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This study examines the effects of intertwining and circularity on the design of resilient and viable sourcing and recovery strategies in supply chains. We first construct a case study where the supply chains of three industries (i.e., automotive, healthcare, and electronics) frame an intertwined supply network (ISN). Through a discrete-event simulation model developed in anyLogistix, we examine the impact of disruptions in supply and demand on the performance of individual supply chains and the ISN as a whole. We test the performance of several sourcing strategies and their combinations. A special focus is directed toward shared reverse flows. The results show that disruption impact and recovery processes in the Circular ISN do not always follow conventional patterns known from the resilience of individual supply chains due to intertwining and circularity effects. We offer some managerial recommendations for the design of resilient sourcing strategies in the ISN context that are triangulated around collaborative sourcing practices, coordinated production planning, shared reverse flows, and visibility in inventory management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entering the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on supply chains. Reacting to the pandemic and adaptation in the "new normal" have been challenging tasks. Exiting the pandemic can lead to some after-shock effects such as "disruption tails." While the research community has undertaken considerable efforts to predict the pandemic's impacts and examine supply chain adaptive behaviors during the pandemic, little is known about supply chain management in the course of pandemic elimination and post-disruption recovery. If capacity and inventory management are unaware of the after-shock risks, this can result in highly destabilized production–inventory dynamics and decreased performance in the post-disruption period causing product deficits in the markets and high inventory costs in the supply chains. In this paper, we use a discrete-event simulation model to investigate some exit strategies for a supply chain in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our model can inform managers about the existence and risk of disruption tails in their supply chains and guide the selection of post-pandemic recovery strategies. Our results show that supply chains with postponed demand and shutdown capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic are particularly prone to disruption tails. We then developed and examined two strategies to avoid these disruption tails. First, we observed a conjunction of recovery and supply chain coordination which mitigates the impact of disruption tails by demand smoothing over time in the post-disruption period. Second, we found a gradual capacity ramp-up prior to expected peaks of postponed demand to be an effective strategy for disruption tail control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply chain viability (SCV) is an emerging concept of growing importance in operations management. This paper aims to conceptualize, develop, and validate a measurement scale for SCV. SCV is first defined and operationalized as a construct, followed by content validation and item measure development. Data have been collected through three independent samplings comprising a total of 558 respondents. Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are used in a step-wise manner for scale development. Reliability and validity are evaluated. A nomological model is theorized and tested to evaluate nomological validity. For the first time, our study frames SCV as a novel and distinct construct. The findings show that SCV is a hierarchical and multidimensional construct, reflected in organizational structures, organizational resources, dynamic design capabilities, and operational aspects. The findings reveal that a central characteristic of SCV is the dynamic reconfiguration of SC structures in an adaptive manner to ensure survival in the long-term perspective. This research conceptualizes and provides specific, validated dimensions and item measures for SCV. Practitioner directed guidance and suggestions are offered for improving SCV during the COVID-19 pandemic and future severe disruptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple one-step protocol for the synthesis of 3-amino-1-benzothiophene-2-carbonitriles from commercially or synthetically readily available S-(cyanomethyl) O-ethyl carbodithionate and 2-fluorobenzonitriles was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple procedure for the synthesis of N-substituted 2-amino-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyrimidines from isocyanates with a wide variety of substituents was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NMDA excitotoxicity, as a part of glutamate excitotoxicity, has been proposed to contribute significantly to many retinal diseases. Therefore, understanding mechanisms of NMDA excitotoxicity will provide further insight into the mechanisms of many retinal diseases. To study mechanisms of NMDA excitotoxicity in vivo, we used an animal model in which NMDA (20 mM, 2 µL) was injected into the vitreous of mice. We also used high-throughput expression profiling, various animals with reduced expression of target genes, and animals treated with the oral iron chelator deferiprone. We found that the expression of many genes involved in inflammation, programmed cell death, free radical production, oxidative stress, and iron and calcium signaling was significantly increased 24 h after NMDA treatment. Meanwhile, decreased activity of the pro-inflammatory TNF signaling