Effective supply chain management (SCM) is essential for municipalities to provide quality services to residents, foster economic development, and improve the overall quality of life. However, municipal managers encounter various challenges in maintaining effective SCM service quality, especially in emerging markets such as South Africa. These obstacles can result in inefficiencies, intensified costs, and decreased service quality, ultimately impacting the well-being of residents. This study intends to investigate the barriers to effective SCM service quality in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, located in the North-West Province of South Africa. Specifically, this study seeks to identify the key barriers faced by municipal managers in ensuring effective SCM service quality and to provide recommendations for addressing these challenges. The study is grounded in contingency theory, which emphasizes the importance of adapting management approaches to suit specific contexts and challenges. This study utilised a qualitative research method, employing semi-structured interviews to gather data from selected participants. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 30 municipal managers selected using purposive sampling, and data analysis was conducted using Atlas. ti software. The study reveals that several factors hinder effective SCM service quality in municipalities. These factors include inadequate funding, inadequate monitoring and evaluation systems, limited human resources and skills, unclear roles and responsibilities, irregular budget allocation and infrastructure maintenance, uncompetitive salaries for skilled workers, ineffective employee training, inadequate internal audit control, ineffective policy compliance, shortages of skill workers, unreliable service providers, and maintenance issues with machinery and equipment. This study provides valuable insights into the barriers to effective SCM service quality in municipalities, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to address these barriers. The findings have implications for management, policy, and practice and suggest avenues for further research. By addressing these challenges, municipalities can improve SCM service quality, enhance resident satisfaction, and promote economic growth and development.
Objectives: Our study was aimed to select the best growth factors cocktail for differentiation of MSCs into hepatocytes like cells (HLCs) in absence and presence of 3D microenvironment. Methods: Ninety ml BM was aspirated from the iliac bone for separation of MSCs. This study was conducted on 20 patients with advanced liver cirrhosis. They were divided into 2 groups. Group I; MSCs were plated onto 96-wellplates without microenvironment (control group). Group II; MSCs were plated onto 96-wellplates with 3D microenvironment. Surface expression of CD271, CD29 and CD34 were analysed using flowcytometry. MSCs were differentiated in-vitro into HLCs by adding 4 growth factors cocktails in presence and absence of 3D microenvironment. Hepatogenesis was assessed by immunohistochemical analysis of OV6, AFP albumin and cytokeratin 18 expressions. Results: there was statistically significant increase in the expression of CD271 and CD29 after MSCs culture (P <0.001). Heterogeneous cell population composed of MSCs and differentiated HLCs were encountered (40% hepatocytes and 60% MSCs). Furthermore our results showed that growth factor cocktails one and two gave the best result for differentiation of MSCs into HLCs. Conclusion: MSCs could be feasible, readily available and novel source for differentiation of MSCs into HLCs for future therapeutic implication
Sulforaphane SFN an isothiocyanate found in Red cabbage possess anticancer, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The objective of the study was to examine antioxidant activity of purified SFN in terms of 1,1 diphenyl 2 picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) and the levels of Glutathione S Transferase (GST) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in Vero and HEp- 2 cells. The results indicated that extract possess higher radical scavenging activity in HEp-2 and Vero cells when compared to purified SFN. Purified and Std SFN found to have closer radical scavenging activity in Vero and HEp-2 cells. GST, GSH levels in SFN treated Vero and HEp-2 cells were decreased when compared to control cells. The antimicrobial activity of purified SFN was done by diffusion method. Purified SFN was found to possess good antimicrobial activity against bacterial and fungal species. The study showed that purified SFN and Extract may exert its antioxidant stress by scavenging free radicals and controlling xenobiotic metabolism in Vero and HEp-2 cells
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) consist of large volume of quantitative and qualitative information that usual methods are not able to present them properly and because Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is one of the most appropriate criteria for sustainable development and environmental management are in the world, Therefore, appropriate methods must be used and to be carried out. In this paper the application of AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) in environmental impact assessment that can support full integration quantitative and qualitative information and the decision is to be introduced. In this project four oil refineries were selected as case studies. For construction and operation phases oil refineries. For construction and operation phases Expert Choice 11 was chosen as appropriate software for oil refineries environmental impact assessment and decision-making procedures. The results gives better decision-making ways, choose the correct solutions and provide a field for future recommendations for these three different phases. EIA in this method has good results based on the multidisciplinary in decision-making for environmental impacts. In conclusion with consideration of calculations, graphs, existing environment and oil refineries conditions new ways will find for Environmental Impact Assessment of oil refineries. In continue multi-criteria for EIA oil refineries have been considered.
