Agility index evaluation using fuzzy logic in a supply chain management company

Agility is one of the coming challenges to the supply chain management companies. This paper presents a model to evaluate agility for supply chain management companies and answers the question that how agile a supply chain management company is. It shows a complete set of items in evaluating agility in SCM companies.The model surveys agility in responsiveness with indexes such as strategic planning, sensitivity to change and virtual enterprise; flexibility with indexes such as market flexibility, logistics flexibility,operations system flexibility and supply flexibility;competency with indexes such as integrative mechanism, shared culture, joint decision making, trust and communication; and finally quickness with indexes such as speed of new product introduction,delivery time and speed in operation.The results of S.G.S Co. show that it is in the middle range of agility. It also identifies weak factors within the organization which by improving them, the company can improve its agility index. Evaluation is done in fuzzy logic

Agility index evaluation using fuzzy logic in a supply chain management company

Agility is one of the coming challenges to the supply chain management companies. This paper presents a model to evaluate agility for supply chain management companies and answers the question that how agile a supply chain management company is. It shows a complete set of items in evaluating agility in SCM companies.The model surveys agility in responsiveness with indexes such as strategic planning, sensitivity to change and virtual enterprise; flexibility with indexes such as market flexibility, logistics flexibility,operations system flexibility and supply flexibility;competency with indexes such as integrative mechanism, shared culture, joint decision making, trust and communication; and finally quickness with indexes such as speed of new product introduction,delivery time and speed in operation.The results of S.G.S Co. show that it is in the middle range of agility. It also identifies weak factors within the organization which by improving them, the company can improve its agility index. Evaluation is done in fuzzy logic

L-2-Hydroxyglutaric Aciduria is a Diagnostic Indicator of Leukodystrophy: A Case Report

How to Cite this Article: Ashrafi MR, Nikkhah A, Houshmand M, Aryani O. L-2-Hydroxyglutaric Aciduria is a Diagnostic Indicator of Leukodystrophy: A CaseReport Iranian Journal of Child Neurology 2011;5(4):37-38. L-2-Hydroxyglutaric aciduria is a rare autosomal recessive inherited neurometabolic disorder.It is characterized by slow progressive neurological dysfunction with cerebellar ataxia, pyramidal and extrapyramidal signs, intellectual decline, and seizures. Herein, we report a case of a 7-year-old boy from Tehran whose symptoms and signs indicated leukoencephalopathy with macrocephaly and motor delay. References 1. Barth PG, Hoffmann GF, Jaeken J, Lehnert W, Hanefeld F, van Gennip AH, et al. L-2-hydroxyglutaric acidemia: a novel inherited neurometabolic disease. Ann Neurol 1992;32(1):66-71. 2. Duran M, Kamerling JP, Bakker HD, Van Gennip AH, Wadman S. L-2-Hydroxyglutaric aciduria: an inborn error of metabolism? J Inherit Metab Dis 1980;3(4):109-12. 3. Haliloglu G, Jobard F, Oguz KK, Anlar B, Akalan N, Coskun T, et al. L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria and brain tumors in children with mutations in the L2HGDH gene: neuroimaging findings. Neuropediatrics  2008;39(2):119-22. 4. De Klerk JB, Huijmans JG, Stroink H, Robben SG, Jakobs C, Duran M. L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria: clinical heterogeneity versus biochemical homogeneity in a sibship. Neuropediatrics 1997;28(6):314-7. 5. Fenichel GM. Clinical pediatric neurology: a signs and symptoms approach. Saunders:Elsevier, 2009. 6. Diogo L, Fineza I, Canha J, Borges L, Cardoso ML, Vilarinho L. Macrocephaly as the presenting feature of L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria in a 5-month-old boy. J Inherit Metab Dis 1996;19(3):369-70. 7. Rzem R, Van Schaftingen E, Veiga-da-Cunha M. The gene mutated in l-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria encodes l-2-hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase. Biochimie 2006;88(1):113-6. 8. Shafeghati Y, Vakili G, Entezari A. L-2-hydroxyglutaric aciduria: A report of six cases and Review of the Literature. Arch Iran Med 2006;9(2):165-9.

Investigating the impact of crude oil prices on economic activity in selected OPEC member countries

The effect of crude oil prices on the economic activity of countries has been considered for decades.  In this period of time, the empirical link between oil price and economic activity has been continuously investigated, but the measured results have shown different results and are contradictory.  Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the effect of crude oil prices on the set of economic activities in selected OPEC countries in the period 2000 to 2019.  This research uses the panel data method and the system of simultaneous equations approach by the three-stage least squares (3SLS) method.  The results obtained from the estimation of the considered models indicate a positive and significant effect of crude oil price on the consumer price index and liquidity volume, respectively, at the rate of 221/0 and 200/1.  Also, the results indicating the negative and significant effect of crude oil price on exchange rate and interest rate are -195/0 and -175/0, respectively

