An applied approach to multi-criteria humanitarian supply chain planning for pandemic response

PurposeWhen a large-scale outbreak such as the COVID-19 pandemic happens, organizations that are responsible for delivering relief may face a lack of both provisions and human resources. Governments are the primary source for the humanitarian supplies required during such a crisis; however, coordination with humanitarian NGOs in handling such pandemics is a vital form of public-private partnership (PPP). Aid organizations have to consider not only the total degree of demand satisfaction in such cases but also the obligation that relief goods such as medicine and foods should be distributed as equitably as possible within the affected areas (AAs).Design/methodology/approachGiven the challenges of acquiring real data associated with procuring relief items during the COVID-19 outbreak, a comprehensive simulation-based plan is used to generate 243 small, medium and large-sized problems with uncertain demand, and these problems are solved to optimality using GAMS. Finally, post-optimality analyses are conducted, and some useful managerial insights are presented.FindingsThe results imply that given a reasonable measure of deprivation costs, it can be important for managers to focus less on the logistical costs of delivering resources and more on the value associated with quickly and effectively reducing the overall suffering of the affected individuals. It is also important for managers to recognize that even though deprivation costs and transportation costs are both increasing as the time horizon increases, the actual growth rate of the deprivation costs decreases over time.Originality/valueIn this paper, a novel mathematical model is presented to minimize the total costs of delivering humanitarian aid for pandemic relief. With a focus on sustainability of operations, the model incorporates total transportation and delivery costs, the cost of utilizing the transportation fleet (transportation mode cost), and equity and deprivation costs. Taking social costs such as deprivation and equity costs into account, in addition to other important classic cost terms, enables managers to organize the best possible response when such outbreaks happen.

HEMATOLOGICAL INDICES AND THE RATE OF GROWTH DEPENDING ON DURATION OF EMBRYONIC GROWTH OF PIGS OBTAINED BY COMMERCIAL CROSS-BREEDING

The studies were performed in pigs obtained by commercial cross-breeding under conditions of pig-breeding complex of Agricultural Open Joint-Stock Company Agrokombinat Kalyta. 115 crossbred breeding sows (Big White x Landras) – of similar age and development – were selected for the study; they were mated with purebred Big White boars. Three groups by five animals were selected from these breeding sows by pregnancy duration. The first one (control group, the pregnancy duration was the farm average) – 112-116 days; the second one (study group, reduced pregnancy duration) – 103-111 days; the third one (study group, extended pregnancy duration) – 117-120 days. The authors studied the growth duration and hematological parameters of these breeding sows’ offsprings after ablactation until the end of fattening. The piglets were ablactated at the age of 26 days. The young stock were fed with dry feed stuff according to the conventional technology. The feed level for the pigs of all groups was the same. The pigs were weighted upon birth at 1, 2, 4, 6 months, and the relative weight gain and actual growth rate of the pigs were determined by Shmalgauzen and Brody formula. Hematological tests were performed at the age of 2, 4 and 6 months in four animals from each group (two gilts and two boars). Blood for tests was collected from auricular veins before feeding. Red blood cell count and hemoglobin concentration were measured by hemascope, total protein, albumin and globulins were measured refractometrically. It has been established that the piglets obtained from the breeding sows with reduced pregnancy duration had the lowest body weight at birth, and the piglets obtained from the extended pregnancy had the highest body weight. From the age of two months, the young stock with the reduced embryonic growth duration were superior to the age-mates with the average and extended pregnancy in terms of body weight. The animals with reduced embryonic growth duration had higher relative weight gain and the actual growth rate factor, which characterizes their high growth intensity. The pigs obtained at commercial cross-breeding with different embryonic development duration had different blood composition. Thus, the piglets with reduced and average embryonic growth duration, had higher red blood cells count, hemoglobin and total protein content. Higher hematological indicators in pigs with reduced embryonic period coincide with the period of their higher growth energy which indicates the interrelation between the intensity of the animals’ growth and the red blood cell count, hemoglobin and total protein in blood. Therefore, the embryonic development period reduction positively affects the growth energy, that is associated with improved hematological indicators, which is advisable to consider in pigs selection program.

