Supply chain focus dependent safety stock placement

Increasing globalization, growing product range diversity, and rising consumer awareness are making markets highly competitive, forcing supply chains to adapt constantly to different stimuli. Growing competition between supply chains (as well as players within them) is also warranting a priority for overall supply chain performance over the goals of individual players. It is now well established in the literature that, among the many order winners, both overall supply chain cost and responsiveness (i.e., supply chain lead time) are the most significant determinants of supply chain competitiveness. The literature, however, mostly focuses on supply chain cost minimization with rather simplistic treatment of responsiveness. By introducing the concept of a coefficient of inverse responsiveness (CIR), we facilitate efficient introduction of responsiveness related costs into the scheme of supply chain (SC) performance evaluation and/or optimization. Thus, our model aids supply chain managers in achieving better strategic fit between individual business unit strategies and overall supply chain requirements in terms of cost efficiency and responsiveness. In particular, it aids in strategic placement of safety stocks at different stages in the supply chain. Our model also offers managerial insights that help improve our intuitions into supply chain dynamics. The model is more suited for strategic SC alignment, for example, when dealing with product changeovers or introduction of new product, rather than for operational control.     

A Fatal Case of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida auris</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida tropicalis</Emphasis> Candidemia in Neutropenic Patient

We report a fatal case of Candida auris that was involved in mixed candidemia with Candida tropicalis, isolated from the blood of a neutropenic patient. Identification of both isolates was confirmed by amplification and sequencing of internal transcribed spacer and D1/D2 domain of large subunit in rRNA gene. Antifungal susceptibility test by E-test method revealed that C. auris was resistant to amphotericin B, anidulafungin, caspofungin, fluconazole, itraconazole and voriconazole. On the other hand, C. tropicalis was sensitive to all antifungal tested. The use of chromogenic agar as isolation media is vital in detecting mixed candidemia.     

A functional cooperativity between Aurora A kinase and LIM kinase1: Implication in the mitotic process

Aurora kinase A (Aur-A), a mitotic kinase, regulates initiation of mitosis through centrosome separation and proper assembly of bipolar spindles. LIM kinase 1 (LIMK1), a modulator of actin and microtubule dynamics, is involved in the mitotic process through inactivating phosphorylation of cofilin. Phosphorylated LIMK1 is recruited to the centrosomes during early prophase, where it colocalizes with γ-tubulin. Here, we report a novel functional cooperativity between Aur-A and LIMK1 through mutual phosphorylation. LIMK1 is recruited to the centrosomes during early prophase and then to the spindle poles, where it colocalizes with Aur-A. Aur-A physically associates with LIMK1 and activates it through phosphorylation, which is important for its centrosomal and spindle pole localization. Aur-A also acts as a substrate of LIMK1, and the function of LIMK1 is important for its specific localization and regulation of spindle morphology. Taken together, the novel molecular interaction between these two kinases and their regulatory roles on one other''s function may provide new insight on the role of Aur-A in manipulation of actin and microtubular structures during spindle formation.Key words: LIMK1, Aurora A, mitotic spindle, phosphorylation     

Genetic Analysis of Indian Lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) Cultivars and Landraces Using RAPD and STMS Markers

Molecular analysis of 29 lentil (Lens culinaris) cultivars and landraces of Indian origin was carried out using twenty RAPD and ten cross-species STMS primers. A total of 97 markers (72 RAPD and 25 STMS) were amplified of which 42.3% were polymorphic. Genetic similarity among the cultivars and landraces was 89.7%. The observed results indicated low level of genetic diversity in the studied material. UPGMA cluster analysis for the combined data of RAPD and STMS revealed two broad clusters — Cluster I with three landraces and Cluster II containing all remaining landraces and cultivars except Precoz. Germplasm line Precoz was found to be the most distinct in individual as well as combined analyses. All cultivars and landraces except K-75 and L4076 could be discriminated from one another using combined data for the two techniques. Germplasm lines Precoz, L830 and cultivars L4147 and JL3 were quite distinct and could be potential germplasm resource.     

