An integrated model for cash transfer system design problem

This paper presents an integrated model that incorporates strategic, tactical, and operational decisions for a cash transfer management system of a bank. The aim of the model is to decide on the location of cash management centers, number and routes of vehicles, and the cash inventory management policies to minimize the cost of owning and operating a cash transfer system while maintaining a pre-defined service level. Owing to the difficulty of finding optimal decisions in such integrated models, an iterative solution approach is proposed in which strategic, tactical, and operational problems are solved separately via a feedback mechanism. Numerical results show that such an approach is quite effective in reaching greatly improved solutions with just a few iterations, making it a promising approach for similar integrated models

Deterioration rate of renewable polyurethanes composites prior to ultra violet irradiation exposure

Polyurethanes (PU's) made from renewable and sustainable materials are one of the most important groups of polymers because of their versatility with wide range of grades, densities and stiffness. In this project, polymers based on renewable materials such as rapeseed (RS) and sunflower oil (SF) were synthesized and cross-linked to form polyurethanes. The effect of prolonged exposure up to 1000 h upon UVB light, in general promotes photodegradation for both RS and SF-based polyurethanes, both neat and also composites loaded with TiO2. The addition of 10% Degussa P25 TiO2 pigment, gives the greater degradation while PUs loaded with 5% Kronos 2220 show the slowest rates of degradation due to the effect of the coating of this pigment. The photostabiliser Tinuvin 770 offers high protection from UVB, thus lead the combination of Tinuvin 770 with Degussa P25 promotes the highest protection from UVB exposure. Moreover, addition of Tinuvin 770 at the stage of preparation of the PUs also greatly reduced the undesirable yellow colouration prevalent during PU synthesis

Segmented phase of ultraviolet (UV) curable thermoset polyurethanes-graphite (TPU-G) composites

Segmented thermoset polymeric materials properties mainly classified through its carbonyl hydrogen bonding. The addition of graphite particle loading in polymeric materials tailored the functional characteristic of the composites. Therefore, the carbonyl hydrogen bonding in the hard segments of the synthesized segmented ultraviolet (UV) curable thermoset polyurethanes-graphite (TPU-G) composites was identified. This composites based green polymer incorporated with varying graphite particles loading were prepared through slip casting method which cure upon UV light. These result in an enhancement of the carbonyl hydrogen bonding which tribute to degree of phase separation (DPS %) in the TPU-G composites ranged from 10-20%, as compared to that in the pure TPU. In addition, the spectroscopy detects the formation of carbonyl hydrogen groups within the TPU-G composites although they are prone to chain scission and undergo photo oxidation subjected to ultraviolet (UV) curing. Upon UV curing, higher graphite weight loading (TPU-G20, TPU-G25 and TPU-G30 composites), shows higher and stable DPS% value, attribute to soft segment- soft segment and hard segment- hard segment establishment. Therefore, the graphite particles dominantly absorb the incident radiation instead of thermoset polyurethane without changing its based

Cholesterol and Malondialdehyde Contents of Broiler-Chicken Meat Supplemented with Indigofera Zolingeriana Top Leaf Meal

This research aimed to increase functional value of broiler-chicken meat containing high antioxidant and low cholesterol through substitution of soybean meal (SBM) with Indigofera zollingeriana top leaf meal (ILM). The experiment used 160 day old broiler chicken (Cobb strain). The experimental chicken were provided dietary treatments when they were 15-days old (initial body weight of 460.5±1.56 g/bird) and terminated on day 35. A completely randomized design (CRD) with four treatments and four replications and ten birds in each replication was used in this experiment. Dietary treatments were: R1= diet containing 20% soybean meal (SBM) without I. zollingeriana top leaf meal (ILM); R2= diet containing 16% SBM and 5.9% ILM; R3= diet containing 12% SBM and 11.8% ILM; R4= diet containing 8% SBM and 17.74% ILM. Variables measured were performances (feed consumption, body weight gain, and feed conversion) and the quality of broiler meat (cholesterol, fat content, and malondialdehyde [MDA] concentration). The results showed that supplementation of 17.74% ILM (R4) as the substitution of 60% soybean meal protein produced the same performances of broilers as those of control diet (R1). Supplementation of 11.8% ILM as the substitution of 40% soybean meal protein (R3) decreased meat cholesterol by 34.70%, meat fat content by 52.93%, and MDA concentration by 62.52%. The conclusion of this study was that supplementation of 17.74% ILM produced the same performances as that of control diet, increased antioxidant content of the meat, indicated by a lower MDA concentration, and decreased cholesterol, as well as fat content of broiler-chicken meat

Medical errors : Healthcare professionals’ perspective at a tertiary hospital in Kuwait

Medical errors are of economic importance and can contribute to serious adverse events for patients. Medical errors refer to preventable events resulting from healthcare interactions, whether these events harm the patient or not. In Kuwait, there is a paucity literature detailing the causes, forms, and risks of medical errors in their state-funded healthcare facilities. This study aimed to explore medical errors, their causes and preventive strategies in a Kuwait tertiary hospital based on the perceptions and experience of a cross-section of healthcare professionals using a questionnaire with 27 open (n = 10) and closed (n = 17) questions. The recruited healthcare professionals in this study included pharmacists, nurses, physicians, dentists, radiographers, hospital administrators, surgeons, nutritionists, and physiotherapists. The collected data were analysed quantitatively using descriptive statistics. A total of 203 participants filled and completed the survey questionnaire. The frequency of medical errors in Kuwait was found to be high at 60.3% ranging from incidences of prolonged hospital stays (32.9%), adverse events and life-threatening complications (32.3%), and fatalities (20.9%). The common medical errors result from incomplete instructions, incorrect dosage, and incorrect route of administration, diagnosis errors, and labelling errors. The perceived causes of these medical errors include high workload, lack of support systems, stress, medical negligence, inadequate training, miscommunication, poor collaboration, and non-adherence to safety guidelines among the healthcare professionals.Peer reviewe