The Role of Supply Chains and International Networks in Enhancing the Agricultural Sector’s Competitiveness in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV)

The expansion of supermarkets in Asia typifies the effects of the increasing liberalization in trade and the inflow of foreign investment. The supermarket revolution thus occupies a focal point in this paper which tracks its phenomenal growth in Asia, and its continuing inroads into CLMV – Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. Given the significant transformation that this major development is expected to bring into these countries’ agricultural sector as well as food distribution systems, the paper examines the growing role of supply chain management. The value-adding potential at each level of the chain will allow agriculture to drive overall development by leveraging on the nations’ advantage at the input, processing, wholesale and retail trade as well as international trade levels. The initial successes in Myanmar and Vietnam are highlighted. In the wake of these developments, the paper emphasizes the glaring need to address the issue of how to balance the interests of the key players along the supply chain with that of the national interest, and how to gear up for globalization while also strengthening internal structures and institutions. The challenge is to ensure the orderly and balanced development of supply chains. Specifically, the respective governments would need to launch focused and holistic interventions that would not only manage the supply chains and international networks, but also minimize the marginalization of small farmers and other stakeholders.supply chains, international networks, trade liberalization

Hemiplegia in Men: A Case Study

Hemiplegia, or paralysis of one side of the body, is caused by injury or illness (for example, a stroke), and leads to other disabilities. People with hemiplegia are limited physically in their daily activities. This limitation affects their social well-being and thus can lead to depression. This paper provides a comprehensive literature review on hemiplegia in men. A single case study of a man with hemiplegia living in Hong Kong is also presented here. A critical discussion of the signs and symptoms of “male-type” depression and humanising attitudes towards men with hemiplegia follows. Critical areas in rehabilitation, social support, and developing partnerships are also highlighted. This paper intends to facilitate better understanding by health and social care providers of the needs of men with hemiplegia. Implications for clinical practice and research are likewise addressed. Further studies using multiple case studies are recommended to ensure a comprehensive understanding of hemiplegia in men

Mitigating supply and production uncertainties with dynamic scheduling using real-time transport information

Supply and production uncertainties can affect the scheduling and inventory performance of final production systems. Facing such uncertainties, production managers normally choose to maintain the original production schedule, or follow the first-in-first-out policy. This paper develops a new, dynamic algorithm policy that considers scheduling and inventory problems, by taking advantage of real-time shipping information enabled by today’s advanced technology. Simulation models based on the industrial example of a chemical company and the Taguchi’s method are used to test these three policies under 81 experiments with varying supply and production lead times and uncertainties. Simulation results show that the proposed dynamic algorithm outperforms the other two policies for supply chain cost. Results from Taguchi’s method show that companies should focus their long-term effort on the reduction of supply lead times, which positively affects the mitigation of supply uncertainty

Animal Models of Diabetic Retinopathy (Part 2)

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of preventable vision impairment and blindness in the working-age population worldwide. Numerous animal models have been developed for therapeutic drug screening and to further increase our understanding of the molecular and cellular pathological processes involved in DR. Following our discussion of mouse models in “Animal Models of Diabetic Retinopathy Part 1,” we describe the cellular, molecular, and morphological features of both rodent and nonrodent models of DR and their respective advantages and limitations in this chapter. To date, no animal model can holistically reproduce the pathological progression of human DR; most only display early or advanced lesions of DR. However, a thorough understanding of genotypic and phenotypic expressions of existing models will facilitate researchers’ selection of the appropriate model to simulate their desired clinical scenarios

A generic model for representing software development methods.

This thesis has adopted the premise that the use of a method offers a valuable contribution to the software development process. Many methods have not been adequately defined. This thesis is based on the hypothesis that it is possible to represent software development methods using a Generic Method Representation (GMR). This GMR includes the three basic components of the method, which are the product model, the process model and the heuristic model. The elements and interrelationships of these models are investigated. In addition to a graphical representation, a method specification language (MSL) is derived, to enhance the expressive and executable power of GMR. A three-stage knowledge acquisition model, known as IFV (inspection, fabrication and verification), is also introduced to elicit method semantics from the available acquisition media. Moreover, the key benefits of meta modelling, such as method comparison, fragment dissection, method evaluation and selection (or customisation) of a method, are highlighted. An application of GMR, that is the mapping to a practical metaCASE tool model, is also illustrated comprehensively to demonstrate the applicability of the approach

CFD SIMULATION FOR TRAY DRYER OPTIMIZATION

The paper presents the design and analysis of tray dryer system. The design was done in Solidwork while the analysis and simulation performed using ANSYS FLUENT. ANSYS FLUENT is a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) software in which flow fields and other physics are calculated in detail for various engineering applications. The analysis was done to analyze heat transfer and temperature distribution, ressure, air flow and turbulence. Before generating the product in 3D modeling, the basic data or information of tray dryer system is required such as dimension of dryer equipment, air and heat source supply range, sizing method and etc. Through his step, the dryer system development and function ability can be clearly understood by the end of analyzing process is accomplished

Proteome-wide profiling of the MCF10AT breast cancer progression model

10.1371/journal.pone.0011030PLoS ONE56

Client Service Receipt Inventory as a standardised tool for measurement of socio-economic costs in the rare genetic disease population (CSRI-Ra)

The measurement of costs is fundamental in healthcare decision-making, but it is often challenging. In particular, standardised methods have not been developed in the rare genetic disease population. A reliable and valid tool is critical for research to be locally meaningful yet internationally comparable. Herein, we sought to develop, contextualise, translate, and validate the Client Service Receipt Inventory for the RAre disease population (CSRI-Ra) to be used in cost-of-illness studies and economic evaluations for healthcare planning. Through expert panel discussions and focus group meetings involving 17 rare disease patients, carers, and healthcare and social care professionals from Hong Kong, we have developed the CSRI-Ra. Rounds of forward and backward translations were performed by bilingual researchers, and face validity and semantic equivalence were achieved through interviews and telephone communications with focus group participants and an additional of 13 healthcare professional and university students. Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess criterion validity between CSRI-Ra and electronic patient record in a sample of 94 rare disease patients and carers, with overall ICC being 0.69 (95% CI 0.56–0.78), indicating moderate to good agreement. Following rounds of revision in the development, contextualisation, translation, and validation stages, the CSRI-Ra is ready for use in empirical research. The CSRI-Ra provides a sufficiently standardised yet adaptable method for collecting socio-economic data related to rare genetic diseases. This is important for near-term and long-term monitoring of the resource consequences of rare diseases, and it provides a tool for use in economic evaluations in the future, thereby helping to inform planning for efficient and effective healthcare. Adaptation of the CSRI-Ra to other populations would facilitate international research

Spatial analytical methods for deriving a historical map of physiological equivalent temperature of Hong Kong

Lai P-C, Choi CCY, Wong PPY, et al. Spatial analytical methods for deriving a historical map of physiological equivalent temperature of Hong Kong. Building and Environment. 2015;99:22-28