Bitter Melon Reduces Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Growth by Targeting c-Met Signaling

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains difficult to treat, and despite of advances in treatment, the overall survival rate has only modestly improved over the past several years. Thus, there is an urgent need for additional therapeutic modalities. We hypothesized that treatment of HNSCC cells with a dietary product such as bitter melon extract (BME) modulates multiple signaling pathways and regresses HNSCC tumor growth in a preclinical model. We observed a reduced cell proliferation in HNSCC cell lines. The mechanistic studies reveal that treatment of BME in HNSCC cells inhibited c-Met signaling pathway. We also observed that BME treatment in HNSCC reduced phosphoStat3, c-myc and Mcl-1 expression, downstream signaling molecules of c-Met. Furthermore, BME treatment in HNSCC cells modulated the expression of key cell cycle progression molecules leading to halted cell growth. Finally, BME feeding in mice bearing HNSCC xenograft tumor resulted in an inhibition of tumor growth and c-Met expression. Together, our results suggested that BME treatment in HNSCC cells modulates multiple signaling pathways and may have therapeutic potential for treating HNSCC.     

Antagonistic selection between adult thorax and wing size in field released Drosophila melanogaster independent of thermal conditions

Attempts to explain size variation in Drosophila and other small insects often focus on the larval stage and association between development time and size, but patterns are also influenced by direct selection on size-related traits in the adults. Here we use multiple field releases of Drosophila melanogaster to test the association between size and one component of field fitness, the ability of Drosophila to locate resources for feeding and breeding. We find antagonistic selection between wing length and thorax length in both males and females, such that capture at baits is higher for flies with relatively larger thorax lengths and smaller wings. However flies with large wings relative to thoraces disperse further as reflected in the longer distances moved to baits. These patterns did not depend strongly on weather conditions, suggesting that selection on adult size is at least partly independent of temperature. Antagonistic selection between size traits can generate changes in size along gradients if the distribution of resources in the environment varies and selects for different dispersal patterns, particularly as dispersal is relatively higher under warmer conditions.     

1-Benzyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline-6,7-diols as novel affinity and photoaffinity probes for beta-adrenoceptor subtypes

Trimetoquinol (TMQ, 1) is a potent non-selective beta-adrenoceptor (beta-AR) agonist possessing a tetrahydroisoquinoline (THI) structure. The binding site for 1-trimethoxybenzyl group of 1, which distinguishes it from classical catecholamines, is unknown. Affinity and photoaffinity labeled compounds are good tools to determine the exact interaction between a ligand and a specific amino acid(s) in a receptor. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of affinity 6, 12, 18, and photoaffinity 24, 29 labeled analogues of TMQ. All of these compounds were full agonists and demonstrated an equal or greater binding affinity and functional activity as compared to TMQ on beta1-, beta2-, and beta3-AR. Washout experiments on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing hu beta2-AR were helpful in identifying the isothiocyanate 18 and the azide 24 as very effective affinity and photoaffinity labels at this receptor subtype.     

Scrutiny of unruly and abuse in wireless networks to mitigate physical layer threats using discriminate based misbehavior prevention

The open nature of communication medium in wireless networks becomes easy for the attackers to indulge in jamming attack. Jamming blocks the communication channel with the intent of preventing the flow of useful information. Jammers effectively and stealthy corrupts the packet by injecting high level of noise thereby keeping the channel busy so that the legitimate traffic gets completely blocked, resulting in packet loss at the receiver side. Securing the information from the jammers has become very important. Therefore an effective approach is needed to prevent this attack and this paper proposes Discriminate based Misbehavior Prevention DMP scheme to identify and to detach the jammer that corrupts the packet in wireless network. The proposed scheme consists of three modules. In module one, the log files are analyzed and using the trusting mechanism the suspected traces are identified. In module two, three reshuffling algorithms has been developed for reshuffling and identifying doubtful traces. In module three, the jammer nodes are identified and detached from the network. By simulation studies, it is observed that the proposed scheme attains higher throughput and packet delivery ratio while attaining lower delay.