Experimental production of lithic artefacts: Developing understanding; developing engagement

This paper is reflective and discusses the results of a process experiment designed to develop understanding of a particular British Early Upper Palaeolithic stone tool technology. The technology in question is the Lincombian, and the discussion breaks down into three main parts. The first part argues that raw material availability and practitioner performance can be influential factors within the modern experimental reproduction process. When these issues were factored in for this experiment it became clear that early phase debitage materials reflected a process of interpretation, not replication. The second substantive part of this discussion focuses upon the final phase of the experimental process. Selection criterion for assessing finished artefacts was tightly constrained by archaeologically derived data. It is argued therefore that when finished artefacts fell within these assessment criteria the final phase of the process was akin to replication. Consequently, debitage associated with the final phase can provide useful analogue material to fill gaps in our understanding of this Lincombian technology. The final section is summative and returns to the issue of performance. It argues that practitioner performance facilitates audience engagement. Engagement is valuable for communicating understanding to both specialist and non-specialist audiences. The paper concludes by arguing that a rigorously evaluated experimental process can be used twice: firstly, as a tool for generating materials to develop our understanding; secondly, as an engaging performance to communicate understanding to specialist and non-specialist audiences

Supply Chain Integration and Supply Chain Performance: The Mediating Role of Supply Chain Resilience

The objective of this study is to examine the influence of supply chain integration (SCI) on supply chain resilience (SCRES) on supply chain performance (SCP) dimensions of large – scale manufacturing firms in Pakistan. It also examines the indirect effects of all the SCI dimensions on all the SCP dimensions through the SCRES. A quantitative approach using questionnaire survey was employed to examine the hypotheses and theoretical framework. Data were collected from 182 manufacturing firms in Pakistan and the SMART PLS version 3.2.7 was used for data analysis. The results showed that the SCI contributed significantly to the SCRES while the SCRES impacted on the SCP substantially. However, the association between the SCI and the SCP was not linear; it was determined by the level of the SCRES. This study fills the research gap by integrating the SCRES as a mediator between the SCI and the SCP

Introduction: Immersed in Lithics

The idea of holding a conference to discuss how we can explore what affects our approaches to, and understanding of, lithic artefacts and their analysis emerged from a hands-on workshop entitled Northern Knap-in in November 2014. In that workshop we wanted to explore how prehistoric people in the north of England, which is perceived by many as being a (lithic)resource-poor region, might have adapted to the lack of good quality flint and chert for tool manufacture and so we experimented with the working of non-flint raw materials. Many things emerged from that day including how the experimental knapping of materials other than flint allowed us to think outside the conventional box, and how communal knapping and grinding demonstrated some of the different ways that people interacted and adapted to each other’s rhythm when making artefacts. We were also struck (excuse the pun) by how much non-lithic specialists contributed to the questions we raise in lithic analysis. This brought home to us the importance of finding other, sometimes non- conventional, ways in which we can engage with the past. This eventually led to the Immersed in Lithics Conference in February 2016

Fatigue Life Estimation of Pre-corroded Aluminium Alloy

The effect of time and mode of corrosion in fatigue life of pre-corroded 7020-aluminum alloy has been determined and compared with that of uncorroded specimens. It is known that fatigue properties of any material depend on the homogeneity of the material mostly the surface uniformity .Any irregularity present may cause fatigue crack initiation at a stress comparably lower than that shown by the S-N curve and thus the pre-corroded specimens’ S-N curve shows some deviation from the actual curve due to the presence of corrosion pits. As the fatigue failure process exploits the weakest links (discontinuities) within the test material, which act as nucleation sites for crack origins, the fatigue properties of uncorroded and pre-corroded 7020-aluminum alloy in aqueous solution of NaCl (3.5% NaCl , 8.2 pH) along with forced corrosion at different sweep rates have been studied and compared in this project. The properties being the S-N curve, fatigue life, endurance limit, fatigue crack growth mechanism, SEM fractograph and probable crack initiation cause and spot. Round specimen generally used in classical fatigue tests for life estimation have been used in this experiment. S-N curve is plotted by using Moore’s rotating cantilever beam type fatigue testing machine. The tests are conducted in uncorroded specimen and in pre-corroded specimen and then results are compared. Also the mechanism and spot of crack initiation is predicted by using fractographs under SEM

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: in a search of its own identity

