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PurposeAs learning at the workplace is predominantly self-motivated, this study is aimed to identify and categorize the motivational drivers for working professionals to pursue self-directed learning (SDL) at the workplace.Design/methodology/approachA total of 23 variables were identified as drivers for working professionals to initiate, pursue and sustain self-directed learning at the workplace through literature review, interviews and focused group discussions with senior leaders from the industry. The participants were a mix of senior professionals responsible for leading large teams in their organizations and those appointed as people development leaders in their respective organizations. A questionnaire was developed based on the identified drivers and administered online. Around 315 working professionals were surveyed. Structural equation modelling and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) methods were used to verify the scale and assess its validity and reliability.FindingsThe results suggested that SDL motivational drivers for working professionals can be categorized into two broad categories, namely extrinsic (14 drivers) and intrinsic (9 drivers). Further, extrinsic drivers were subdivided into three categories: job expectations (6 drivers), negative consequence (2 drivers) and positive reinforcement (6 drivers) based on the initial exploratory and subsequent confirmatory analysis. The results suggest that job expectations and positive reinforcement positively influence the intrinsic motivation of an individual to pursue SDL and negative consequences negatively impact the intrinsic motivation.Practical implicationsThe findings from the study will be useful for human resource practitioners, managers and e-Learning companies to draw strategies for building an SDL culture. It also supports the advancement of research in adult education and learning in the workplace.Originality/valueA new scale to measure motivation for SDL by employees at the workplace is proposed. There are no scales available to measure employee motivation for pursuing SDL at the workplace to the best of our knowledge.

The Physical Internet (PI) is a relatively young and compelling vision about the freight transport and logistics system of the future. Besides showing how many technological and organizational innovations could converge in a real-world logistics system, it also addresses cross-industry interests such as digitalization, standardization, resilience, and environmental sustainability. In the logistics R&D community, the PI is already inspiring new designs of loading and packaging material, architectures for collaboration, and open information exchange, as well as algorithms for system-wide optimization. Our focus is on the position and role of maritime ports within the PI, as the transport hubs that facilitate most of the world's international trade. We introduce the key notions of the PI vision and expand on the unique position of maritime ports in the PI with the respective challenges this may create. Finally, we discuss the requirements for maritime ports to be ready to take up their role in the PI. We found that policy directions for ports to contribute to the development and implementation of the PI lie within the areas of transport infrastructure, (PI) standardization, advanced terminal areas, ICT hardware, information systems (IS) and platforms, and sustainability management.

Purpose The purpose of the proposed model is to assist the e-business to predict the churned users using machine learning. This paper aims to monitor the customer behavior and to perform decision-making accordingly. Design/methodology/approach The proposed model uses the 2-D convolutional neural network (CNN; a technique of deep learning). The proposed model is a layered architecture that comprises two different phases that are data load and preprocessing layer and 2-D CNN layer. In addition, the Apache Spark parallel and distributed framework is used to process the data in a parallel environment. Training data is captured from Kaggle by using Telco Customer Churn. Findings The proposed model is accurate and has an accuracy score of 0.963 out of 1. In addition, the training and validation loss is extremely less, which is 0.004. The confusion matric results show the true-positive values are 95% and the true-negative values are 94%. However, the false-negative is only 5% and the false-positive is only 6%, which is effective. Originality/value This paper highlights an inclusive description of preprocessing required for the CNN model. The data set is addressed more carefully for the successful customer churn prediction.

In the past 50 years, Cannabis sativa (C. sativa) has gone from a substance essentially prohibited worldwide to one that is gaining acceptance both culturally and legally in many countries for medicinal and recreational use. As additional jurisdictions legalize Cannabis products and the variety and complexity of these products surpass the classical dried plant material, appropriate methods for measuring the biologically active constituents is paramount to ensure safety and regulatory compliance. While there are numerous active compounds in C. sativa the primary cannabinoids of regulatory and safety concern are (-)-Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and their respective acidic forms THCA-A and CBDA. Using the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) bioanalytical method validation guidelines we developed a sensitive, selective, and accurate method for the simultaneous analysis CBD, CBDA, THC, and THCA-A in oils and THC & CBD in more complex matrices. This HPLC-MS/MS method was simple and reliable using standard sample dilution and homogenization, an isocratic chromatographic separation, and a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for analytes was 0.195 ng/mL over a 0.195-50.0 ng/mL range of quantification with a coefficient of correlation of >0.99. Average intra-day and inter-day accuracies were 94.2-112.7% and 97.2-110.9%, respectively. This method was used to quantify CBD, CBDA, THC, and THCA-A in 40 commercial hemp products representing a variety of matrices including oils, plant materials, and creams/cosmetics. All products tested met the federal regulatory restrictions on THC content in Canada (1,000 (an oil-based product). Overall, the method proved amenable to the analysis of various commercial products including oils, creams, and plant material and may be diagnostically indicative of adulteration with non-hemp C. sativa, specialized hemp cultivars, or unique manufacturing methods.

