Impact of Robustness of Supply Chain on its Performance - An Empirical Study

Robustness of supply chain is rapidly expanding due to mitigation and reduction in the risk of unexpected and destructive events in the companies. As it is impossible for companies to resume their business post major crisis, the prediction of environmental factors that surround the companies paved way for development of a disaster recovery plan. 80% of the companies suffer from business interruptions and lack clarity in disaster management plan. A conceptual model was developed and validated based on supply chain management and supply chain robustness. A structured questionnaire was developed and administered to the supply chain managers. The survey data was collected from 126 organizations of the automotive sector. Structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques were employed to test the hypotheses. The study indicates that the robustness of Supply chain has a positive impact on the performance of the supply chai

A Study on Interdisciplinary Conceptual Integration of Supply Chain Management and Talent Management

Managing the intangible component of workforce called talent has become one of the critical challenges for many organizations. Various strategies framed by them, to bridge the gap between demand and supply of talent, are becoming rather obselete in no time owing to the influence of various factors in the ever dynamic and competitive business environment. The possessed skills of the employees have to be matched with that of needed by the organization wherein any mismatch may lead to the cost of loosing a potential intellectual source. Suppy Chain Management is a discipline that ably focusses on managing the supply of goods with the demand from consumers. Borrowing the conceptual flavour of Supply Chain Management to Talent Managent, a novel and agile approach called Talent Supply Chain Management has evolved. The article aims at exploring the new concept by having a glance at the possible comparison of concepts from mutual disciplines. Besides exploration, certain frameworks and models are also discussed herewith which, upon successful adoption and implementation, can enhance the efficiency of talent management process

Categorizing Health Outcomes and Efficacy of mHealth Apps for Persons With Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review

Background Use of mobile health (mHealth) apps is growing at an exponential rate in the United States and around the world. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer disease, and related dementias are a global health problem. Numerous mHealth interventions exist for this population, yet the effect of these interventions on health has not been systematically described. Objective The aim of this study is to catalog the types of health outcomes used to measure effectiveness of mHealth interventions and assess which mHealth interventions have been shown to improve the health of persons with MCI, Alzheimer disease, and dementia. Methods We searched 13 databases, including Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, EMBASE, the full Cochrane Library, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Ei Compendex, IEEE Xplore, Applied Science & Technology Source, Scopus, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Google Scholar from inception through May 2017 for mHealth studies involving persons with cognitive impairment that were evaluated using at least one quantitative health outcome. Proceedings of the Annual ACM Conferences on Human Factors in Computing Systems, the ACM User Interface Software and Technology Symposium, and the IEEE International Symposium on Wearable Computers were searched in the ACM Digital Library from 2012 to 2016. A hand search of JMIR Publications journals was also completed in July 2017. Results After removal of duplicates, our initial search returned 3955 records. Of these articles, 24 met final inclusion criteria as studies involving mHealth interventions that measured at least one quantitative health outcome for persons with MCI, Alzheimer disease, and dementia. Common quantitative health outcomes included cognition, function, mood, and quality of life. We found that 21.2% (101/476) of the fully reviewed articles were excluded because of a lack of health outcomes. The health outcomes selected were observed to be inconsistent between studies. For those studies with quantitative health outcomes, more than half (58%) reported postintervention improvements in outcomes. Conclusions Results showed that many mHealth app interventions targeting those with cognitive impairment lack quantitative health outcomes as a part of their evaluation process and that there is a lack of consensus as to which outcomes to use. The majority of mHealth app interventions that incorporated health outcomes into their evaluation noted improvements in the health of persons with MCI, Alzheimer disease, and dementia. However, these studies were of low quality, leading to a grade C level of evidence. Clarification of the benefits of mHealth interventions for people with cognitive impairment requires more randomized controlled trials, larger numbers of participants, and trial designs that minimize bias. Trial Registration PROSPERO Registration: PROSPERO 2016:CRD42016033846; http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ display_record.asp?ID=CRD42016033846 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6sjjwnv1M

A comparative evaluation of properties of denture base materials processed with different processing methods: a preliminary study.

Background: The use of the traditional polymerization process of dentures necessitates a lot of time and energy. To depreciate these factors, a different processing method could be studied. Aim: This study was aimed to evaluate and compare the properties of denture base resin material processed with conventional curing and pressure-pot method. Materials and methods: A total of 30 specimens with distinct dimensions were fabricated with the denture base materials. The specimens were divided into two groups with 15 each, and they were processed using conventional heat-curing and pressure-pot processing, respectively. Each group is subdivided into three groups with five specimens in each for evaluating flexural strength, water sorption, and residual monomer, respectively. Flexural strength was measured using a 3-point bending test with a Universal testing machine. Water sorption was assessed by measuring the weight of the specimens after immersing them in distilled water. Residual monomer content was evaluated using a UV spectrophotometer.  The obtained data were statistically analysed using an independent t-test. Results: A slight increase in flexural strength was observed in the pressure processed specimens. However, no significant differences (p=0.131) were observed in the flexural strength between the groups. Less water sorption percentage was observed with the pressure processed acrylic resin specimens, and a significant difference (p=0.047) was observed between the groups. A slightly more amount of residual monomer content was seen in the acrylic specimens processed conventionally. Conclusion: Pressure-pot curing may be used for processing denture base acrylics as it provides properties similar to that of the conventional curing method

Livelihood vulnerability and adaptation in Kolar District, Karnataka, India : mapping risks and responses short report

This work was carried out under the Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (CARIAA), with financial support from the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DfID) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.During March and April 2016, ASSAR India’s researchers from the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) conducted 18 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) in nine villages in Kolar District, Karnataka. The FGDs were gender-differentiated and ensured representation from different income groups, castes, and religions. We undertook three activities during each FGD: - A timeline exercise to chart biophysical, livelihoods, socio-economic, institutional and political changes from 1970 onwards. - Risk and response mapping. - An institutional mapping exercise to chart key actors and flows of information and credit

Effect of Manufactured Sand on Flexural Behavior of Geopolymer RCC Beams: A review

In recent days, the continuous running down of the ozone coat and global warming problem has greater than before, it is necessary to get the consciousness of the construction industries in using new recyclable construction materials. To suit this, geopolymer concrete has begun to boost massive concern from the research scholars and construction practitioners, because of its beneficial in utilizing byproduct materials to replace cement and diminishing ozone depleting substance release all through its generation. It is also having superior mechanical and durability properties compared to conventional concrete. On the other hand river sand is becoming scare day by day and costlier. So the manufactured sand turns out to be alternative material for river sand. In spite of its benefits, the use of geopolymer concrete in realistic is significantly narrow, this is primarily due to the deficiency in the studies in terms of structural elements, design and application. This paper objective is to identify the research gaps in this area and develop future research investigations in the materials and structural elements performance of geopolymer concrete. Many researchers from their analysis on flexural behavior of beams concluded that geopolymer concrete could replace conventional concrete

Intramandibular malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor: A case report

The principal malignancy of peripheral nerves is malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST), which is common in soft tissue of the lower extremities. Its occurrence in the head and neck region is about 10-20%, which makes it a rare entity. Intraosseous MPNST is rare in the literature. Here, we discuss the case report of de novo occurrence of MPNST in the mandible of a 25-year-old female patient