In recent years, the strategic selection of the most suitable supplier within the supply chain has garnered increasing attention. Incorporating vital criteria like sustainable development further ...complicates this decision-making process. Companies and manufacturing facilities recognize the pivotal role of suppliers in their overall success and aim for mutually advantageous partnerships. Establishing long-term relationships with suppliers can yield benefits for both parties. However, supplier selection is intricate, often transpiring within an environment of limited information. Consequently, evaluating and selecting organizational suppliers necessitate methodologies yielding more dependable and pragmatic results due to the uncertainties inherent in expert judgments. This study introduces Supplier Life Cycle Value (SLV) criteria for extended partnerships with suppliers and sustainability metrics for selecting “industrial equipment suppliers”. The Hierarchical Best-Worst Method (HBWM) is then applied to determine Sustainable Supplier Life Value (SSLV) criteria weights. Subsequently, employing the PROMETHEE-GAIA approach, suppliers are systematically ranked and comprehensively analyzed. To account for the inherent uncertainty in expert judgments, this study incorporates fuzzy numbers enriched with probability and reliability parameters (Z-Numbers) by introducing novel verbal spectra for supplier evaluation. This facilitates more effective decision making in supplier management. The findings underscore the significance of considering the supplier’s longevity beyond economic metrics, emphasizing the importance of sustained supplier participation. Moreover, the varying outcomes across definite and fuzzy scenarios, accounting for reliability (Z-Numbers), underscore the impact of data uncertainty on decision making. Given that fuzzy numbers incorporating reliability (Z-Numbers) encompass the confidence probability within the unclear number, they offer a more robust and realistic representation of real-world scenarios.
In a survey on the sanitary status of garlic collection performed in 2016 at the Institute of Agriculture and Tourism in Poreč (Croatia), 24 ecotypes and cultivars were tested by DAS-ELISA test for ...the presence of four main garlic viruses: Garlic common latent virus (GCLV), Shallot latent virus (SLV), Leek yellow stripe virus (LYSV) and Onion yellow dwarf virus (OYDV). The least frequent virus was SLV, whereas the most frequent was LYSV. In most ecotypes the infection of cloves was lower than infection of bulbils, while for SLV we found higher infection in cloves. Total virus infection of Istrian ecotypes was lower than infection of Dalmatian ones. Total incidence of viruses in Croatian garlic material ranged from 40.6% to 100.0%, depending on ecotype. In imported cultivar ‘Rose de Lautrec’ we found no infection with SLV. A high percentage of mixed infections in garlic cloves was also found and for double infections it ranged from 69% to 88%. Infection with all tested viruses was observed in 78% cloves. The most infected combination was double infections with potyviruses LYSV+OYDV. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of SLV infection in garlic in Croatia.
Background Living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) using left-lobe grafts was not generally recognized as feasible due to the problem of graft size. Study Design We retrospectively evaluated ...strategies for successful left-lobe LDLT in 250 consecutive cases stratified into 2 eras: Era 1 (n = 121), in which surgical procedures were continually refined, and Era 2 (n = 129), in which established procedures were used. Results Graft volume (GV) did not affect the incidence of graft function or survival. Era 2 patients had decreased portal vein (PV) pressure at closure (16.0 ± 3.5 mmHg vs 19.1 ± 4.6 mmHg, p < 0.01), increased PV flow/GV (301 ± 125 mL/min/100g vs 391 ± 142 mL/min/100g, p < 0.01), and improved graft survival rate (1-year: 90.6% vs 81.8%. p < 0.01) despite the smaller GV/standard volume (SLV) ratio (36.2% ± 5.2% vs 41.2% ± 8.8%, p < 0.01) compared with Era 1. Patients in Era 2 had lower PV pressure and greater PV flow (y = 598-5.7x, p = 0.02) at any GV/SLV compared with cases in Era 1 (y = 480-4.3x, p < 0.01), representing greater graft compliance. Univariate analysis for graft survival showed that Era 1, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score ≥20, inpatient status, closing portal venous pressure ≥20 mmHg, no splenectomy, and operative blood loss ≥10L were the risk factors for graft loss, and multivariate analysis showed that Era 1 was the only significant factor (p < 0.01). During Era 2, development of primary graft dysfunction was associated with inpatient recipient status (p = 0.02) and donor age ≥45 years (p < 0.01). Conclusions The outcomes of left-lobe LDLT were improved by accumulated experience and technical developments.
A vehicle suitable for land and/or water touches the surface of the water and its portability is not limited by depth. For most land vehicles (SLV), water tasks are limited to wading. In this ...article, we will complete a review of an SLV which is one of the most widely created after the Second World War and used worldwide by a large number of nations. Being an initial field, the behavior of the land vehicle lowered during a deep advance is still very little exposed. As a result, during deep gain, the dynamic powers following SLV are obscure. These powers legitimately affect and influence the strength of the submerged SLV. In this sense, it is necessary to examine the sequence around the SLV. However, since the progress of the lowered land vehicles is excessively expensive and the assembly of several models is limited, it is not possible to reproduce the test sequence in a full-scale model committed in the finishing phase of the structure. As a result, circumstances require studies that use cheaper recreations that offer the opportunity for different test conditions. This article presents a progression of measures dependent on client inclination for their sort and portability, to portray the cross-country execution of military vehicles. Gauges were taken from existing vehicles, so they are handy.
A trajectory optimisation procedure is addressed to generate a reference trajectory for Satellite Launch Vehicles (SLVs). Using a grid-based discrete scheme, a Modified Minimum Cost Network Flow ...(MCNF)-based algorithm over a large-scale network is proposed. By using the network grid around the Earth and the discrete dynamic equations of motion, the optimum trajectory from a launch point to the desired orbit is obtained exactly by minimisation of a cost functional subject to the nonlinear dynamics and mission constraints of the SLV. Several objectives such as the flight time and terminal conditions may be assigned to each arc in the network. Simulation results demonstrate the capability of the proposed algorithm to generate an admissible trajectory in the minimum possible time compared with previous works.
The well-known vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) mechanism results in high-purity, single-crystalline wires with few defects and controllable diameters, and is the method of choice for the growth of nanowires ...for a vast array of nanoelectronic devices. It is of utmost importance, therefore, to understand how such wires interact with metallic interconnects–an understanding which relies on comprehensive knowledge of the initial growth process, in which a crystalline wire is ejected from a metallic particle. Though ubiquitous, even in the case of single elemental nanowires the VLS mechanism is complicated by competing processes at multiple heterogeneous interfaces, and despite decades of study, there are still aspects of the mechanism which are not well understood. Recent breakthroughs in studying the mechanism and kinetics of VLS growth have been strongly aided by the use of in situ techniques, and would have been impossible through other means. As well as several systematic studies of nanowire growth, reports which focus on the role and the nature of the catalyst tip reveal that the stability of the droplet is a crucial factor in determining nanowire morphology and crystallinity. Additionally, a reverse of the VLS process dubbed solid–liquid–vapor (SLV) has been found to result in the formation of cavities, or “negative nanowires”. Here, we present a series of heating studies conducted in situ in the transmission electron microscope (TEM), in which we observe the complete dissolution of metal oxide nanowires into the metal catalyst particles at their tips. We are able to consistently explain our observations using a solid–liquid–vapor (SLV) type mechanism in which both evaporation at the liquid–vapor interface and adhesion of the catalyst droplet to the substrate surface contribute to the overall rate.
Background/Aims King's College Hospital (KCH) criteria and the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score are useful and widely-employed prognostic markers for acute liver failure (ALF). We ...previously reported that liver atrophy is an important prognostic factor for ALF. The aim of the present study was to assess the value of liver volumetry and to generate a new prognostic formula. Methods Computed tomography-derived liver volume (CTLV) and standardized liver volume (SLV) of 30 adult ALF patients were calculated at the time of diagnosis. Patients were assigned to one of two groups: group A consisted of 13 patients who recovered without surgical intervention, and group B consisted of 17 patients who died due to liver failure or who underwent living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Results The median CTLV/SLV ratios of groups A and B were 1.019 and 0.757, respectively (P = 0.0009). The difference was most significant (P = 0.0002) at the probability cutoff point of 0.80 for CTLV/SLV ratio; the sensitivity and specificity were 76.5% and 92.3%, respectively. Serum total bilirubin (TB) levels and CTLV/SLV ratio were selected as independent prognostic factors by multivariate analysis. A prognostic formula including volumetric analysis was established: Z = -2.3813 - 0.15234 x TB (mg/dl) + 4.5734 x CTLV/SLV (AUC = 0.87783, P = 0.0002). Conclusions The CTLV/SLV ratio is a very useful marker for predicting the prognosis of adult ALF. Our prognostic formula including only the CTLV/SLV ratio and TB is simple and useful and awaits validation in a future larger-scale prospective study.
A prospective population-based cohort study with a nested case-control study was conducted to estimate the incidence of gastroenteritis and the associated pathogens in the general Dutch population. ...Follow-up of two consecutive cohorts was performed by weekly reporting cards from December 1998 to December 1999. Cases and controls in the case-control study supplied a questionnaire and stool samples. The standardized gastroenteritis incidence was 283 per 1,000 person-years. The incidence rose with increasing level of education and was higher for persons with a history of diarrhea and for young children. Bacterial pathogens accounted for 5% of cases, bacterial toxins for 9%, parasites for 6%, and viral pathogens for 21%, with Norwalk-like virus (NLV) as the leading pathogen in 11% of cases. The gastroenteritis incidence was higher than that reported for England, but lower than for the United States. In community cases, viral pathogens are the leading cause of gastroenteritis, with NLV being the number one cause of illness in all age groups but one. In many countries, preventive measures are implemented to decrease bacterial infections. However, additional prevention of viral infections, especially NLV, might significantly decrease the number of gastroenteritis cases in the community.
Injection into Orbit Optimization using Orthogonal Polynomials Sedigheh Shahmirzaee Jeshvaghany; Farshad Pazooki; Alireza Basohbat Novinzaddeh
International Journal of Advanced Design and Manufacturing Technology,
01/2017, Letnik:
9, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
In this study, the problem of determining an optimal trajectory of a nonlinear injection into orbit problem with minimum time was investigated. The method was based on orthogonalpolynomial ...approximation. This method consisted of reducing the optimal control problem to a system of algebraic equations by expanding the state and control vector as Chebyshev or Legendre polynomials with undetermined coefficients. The main characteristic of this technique was that it converted the differential expressions arising from the system dynamics and the performance index into some nonlinear algebraic equations, thereby greatly simplifying the problem solution. Our research effort focused on applying a Chebyshev series expansion to optimize the trajectory profile of a point-mass Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV). This paper is divided as follows: first, the Chebyshev and Legender series expansion to optimization are introduced. Then, the flight mechanics model of the point-mass SLV is given. Next, our optimization problem is described and optimization results are presented and discussed.
In this paper, the approximate solutions to the eighth-order boundary-value problems are presented using the reproducing kernel space method. The procedure is applied on both linear and nonlinear ...problems. Searching least value (SLV) method is investigated for nonlinear boundary value problems. The argument is based on the reproducing kernel space
. The approach provides the solution in the form of a convergent series with easily computable components. Analytical results are given for several examples to illustrate the implementation and efficiency of the method. A comparison of the results obtained by the present method with results obtained by other methods reveals that the present method is more effective and convenient.
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