Comparative Study of Lean Six Sigma Practices for Sustainability: A Blueprint for Post Covid-19 Pandemic

The global crisis caused by Covid-19 and its impact on the healthcare system has been far-reaching and challenging in virtually all countries. Lean six sigma in Malaysia has never improvised an account for this case of the uncommon event as it only focuses on daily operations and productions that are in stability and in alignment with the demand to capacity in an effective way. This study, therefore, attempts to compare and contrast the previous researches on lean practices, six sigma, industrial evolution, and healthcare sustainability to investigate where the paucity of literature lies and to deploy new strategies for the post-pandemic. Currently, the healthcare industry is motivated to update its conventional delivery systems to smart sophisticated systems due to the growing challenges within the services organization. The study found that integrating industrial revolution 4.0 technologies into the services optimizes sustainable healthcare management. As providing affordable, reliable, and safe healthcare while improving efficient performance remains challenging in the healthcare industry, this study posits that a hybrid of industrial revolution technologies, lean practices, and six sigma are enhancers of social, economic, and environmental sustainability. The study also reveals the significant contributions of operations and services management practices and how the strategic implementation of modern technologies and performance variation can improve sustainable performance in the healthcare sector

Microwave-assisted and thermal synthesis of calix[4]arene derivatives

Some tert-butylcalix[4]arene derivatives were synthesized by thermal and microwave methods. The microwave method was conducted in two ways: (1) all the reactants were added in one batch and (2) the reactants were added in two batches under different conditions. Tetrabutylammonium iodide (TBAI) was used in both methods, and its effect on the reaction rate was studied. In general, the duration of the microwaveassisted reactions in the presence of TBAI, especially in the two-batch method, was shorter, and the yields were higher, than in the thermal reaction. The highest yield of (S)-glycidyl calixarene derivative by the thermal method was obtained by using K2CO3 as a base with MeCN as a solvent in the presence of TBAI, while the lowest yield of the same compound was observed when using acetone in the absence of TBAI. All the synthesized calix[4]arene derivatives were characterized by 1H and 13C NMR experiments

Social media interactive advertising and purchase intention of the UAE customers: an empirical analysis

The advent of social media technologies, specifically the phenomenal growth of online and interactive advertising, has assisted various organizations in responding to and communicating with respective consumers at sustainable expenditures through various online channels, including social media, with immense potential and popularity levels. Limited studies have been conducted to examine the connection between consumer engagements by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and their respective promotional performances, as consumer purchase intention would be notably affected by the ability of an enterprise to interact and share information. Therefore, the current study aims to evaluate the impacts of attitude, brand loyalty, brand image, and brand awareness on interactive advertising and engagement with consumers via social media in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to promote SME digital lifestyle products. Accordingly, a quantitative survey was administered to evaluate 308 responses from customers of companies vending digital lifestyle products before conducting partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the collected data. The results demonstrated significant positive relationships between both brand loyalty and brand awareness and consumer purchase intention, respectively, whereas the relationships between attitude and brand image and consumer purchase intention were separately discovered to be insignificant

Identification of novel and safe fungicidal molecules against fusarium oxysporum from plant essential oils: in vitro and computational approaches.

Phytopathogenic fungi are serious threats in the agriculture sector especially in fruit and vegetable production. The use of plant essential oil as antifungal agents has been in practice from many years. Plant essential oils (PEOs) of Cuminum cyminum, Trachyspermum ammi, Azadirachta indica, Syzygium aromaticum, Moringa oleifera, Mentha spicata, Eucalyptus grandis, Allium sativum, and Citrus sinensis were tested against Fusarium oxysporum. Three phase trials consist of lab testing (MIC and MFC), field testing (seed treatment and foliar spray), and computer-aided fungicide design (CAFD). Two concentrations (25 and 50 μl/ml) have been used to asses MIC while MFC was assessed at four concentrations (25, 50, 75, and 100 μl/ml). C. sinensis showed the largest inhibition zone (47.5 and 46.3 m2) for both concentrations. The lowest disease incidence and disease severity were recorded in treatments with C. sinensis PEO. Citrus sinensis that qualified in laboratory and field trials was selected for CAFD. The chemical compounds of C. sinensis PEO were docked with polyketide synthase beta-ketoacyl synthase domain of F. oxysporum by AutoDock Vina. The best docked complex was formed by nootkatone with -6.0 kcal/mol binding affinity. Pharmacophore of the top seven C. sinensis PEO compounds was used for merged pharmacophore generation. The best pharmacophore model with 0.8492 score was screened against the CMNP database. Top hit compounds from screening were selected and docked with polyketide synthase beta-ketoacyl synthase domain. Four compounds with the highest binding affinity and hydrogen bonding were selected for confirmation of lead molecule by doing MD simulation. The polyketide synthase-CMNPD24498 showed the highest stability throughout 80 ns run of MD simulation. CMNPD24498 (FW054-1) from Verrucosispora was selected as the lead compound against F. oxysporum