cascade and decreased levels of ferrous iron (Fe2+, required for free radical production) led to significant neuroprotection in NMDA-treated retinas. Since increased TNF signaling activity and high Fe2+ levels trigger regulated necrosis, which, in turn, lead to inflammation, we proposed an important role in NMDA excitotoxicity of a positive feedback loop in which regulated necrosis promotes inflammation, which subsequently triggers regulated necrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A methodology was developed for the synthesis of 1-ethoxy-6-methyl-2H-[1,2]oxazino[3,4-c]quinoline-2,5(6H)-diones from methyl 4-[2-(dimethylamino)phenyl]-5-ethoxy-6-oxo-6H-1,2-oxazine-3-carboxylates by the action of titanium tetrachloride under inert atmosphere. This interaction provides a rare example of demethylation followed by cyclization, yielding several new compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adoption of carbon regulation mechanisms facilitates an evolution toward green and sustainable supply chains followed by an increased complexity. Through the development and usage of a multi-choice goal programming model solved by an improved algorithm, this article investigates sustainability strategies for carbon regulations mechanisms. We first propose a sustainable logistics model that considers assorted vehicle types and gas emissions involved with product transportation. We then construct a bi-objective model that minimizes total cost as the first objective function and follows environmental considerations in the second one. With our novel robust-heuristic optimization approach, we seek to support the decision-makers in comparison and selection of carbon emission policies in supply chains in complex settings with assorted vehicle types, demand and economic uncertainty. We deploy our model in a case-study to evaluate and analyse two carbon reduction policies, i.e., carbon-tax and cap-and-trade policies. The results demonstrate that our robust-heuristic methodology can efficiently deal with demand and economic uncertainty, especially in large-scale problems. Our findings suggest that governmental incentives for a cap-and-trade policy would be more effective for supply chains in lowering pollution by investing in cleaner technologies and adopting greener practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple procedure was developed for the synthesis of 2H-pyrido[3,4-c][1,2]benzoxazine-2,4(3H)-diones by the treatment of o-fluorophenyl-substituted 6-oxo-6H-1,2-oxazine-3-carboxylates with primary amines. The reaction proceeded according to the mechanism previously described for the formation of 3-(hydroxyimino)pyridine-2,6-diones followed by intramolecular nucleophilic substitution involving the hydroxyimino group to form the 1,2-oxazine ring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viability is the ability of a supply chain (SC) to maintain itself and survive in a changing environment through a redesign of structures and replanning of performance with long-term impacts. In this paper, we theorize a new notion—the viable supply chain (VSC). In our approach, viability is considered as an underlying SC property spanning three perspectives, i.e., agility, resilience, and sustainability. The principal ideas of the VSC model are adaptable structural SC designs for supply–demand allocations and, most importantly, establishment and control of adaptive mechanisms for transitions between the structural designs. Further, we demonstrate how the VSC components can be categorized across organizational, informational, process-functional, technological, and financial structures. Moreover, our study offers a VSC framework within an SC ecosystem. We discuss the relations between resilience and viability. Through the lens and guidance of dynamic systems theory, we illustrate the VSC model at the technical level. The VSC model can be of value for decision-makers to design SCs that can react adaptively to both positive changes (i.e., the agility angle) and be able to absorb negative disturbances, recover and survive during short-term disruptions and long-term, global shocks with societal and economical transformations (i.e., the resilience and sustainability angles). The VSC model can help firms in guiding their decisions on recovery and re-building of their SCs after global, long-term crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We emphasize that resilience is the central perspective in the VSC guaranteeing viability of the SCs of the future. Emerging directions in VSC research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak shows that pandemics and epidemics can seriously wreak havoc on supply chains (SC) around the globe. Humanitarian logistics literature has extensively studied epidemic impacts; however, there exists a research gap in understanding of pandemic impacts in commercial SCs. To progress in this direction, we present a systematic analysis of the impacts of epidemic outbreaks on SCs guided by a structured literature review that collated a unique set of publications. The literature review findings suggest that influenza was the most visible epidemic outbreak reported, and that optimization of resource allocation and distribution emerged as the most popular topic. The streamlining of the literature helps us to reveal several new research tensions and novel categorizations/classifications. Most centrally, we propose a framework for operations and supply chain management at the times of COVID-19 pandemic spanning six perspectives, i.e., adaptation, digitalization, preparedness, recovery, ripple effect, and sustainability. Utilizing the outcomes of our analysis, we tease out a series of open research questions