Search results

One of the significant underlying principles of nanorobotic systems deals with the understanding and conceptualization of their respective complex nanocomponents. This paper introduces a new methodology to compute a set of optimal electronic and mathematical properties of Buckyball nanoparticle using graph algorithms based on dynamic programming and greedy algorithm.

Buckyball, C₆₀, is composed of sixty equivalent carbon atoms arranged as a highly symmetric hollow spherical cage in the form of a soccer ball. At first, Wiener, hyper‐Wiener, Harary and reciprocal Wiener indices were computed using dynamic programming and presented them as: W(Buckyball)=11870.4, WW(Buckyball)=52570.9, Ha(Buckyball)=102.2 and RW(Buckyball)=346.9. The polynomials of Buckyball, Hosoya and hyper‐Hosoya, which are in relationship with Buckyball's indices, have also been computed. The relationships between Buckyball's indices and polynomials were then computed and demonstrated a good agreement with their mathematical equations. Also, a graph algorithm based on greedy algorithms was used to find some optimal electronic aspects of Buckyball's structure by computing the Minimum Weight Spanning Tree (MWST) of Buckyball.

The computed MWST was indicated that for connecting sixty carbon atoms of Buckyball together: the minimum numbers of double bonds were 30; the minimum numbers of single bonds were 29; and the minimum numbers of electrons were 178. These results also had good agreement with the principles of the authors' used greedy algorithm.

This paper has used the graph algorithms for computing the optimal electronic and mathematical properties of BB. It has focused on mathematical properties of BB including Wiener, hyper‐Wiener, Harary and reciprocal Wiener indices as well as Hosoya and Hyper‐Hosoya polynomials and computerized them with dynamic programming graph algorithms.

Whey is a by-product of paneer, cheese and casein industry and considered as a dairy waste. Worldwide, approximately 180–1,900 million tons of whey is produced annually. Whey is classified as a high pollutant due to its organic matter level. Owing to its high chemical oxygen demand and biological oxygen demand, it is a big threat to the environment. Whey contains 4.5%–5.0% lactose, 0.6%–0.7% protein, 0.4%–0.5% lipids, vitamins and minerals. Due to its high nutritional profile, it is a good substrate for the microorganisms for production of natural pigments. The purpose of this paper is to review the utilization of low cost substrate (whey) for production of various types of pigments and their applications in different sectors.

The databases for the search included: Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, Research gate and Google. The main search was directed towards different types of natural pigments, stability, technologies for enhancing their production and contribution towards circular economy. Approximately 100 research papers were initially screened. A global search was conducted about natural pigments. Research articles, review papers, books, articles in press and book chapters were the type of search for writing this review paper.

Production of natural pigments using whey and their addition in food products not only improves the colour of food but also enhances the antioxidant properties of food products, helping the health benefits by chelating free radicals from the body. The sustainable use of whey for production of natural pigments can improve the bio-based economy of different industries and thereof the national economy.

Efficient utilization of whey can bring a lot more opportunities for production of natural pigments in a sustainable manner. The sustainable approach and circular economy concepts will benefit the dependent industries and health conscious consumers. The potential uses of whey for the production of natural pigments using diverse organisms are highlighted in this paper.

The authors derive a nonlinear MOR based on the Cauer ladder network (CLN) representation, which serves as an application of the parameterized MOR. Two parametrized CLN representations were developed to handle the nonlinear magnetic field. Simulations using the parameterized CLN were also conducted using an iron-cored inductor model under the first-order approximation.

This work studies the effect of parameter variations on reduced systems and aims at developing a general formulation for parametrized model order reduction (MOR) methods with the dynamical transition of parameterized state.

Terms including time derivatives of basis vectors appear in nonlinear state equations, in addition to the linear network equations of the CLN method. The terms are newly derived by an exact formulation of the parameterized CLN and are named parameter variation terms in this study. According to the simulation results, the parameter variation terms play a significant role in the nonlinear state equations when reluctivity is used, while they can be neglected when differential reluctivity is used.

The computational time of nonlinear transient analyses can be greatly reduced by applying the parameterized CLN when the number of time steps is large.

The authors introduced a general representation for the dynamical behavior of the reduced system with time-varying parameters, which has not been theoretically discussed in previous studies. The effect of the parameter variations is numerically given as a form of parameter variation terms by the exact derivation of the nonlinear state equations. The influence of parameter variation terms was confirmed by simulation.

The study aims to have adults discuss experiences, practices needs and feelings related to health management, diet and food security.

A total of 22 immigrants were recruited from the Open School of Immigrants in Piraeus, Attica, Greece, to participate in focus group discussions. The discussions were audio recorded and thematically analyzed. Three major themes were developed: pathways to health care, nutrition management and experiences related to food shortages.