SummaryThirty-one strains of mesophilic and thermophilic lactic acid bacteria and their respective phages were tested for their minimum, optimum and maximum multiplication temperatures. Culture growth was strongly influenced by temperature during the first few hours of incubation, but less so after 24 h. Most of the phages showed the same pattern of development as their hosts, but one phage lysing a thermophilic lactobacillus and 3 phages lysing mesophilic streptococci proved temperature-sensitive, having a lower maximum temperature than that of their hosts. One phage was unusual in that its minimum development temperature was 7 °C above that of its host. Differences in temperature sensitivity were insufficient to reduce risk of phage infection by temperature control in industrial processes.

In the past decade, mass customization has shown to be one of the effective business models in developed economies. Key success factors include modularization and standardization of product platforms, production postponement strategies, and customer interaction. A major challenge is how to implement the success factors and design a suitable business network. One approach is to simulate the performance of a business network with the input of detailed mass customization orders. This paper presents a simulation-based methodology to configure a mass customization network. The contribution of the paper focuses on the approach to create product models that include personalization details, the generation of demand profiles, and the creation of generic process routings for mass customized products. The paper uses examples from the golf club industry to illustrate the methodology.

The healthcare industry is undergoing many challenges due to rising costs, lower governmental support, and ineffectiveness of many treatments. One popular approach to address these issues is the P4 vision where prevention and patient participation is paramount. To implement these newer approaches, there are business process challenges in order to control costs and offer the new personalized approach. The mass customization business model has been successful in offering various levels of personalization with costs and delivery delays similar to mass production. Although it has been researched and implemented for the manufacturing industry, research has shown potential in the service industry.

The health care industry continues to face the challenges of being able to provide high quality services at an acceptable cost. One of the challenges being faced is the reactive versus proactive mode of health professionals and patients, in dealing with health issues. This is due in part to the incongruent incentive structures in place for the B2B stakeholders, as well as the need to create greater awareness of preventive care and its benefit over reactive care.

The natural alkaloid berberine has been ascribed numerous health benefits including lipid and cholesterol reduction and improved insulin sensitivity in diabetics. However, oral (PO) administration of berberine is hindered by poor bioavailability and increasing dose often elicits gastro-intestinal side effects. To overcome the caveats associated with oral berberine, we developed transdermal (TD) formulations of berberine (BBR) and the berberine precursor dihydroberberine (DHB). These formulations were compared to oral BBR using pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and general safety studies in vivo. To complete this work, a sensitive quantitative LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated according the FDA guidelines for bioanalytical methods to simultaneously measure berberine, simvastatin, and simvastatin hydroxy acid with relative quantification used for the berberine metabolite demethylene berberine glucuronide (DBG). Acute pharmacokinetics in Sprague-Dawley rats demonstrated a statistically relevant ranking for berberine bioavailability based upon AUC0-8 as DHB TD > BBR TD >> BBR PO with similar ranking for the metabolite DBG, indicating that transdermal administration achieves BBR levels well above oral administration. Similarly, chronic administration (14 days) resulted in significantly higher levels of circulating BBR and DBG in DHB TD treated animals. Chronically treated rats were given a single dose of simvastatin with no observed change in the drugs bioavailability compared with control, suggesting the increased presence of BBR had no effect on simvastatin metabolism. This observation was further supported by consistent CYP3A4 expression across all treatment groups. Moreover, no changes in kidney and liver biomarkers, including alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase, were observed between treatment formats, and confirming previous reports that BBR has no effect on HMG-CoA expression. This study supports the safe use of transdermal compositions that improve on the poor bioavailability of oral berberine and have the potential to be more efficacious in the treatment of dyslipidemia or hypercholesterolemia.