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic disorder characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy not explained by secondary causes, and a non-dilated left ventricle with preserved or increased ejection fraction. It is commonly asymmetric with most severe hypertrophy involving the basal interventricular septum.. The histologic features of HCM are myocyte hypertrophy and disarray, as well as interstitial fibrosis. The hypertrophy is associated with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction. Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction is present at rest in about one third of the patients, and can be provoked in another third. HCM is also an important cause of sudden cardiac death, particularly in adolescents and young adults. Nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, syncope, a family history of sudden cardiac death, and severe cardiac hypertrophy are major risk factors for sudden cardiac death.incidence being 30 % and the cause of cardiac death is LVOT obstruction,increased oxygen of thick myocardium with compromised coronary circulation and intractable ventricular tachycardia. Mutations in over a dozen genes encoding sarcomere-associated proteins cause HCM. MYH7 and MYBPC3, encoding β-myosin heavy chain and myosin binding protein C, respectively, are the two most common genes involved, together accounting for about 50% of the HCM families. Mutations in genes responsible for storage diseases cause a phenotype like HCM (genocopy or phenocopy). The routine applications of genetic testing and preclinical identification of family members represents an important advance. In genetic study HCM is associated with HLA DRW4

Rare Case of Isolated Right Sided Dilated Cardiomyopathy

In dilated cardiomyopathies biventricular involvement is the usual case though left ventricular dysfunction is more apparent. In RVDCM, as the name suggests right ventricle is solely involved and left ventricular function is normal. The other causes of right heart failure are tricuspid valve disease (infective endocarditis, rheumatic, Ebsteins anomaly), right ventricular infarction and rarely pulmonary regurgitation without pulmonary hypertension. The diagnosis was made on echocardiography which revealed dilated, hypokinetic right ventricle, with normal left ventricular dimensions and ejection fraction and no evidence of pulmonary artery hypertension with normal pulmonary artery size and normal pulmonary valve with dilated right ventricle outflow trac

Sustainable supply chain management towards disruption and organizational ambidexterity:A data driven analysis

Balancing sustainability and disruption of supply chains requires organizational ambidexterity. Sustainable supply chains prioritize efficiency and economies of scale and may not have sufficient redundancy to withstand disruptive events. There is a developing body of literature that attempts to reconcile these two aspects. This study gives a data-driven literature review of sustainable supply chain management trends toward ambidexterity and disruption. The critical review reveals temporal trends and geographic distribution of literature. A hybrid of data-driven analysis approach based on content and bibliometric analyses, fuzzy Delphi method, entropy weight method, and fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory is used on 273 keywords and 22 indicators obtained based on the experts’ evaluation. The most important indicators are identified as supply chain agility, supply chain coordination, supply chain finance, supply chain flexibility, supply chain resilience, and sustainability. The regions show different tendencies compared with others. Asia and Oceania, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Africa are the regions needs improvement, while Europe and North America show distinct apprehensions on supply chain network design. The main contribution of this review is the identification of the knowledge frontier, which then leads to a discussion of prospects for future studies and practical industry implementation

Prioritising Lean, Agile, Resilient and Green Supply Chain Practices: An Application of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) in FMCG sector of Pakistan

This study prioritises the lean, agile, resilient and green (LARG) supplychain practices in Pakistan’s FMCG sector. This study utilises theAHP methodology to rank the different LARG practices in Pakistan’sFMCG sector. The primary purpose of this analytical study is torecognise and prioritise the usage of these practices to develop theLARG paradigm in the FMCG sector. In this study, various methodshave been identified with the help of extensive literature review and discussion with subject matter experts. The results demonstrate that anorganisational structure (infrastructure) that can deal with disruption isone of the most critical practices among all LARG practices. The result also indicates that firms should establish resilience in their supply chainnetwork, and described as the most vital supply chain phenomenonamong the LARG category. The study findings provide the directionto the supply chain professional as to which practices are critical forestablishing the LARG system in the organisation. Prioritising LARGpractices is scant in literature; hence, this study contributes. Also, other recent multi-criteria assessment tools may be used for significantcontributions in the future

Big data social media analytics for purchasing behaviour

The social media is rich in data and of late its data have been used for various types of analytics. This paper examines the purchasing behavior and sentiments of social media users from Jan - 2015 to Dec - 2016. The purchasing behaviour of the users is categorized into five: buy car, buy house, buy computer, buy hand phone and going for holiday. The paper will also demonstrate the trend of each individual category. The results of the analysis would provide businesses information on the social media users' purchasing behavior, their sentiment thus allowing them to take more appropriate strategies to enhance their competitiveness