Most of the participants identified internet as the most commonly used way to obtain health advice; they also stated that unexpected ill-health is usually accompanied by feelings of fear, anxiety and loneliness. Immigrants, who had visited a public hospital in Greece, identified the language barrier as the most challenging issue, followed by the long waiting lists. Fear and anxiety of hospital visits was an important factor in their decision to vaccinate against COVID-19. Lack of time, high cost of healthy food and lack of knowledge were the most common obstacles to a healthy diet. One in two immigrants reported that they have faced food insecurity issues in the past. Stress, psychological distress and irritation were reported, due to food shortages, especially during the first few years of arriving in Greece. The exclusion of some foods, reduced portion sizes and buying cheaper foods were among the coping strategies to address food shortages.

The study offers an insight into immigrant’s experiences, practices and feelings about managing health issues and could be useful for health-care practitioners, researchers and policymakers.

This paper aims to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the role of servitization in the creative and cultural industries (CCI).

A conceptual model is proposed based on five elements: servitization drivers (digitalization in particular), agents, modes (based on the standardization/customization dynamics), servitization mechanisms (the authors provide a new classification) and service experiences.

CCI is not considered a natural part of the service sector. They drive economic and social development and are part of the innovation ecosystem. They are confronting a set of emerging dynamics in which servitization plays a leading role. Servitization is a way to move toward value co-creation by transforming existing business models. Servitization – with digitalization facilitates the co-creation of CCI-based experiences for customers, users and other stakeholders.

In terms of further research implications, these theoretical and managerial considerations call for empirical research of the servitization of CCI to investigate how and how much it develops.

CCI companies need new business models that combine servitization, digitalization and value co-creation in the right mix. “One size fits all” does not work. Business models have to consider the right mix.

The proposed conceptual model provides a novel understanding of servitization and CCI and changes the focus from the “production” or push side (e.g. artistic creativity and messages) that has characterized much CCI theory toward the demand or pull side and buyers’ (users) increased power.

Activities on direct value chain directly add value to the products/services delivered to the customers. This value addition can be further enhanced by taking up flexibility initiatives on these direct value chain activities. The purpose of this paper is to identify flexibility initiatives on the direct value chain and carry out their valuation.

Since different value addition criteria (i.e. benefits and costs) may be both tangible and intangible, an interpretive valuation based on multi-criteria framework would be desirable. The paper deploys the efficient interpretive ranking process (IRP) for this purpose. It uses total interpretive structural modeling (TISM) to derive weights of criteria based on their respective driving power. The paper also makes a methodological contribution to assess transitive dominance in IRP based on transitivity check as used in the modified TISM process.

The paper uses a multi-criteria valuation to examine the proposition that the flexibility initiatives will add a higher value as we go downstream in the value chain. The flexibility initiatives linked with marketing such as product upgradation and switching, customized services and dynamic pricing are found to be most value adding in character.

The main limitation of this study is that it is generic in nature and need to be replicated in multiple case situations. The methodology proposed can be utilized for specific case analysis for flexibility valuation on the direct value chain.

The practitioners may be able to use the proposed method of TISM–IRP with improvements in real-life applications. The proposed multi-criteria valuation is interpretive in nature and can be utilized by practicing managers in group settings even if they do not have complete data.

The strategy and operations researchers will find promise in the methodology to investigate and prioritize the initiatives planned to enhance flexibility in different value chain activities. The researchers on multi-criteria decision making will find the methodological enhancement proposed in terms of graphically deriving the transitive dominance to be useful in other applications as well.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic overview of approaches to project portfolio selection in continuous improvement and to identify opportunities for future research.

This paper reviews the extant literature on the theory and application of project portfolio selection in continuous improvement.

Manufacturing organisations must routinely deliver efficiencies in order to compete, but their ability to realise sustainable competitive advantage from these improvements is hampered by the lack of objective approaches for targeting their improvement efforts. In this paper a normative framework for linking strategy to process improvement implementation is presented. The paper then examines the literature on portfolio and project selection in continuous improvement and presents a descriptive framework that represents the current state. Three gaps are highlighted: optimisation of the future state, portfolio generation, and the appropriate measurement to judge outcomes.

As a review, this work relies on the use of secondary sources. Some of these sources were published in publications that are not peer‐reviewed.

There are significant limitations to the approaches used by industry for project selection but the methods described in the literature do not offer an adequate solution to this problem. Practitioners must be aware of the benefits and shortcomings of the methods and recognise that they assist with choice not design.

This review fills a gap in the literature by providing researchers and practitioners with an overview of approaches, a better understanding of the shortcomings of current approaches and a normative model that highlights areas for further research.

This paper aims to investigate the current value chain activities grounded on Porter’s value chain theory and to examine the drivers of strategic environmentalism that influence sustainable value chain adoption. This study further constructs a prescriptive model to reveal the extent to which information communication technology (ICT)-based industries are adopting sustainable value chain practices.

Data were collected using questionnaire from selected ISO 14000/14001-certified ICT-based firms in Malaysia and analyzed using partial least square-structural equation modeling.