Resume ľaction antimicrobienne de Remanex Zyma et de ses constituants (borate de phenyl-mercure et hexachlorophene) a ete experimentee sur des spores ?une souche de Strepto-myces sp., isolee des eaux du lac Leman (Suisse), soit: a) les spores de la souche sauvage; b) les spores ?une subculture preparee a partir ?un individu de la souche initiale qui a survecu a 2 min ?UV germicides; c) dito, mais 10 min ?UV germicides. Dans tous les cas, les resultats montrent que Remanex possede une efficacite nettement plus forte que ses principes actifs isoless ou associes, mais sans excipient. ?autre part, les spores qui ont survecu a la plus forte dose ?UV administree ont fourni une subculture dont la resistance aux traitements desinfectants decrits dans ce travail s'est revelee superieure a. celle de la souche non ou faiblement irradiee. Zusammenfassung Die antibakterielle Wirkung von Remanex Zyma und seinen Bestandteilen (Phenyl-quecksilberborat und Hexachlorophen) wurde an Sporen eines aus dem Genfer See (Schweiz) isolierten Stammes Streptomyces sp. untersucht, und zwar an: a) Sporen des wilden Stammes; b) Sporen der Subkultur eines Keims der Primarkultur, der eine 2 min lange keimtotende UV-Bestrahlung uberlebte; c) Sporen der Subkultur eines Keims der Primarkultur, der eine 10 min lange keim-totende UV-Bestrahlung uberlebte. Remanex erwies sidi in alien Fallen als weitaus wirksamer als seine einzeln oder assoziiert ohne Excipiens vorliegenden aktiven Wirkstoffe. Diejenigen Sporen, die die hochstdosierte UV-Bestrahlung uberlebten, entwickelten Kolonien, deren Resistenz gegenuber den in dieser Arbeit beschriebenen Desinfizienzien groser als diejenige der nicht oder schwach bestrahlten Kulturen war. Summary The antimicrobial activity of Remanex Zyma and its components (phenymercuric borate and hexachlorophene) was tested on the spores of a strain of Streptomyces sp., isolated from the waters of the lake of Geneva (Switzerland), namely: a) the spores of the wild strain; b) the spores of a subculture prepared from a component of the original strain which survived 2 min of germicidal UV irradiation; c) ditto, but with 10 min of germicidal UV irradiation. Remanex was shown in all cases to have a definitely more powerful action than either of its components alone or in combination without excipient. The spores which survived the higher dose of irradiation formed a subculture with a higher resistance to the Desinfectants described in this study than the non- or weakly-irradiated strain.

In the era of global markets, competition is often based on the performance of business networks rather than those of individual firms. This is especially true in the context of business networks offering personalization. Networks are faced with complex design issues in order to configure resource requirements throughout their network. The paper presents a simulation-based algorithm to determine the good trade-off between resource levels and inventory levels as well as how to best distribute delivery times in the network while respecting delivery delays and multiple market offers.

This paper first presents personalizing and personalized manufacturing as a means for firms to meet the rising challenge, faced by a large variety of manufacturers, to offer innovative highly personalized products with short and reliable delivery delays in a digital and global economy that is highly turbulent and competitive. It positions personalizing versus the current trend of mass customising. It characterizes complementary types of personalizing and highlights the key elements for their successful implementation from a demand and supply network perspective. Finally, it illustrates the scope and addresses how personalizing affects the design of the demand and supply network, emphasizing the scope of this design influence, the variety of options for each element of the network, and the interrelationships between the design decisions.

Introduction: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is marked by accumulation of vascular beta-amyloid which is toxic to smooth muscle cells. An animal study and a pilot study in humans suggest decreased vasodilation in CAA. We studied patients with CAA and matched controls to determine whether neurovascular coupling is impaired in CAA. Methods: Patients with CAA and controls underwent task-related fMRI with a visual task (viewing a flashing alternating checkerboard pattern) or a motor task (tapping the fingers of the dominant hand) using a block design, and visual evoked potentials (VEPs). CAA patients were diagnosed by Boston criteria and had normal corrected visual acuity, no visual field deficits and no paresis of the dominant arm. Controls were recruited by community advertising and were matched by gender and age (±5 years) to CAA cases. Results: Eighteen CAA patients (12 M, 6F; 72±7 yrs) and eighteen controls (12 M, 6F; 70±7 yrs) were studied. For the visual task, CAA patients had reduced activity in the occipital lobe (Figure) and lower amplitude of the BOLD response vs. controls (28% reduced, p=0.005). By contrast, for the motor task CAA patients had a similar response of the primary motor cortex vs. controls (9.6% reduced BOLD response, p=0.53). VEP P100 latencies and amplitudes did not differ between CAA and controls (p=0.49 and p=0.74). Lower visual cortex BOLD amplitudes were correlated with greater white matter lesion volumes in CAA (r=-0.66, p=0.003). Conclusions: Neurovascular coupling is impaired in the occipital lobe in CAA. BOLD signal amplitudes are reduced despite normal evoked potentials, suggesting impaired vasodilation. The association with white matter lesion volume raises the possibility that impaired vasodilation may be involved in the pathogenesis of these lesions. BOLD responses in the primary motor cortex in CAA were not reduced, likely reflecting the known posterior predominance of CAA with lesser involvement of the frontal lobe.