Factors associated with financial security, food security and quality of daily lives of residents in Nigeria during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

An online survey was conducted to identify factors associated with financial insecurity, food insecurity and poor quality of daily lives of adults in Nigeria during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The associations between the outcome (experience of financial loss, changes in food intake and impact of the pandemic on daily lives) and the explanatory (age, sex, education level, anxiety, depression, HIV status) variables were determined using logistic regression analysis. Of the 4439 respondents, 2487 (56.0%) were financially insecure, 907 (20.4%) decreased food intake and 4029 (90.8%) had their daily life negatively impacted. Males (AOR:0.84), people who felt depressed (AOR:0.62) and people living with HIV -PLHIV- (AOR:0.70) had significantly lower odds of financial insecurity. Older respondents (AOR:1.01) had significantly higher odds of financial insecurity. Those depressed (AOR:0.62) and PLHIV (AOR:0.55) had significantly lower odds of reporting decreased food intake. Respondents who felt anxious (AOR:0.07), depressed (AOR: 0.48) and who were PLHIV (AOR:0.68) had significantly lower odds of reporting a negative impact of the pandemic on their daily lives. We concluded the study findings may reflect a complex relationship between financial insecurity, food insecurity, poor quality of life, mental health, and socioeconomic status of adults living in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic

Factors associated with COVID-19 pandemic induced post-traumatic stress symptoms among adults living with and without HIV in Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

Background: Nigeria is a country with high risk for traumatic incidences, now aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to identify differences in COVID-19 related post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among people living and not living with HIV; to assess whether PTSS were associated with COVID-19 pandemic-related anger, loneliness, social isolation, and social support; and to determine the association between PTSS and use of COVID-19 prevention strategies.Methods: The data of the 3761 respondents for this analysis was extracted from a cross-sectional online survey that collected information about mental health and wellness from a convenience sample of adults, 18 years and above, in Nigeria from July to December 2020. Information was collected on the study's dependent variable (PTSS), independent variables (self-reported COVID-19, HIV status, use of COVID-19 prevention strategies, perception of social isolation, access to emotional support, feelings of anger and loneliness), and potential confounder (age, sex at birth, employment status). A binary logistic regression model tested the associations between independent and dependent variables.Results: Nearly half (47.5%) of the respondents had PTSS. People who had symptoms but were not tested (AOR = 2.20), felt socially isolated (AOR = 1.16), angry (AOR = 2.64), or lonely (AOR = 2.19) had significantly greater odds of reporting PTSS (p p Conclusion: The present study identified some multifaceted relationships between post-traumatic stress, HIV status, facemask use, anger, loneliness, social isolation, and access to emotional support during this protracted COVID-19 pandemic. These findings have implications for the future health of those affected, particularly for individuals living in Nigeria. Public health education should be incorporated in programs targeting prevention and prompt diagnosis and treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder at the community level.</p

Antibodies against endogenous retroviruses promote lung cancer immunotherapy

B cells are frequently found in the margins of solid tumours as organized follicles in ectopic lymphoid organs called tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS). Although TLS have been found to correlate with improved patient survival and response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), the underlying mechanisms of this association remain elusive. Here we investigate lung-resident B cell responses in patients from the TRACERx 421 (Tracking Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Evolution Through Therapy) and other lung cancer cohorts, and in a recently established immunogenic mouse model for lung adenocarcinoma. We find that both human and mouse lung adenocarcinomas elicit local germinal centre responses and tumour-binding antibodies, and further identify endogenous retrovirus (ERV) envelope glycoproteins as a dominant anti-tumour antibody target. ERV-targeting B cell responses are amplified by ICB in both humans and mice, and by targeted inhibition of KRAS(G12C) in the mouse model. ERV-reactive antibodies exert anti-tumour activity that extends survival in the mouse model, and ERV expression predicts the outcome of ICB in human lung adenocarcinoma. Finally, we find that effective immunotherapy in the mouse model requires CXCL13-dependent TLS formation. Conversely, therapeutic CXCL13 treatment potentiates anti-tumour immunity and synergizes with ICB. Our findings provide a possible mechanistic basis for the association of TLS with immunotherapy response

New Methods To Manage Design Firms

As a child, I lived in a small city in Jordan called Irbid, where a lot of people knew each other, and I would wake up to my family chatting in the morning. When I was 18 years old, I left my country for the first time to visit Syria. It was very nice to get to know a different culture; it gave me a new perspective on communication. After that I started travelling a lo