Problem of attaining constant impurity concentration over ingot height

The possibility of growing crystals with homogeneous impurity distribution over crystal height has been demonstrated in a study of segregation during silicon and germanium growth from thin melt layers using the submerged heater method. Numeric simulation of 200 mm diam. antimony-doped germanium crystallization has shown that, beginning from a 40 mm melt layer thickness, the exact problem solution with convection allowance is identical to the unidimensional heat exchange problem solution in the central ingot part. The conditions under which convection can be ignored in mass transport calculation are more rigorous: the melt layer height must be within 20 mm. In this case Tiller’s ratio can be used for calculating the longitudinal impurity distribution for predominantly diffusion-controlled mass transport pattern. Analysis of the existing attempts to describe the experimental crystal growth results using the simplified formulae shows that they only yield acceptable results if the actual growth rate or change in melt layer thickness during crystallization are taken into account, e.g. as in the formula suggested by Marchenko et al. One can therefore analytically describe the longitudinal impurity distribution in the ingot, e.g. B and P distribution in silicon, and recommend the degree of additional doping of the melt zone under the heater so that to provide a constant impurity concentration over the ingot height. Homogeneous material can be obtained after residual layer solidification in the end portion of the ingot if the growth rate is controlled through varying the cooling rate.

Pro-poor Growth: Concepts and Measurement with Country Case Studies (Distinguished Lecture)

This paper looks into the interrelation between economic growth, inequality, and poverty. Using the notion of pro-poor growth, we examine the extent to which the poor benefit from economic growth. First, various approaches to defining and measuring propoor growth are scrutinised using a variety of criteria. It is argued that the satisfaction of a monotonicity axiom is a key criterion for measuring pro-poor growth. The monotonicity axiom sets out a condition that the proportional reduction in poverty is a monotonically increasing function of the pro-poor growth measure. The paper proposes a pro-poor growth measure that satisfies the monotonicity criterion. This measure is called a ‘poverty equivalent growth rate’, which takes into account both the magnitude of growth and how the benefits of growth are distributed to the poor and the non-poor. As the new measure satisfies the criterion of monotonicity, it is indicative that to achieve rapid poverty reduction, the poverty equivalent growth rate—rather than the actual growth rate—ought to be maximised. The methodology developed in the paper is then applied to three Asian countries, namely, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Crop photosynthesis, respiration and dry matter production of maize.

Aboveground net photosynthesis and respiration of maize cv. LG11 was determined in the field between mid-June and end-Oct. at regular intervals (1-2 weeks) at 12.5 and 22.5 degrees C by measuring the CO2 uptake or release in mobile crop enclosures. The actual growth rate of the crop was determined from fortnightly harvests. Temp. dependence of photosynthesis was highest in the early (until mid-July) and very late (early Oct.) stages of crop growth, showing a reduction of about 50% at the higher irradiances (>400 W/msuperscript 2). In the period of major DM production (mid-July to Sep.) the reduction was only 12-15%. Assuming maintenance respiration to become constant for cobs and grain exceeding a yield of 1000 kg/ha and for stems exceeding 2500 kg/ha, the measured and calculated dark respiration at 22.5 degrees matched fairly well. At 12.5 degrees the calculation, using the same assumptions, significantly overestimated dark respiration during the first part of the growing period. The carbon balance sheet showed that from the total amount of CO2 absorbed by the crop (equivalent to 30.7 t DM/ha), 30% was lost by aboveground respiration and 50% was invested in aboveground harvestable material. The remaining 20% was assumed to be transported to plant parts below ground. Substantial losses of DM at the end of the growing season did not occur. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)

Improvements in high temperature oxidation resistance by additions of reactive elements or oxide dispersions

The improvement in oxidation resistance of high temperature alloys as a result of additions of rare earth elements, other reactive metals, or dispersions of stable oxides, has been known for many years. Two effects seem the most important: first, the adhesion between scale and alloy is markedly improved and this increases the alloy’s resistance to thermal cycling exposure; secondly, in some but not all cases the actual growth rate of the oxide is also reduced. The various models proposed to explain these phenomena are discussed in the light of currently available experimental evidence. The most significant of these involve modification to the early, transient stages of oxidation, doping of the oxide which changes its transport properties, mechanical keying of the surface scale to the substrate by the formation of intrusions of oxide penetrating into the alloy and the elimination of void formation at the alloy-scale interface. The efficacies of the various beneficial additions are compared.