that would not be observed otherwise. Our study also emphasizes the need and offers directions to advance the literature on the impacts of the epidemic outbreaks on SCs framing a research agenda for scholars and practitioners working on this emerging research stream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a design redundancy framework for countering the risks inherent in humanitarian supply chains (SCs), particularly those operating in conflict zones. This framework deals with humanitarian SC design and risk management, drawing from literature on agility and resilience. The humanitarian SC operation directed by the logistics cluster in Yemen is analyzed using system dynamics simulation and network optimization. Real data is used as input to the models to create and five alternative SC designs which can be implemented depending on the current risks to the humanitarian SC. This constitutes the new concept of design redundancy, whereby humanitarian SC managers can analyse multiple alternative SC designs for humanitarian operations. Each design is fitted to a potential risk scenario which is likely to occur during that crisis. The approach developed empowers the decision-makers to ensure the continued flow of aid to beneficiaries despite disruption providing decision-making support for humanitarian SC managers and communication with donors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The studies on supply chain (SC) disruption management frequently assume the existence of some negative scenarios and suggest ways to proactively protect and reactively recover the SC operations and performance if such scenarios occur. Though, there is a paucity of research on how to support methodologically the detection of realistic disruption scenarios, ideally of different risk aversion degrees. The contribution of our study lies in a conceptualization of a new methodical approach to the detection of disruption scenarios, ripple effect dispersal and recovery paths in supply chains on the basis of structural genomes. The objective is to integrate and expand the existing knowledge gained isolated in robustness analysis and recovery planning into a comprehensive framework for building a theory as well as for managerial purposes. The outcomes of this research constitute a useful decision-making support tool that allows detecting disruption scenarios at different risk-aversion levels based on the quantification of the structural robustness with the use of the genome method and observing the scope of disruption propagation, i.e., the ripple effect. The advantage of using a robustness computation by the genome method is that this allows detecting both the disruption scenarios of different severity, the ripple effect dispersal, and the corresponding recovery paths. Our results can be of value for decision-makers to compare different supply chain structural designs regarding the robustness and to identify disruption scenarios that interrupt the supply chain operations to different extents. The scenario detection can be further used for identifying optimal reconfiguration paths to deploy proactive contingency and reactive recovery policies. We show a correlation between the risk aversion degree of disruption scenarios and the outcomes of the reconfiguration policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first study that presents a supply chain (SC) resilience measure with the ripple effect considerations including both disruption and recovery stages. SCs have become more prone to disruptions due to their complexity and strategic outsourcing. While development of resilient SC designs is desirable and indeed critical to withstand the disruptions, exploiting the resilience capabilities to achieve the target performance outcomes through effective recovery is becoming increasingly important. More adversely, resilience assessment in multi-stage SCs is particularly challenged by consideration of disruption propagation and its associated impact known as the ripple effect. We theorize a new measure to quantify the resilience of the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) with a multi-stage assessment of suppliers' proneness to disruptions and the SC exposure to the ripple effect. We examine and test the developed notion of SC resilience as a function of supplier vulnerability and recoverability using a Bayesian network and considering disruption propagation using a real-life case-study in car manufacturing. The findings suggest that our model can be of value for OEMs to identify the resilience level of their most important suppliers based on forming a quadrant plot in terms of supplier importance and resilience. Our approach can be used by managers to identify the disruption profiles in the supply base and associated SC performance degradation due to the ripple effect. Our method explicitly allows to uncover latent, high-risk suppliers to develop recommendations to control the ripple effect. Utilizing the outcomes of this research can support the design of resilient supply networks with a large number of suppliers: critical suppliers with low resilience can be identified and developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ischemia–reperfusion (IR) injury is implicated in a large array of pathological conditions in the retina. Increasing experimental evidence suggests that programmed necrosis makes a significant contribution to inflammation and retinal damage triggered by IR. Since there are many types of programmed necrosis, it is important to identify those involved in retinal IR to determine the correct treatment. To this end, we used a mouse model of retinal IR and a variety of approaches including RNA-seq data analysis. Our RNA-seq data revealed the rapid development of ischemic pathology in the retina during the first 24 h after reperfusion. We found that at least four types of programmed necrosis including necroptosis, pyroptosis, oxytosis/ferroptosis, and parthanatos are simultaneously involved in retinal IR. Our data suggest that the high activity of the TNF pathway at the early stage of retinal IR leads to early activation of necroptosis while significant activity of other types of programmed necrosis appears later. Our results indicate that TNF, glutamate, and ferrous iron generated by Steap3 may be key players concurrently triggering at least necroptosis, oxytosis/ferroptosis, and parthanatos in ischemic retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Thus, multiple signaling cascades involved in programmed necrosis should be synchronously targeted for therapeutic purposes to treat retinal IR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple methodology was developed for the synthesis of 5,11-dialkyl-5,6,11,12-tetrahydro-6,12-epoxydibenzo[b,f][1,5]diazocines by treatment of the respective 2-alkylaminobenzaldehydes with hydrogen chloride solution in dioxane at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-021-04042-6 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected manufacturing companies and necessitated adaptations of firms' operations. Despite the increasing interest in this subject, a scarcity of systematic analysis can be observed. The present study systematically reviews the existing research on the COVID-19 pandemic concerning the manufacturing industry. This paper aims to highlight the main impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the manufacturing sector from the operations management perspective, the practical adaptation actions, and future research opportunities. Open research questions and directions for further investigation are articulated and triangulated across organisational, process and technology perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Businesses and governments are becoming increasingly concerned about the resilience of supply chains and calling for their review and stress testing. In this conceptual essay, we theorize a human-centred ecosystem viability perspective that spans the dimensions of resilience and sustainability and can be used as guidance for the conceptualization of supply chain resilience analysis in the presence of long-term crises. Subsequently, we turn to the technological level and present the digital supply chain twin as a contemporary instrument for stress testing supply chain resilience. We provide some implementation guidelines and emphasize that although resilience assessment of individual supply chains is important and critical for firms, viability analysis of intertwined supply networks and ecosystems represents a novel and impactful research perspective. One of the major outcomes of this essay is the conceptualization of a human-centred ecosystem viability perspective on supply chain resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue publishes contributions from the operations research (OR) community in the following areas and at the intersections of those areas, namely manufacturing and supply chain digitalization, resilience, and sustainability. Today and looking into the near future, digital technologies, such as blockchain (Cai et al., [5]; Choi, [6], [7]; Fan et al., [13]; Zheng et al., [24]), 3D printing (Arbabian & Wagner, [1]), artificial intelligence (Cui et al., [10]; Grover et al., [15]; Sun et al., [23]), digital twins (Burgos & Ivanov, [4]; Ivanov & Dolgui, [16]), big data analytics (Ban & Rudin, [2]; Choi et al., [9]), augmented reality (Li et al., [19]), cyber-physical systems (Battaia et al., [3]; Panetto et al., [21]) are playing a critical role in production operations. Supply chain financing using blockchain: Impacts on supply chains selling fashionable products. This study examines supply chain members' incentives for remanufactured products in a two-channel supply chain. [Extracted from the article]

Manufacturing flexibility improves a firm's ability to react in timely manner to customer demands and to increase production system productivity without incurring excessive costs and expending an excessive amount of resources. The emerging technologies in the Industry 4.0 era, such as cloud operations or industrial Artificial Intelligence, allow for new flexible production systems. We develop and test an analytical model for a throughput analysis and use it to reveal the conditions under which the autonomous mobile robots (AMR)-based flexible production networks are more advantageous as compared to the traditional production lines. Using a circular loop among workstations and inter-operational buffers, our model allows congestion to be avoided by utilizing multiple crosses and analyzing both the flow and the load/unload phases. The sensitivity analysis shows that the cost of the AMRs and the number of shifts are the key factors in improving flexibility and productivity. The outcomes of this research promote a deeper understanding of the role of AMRs in Industry 4.0-based production networks and can be utilized by production planners to determine optimal configurations and the associated performance impact of the AMR-based production networks in as compared to the traditionally balanced lines. This study supports the decision-makers in how the AMR in production systems in process industry can improve manufacturing performance in terms of productivity, flexibility, and costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Mine tailings are challenging substrates for ecological restoration, as the establishment of diverse native plant communities can be constrained by a range of edaphic factors. Thus, the ability to restore native vegetation communities will depend upon developing a clear evidence-base as to what types of species and communities are likely sustainably reinstated on such altered substrates. As global tailings production and the cumulative footprint of tailings storage facilities continue to grow, understanding the effect of edaphic filters on community establishment is foundational for developing effective restoration solutions for tailings. Methods: We standardised growth rate estimates derived from nine root and shoot parameters for plants grown in magnetite tailings and natural topsoil, using crops (eight species) to characterise previously identified plant responses and native plants (40 species) to understand the impact of edaphic conditions on the species pool available for restoration. Results: The edaphic conditions of unweathered magnetite tailings select against the majority of native plant species and nutrient-acquisition guilds (approximately 75% of reference floristic biodiversity), with plant development on tailings compared with natural topsoil compromised in a number of variables in all but six species. Plant growth on tailings was limited by a lack of available nitrogen (N) and high alkalinity (pH >9), and seedling growth and development was positively associated with seed N concentration. Calcicole species and species from N2-fixing and cluster root-producing strategies performed better on tailings than calcifuge species and species without specialised nutrient-acquisition strategy or those reliant upon mycorrhizal associations. Conclusions: The return of plant communities native to highly weathered, acidic soils on magnetite tailings is likely unsuccessful, unless strategies to ameliorate substrate hostility through acidification of the soil profile and improving N availability are prioritised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusive hadroproduction of a Higgs boson and of a jet, featuring large transverse momenta and well separated in rapidity, is proposed as a novel probe channel for the manifestation of the Balitsky–Fadin–Kuraev–Lipatov (BFKL) dynamics. Using the standard BFKL approach, with partial inclusion of next-to-leading order effects, predictions are presented for azimuthal Higgs-jet correlations and other observables, to be possibly compared with experimental analyses at the LHC and with theoretical predictions obtained in different schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Mined materials often require rehabilitation or ecological restoration through revegetation as part of mine closure and relinquishment practices, yet there is a widening gap between the expectations of recovery and what industry achieve. The edaphic conditions of post-mining substrates present a suite of potential limitations to plant growth and may constrain the establishment capability and development of native species. Methods: We assessed seedling emergence, relative growth rate and calculated standardised growth estimates using 10 measured root and shoot parameters for six locally-dominant native species from different families and nutrient-acquisition strategies in a range of representative mining restoration substrates (topsoil, tailings, capped tailings and waste rock), examining their suitability as pioneers for ecological restoration. Results: The establishment and growth of all six species in post-mining substrates were significantly compromised. Root development was significantly responsive to substrate, with measured root parameters on average 27% lower in capped tailings, 41% lower in waste rock and 67% lower for individuals grown in tailings compared with those grown in topsoil alone. Plant growth was compromised at different life cycle stages (seed germination, seedling establishment, early growth and development) and across a number of different traits, with primary edaphic constraints including high pH (>8.5) and insufficient available N. The highest-performing species on post-mining substrates was an N2-fixing legume, while lowest-performing species included those with ectomycorrhizal associations or no specific nutrient-acquisition strategy. Conclusions: Edaphic filters may be significant drivers of trajectory and success in rehabilitation and restoration projects at scales ranging from individuals (by limiting establishment or constraining growth and development) to communities (by causing species to assemble in a different manner than the desired reference community). If intractable edaphic parameters constraining plant establishment and early development such as extreme pH and a lack of available nutrients are not ameliorated, the restoration trajectory on post-mining landforms is likely unfavourable. Failure to adequately ameliorate post-mining substrates may represent a major liability for industry in meeting mine-closure requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of resilient supply chain and operations management in the pharmaceutical industry has intensified. A particular challenge has been the timely adaptation to rapid fluctuations in the business environment to cope with disruptions and ensure the adequate supply of medical equipment and pharmaceuticals. In this study, we perform a simulation-based analysis of pandemic-triggered impacts on pharmaceutical supply chains in Germany with the aim of examining supply chain response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To accomplish this, we build a digital supply chain model using a hybrid approach that combines case study analysis and discrete-event simulation implemented in anyLogistix. Based on the results, we propose a specific response action plan for the pharmaceutical industry that can be deployed in response to severe disruptions and pandemic-like crises. We also offer a resilience framework for the post-pandemic environment as a guideline for strategic decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional carbon fibre laminates are known to be moderately electrically conductive in-plane, but have a poor through-thickness conductivity. This poses a problem for functionality aspects that are of increasing importance to industry, such as sensing, current collection, inductive/resistive heating, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, etc. This restriction is of course more pronounced for non-conductive composite reinforcements such as glass, organic or natural fibres. Among various solutions to boost through-thickness electrical conductivity, tufting with hybrid micro-braided metal-carbon fibre yarns is one of the most promising. As a well-characterised method of through thickness reinforcement, tufting is easily implementable in a manufacturing environment. The hybridisation of materials in the braid promotes the resilience and integrity of yarns, while integrating metal wires opens up a wide range of multifunctional applications. Many configurations can be produced by varying braid patterns and the constituting yarns/wires. A predictive design tool is therefore necessary to select the right material configuration for the desired functional and structural performance. This paper suggests a fast and robust method for generating finite-element models of the braids, validates the prediction of micro-architecture and electrical conductivity, and demonstrates successful manufacturing of composites enhanced with braided tufts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil respiration studies in paludified forests of the European part of Russia are quite rare in comparison with those of open peat bogs, which make long-term observations in this region highly relevant. In this study, soil CO2 emissions were measured by the close chamber method in different microlandscapes of paludified forests. For four summer seasons with different environments, soil respiration ranged from 1078 to 248 mg CO2 m−2 h−1 in a paludified spruce forest site with coarse woody debris to 659–820 mg CO2 m−2 h−1 in a paludified boggy pine forest. The most intensive soil respiration was observed during the hot summer of 2013 and the lowest in the hot and humid summer of 2016. Annual total soil CO2 emissions in paludified forests in 2015–2016 were approximately 2000–3000 g CO2 m−2. During the year, the lowest CO2 emission values were observed from November to April (14–84 mg CO2 m−2 h−1) and the maximum were in July and August (522–1205 mg CO2 m−2 h−1). The contributions of CO2 emissions in the cold November–April period were 6–8.5%. The impacts of temperature on soil respiration were higher (r2 = 0.45–0.57) than those of groundwater levels (r2 = 0.17–0.49). Soil respiration in the paludified spruce forest and in the pine bog generally were higher than emissions from ecosystems with similar hydrothermal conditions in the boreal zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance impacts of ordering and production control policies in the presence of capacity disruptions are studied on the real-life example of a retail supply chain with product perishability considerations. Constraints on product perishability typically result in reductions in safety stock and increases in transportation frequency. Consideration of the production capacity disruption risks may lead to safety stock increases. This trade-off is approached with the help of a simulation model that is used to compare supply chain performance impacts with regard to coordinated and non-coordinated ordering and production control policies. Real data of a fast moving consumer goods company is used to perform simulations and to derive novel managerial insights and practical recommendations on inventory, on-time delivery and service level control. In particular, for the first time, the effect of 'postponed redundancy' has been observed. Moreover, a coordinated production–ordering contingency policy in the supply chain within and after the disruption period has been developed and tested to reduce the negative impacts of the 'postponed redundancy'. The lessons learned from experiments provide evidence that a coordinated policy is advantageous for inventory dynamics stabilization, improvement in on-time delivery, and variation reduction in customer service level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study develops a resilience control model and computational algorithm for simultaneous structural–operational design of supply chain (SC) structural dynamics and recovery policy control. Our model integrates both structural recovery control in the SC as a whole and the corresponding functional recovery control at individual firms in the SC. Such a comprehensive combination is unique in literature and affords more realistic application to SC resilience control decisions. The focus of our study is to advance insights into feedback-driven understanding of resilience within open system control context. We construct a model that allows theorizing the notion of SC resilience within a disruption dynamics profile as a product of degradation and recovery control loops and examine the conditions for changes of disruption profile states. We show that the deviations from the resilient trajectory are associated with structural and performance degradation, and the recovery operations in structural adaptation yield the performance recovery. We contribute to existing works by comprehensively modelling structural dynamics and operational dynamics within an integrated feedback-driven framework to enable proactive SC resilience control. Our approach conceptualizes a new perspective as compared to the more common closed system view where SC resilience is treated from the performance equilibrium point of view. The proposed approach can help explain and improve the firms' operations in multiple ways. First, the combination of structural and functional dynamics can help revealing the latent supply–demand allocations which would be disrupted in case of particular changes in the SC design and suggest re-allocations of supply and demand Second, the model can be used to perform the dynamic analysis of SC disruption and recovery and to explain the reasons of SC performance degradation and restoration. This analysis can be further used to improve SC risk mitigation policies and recovery plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic overuse in infants is associated with an increased risk of serious adverse events. Development of antibiotic stewardship programs aimed at reducing overall antibiotic consumption requires epidemiological surveillance. Retrospective surveillance and evaluation of all antibiotics provided to every infant admitted to maternal wards or neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) from 01 January 2014 to 31 December 2014 were performed in five medical centers of Saint Petersburg, Russia. Types of antibiotics and dates of administration were recorded. Antibiotic use was quantified by length of therapy (length of therapy, LOT, per 1000 patient-days, PD) and days of therapy (DOT/1000 PD). An additional parameter named “instant DOT/1000 PD” was introduced by authors for assessment of longitudinal patterns of administrations. Antibiotic load was 825.6 DOT/1000 PD in maternity wards and 1425.8 DOT/1000 PD in the NICUs. These levels are two to four times higher than DOTs reported in the USA for a level III NICU (348 DOT/1000PD). Antibiotic load was associated with the length of hospital stay (LOS) and birth weight. These associations were distorted when assessed using the conventional parameters, LOT and DOT, because they do not reflect the longitudinal component of treatment and underestimate antibiotic load when a patient stays in hospital without treatment. The proposed additional parameter successfully overcame these flaws and uncovered hidden associations. Severe overuse of antibiotics may be taking place in Russia and antibiotic stewardship development should be urged. Instant DOT/1000 PD is a more powerful tool in assessing treatment patterns than DOT/1000 PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time, the ripple effect is examined in the setting of an intertwined supply network. Through simulations, we model the disruption propagation in supply chains having common suppliers. We explore conditions under which a collaborative coordination of re-purposed capacities and shared stocks can help mitigate the ripple effect and improve recovery performance. As a result, we conceptualize the notion of collaborative emergency adaptation contributing to development of “network-of networks” and viability perspective in supply chain resilience management. We illustrate our approach with anyLogistix simulations and deduce some generalized theoretical and managerial insights on how and when a collaborative emergency adaptation can be implemented and help improve supply chain resilience and viability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the inclusive production of a pair of charged light hadrons (a 'dihadron' system) featuring high transverse momenta and well separated in rapidity represents a clear channel for the test of the BFKL dynamics at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This process has much in common with the well-known Mueller-Navelet jet production; however, hadrons can be detected at much smaller values of the transverse momentum than jets, thus allowing to explore an additional kinematic range, supplementary to the one studied with Mueller-Navelet jets. Furthermore, it makes it possible to constrain not only the parton densities (PDFs) for the initial proton, but also the parton fragmentation functions (FFs) describing the detected hadron in the final state. Here, we present the first full NLA BFKL analysis for cross sections and azimuthal angle correlations for dihadrons produced in the LHC kinematic ranges. We make use of the Brodsky-Lapage-Mackenzie optimization method to set the values of the renormalization scale and study the effect of choosing different values for the factorization scale. We also gauge the uncertainty coming from the use of different PDF and FF parametrizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short pulse laser irradiation has the ability to bring a material into a state of strong electronic, thermal, phase, and mechanical nonequilibrium and trigger a sequence of structural transformations leading to the generation of complex multiscale surface morphologies, unusual metastable phases, and microstructures that cannot be produced by any other means. In this article, we provide an overview of recent advancements and existing challenges in the understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of short pulse laser interaction with materials, including the material response to strong electronic excitation, ultrafast redistribution and partitioning of the deposited laser energy, the peculiarities of phase transformations occurring under conditions of strong superheating/undercooling, as well as laser-induced generation of crystal defects and modification of surface microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]