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This paper proposes a service-oriented manufacturing strategy in a two-echelon supply chain with random demand. When there is no inventory for the retailer to meet demand, customers can choose to order products through the retailer and products will be delivered to them by the manufacturer directly in the promised time, and we call this delivery service in service-oriented manufacturing. We employ a Stackelberg game-theoretic model to analyse the procurement quantity and delivery time decisions by the manufacturer as the leader and the retailer as the follower. Using the performance of the pure-manufacturing strategy as a benchmark, our main results follow. First, the equilibrium strategies of the two players are obtained. Clear decision rules are also given. Second, delivery service in service-oriented manufacturing can be an effective way to reduce the holding cost of the retailer. Third, we describe the customer loss caused by waiting and find how the manufacturer influences procurement quantity of the retailer through the decision of delivery time. Finally, delivery service in service-oriented manufacturing cannot always improve the profit of the manufacturer and the retailer. We give guidance for managers to provide it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a general assembly system that produces variations on a single product. Customers can choose to customize any aspect of the product which corresponds to one or more stages of the assembly system. We assume that demand for the original product and the demand for any customization at any stage are all random with known probability distributions. We model this problem as a multi-echelon inventory management problem. This problem has not been studied before. Allowing for customization at any stage in an assembly system makes this problem significantly more complex than similar problems considered in the past. To solve this problem, we 'split' the assembly line into two parallel assembly lines which we call uncommitted and committed lines. We show that the usual method of reducing the assembly system to a series is not possible in general. We develop a heuristic policy which can be used to then reduce the system into a series system. We also present numerical calculations which highlight the efficacy of the heuristic policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a production-inventory system in which the facility produces continuously, switching between two production rates: one faster and one slower than the average demand rate. Demand follows a compound Poisson process, and the size of each demand request is an exponential random variable. Unsatisfied demand is backordered. The production-inventory system is controlled by a two-critical number policy (r, R), whereby production switches from the slower rate to the faster rate when inventory drops below level r and from the faster rate to the slower rate when inventory reaches level R. A fixed cost occurs whenever production switches rates. Our analysis covers two cases: r ≥ 0 and the less studied case of r ≤ 0. We use a level crossing approach to derive the steadystate distribution of the inventory level. Using the steady-state distribution of the inventory level, we calculate the total expected inventory holding, backorder, and switchover costs for each of the two cases. We outline how to obtain the optimal policy through a search of the expected cost functions. We also propose heuristics that give simple closed-form solutions with near-optimal performance. Through a numerical study, we illustrate the importance of considering the r ≤ 0 case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scheduling is a complex task due to the need to optimise multiple competing objectives and react to unpredictable events that may occur during production execution. The strategy of predictive-reactive scheduling can be used to reconcile the conflict between the original schedule and the current shop floor situation. This study seeks to present an inventory data-driven predictive-reactive production scheduling model that supports the evolving concepts of the Industry 4.0. Periodically, a machine learning technique provides predictive scheduling considering a best-case scenario according to an established Key Performance Indicator (KPI). Then, material non-availability causes disruptions in production, which triggers the Simulation-Based Optimization (SBO) method to handle these events. Thus, SBO provides a reactive schedule with the best set of priority rules to sequence jobs on each machine according to the data on the shop floor. This model was validated with a real case study using data collected from a metal-mechanical company. Considering the service level KPI, the results showed that the model is able to find a better solution in the compared scenarios. Therefore, even in a dynamic and stochastic scenario, with machine breakdowns, quality problems, raw material delays, and accuracy issues, the model proved efficient in mitigating these variations' effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the problem of optimising the network of a Third-Party Logistics (3PL) company, placing emphasis on the distinct characteristics of the 3PL environment. The goal is to minimise the warehousing and distribution costs for both forward and reverse product flows. A new Mixed