild-type, selectively at 25 degrees C bath temperature. Interestingly, we observed faster kinetics of postsynaptic electrophysiological responses at aged GD3-synthase null-mutant NMJs, not previously seen by us at NMJs of young GD3-synthase null-mutants or other types of (aged or young) ganglioside-deficient mice. These kinetic changes might reflect a change in postsynaptic acetylcholine receptor behaviour. Our data indicate that it is highly unlikely that transmission failure at NMJs contributes to the progressive motor defects of aged GM2/GD2-synthase null-mutants and that, despite some kinetic changes of synaptic signals, neuromuscular transmission remains successful in aged GD3-synthase null-mutant mice. Apparently, mutual redundancy of the different gangliosides in supporting presynaptic function, as observed previously by us in young mice, remains adequate upon ageing or, alternatively, gangliosides have only relatively little direct impact on neuromuscular synaptic function, even in aged mice. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserve