Impact of information exchange on supply chain strategies

Due to globalisation and the competition faced from Asian countries, there is an emergent need to investigate how to extend the limited capabilities of developing countries in order to survive in the market as well as reach global market. Developing countries play an important role as OEM units to provide global markets with under-brand names. Many difficulties face the industrial zones in these countries in their attempt to reach this target and these prevent them from providing their own brands. For example, many sectors in Egyptian industry are outperformed by Chinese competition and have even lost their domestic market share. Textiles are one of the most affected industries as a result of this competition. The risk of Egyptian fabrics vanishing from global markets is indicated by a huge reduction in export rate after the quota phase-out. Egyptian textile producers rely on global agreements to reach global markets. The period after the Multi-Fibre agreement shows an obvious drop in exportation rates till the Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) agreement was issued. Can the same scenario occur after QIZ quota phase-out? What should Egyptian fabric manufacturer do? Since the situation is alarming and may result in exporting the high quality Egyptian cotton to global markets instead of to its domestic manufacturers, the flood of Chinese fabrics in Egyptian Markets requires that the question “how to survive and compete with low-cost Chinese fabrics?” be investigated. The aim of the research was to investigate the deficiencies experienced by Egyptian firms trying to reach global markets and maintain their domestic market share. The research conducted an exploratory-explanatory empirical study to identify the major issues facing textile fabricators in Egyptian industrial zones. Case studies and a survey outcome were matched to provide validated empirical findings. An Interpretive Structuring Modelling approach was used to indicate the stages of supply chain deficiencies based on the case study findings. The major issues causing supply chain deficiencies are defined from the case study analysis and validated using the survey approach. The outcome of the empirical study indicates that supply chain design, integration and IT infrastructure are considered as major issues that lead to the existing deficiencies of the textile industry supply chain in Egypt despite the low level assigned to their importance. At the same time, production and procurement issues are considered as dependant on poor supply chain design, IT infrastructure and unreliable forecasting despite the high level assigned to their importance. A stage-based model for supply chain deficiencies in the Egyptian textile sector was highlighted in this study to indicate dependency and driving power among internal deficiencies. A framework, indicates supply chain deficiencies and their leading factors in Egypt, was concluded from this study. The study points out a number of external issues related to the surrounding environment and the government’s role in contributing to the aggravation of the existing deficiencies. The research uses simulation techniques to test the proposed solution that might provide better supply chain performance. A System Dynamic approach is used to model a case study of the investigated industry. Different scenarios of fulfilling local and international orders have been tested. These scenarios are represented in: expansion of production capacity, reduction of inventory levels or reduction of procurement time. Since addressing the internal deficiency, which empirical study respondents’ pointed out as being the most important one, could not provide an adaquate solution for the existing deficiencies, supply chain re-structuring to represent a collaborative pattern between partners was, therefore, tested and proved to have a great effect on supply chain performance. A collaborative pattern among supply chain partners indicated its positive impact on supply chain performance. The simulation experiments prove that the individual decisions of supply chain partners cannot bring about improvement to supply chain cost and responsiveness. The negative impact of an unreliable logistic system on supply chain performance was confirmed through the simulation experiments. The study provides the managerial levels in textile organisations with a solid causal basis for the supply chain deficiencies in the Egyptian textile sector. The outcome of the work can be employed by governmental authorities to address such difficulties and accelerate the growth of this sector globally. The thesis provides the fundamentals for investigating deficiencies in developing countries that might be extended by other researchers to investigate other defective sectors in Egypt and other developing countries

FORMULATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF FLOATING BEADS OF ANTIBIOTIC BY EMULSION GELATION TECHNIQUE

Objective: The study aims at formulation and characterization of floating hydrogel beads of cefdinir for improving its bioavailability. Methods: Cefdinir is broad-spectrum, oral, third-generation cephalosporin antimicrobial agent active against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The floating hydrogel beads of cefdinir were formulated with polymers such as sodium alginate and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose by emulsion gelation technique using olive oil/castor oil. The beads were evaluated for surface morphology, bead size, entrapment efficiency, floating characteristics, in vitro swelling, in vitro drug release, and stability studies. Results: On the basis of evaluation, all the beads show good swelling up to 12 h in 0.1 N hydrochloric acid. The swelling was followed by values in order of vegetable oil > mineral oil in case of emulsion gelation method. Scanning electron microscopy study shows that beads were spherical in shape. Comparing all the formulations, formulation FB12 was considered as optimized formulation which shows % yield 94.06±0.11, % floating 87.28±0.90, in vitro drug release 94.68, and also stable in stability studies. Conclusion: From the findings, it may be concluded that cefdinir-loaded floating beads were successfully prepared and proved to be useful for the better bioavailability and patient compliance for enhanced antimicrobial activity

Intercanthal distance of a Sudanese population sample as a reference for selection of maxillary anterior teeth size