Integer Linear Program (MILP) model is proposed to address this interesting problem. The related decisions include: selection of (a) warehouse(s) and the related product inventory quantities, (b) product unit loads transported, (c) truck combinations employed to perform the corresponding forward and reverse trips. The model was applied in a case study of a 3PL company to optimise part of its forward supply chain that comprises three warehouses, 23 suppliers and 53 customers. The results obtained were very encouraging, since overall warehousing and distribution costs were lowered by 10.8%. Sensitivity analysis indicated that additional savings may result from optimising warehousing capacities. The main contributions of this work are the inclusiveness of key aspects of the 3PL environment in the proposed model, as well as placing emphasis on warehousing costs and on management of truck capacities. A secondary contribution is the validation of the model's value through a comprehensive case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates a single-vendor, multiple-buyer coordinated supply chain under stochastic demand. Each buyer implements a continuous review policy, and the shortage quantity is fully back-ordered. The lead time for the first shipment includes setup, production, and transportation times, while the lead time for the remaining shipments includes only transportation time. The production time is a function of production lot and production rate, which are both decision variables, and the setup and transportation times are controllable as well. For each buyer, the safety stock in the first replenishment cycle is not necessarily identical to that in the remaining cycles. Two successive shipments from the vendor to a buyer may have different sizes, and their ratio is a decision variable. The problem is finding the production and inventory replenishment policy, production rate, and lead times that minimise the long-run expected total cost per time unit. We demonstrate properties satisfied by the cost function and develop an optimisation algorithm, whose performance is compared to a benchmark algorithm based on a commercial solver in a numerical experiment. The experiments also investigate the benefits stemming from the proposed model when compared to models reproducing situations that leverage some or any of the controlled factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weight Pressures in Sport—Females (WPS-F) questionnaire measures sport-related pressures that female athletes experience regarding body weight, shape, size, and appearance. In order to examine the psychometric properties of the Greek version of the inventory, two different studies were conducted. In the first study, using a sample (n = 225) of female Greek athletes aged 12–20 years, exploratory factor analysis produced two factors (Factor 1: Pressures From Coaches and Sports About Weight and Factor 2: Pressures Regarding Appearance and Performance) and supported the original factor structure. In the second study, using a different sample (n = 318) of female Greek athletes aged 11–18 years, confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the two-factor structure. Weight Pressures in Sport—Females questionnaire was demonstrated to be a valid and reliable instrument for Greek female athletic populations. Future studies should further test the factorial structure in younger and older athletes and in larger samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the balance between exploration and exploitation stages is very crucial for preventing local optima when using metaheuristic algorithms to solve optimization problems. This is made by a number of procedures, including hybridization and search agent improvement. This work deals with the modelling of single deteriorating item based two-warehouse inventory system with variable demand depending on time, frequency of advertisement and displayed inventory level. Customers’ waiting time dependent partially backlogged shortages are allowed. Moreover, price break facilities are available for the retailer. In the proposed model, transportation costs for replenishing the items as well as for transferring the item from rented warehouse to owned warehouse are considered. Based on displayed inventory level and capacity of owned warehouse, different cases are investigated and the corresponding optimization problems are developed. An extended version of hybrid Tournament Differential Algorithm (TDE) is applied to solve the said optimization problem. Then the same problem is solved by differential evolution and teaching learning based optimization algorithm and the obtained results are compared with TDE algorithm. Finally, a numerical example along with sensitivity analysis (graphically) is carried out to illustrate the proposed model and also to explore how the changes in key model parameters effect on optimal policy. To analyze the statistical interpretation of different metaheuristic algorithms, a non-parametric test is performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pull-to-center (PTC) effect refers to newsvendors' behaviour of under-/overordering in high-/low-profit conditions. This paper examines the impact of peer effects on newsvendors' decision behaviour and performance through laboratory experiments. We consider a paired newsvendor setting where subjects are randomly divided into pairs