Results reveal that the primary activities positively influence sustainable value chain. Moreover, results indicate that support activities significantly influence sustainable value chain adoption in ICT-based firms. Results further show that strategic environmentalism drivers have an impact on sustainable value chain adoption.

Data were collected from ICT-based industries in Malaysia only. Additionally, this research extends the body of knowledge and offers theoretical implications for ICT-based industries in Malaysia and other emerging economies in adopting sustainable value chain activities.

Practically, this study assists ICT-based industries to change their current paradigm from the traditional operations to a more holistic approach toward supporting practitioners to simultaneously achieve social responsibility, environmental and economic growth.

This study offers social implications for ICT-based industries to implement cleaner operations by decreasing CO₂ emission, lessening energy usage, diminishing cost incurred and minimizing usage of natural resources, thereby increasing product recovery and recycle-ability of IT hardware.

This study is one of the first to address the issue related to sustainable value chain in ICT-based industry by providing a roadmap on how practitioners can implement sustainable initiatives or more significantly, how to infuse these initiatives in their current chain, while concurrently enhancing competitiveness. Furthermore, this paper examines the current activities implemented by practitioners toward sustainable value chain adoption and explores the correlation of the drivers of strategic environmentalism with regard to sustainable value chain.

The redesign of a product supply chain, in terms of production, cost and delivery capabilities can be effectively accomplished by mapping, analyzing and simulating the changes in the supply chain prior to implementation. The case being discussed pertains to the apparel industry in the USA. The beginning of 2005 marked the end of a 30‐year old quota on the apparel market in the USA. This has led many western apparel manufacturers to outsource their production to low‐labor cost countries. This in‐turn has led to increased customer lead‐times. This paper aims to discuss how the implementation of proper IT systems and supply chain measures can reduce lead‐times and also reduce total cost.

An integrated approach is utilized to model the impact of apparel outsourcing added to a US apparel producer supply chain by studying the process map, data analysis, and simulation of the supply chain using Visio, Excel and @Risk simulation software. Using Monte Carlo simulation, the hypotheses on responsiveness and relative costs were tested with and without the outsourcing feature in the US apparel producer supply chain.

The cost savings through outsourcing in the low‐cost labor countries in Asia for the US apparel producer supply chain can be huge and the lead‐time is quite substantial. Thus, outsourcing is not a viable solution for meeting short‐term market demands. However, for large seasonal orders, outsourcing could be an enormous cost‐saver. The lead‐time of the US apparel producer supply chain could be improved if certain controllable factors such as order processing could be made more efficient.

Recent studies by Acaccia, Conte, Maina and Michelini as well as the Leadership for European Apparel Production From Research along Original Guidelines (LEAPFROG, www.leapfrog‐eu.org/), were reviewed. However, no recent study that uses Monte Carlo simulation to measure the supply chain in the apparel market for the USA was traceable in the existing literature except one done by Naylor, Burdick and Sasser at Duke University in 1967. The process modeling of the US apparel producer supply chain with the outsourcing feature will be a useful decision analysis tool. With more data and better understanding of the industry, this simulation model can be easily expanded to obtain a more in depth understanding of any US apparel producer supply chain with an outsourcing capability. Even with making some realistic assumptions in the model, one can easily see the potential benefits of outsourcing. The study found that the customer lead‐time was averaging around 57 days at three‐fourths of the original cost with the minimum customer lead‐time being 41 days. Improved IT and logistics capabilities can minimize the variability recognized in major components of customer lead‐time, such as ocean freight transportation time, order processing time and manufacturing time.

The contribution of the research results from the apparel industry application, where simulation studies of this kind have recently not been executed for a US apparel manufacturer. It also showcases an innovative approach in analyzing outsourcing strategies for a US apparel producer supply chain. The study makes a business case that process improvement can be effectively accomplished with an integrated approach of using widely available inexpensive and user‐friendly computer‐based tools.

Downstream supply chain (DSC) performance metrics provide a standard framework to assess internal performance. DSC performance metrics can also help balance performance tradeoffs among firms. The purpose of this paper is to develop a survey instrument to determine whether observed performance metrics correspond to the literature and to determine if performance metric systems are used to improve inter‐firm performance.

The survey instrument used in this study was based on SCOR performance attributes consisting of: delivery reliability, responsiveness, flexibility, costs, and asset management efficiency. The survey was completed by 73 members of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) consisting of high‐level managers representing US companies.

One factor explained the underlying one‐dimensional structure of the surveyed Supply‐chain operations reference (SCOR) model as an internal metrics system but the authors did not find convincing support for the notion that external performance metrics are used to coordinate external, DSC inter‐firm activities.

A larger sample size would have allowed more insight into the inter‐relationships of the performance attribute variables. Moreover, the sampling plan limited generalization beyond US firms.

Firms used a standardized performance metric system and did not “pick” among metrics. In addition, firms used metrics independently of the decision to coordinate DSC activities. Perhaps they first learn to coordinate the internal performance and later extend to DSC members.

The paper describes one of the few empirical studies of the SCOR model in US industry.