Background: The choice of the size of artificial teeth takes an important place in the removable prosthodontic treatment. However, the standards or proportions commonly used as a guide have been developed mainly on Caucasian populations. Objectives: to investigate the relationship between intercanthal distance and the anterior maxillary teeth size in Sudanese population. Methods: This is a descriptive cross sectional study conducted in 114 subjects, (45 males - 69 females), from Khartoum and Juba Universities. The age range was from 18-46 years. The intercanthal distance (I.C.D) was the measurement taken between the median angles of the palpabral fissure. Maxillary intercanine distance was obtained by measuring a line from the tip of the canine on one side, to the canine on the other side. An electronic digital caliper (Narex – Czechoslovakia) was used for all measurements. Data were analyzed using Person chi–square test.Results: a significant correlation is found between intercanthal distance and maxillary intercanine distance in all subjects (P-value 0.015), and in females who had a (P-value of 0.006). Maxillary intercanine distance may be estimated by dividing I.C.D by factor 0.9. Conclusion: These results could be used as a helpful guide for selection of anterior teeth width in the Sudanese population

Microstrip Array Antenna using Series-Corporate Feed for Navigation System

In this paper, the proposed antenna consists of a single transmission line for 6-elements microstrip array antenna using Rogers RT5880 substrate material with a dielectric constant (εr) of 2.2 and thickness of 0.787 mm for navigation applications. The array structures of unequal patches placement are proposed with corporate feed line and H-shaped configurations are employed on the substrate and used the microstrip feed line with a corporate feed network excited via 50 Ω with T-junction method to control the feed for each group. 6-elements microstrip array antenna has operated at the resonant frequency of 1.27 GHz was obtained between the frequency from 1.2663 GHz to 1.2734 GHz where the S11-parameters of the structure designed and simulation below than <-10 dB. The analysis shows the antenna gain has increased 72.6% with high directivity as compared to single elements microstrip antenna. The radiation characteristics and other array parameters are evaluated with respect to the application requirements. However, circular polarization has obtained in 6-elements array antenna as the axial ratio is successfully achieved below than -3dB. The antenna efficiency, the current distribution, VSWR, and S11-parameters of the proposed 6-elements CP microstrip array antenna have been presented and discussed in detail. The design methodology and the measurement results have been presented and discussed in this paper

Analysis of RC Continuous Beams Strengthened with FRP Plates: A Finite Element Model

Strengthening of reinforced concrete (RC) beams with externally bonded fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) plates/sheets technique has become widespread in the last two decades. Although a great deal of research has been conducted on simply supported RC beams, a few studies have been carried out on continuous beams strengthened with FRP composites.  This paper presents a simple uniaxial nonlinear finite-element model (UNFEM) that is able to accurately estimate the load-carrying capacity and the behaviour of RC continuous beams flexurally strengthened with externally bonded FRP plates on both of the upper and lower fibres. A 21-degree of freedom element is proposed with layer-discretization of the cross-sections for finite element (FE) modelling. Realistic nonlinear constitutive relations are employed to describe the stress-strain behaviour of each component of the strengthened beam. The FE model is based on nonlinear fracture mechanics. The interfacial shear and normal stresses in the adhesive layer are presented using an analytical uncoupled cohesive zone model with a mixed-mode fracture criterion. The results of the proposed FE model are verified by comparison with various selected experimental measurements available in the literature. The numerical results of the plated beams (beams strengthened with FRP plates) agreed very well with the experimental results. The use of FRP increased the ultimate load capacity up to 100 % compared with the non-strengthened beams as occurred in series (S). The major objective of the current model is to help engineers’ model FRP-strengthened RC continuous beams in a simple manner

Performance Study on a Window Type Air Conditioner Condenser Using Alternative Refrigerant R407C

In this work, a performance study was achieved on air cooled condenser of an air-conditioning unit. An experimental investigation was carried out on two condenser designs aided by a controlled environmental zone, which was designed and constructed for the current study. The effect of ambient air temperature on the condenser performance was studied by varying the controlled zone air temperature from 30 to 50oC. The first design is a four circuits 5/16" tube diameter condenser and the second is an eight circuits design with the same diameter. The experimental results showed that, an increase in the ambient air temperature has a negative effect on COP due to the decrease in the overall heat rejected, yet has a positive effect on refrigerant side pressure drop

The effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on empathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Empathy is a multi-dimensional concept with affective and cognitive components, the latter often referred to as Theory of Mind (ToM). Impaired empathy is prevalent in people with neuropsychiatric disorders, such as personality disorder, psychopathy, and schizophrenia, highlighting the need to develop therapeutic interventions to address this. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive therapeutic technique that has been effective in treating various neuropsychiatric conditions, can be potentially used to modulate empathy. To our knowledge, no systematic reviews or meta-analyses in this field have been conducted. The aim of the current study was to review the literature on the use of rTMS to modulate empathy in adults. Seven electronic databases (AMED, Cochrane library, Embase, Medline, Pubmed, PsycInfo, and Web of Science) were searched using appropriate search terms. Twenty-two studies were identified, all bar one study involved interventions in healthy rather than clinical populations, and 18 of them, providing results for 24 trials, were included in the meta-analyses. Results showed an overall small, but statistically significant, effect in favour of active rTMS in healthy individuals. Differential effects across cognitive and affective ToM were evident. Subgroup analyses for cognitive ToM revealed significant effect sizes on excitatory rTMS, offline paradigms, and non-randomised design trials. Subgroup analyses for affective ToM revealed significant effect sizes on excitatory rTMS, offline paradigms, and non-randomised design trials. Meta-regression revealed no significant sources of heterogeneity. In conclusion, rTMS may have discernible effects on different components of empathy. Further research is required to examine the effects of rTMS on empathy in clinical and non-clinical populations, using appropriate empathy tasks and rTMS protocols