and are informed of their peers' decisions and performance when they make order decisions, where peer effects arise. We find that subjects are unintentionally influenced by and intentionally learn from their peers' decisions and ultimately manifest a peer-chasing behaviour (i.e., to chase peers' decisions). Comparing with the single newsvendor setting, we further demonstrate the impact of the peer effect: (i) the peer-chasing behaviour can mitigate the PTC effect and hence improve the profit; (ii) the peer-chasing behaviour can counter the adverse effect of the demand-chasing heuristic; and (iii) the peer-chasing behaviour can theoretically reduce the variance of subjects' order quantities and lead to a profit improvement. This paper contributes to the literature by first identifying the peer-chasing behaviour(s) and introducing a new debiasing strategy to mitigate the PTC effect via peer effects. We also propose an approach to link the level and adjustment behaviours, revealing how various adjustment behaviours affect the corresponding level behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Puntarenas City, a historic and tourist port of Costa Rica, several vernacular buildings constructed in wood can be observed. Despite the prevalence of this architectural type in the area, there is an absence of comprehensive studies aimed at documenting this significant heritage. This article seeks to identify the vernacular architecture in this city through the architectural characterization, quantification, and geolocation of existing buildings, as well as the preliminary recognition of the state of conservation of the group of buildings. The methodological process proposed a four-stage approach. The initial stage involved an examination of documentary sources to verify existing information and obtain a preliminary profile of architectural characteristics. A participatory workshop with the community enabled the validation of this profile. The second stage comprised fieldwork, which yielded a starting list of properties. In the third stage, a detailed examination of the listed properties enabled the verification of the profile of characteristics, the delimitation of the architectural typologies, and the selection of buildings that did not fulfill the preliminary profile or possessed significant modifications that affected their architectural legibility. The fourth stage comprised the development of an inventory of vernacular architecture buildings and the systematic data transference to a Geographic Information System. This study mainly obtained the following results: an initial list of 172 wooden buildings in Puntarenas City and a geolocated inventory of 75 vernacular wooden architecture buildings that exhibit considerable architectural legibility. Moreover, identifying the uses and architectural features of the inventoried buildings permitted their categorization into ten distinct typologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bogor Botanical Gardens' Mexican Park presents various dry-climate plants useful for recreation and learning. The presence of weeds in the collection site would have a negative impact because they can inhibit the growth of the collection plants. This study examined the diversity of weeds in the Mexican Park, Bogor Botanical Gardens. This descriptive study took place in the Bogor Botanical Gardens, specifically in the Mexican Park, and weed identification was carried out at the National Research and Innovation Agency. The weed data obtained was then analyzed descriptively through a literature study. The results showed that there were 52 weed species from 28 families. Most species came from the Asteraceae and Araceae families. The block that had the most weeds was Block II.O.IV, with a total of 15 weed species. The species that were often found in each area of the Mexican Garden Collection include Euphorbia graminea Jacq., Euphorbia heterophylla L., Calliandra calothyrsusMeisn, Coleus monostachyus (P. Beauv.) AJ Paton, Cecropia peltate L., and Cissus verticillata subsp. verticillata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our framework deals with stochastic dynamic inventory models for stocking decisions of a retailer selling a single perishable product in the presence of strategic customers who time their purchases. Each short period, the retailer determines a stocking quantity before random demand is realized. Strategic customers use their reference on product availability to purchase at a regular price or wait for a markdown and learn from the retailer's stocking quantity to update their reference. We characterize the structural properties such as the concavity of single- and two-period profit functions. On an infinite horizon, we show that a steady-state reference distribution is ergodic and an optimal stocking quantity is unique for a given reference. We conduct extensive numerical studies on an infinite horizon to compare an optimal dynamic policy and the corresponding optimal static policy which sets a fixed stocking quantity over time. A near-optimal performance of optimal static policy with an average profit gap of less than 1% is remarkable and contrasts with that in the two-period model which may be far worse. Thus, a well-chosen fixed stocking quantity on a planning horizon with many short periods tends to yield a high performance without having to change stocking quantities