Clinical and Molecular Study of NPC in Iran: Report of 5 Novel Mutations

How to Cite This Article: Tonekaboni SH, Aryani O, Karimzadeh P, Zaman T, Ashrafi M, Salehpour Sh, Dehghan Manshadi M, Khalili E, Houshmand M. Clinical and Molecular Study of NPC in Iran: Report of 5 Novel Mutations. Ir an J Child Neurol. 2015 Autumn;9:4(Suppl.1): 8-9.Pls see pdf

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

A Road Map for Knowledge Management Systems Design Using Axiomatic Design Approach

Successful design and implementation of knowledge management systems have been the main concern of many researchers. It has been reported that more than 50% of knowledge management systems have failed, therefore, it is required to seek for a new and comprehensive scientific approach to design and implement it. In the design and implementation of a knowledge management system, it is required to know ’what we want to achieve’ and ’how and by what processes we will achieve it’. A literature review conducted and axiomatic design theory selected for this purpose. For the first time, this paper develops a conceptual design of knowledge management systems by means of a hierarchical structure, composed of ’Functional Requirements’ (FRs), ’Design Parameters’ (DPs), and ’Process Variables’ (PVs). The intersection of several studies conducted in the field of knowledge management systems has been used to design the knowledge management model. It reveals that six essential bases of knowledge management are organizational culture, organizational structure, human resources, management and leadership, information technology, and the external environment of the organization; that are represented as top DPs in the structure of the model. These essential factors are decomposed to lower levels by means of zigzagging. The model implemented in Tehran Urban and Suburban Railway Operation Corporation (TUSROC) and the results were very promising. The most important result of this study is a roadmap to design successful and efficient knowledge management systems

A Statistical Solution to Mitigate Functional Requirements Coupling Generated from Process (Manufacturing) Variables Integration-part I

AbstractUtilizing the Axiomatic Design (AD) principles to develop a perfect product, design of a manufacturing system with minimal complexity is required. For the purpose of reducing the manufacturing system complexity, theoretically, it is preferred to integrate multiple Process Variables (PVs) of the product into a single process unit. However, due to significant presence of some active noise factors, this integration practice may result in failing to maintain the independence among some of Functional Requirements (FRs) of the product. This event is the result of statistical causal relationships unintentionally developed among a subset of the integrated PVs. In such a condition, the AD's Independence Axiom cannot be successfully satisfied and reaching a system with minimal complexity is inconceivable, even though an uncoupled or decoupled system design is apparently presented. To mitigate this kind of FRs coupling generated from the PVs integration, this study proposes partial & semi-partial correlation analysis as a statistical solution to identify the most appropriate integration choices where integrating a subset of the PVs is inevitable. Furthermore, based on the Taguchi's loss function, a quantitative criterion is established to fairly compare any two non-ideal manufacturing system designs and choose the one with relatively lower loss. The proposed approach explained in this study is verified based on hypothetical data

A Road Map for Knowledge Management Systems Design Using Axiomatic Design Approach

Successful design and implementation of knowledge management systems have been the main concern of many researchers. It has been reported that more than 50% of knowledge management systems have failed, therefore, it is required to seek for a new and comprehensive scientific approach to design and implement it. In the design and implementation of a knowledge management system, it is required to know ’what we want to achieve’ and ’how and by what processes we will achieve it’. A literature review conducted and axiomatic design theory selected for this purpose. For the first time, this paper develops a conceptual design of knowledge management systems by means of a hierarchical structure, composed of ’Functional Requirements’ (FRs), ’Design Parameters’ (DPs), and ’Process Variables’ (PVs). The intersection of several studies conducted in the field of knowledge management systems has been used to design the knowledge management model. It reveals that six essential bases of knowledge management are organizational culture, organizational structure, human resources, management and leadership, information technology, and the external environment of the organization; that are represented as top DPs in the structure of the model. These essential factors are decomposed to lower levels by means of zigzagging. The model implemented in Tehran Urban and Suburban Railway Operation Corporation (TUSROC) and the results were very promising. The most important result of this study is a roadmap to design successful and efficient knowledge management systems

Applications of Axiomatic Design Theory in Design for Human Safety in Manufacturing Systems: A Literature Review

Design for Human Safety (DfHS) is an approach to integrate knowledge of human safety in the design process. DfHS is multi-disciplinary in its nature, requiring many kinds of information and knowledge. Number of DfHS studies tried to apply Axiomatic Design (AD) to achieve their aims. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on application of AD in DfHS in manufacturing systems and to propose a roadmap for future DfHS works. This paper examines the number and type of publications dealing with this context. The review covers papers published between 1990 (when AD was introduced first) and 2017. It is based on a range of combinations of the following keywords: “Axiomatic design” and “safety” or “accident” or “hazard” or risk”. This review has identified 15 research topics that were clustered into three main research groups: (1) application of AD in ergonomic design; (2) application of AD in human-computer interaction; and (3) application of AD in integrating safety systematically in design process. The authors also tried to identify which axiom of AD has been used in these researches