Modeling and Solving the Outsourcing Risk Management Problem in Multi-Echelon Supply Chains

Worldwide globalization has made supply chains more vulnerable to risk factors, increasing the associated costs of outsourcing goods. Outsourcing is highly beneficial for any company that values building upon its core competencies, but the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises have exposed significant vulnerabilities within supply chains. These disruptions forced a shift in the production of goods from outsourcing to domestic methods. This paper considers a multi-echelon supply chain model with global and domestic raw material suppliers, manufacturing plants, warehouses, and markets. All levels within the supply chain network are evaluated from a holistic perspective, calculating a total cost for all levels with embedded risk. We formulate the problem as a mixed-integer linear model programmed in Excel Solver linear to solve smaller optimization problems. Then, we create a Tabu Search algorithm that solves problems of any size. Excel Solver considers three small-scale supply chain networks of varying sizes, one of which maximizes the decision variables the software can handle. In comparison, the Tabu Search program, programmed in Python, solves an additional ten larger-scaled supply chain networks. Tabu Search’s capabilities illustrate its scalability and replicability. A quadratic multi-regression analysis interprets the input parameters (iterations, neighbors, and tabu list size) associated with total supply chain cost and run time. The analysis shows iterations and neighbors to minimize total supply chain cost, while the interaction between iterations x neighbors increases the run time exponentially. Therefore, increasing the number of iterations and neighbors will increase run time but provide a more optimal result for total supply chain cost. Tabu Search’s input parameters should be set high in almost every practical case to achieve the most optimal result. This work is the first to incorporate risk and outsourcing into a multi-echelon supply chain, solved using an exact (Excel Solver) and metaheuristic (Tabu Search) solution methodology. From a practical case, managers can visualize supply chain networks of any size and variation to estimate the total supply chain cost in a relatively short time. Supply chain managers can identify suppliers and pick specific suppliers based on cost or risk. Lastly, they can adjust for risk according to external or internal risk factors. Future research directions include expanding or simplifying the supply chain network design, considering multiple parts, and considering scrap or defective products. In addition, one could incorporate a multi-product dynamic planning horizon supply chain. Overall, considering a hybrid method combining Tabu Search with genetic algorithms, particle swarm optimization, simulated annealing, CPLEX, GUROBI, or LINGO, could provide better results in a faster computational time

B-Cell Precursor Abnormalities in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

__Abstract__ Despite the improvement in prognosis of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) due to the implementation of relapse risk stratification, the majoritiy of relapses occurs in cases that were initially not considered as high-risk. Furthermore, current therapies are designed in the fifties and sixties of the past century and result toxicity. Therfore, there is a need for better relapse risk stratification and newly designed drugs that specifcally target leukemic cells. This thesis identifies the interaction and independency of different recently introduced relapse risk markers. It demonstrates that both BCR-ABL1-like gene expression signature and all variants of IKZF1 deletions are correlated to an unfavorable prognosis in B-cell precursor ALL (BCP-ALL). These observations resulted in the implementation of IKZF1 deletions in the currect DCOG ALL-11 treatment protocol. Furthermore, this thesis demonstrates that TCF3-rearranged BCP-ALL is characterized by an activated pre B-cell receptor. This pathway may be used for targetting leukemic cells in future clinical trials

CLINICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN WOMEN WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME IN THE REGION OF POLLOG, REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorderand is a major cause of an ovulatory infertility. The main objective is toestimate the prevalence of PCOS in the region of Pollog, Republic ofMacedonia and to assess some clinical and biochemical parameters inpatients with PCOS in comparison with normal women as control.Rotterdam criteria is used to evaluate 70 women diagnosed with PCOS,compared to 30 age matched controls to assess the clinical and biochemicalabnormalities that occur in PCOS patients. All statistical analysis is doneusing SPSS (version 19.0). A P-value < 0.05 is considered statisticallysignificant. Mean age in PCOS group is 25.11 ± 3.32, and 25.10 ± 3.91 in thecontrol group. BMI of the women with PCOS is significantly higher than inthe control group. Menstrual cycle abnormalities are observed in 71.4% ofPCOS patients, and ultrasonographic appearance of polycystic ovaries isreported for all PCOS cases. Hirsutism (FG 8-9) is present in 42.9 %,hirsutism (FG 10-14) in 50% and 7.1% showed hirsutism (FG>15). Werecorded significantly higher serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), totaltestosterone (TT), and insulin, while the serum levels of sex hormonebinding globuline (SHBG) and follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) aresignificantly lower than in the control group. By analyzing the clinical andbiochemical characteristics of our studied population of patients with PCOS,we can conclude that the majority of our patients expressed all threediagnostic features of PCOS (hyperandrogenism, menstrual abnormalities,and ultrasound findings of polycystic ovaries)