over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study represents an inventory of fish collected in six small tributaries from the rio Tarumã river, in the Jaru Biological Reserve, middle rio Machado, Vale do Anari town, Rondônia, Brazil. The fieldwork was carried in August 2019 and 2021 in streams of up to third order during the low water period, in a 50 m blocked stretch located 1 km upstream of the mouth of the Tarumã river. The sampling effort in each stream was standardized with five people collecting with hand-nets and seine-nets for 2 hours. A total of 2.989 individuals, 64 species, 55 genera, 22 families and seven orders were captured. Seven species not identified at the species level belonging to the Cetopsorhamdia, Hemigrammus, Knodus, Microcharacidium, Paracanthopoma, Pyrrhulina, and Synbranchus, were considered as new. No exotic species was captured. The fish of the orders Characiformes and Siluriformes had the greatest abundance. Characidae was the family with greatest richness of captured species (13 species), being Hyphessobrycon agulha, Hemigrammus bellottii, Apistogramma resticulosa, and Elachocharaxpulcher the species with the highest richness and abundance. This study illustrates the fish composition in a pristine area from the rio Machado and will serve as a baseline for future studies in view of the rapid replacement of forests in production systems of southern Amazonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Alessandro Blasetti Archive is a unique source of information that traces the profiles and work of many professional figures of the film industry, including scenographers and costume designers. An examination of the director's filmography reveals the names of the numerous maestri of Italian cinema who, between the 1930s and the 1970s, elevated the art of set and costume design beyond Italy. Among them were pioneers such as Virgilio Marchi, Gastone Medin, Gino Carlo Sensani and Dario Cecchi. The archive holds rare documents that concern them as well as documents relative to Marina Arcangeli and Maria de Matteis, two women who were as important as their male colleagues to the success of Italian talent in this sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Phallus, popularly known as stinkhorns, includes representatives characterized by phaloid form, mucilaginous gleba with a passive dispersal mechanism of basidiospores associated to insects. In Brazil, the records of Phallus species are concentrated in the South and Southeast regions of the country, some identifications are mistaken, and studies are insufficient to estimate biodiversity of the genus. In this context, the present study aimed to contribute with two new Phallus records for Brazil, inventory Phallus species described for Brazil, and develop an identification key. Collections were conducted in the municipalities of Barbalha-CE (Parque Ecológico Municipal Riacho do Meio) and Crato-CE (Parque Estadual Sítio Fundão). The basidiomata collected were herborized, underwent morphological analysis, and were identified based on specific literature. The species P. squamulosus was identified, characterized by an unexpanded basidiome and volva with a scaly surface and white receptacle with shallow reticulations and a wide apical pore. This is the third record for science and the first for the Semiarid Northeast. After review of Phallus records for Brazil in the literature (articles and books), we concluded that there are 14 species of Phallus in Brazil. In the checklist of the genus Phallus, we have included synonymies, collections, type locality, GenBank information, records for Brazil, including state, city, biome, voucher used in the description, and reference. We also present additional information on the species: diagnostic characters, discussion, taxonomic problems, references for illustrations and description, DNA sequencing data deposited in GenBank, and information from Brazilian collections. The identification key for Phallus species recorded for Brazil was based on the macro- and microscopic characters of the basidiomata. The study will contribute to the taxonomy and systematics of the genus Phallus and will serve as a basis for new taxonomic studies and for the identification of new specimens collected in Brazil and other localities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A New Approach to Contract Design with Private Inventory Information In a typical decentralized supply chain, a downstream retailer privately observes its inventory level and has an informational advantage over the upstream supplier. In "A Stationary Infinite-Horizon Supply Contract Under Asymmetric Inventory Information" by Bensoussan, Sethi, and Wang, the authors study how to optimally design a stationary, truth-telling, long-term contract in such a setting. In contrast to the classic first order approach in literature, they formulate the contract design as an optimization over a functional space and develop a solution approach based on the calculus of variations. They further apply their necessary optimality condition to the class of batch-order contracts, which replenish a prespecified inventory quantity for a fixed payment in each period only when the retailer has zero inventory on hand. We consider a decentralized supply chain in which a supplier sells goods to a retailer facing general random demand over an infinite horizon. The retailer satisfies the demand