18 research outputs found
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Manufacturing and Supply Chain Flexibility: Building an Integrative Conceptual Model Through Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis
The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to establish the current themes on the topic of manufacturing and supply chain flexibility (MSCF), assess their level of maturity in relation to each other, identify the emerging ones and reflect on how they can inform each other, and second, to develop a conceptual model of MSCF that links different themes connect and highlight future research opportunities. The study builds on a sample of 222 articles published from 1996 to 2018 in international, peer-reviewed journals. The analysis of the sample involves two complementary approaches: the co-word technique to identify the thematic clusters as well as their relative standing and a critical reflection on the papers to explain the intellectual content of these thematic clusters. The results of the co-word analysis show that MSCF is a dynamic topic with a rich and complex structure that comprises five thematic clusters. The value chain, capability and volatility clusters showed research topics that were taking a central role in the discussion on MSCF but were not mature yet. The SC purchasing practices and SC planning clusters involved work that was more focused and could be considered more mature. These clusters were then integrated in a framework that built on the competenceâcapability perspective and identified the major structural and infrastructural elements of MSCF as well as its antecedents and consequences. This paper proposes an integrative framework helping managers keep track the various decisions they need to make to increase flexibility from the viewpoint of the entire value chain
Enhanced Release of Small Molecules from Near-Infrared Light Responsive PolymerâNanorod Composites
Mechanism-Independent Optimization of Combinatorial Nanodiamond and Unmodified Drug Delivery Using a Phenotypically Driven Platform Technology
Combination chemotherapy can mediate drug synergy to improve treatment efficacy against a broad spectrum of cancers. However, conventional multidrug regimens are often additively determined, which have long been believed to enable good cancer-killing efficiency but are insufficient to address the nonlinearity in dosing. Despite improved clinical outcomes by combination treatment, multi-objective combination optimization, which takes into account tumor heterogeneity and balance of efficacy and toxicity, remains challenging given the sheer magnitude of the combinatorial dosing space. To enhance the properties of the therapeutic agents, the field of nanomedicine has realized novel drug delivery platforms that can enhance therapeutic efficacy and safety. However, optimal combination design that incorporates nanomedicine agents still faces the same hurdles as unmodified drug administration. The work reported here applied a powerful phenotypically driven platform, termed feedback system control (FSC), that systematically and rapidly converges upon a combination consisting of three nanodiamond-modified drugs and one unmodified drug that is simultaneously optimized for efficacy against multiple breast cancer cell lines and safety against multiple control cell lines. Specifically, the therapeutic window achieved from an optimally efficacious and safe nanomedicine combination was markedly higher compared to that of an optimized unmodified drug combination and nanodiamond monotherapy or unmodified drug administration. The phenotypically driven foundation of FSC implementation does not require any cellular signaling pathway data and innately accounts for population heterogeneity and nonlinear biological processes. Therefore, FSC is a broadly applicable platform for both nanotechnology-modified and unmodified therapeutic optimizations that represent a promising path toward phenotypic personalized medicine