In engineering projects associated with rock mechanic science like open pit mines, assessment and slope stability of mine walls is one of the important performance in generate of these structures. Estimating and knowledge of type of failures is one of main parts that should be occurring to special attention in open pit mines studies phase. Failure phenomenon occurrence in natural and artificial al rock slopes such as open-pit mines and road trenches are important issues these projects face. Projects of Chadormalu iron ore mine which includes completely crushed rock walls due to tectonic activities of Chadormalu fault is a case whose west wall raptures are analyzed on the basis of kinematic and empirical methods. Results obtained from this survey by kinematic (stereonet analysis) and empirical methods (SMR classification system) show that presence of various faulty surfaces and lots of fractures in rock mass will form different planar and wedge failures in the mine wall. In addition, studying and comparing the results obtained from these two methods indicate a good agreement among data of kinematic and empirical methods.
This note discusses the mathematical conditions of achievement of maximum power transfer from source to load in electric circuits where their basic elements (resistance, inductance and capacitance) are eventually linear and time-varying but not necessarily everywhere time-differentiable. This last concern is seen to be relevant for the inductive part of the circuit whose time- derivative, where it exists, plays the role of a resistor while at time instants where such a time-derivative does not exist has an impulsive characterization. The power transfer degradation through time is also characterized related to the initial values of the circuitry provided that the source remains unaltered through time.
This paper presents a new method to reliability improvement of distribution system by optimal sizing and placement of unified series -shunt compensator (USSC).The BFA based approach is used to solve the USSC optimization problem with considering capital cost of USSC installation and interruption costs due to interruption of loads in sensitive point. In this paper using ETAP software, the worst point that if three phase fault occur, therefore leads to the propagation of voltage sags to most number of system buses is investigated and located. Simulation results show that the proposed method is efficient and feasible for improving the system reliability level by reducing the number of sagged bus and load outages and momentary interruptions. Finally in this paper, after optimal location of USSC, the reliability improvement is investigated through expected energy not supplied (EENS) index, average system interruption frequency index (ASIFI) and the momentary average interruption frequency index (MAIFI).
Due to the inadequacy of the analysis methods of composites, designers have had to take into account relatively high safety coefficients in designing composites. Consequently, most structures made of composites are produced with higher capacity than is needed. However, these materials can be used more effectively provided that behaviours, damage processes, and damage prevention methods are considered more meticulously. In this paper damage phenomenon in Laminates made of a layer of graphite - epoxy and glass - epoxy with different alignments layers under tension have been studied and compared using Finite element analysis (FEA). Maximum stress, strain, displacement and destruction number based on The Tsai-wu criteria in the most critical layers in every layout, in both materials has been obtained and compared together. It was found out that when the arrangement of layers is cross-ply, damage in Laminates is far lower than Quasi-orthotropic mode and the unsymmetrical mode (general laminate). Results also showed that the graphite - epoxy over glass - epoxy is more resistant against tensile. It can be finally concluded that in order to produce a Laminates when the Laminates is under tension Instead of using a high safety factor in designing which leads to higher product prices and resulting economic failure of product, economic competition with other competitor’s products can be obtained through correct material and arrangement selection of layers.