to the extent of the inventory on hand. The retailer has private information about the retailer's stock in each period, and the supplier offers the retailer a supply contract menu to account for the information asymmetry. We obtain a necessary condition for optimizing a long-term stationary truth-telling contract under general demand and belief distributions. We apply it to a batch-order contract, which replenishes a prespecified inventory quantity for a fixed payment in each period only when the retailer's beginning inventory becomes zero. Methodologically, we formulate the supplier's contract design as a calculus of variations problem and apply the concept of Gâteaux derivative to obtain these results. This methodology can potentially be applied to other dynamic contracting problems. Funding: A. Bensoussan acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation [Grant NSF-DMS 220 47 95]. Supplemental Material: The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/opre.2020.0495. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper considers a model for an intelligent sales-distribution network that makes decisions related to marketing, inventory control, and pricing in the entire network. Considering the importance of staying in the competitive world, using machine learning tools is of great importance. A decision support system has been used to forecast the demand. Actual sales data is inserted into the decision support system, and then, using available evidence and past performance, a decision is made to estimate the demand. Then, an intelligent algorithm for solving the mathematical model is raised, which performs the model real-time using the data received from the decision support system and provides updated results. Sensitivity analysis was performed for validation. According to the obtained results, intelligent has a great impact on the objective function values and the use of real data helps in the network performance leading to cost reduction and lost sales. Two innovations used have not been investigated simultaneously in any of the previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this age of technology, the manufacturing sectors are embracing the elements of industry 5.0 to setup a robust kind of production process. This research work proposes a novel neutrosophic production inventory model encompassing the cost parameters of technology inaddition to the conventional inventory costs. In this model the demand is expressed as function of technology of the form ae-βt + yt with the coefficients a, β and y dealing with the initial demand, decrease in demand over time and increase in demand with the adoption of new technology. The neutrosophic model developed in this work addresses the decision circumstances of indeterminacy in addition to uncertainty. The primary objective of this paper is to introduce the notion of technology driven demand and new types of costs associated with technology in a neutrosophic modelling environment. The proposed neutrosophic model is simulated and sensitively analyzed to draw inferences of the parameters over the production quantity q(t). The efficiency of this neutrosophic model is determined on making comparative analysis with crisp data sets. The neutrosophic model possesses high degree of flexibility and applicability in technology dominant manufacturing firms facilitating the decision makers to design optimal solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aimed to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Innovative Behavior Inventory-20 (IBI-20) among clinical nurses in northwest Iran. Methods: A descriptive survey with psychometric analysis was conducted involving 321 nurses from Ardabil medical training centers. The study employed a stratified proportional sampling method. Data were collected using standard questionnaires, including a demographic profile form and the innovative behavior questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, such as mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage, were calculated using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 26.0. Reliability was assessed through Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, and Coefficient H. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed using IBM SPSS version 26.0 and AMOS version 24.0, with a significance level set at p < 0.05. Results: The findings indicate that the IBI-20 possesses good face validity, content validity, construct validity, convergent and discriminant validity, and reliability. CFA confirmed the accuracy of the tool's six-factor structure, with all factors exhibiting factor loadings greater than 0.3. Internal consistency was excellent, as demonstrated by a high Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, and Coefficient H. The test-retest reliability of the IBI was also robust, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.942. Conclusion: Our study validated the Persian version of the Innovative Behavior Inventory-20 (IBI-20) for assessing innovative behaviors among Iranian nurses. The IBI-20 is a vital tool for addressing healthcare challenges. The validation process, including face validity, content validity, and confirmatory factor analysis, demonstrated excellent validity, establishing it as a reliable instrument for evaluating innovative behaviors among nurses. These findings significantly impact nursing practice and research, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