Assessment of sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate preservatives in some products in Kashan, Iran with estimation of human health risk

ABSTRACT The purpose was to assess of sodium benzoate (SB) and potassium sorbate (PS) preservatives in 103 samples of cake, toast bread, tomato paste, mayonnaise sauce, carbonated soft drink and Olovieh salad in Kashan, by spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods. The chronic daily intake (CDI), target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard index (HI) of SB and PS for Iranian population were calculated. The results showed that SB and PS were not detected in the tomato paste samples. SB and PS concentrations for all samples were less than regulatory limits except for PS in one cake sample (3.57%). CDI and THQ of PS for mayonnaise sauce, Olovieh salad and cake products, except toast bread, were less than the acceptable daily intakes (ADIs) and one, respectively. While HI value of PS for the selected products was more than one, in- dicating that the non-carcinogenic risk represent a threat to consumers. THQ and HI values of SB for mayonnaise sauce and carbonated soft drink products were more than one through consumption of these products, indicating considerable non-carcinogenic risk. Therefore, the results highlighted the importance of a more attentive monitoring of these preservatives by the public and food health authorities in Iran

Evaluating the effects of climate on weathering processes of rocks based on Peltier models in Kermanshah province

Weathering is a result of physical, chemical and biological factors, all of which affect the rocks but do not cause Material Handling. The existence of pores and crevices and cracks in the rocks expose the rocks to physical and chemical attack, gradual wracking and being weathered. This study has been based on Louis Peltier’s models in which two mean annual temperature and precipitation variables are used. Peltier identified seven models using these two variables which can describe different types of weathering phenomena. Among these models, two models related to weathering regimes and morphogenetic regimes were evaluated in case of Kermanshah province and the regimes related to each station were determined from the related diagrams. Climate data such as mean annual temperature and precipitation and eight synoptic stations which had appropriate data and statistical length were taken from meteorological organization and then were recorded in a database in GIS environment for studying and zoning of the weathering status and geomorphological regions in Kermanshah. Then, the regimes relating to each station were determined from Peltier models after evaluation of temperature and precipitation processes in the study area which were recorded in the database after giving weighted value to them and then the related maps were generated in ARC map environment. The obtained results showed that most parts of Kermanshah province are semi-arid regions. Chemical weathering along with glacial action to moderate chemical weathering take place in in Kermanshah province in terms of weathering status.Keywords: Weathering regimes, Peltier model, morphogenetic regions, Kermanshah

Embedded plasmonic waveguides with Yagi-style antennas

High confinement in plasmonic waveguides usually comes along with high loss. We present experiments on a new approach, which allows to tune adiabatically between high confinement and low loss waveguides, connected to optical Yagi-style antennas

Functional plasmonic nanocircuits with low insertion and propagation losses

We experimentally demonstrate plasmonic nanocircuits operating as subdiffraction directional couplers optically excited with high efficiency from free-space using optical Yagi-Uda style antennas at λ_0 = 1550 nm. The optical Yagi-Uda style antennas are designed to feed channel plasmon waveguides with high efficiency (45% in coupling, 60% total emission), narrow angular directivity (<40°), and low insertion loss. SPP channel waveguides exhibit propagation lengths as large as 34 μm with adiabatically tuned confinement and are integrated with ultracompact (5 × 10 μm^2), highly dispersive directional couplers, which enable 30 dB discrimination over Δλ = 200 nm with only 0.3 dB device loss