German coastal areas are often protected from flood events by a primary sea dike line of more than 1,200 km. Many transition areas, such as the change of surface covering materials and other dike elements such as stairs, fences, or ramps at intermittent locations, characterize the stretch of this sea dike line. During storm surges and wave overtopping, the onset of damage, especially dike cover erosion, is often initiated at these transitions due to locally disturbed flow characteristics, increased loads, and reduced strength at the interface. An in-depth understanding of damage initiation and building stock conditions along coastlines as a foundational element of a flood cycle is essential in order to accurately assess existing defense structures, both deterministically and probabilistically. Thus, the present study is motivated to examine the variety of transition areas on the sea dikes along the German coasts, for further assessment of probability of their damage and failure. A novel remote inventory was elaborated manually, based on satellite images for a length of 998 km along the German North Sea and 123 km along the German Baltic Sea coast and estuaries, and it shows the spatial distribution and frequency of such transitions on sea dikes. During additional on-site investigations at different locations at the coast, detailed information about design variants of dike elements as well as damage to transitions were recorded and reported systematically. The results of the on-site investigations allow the development of a damage catalog in relation to transitions and the validation and verification of the remote inventory. By categorizing and spatially analyzing a large number of transitions (n ≈ 18,300) and damages along the coast, particularly vulnerable transitions and hot spots of loading can be further investigated regarding the flow-structure-soil interaction. Through this, structural layouts and material combinations can be optimized for the design of sea dikes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taman Hutan Raya (TAHURA) Ir. H. Djuanda Bandung is an integrated conservation area in which there are secondary natural forests that have various kinds of flora and fauna. Macrofungi are fungi whose fruiting bodies can be seen directly without the aid of a microscope, heterotrophic, and ecologically act as decomposers of organic matter (decomposers) and as biological control agents. Data related to research results on macrofungi in the Tahura area is still limited and need more comprehensive research. This study aimed to inventory, determine the growth factors, and potential utilization of macroscopic fungi. Observations were carried out during the period of November 2021 - April 2022 using exploration method. Sampling was done by purposive sampling method. Macrofungi identification process was carried out based on morphological characters such as cap, stalk, and lamella, The environmental factors observed included air humidity, soil pH, temperature, and type of substrate. The results showed that as many as 83 species were found in the Protection block, 50 species were found in the Collection block, and 99 species were identified in the Utilization block from the phyla Basidiomycota and Ascomycota. The macrofungi found have potential as biodegradation agents, food ingredients, non-food ingredients, drugs, antimicrobials, antioxidants, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The checklist includes a listing of the genera and species of North American Bryophyta thought to occur in the continental United States and Canada. The floras of Mexico, Hawaii and Greenland are not included. The current list recognizes 1565 species, 12 subspecies, 34 varieties and one form (for a total of 1612 taxa) in 366 genera and 100 families. As a preface to the list, a systematic arrangement of the families and included genera for North America is presented. Many changes from the previous checklist are documented via footnotes that provide references to where changes were made. Only synonymy since the previous checklist is included. Twenty nomenclatural changes are made. These include 19 new combinations: Bryum brassicoides (≡ Gemmabryum brassicoides), B. pacificum (≡ Ptychostomum pacificum), B. torenii (≡ Imbribryum torenii), B. vinosum (≡ Gemmabryum vinosum), Chionoloma maragniphyllum (≡ Oxystegus maragniphyllus), Lescuraea tribulosa (≡ Pseudoleskea tribulosa), Pterygoneurum 3kieneri (≡ P. subsessile var. kieneri Habeeb), Pylaisiadelpha canadensis (≡ Brotherella canadensis), Streblotrichum convolutum var. eustegium (≡ Barbula eustegia), Streblotrichum convolutum var. gallinula (≡ Barbula convoluta var. gallinula), Voitia angustata (≡ Splachnum angustatum), V. mnioides (≡ Splachnum mnioides), V. pallida (≡ Tetraplodon pallidus), V. paradoxa (≡ Splachnum paradoxum), V. urceolata (≡ Splachnum urceolatum), Warnstorfia badia (≡ Hypnum badium), W. straminea (≡ Hypnum stramineum), W. straminea var. patens (Lindb.) (≡ Amblystegium stramineum var. patens), W. wickesiae (≡ Calliergon wickesiae). A new order is also introduced: Rhizogemmales W.R.Buck & Goffinet (≡ Rhizogemmaceae Bonfim Santos, Siebel & Fedosov). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an inventory of 58 karst collapse dolines within the Sahel-Doukkala, region of Morocco, was conducted from 2018 to 2020. The inventoried data include geological and geomorphological information. Data acquisition methods involved aerial and satellite imagery and field surveys. The karst collapse dolines exhibit distinct features delineating two zones with differing collapse mechanisms. In the Doukkala plain, the formation of collapse dolines is primarily driven by fluctuating water table levels influenced by annual rainfall variations. This impacts underground voids and hydrostatic stability, particularly during seasonal wet-dry cycles. In contrast, collapse dolines in the Sahel zone result from intense rainfall and rapid erosion, enlarging underground voids and triggering collapse phenomena. The analysis of their distribution related to tectonic lineaments shows two main directions: one N-S along the Sahel, corresponding to the region’s fault lines, and another NE-SW in the Doukkala plain, influenced by faults controlling surface flows. This research contributes to understanding the dynamics of karst collapses and aids in developing better management and mitigation strategies for regions prone to such geological hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streblidae and Nycteribiidae are ectoparasitic flies exclusive to bats, with an estimated diversity of over 100 species in Brazil. Its distribution and abundance may be influenced by host's shelter, geographic distribution, behavior, and size. Bat species respond differently to environmental changes, such as changing land use and land cover for cocoa production in the eastern Amazon. We sought to investigate the community of ectoparasite flies (Diptera: Streblidae) on Phyllostominae and Stenodermatinae (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) bats and the parasite-host interactions in cacao plantations and natural areas in the Brazilian Amazon. Twenty-two bats were collected, reaching a total of 54 flies. The observed richness was 15 (estimated in 24) species, with Trichobius dugesioides being the most abundant. The cacao plantations showed greater richness, eight species more than the natural ones, however, showing the absence of a specific distribution pattern for each area. This result may be because human interference in cocoa areas are barely perceptible, at least for the bats studied. In addition, the adoption of cabruca-type cocoa plantations can influence the result, as previously shown in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies a continuous-review inventory replenishment model with a limited storage capacity S in an uncertain environment. We assume that the demands and returns follow independent Poisson processes. We further assume a ra1079 shelf life, a random lead time, and early loss. The storage is managed according to the base-stock (S, s) policy for s < S , S > 0. In case of overstock, each returned item exceeding S is transferred to a foreign facility. If during the lead time a demand reaches zero stock, we consider two alternatives: either allow partial backordering up to L B items, beyond which the unsatisfied demand is lost, or call for an immediate and costly emergency supply up to level 0 < Q B e ≤ S . Our objective is to study how the thresholds s, S, L B , and Q B e are impacted by the system's parameters, such as returns, demands, and costs. Using a Markovian framework, we derive the steady-state probabilities for the inventory level, and construct closed-form expressions for the average cost functions. Then, we numerically investigate the impact of the different parameters on the best policy and on the threshold levels. We compare the two alternatives and identify situations in which calling for an emergency supply is economically profitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Model-assisted, two-stage forest survey sampling designs provide a means to combine airborne remote sensing data, collected in a sampling mode, with field plot data to increase the precision of national forest inventory estimates, while maintaining important properties of design-based inventories, such as unbiased estimation and quantification of uncertainty. In this study, we present a comprehensive set of model-assisted estimators for domain-level attributes in a two-stage sampling design, including new estimators for densities, and compare the performance of these estimators with standard poststratified estimators. Simulation was used to assess the statistical properties (bias, variability) of these estimators, with both simple random and systematic sampling configurations, and indicated that (1) all estimators were generally unbiased and (2) the use of lidar in a sampling mode increased the precision of the estimators at all assessed field sampling intensities, with particularly marked increases in precision at lower field sampling intensities. Variance estimators are generally unbiased for model-assisted estimators without poststratification, while variance estimators for model-assisted estimators with poststratification were increasingly biased as field sampling intensity decreased. In general, these results indicate that airborne remote sensing data, collected as an intermediate level of sampling, can be used to increase the efficiency of national forest inventories in remote regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inventory management is a critical aspect of supply chain efficiency and can be influenced by various factors such as advertising, pricing, and preservation policies. Recent research has proposed a model that considers critical variables such as fluctuations in pricing, advertising tactics, and preservation expenses within uncertain scenarios to improve inventory management. The study provides valuable insights into advertising dynamics, optimal pricing strategies, and the impact of preservation costs on decision-making. Decision-makers can apply these insights to enhance the efficiency of their supply chains in a competitive environment. The study emphasizes the importance of flexibility while aligning inventory practices with corporate sustainability goals. Although the model’s applicability may be context-specific, the findings contribute to discussions on inventory management strategies while acknowledging certain assumptions made during the study. Proper advertising, pricing, and preservation policies can increase awareness, attract customers, and maintain quality, influencing product demand. This research proposes a model to improve inventory management, considering variables such as pricing fluctuations, advertising tactics, and preservation expenses in uncertain scenarios. The study provides insights into advertising dynamics, optimal pricing strategies, and how preservation costs influence decision-making. Decision-makers can apply these insights to improve supply chain efficiency. The study stresses the importance of flexibility in a competitive environment and aligning inventory practices with corporate sustainability goals. The findings contribute to discussions on inventory management strategies, but the model’s applicability may be context-specific, and the study makes certain assumptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a competitive market, technological advancements opens many opportunities for retailing businesses to increase their profitability through innovative strategies, including discount offers, pre-order programs, and online payment services. However, this surge in competition has led to challenges in optimizing inventory decisions. This study addresses these multifaceted challenges by focusing on key decision variables such as selling price, replenishment schedules, and costs associated with advance sales strategies. The present study bifurcates the inventory replenishment cycle into two distinct sales phases: the two-phase for the advance sales period and the one-phase for the spot sale period. This segmentation enables a more refined examination of sale strategies and customer behaviours, encompassing the flexibility for customers to cancel orders and return products during the return period. We also have incorporated innovative strategies like discount offers, pre-order programs, and online payment services to enhance sales. One of the core contributions of this research lies in modelling demand in a fuzzy-stochastic environment, acknowledging the inherent uncertainties in customer demand influenced by factors such as selling price and advertisement costs. Through theoretical analysis, the proposed study formulates theorems that aid in developing objective functions in a fuzzy stochastic environment. The corresponding profit maximization problem is derived in this environment and employs the weighted sum method to defuzzify the maximization problem. Beyond profit maximization, this research delves into environmental considerations, assessing the impact of carbon emissions and associated taxes on inventory decisions. Subsequently, we solve it by applying three distinct optimization methods: Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO-CO), and the Analytical Method (AM). Then, the proposed model is justified and validated through numerical examples involving different distributions. To assess the efficiency of the suggested meta-heuristic algorithms, various test instances were used to solve the proposed model and comparisons and sensitivity analyses were carried out with various criteria. Finally, the result of the particle swarm optimisation (PSO-CO) algorithm emphasises that it is more robust than other proposed algorithms to solve the problem in a reasonable time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's dynamic business landscape, effective inventory management is essential for minimizing costs and maximizing profitability. Traditional models like EOQ and JIT often fall short in handling demand and supply uncertainties due to their reliance on precise data. This paper introduces a novel approach that combines fuzzy logic and deep learning to address these limitations. Fuzzy logic offers a robust framework for decision-making under uncertainty, while deep learning improves predictive accuracy by identifying complex patterns in historical data. By transforming data into fuzzy sets and applying neural networks for demand forecasting, the proposed model optimizes inventory levels to reduce costs and prevent stockouts. A mathematical model and algorithmic implementation demonstrate the approach's effectiveness and a numerical example highlights improvements in inventory control, including reduced holding costs. This study underscores the potential of integrating AI techniques for adaptive, data-driven inventory management with broad applications across various industrial processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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