On the Bullwhip Avoidance Phase: The Synchronised Supply Chain

The aim of this paper is to analyse the operational response of a Synchronised Supply Chain (SSC). To do so, first a new mathematical model of a SSC is presented. An exhaustive Latin Square design of experiments is adopted in order to perform a boundary variation analysis of the main three parameters of the periodic review smoothing (S, R) order-up-to policy: i.e., lead time, demand smoothing forecasting factor, and proportional controller of the replenishment rule. The model is then evaluated under a variety of performance measures based on internal process benefits and customer benefits. The main results of the analysis are: (I) SSC responds to violent changes in demand by resolving bullwhip effect and by creating stability in inventories under different parameter settings and (II) in a SSC, long production–distribution lead times could significantly affect customer service level. Both results have important consequences for the design and operation of supply chains.     

Infinitely Many Critical Points of Non-Differentiable Functions and Applications to a Neumann-Type Problem Involving the p-Laplacian

For a family of functionals in a Banach space, which are possibly non-smooth and depend also on a positive real parameter, the existence of a sequence of critical points (according to Motreanu and Panagiotopoulos (“Minimax Theorems and Qualitative Properties of the Solutions of Hemivariational Inequalities,” Nonconvex Optimization Applications, Vol. 29, Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1998, Chap. 3)) is established by mainly adapting a new technique due to Ricceri (2000, J. Comput. Appl. Math.113, 401-410). Two applications are then presented. Both of them treat the Neumann problem for an elliptic variational-hemivariational inequality with p-Laplacian.     

Vehicle emissions,urban air quality and current Italian legislation: the case of Messina. V

In the current program for the preparation of an urban air map, this paper reports data obtained by the five base stations in the period 1997-2000 regarding traditional pollutants and gives the first results obtained in determining continuously benzene, toulene and PM10. Additional measurements have been carried out by a mobile station at the falcate zone, never tested before, which has very low traffic but with the presence of some small metal industries and, under favourable meteorological conditions, the effects of the harbour. A statistical study on the hourly-trend of particulate suspended matter in two zones of the city which have different traffic volume for the period 1995-1997 is also reported. The ozone characteristic peak at 15.00 is fully confirmed in all stations and over all the period contrarily to most Italian cities, which present the peak about three hours earlier. PM10 annual mean value during 1999 was a little higher than the legal one. Base stations "Archimede" and "Minissale" still present some risk of a stop or limitation of traffic even with respect to traditional or "new" pollutants. Statistical analysis of particulate suspended matter confirm the very different characteristics of the base stations under consideration.     

Cationic beta-cyclodextrin bilayer vesicles

Cationic amphiphilic beta-cyclodextrins, substituted with hydrophobic n-alkylthio chains at the primary hydroxyl side and hydrophilic omega-amino-oligo(ethylene glycol) units at the secondary side, form bilayer vesicles with a diameter of 30-35 nm (when alkyl = hexadecyl) or nanoparticles with a diameter of ca. 120 nm (when alkyl = hexyl) in water.     

Pendant arm pyrrolic amide cleft anion receptors

The propensity of amine, ammonium and amide pendant arm 2,5-diamidopyrrole derivatives to act as anion receptors has been investigated; the anion-coordination ability of these species has been determined by 1H NMR titration techniques revealing a marked selectivity of the amine functionalised receptor for hydrogen sulfate anions.     

A highly water-soluble 2:1 beta-cyclodextrin-fullerene conjugate

A novel 2:1 (permethylated-beta-cyclodextrin)-fullerene conjugate has been synthesised; highly soluble in cold water with formation of aggregates, it displays a negative solubility coefficient and has a partition coefficient between octanol and water (Log P = 1.58) in the suitable range for biological studies.     

Cooperative origin of low-density domains in liquid water

We study clusters formed by water molecules possessing large enough tetrahedrality with respect to their nearest neighbors. Using Monte Carlo simulation of SPC/E water and Voronoi tessellation, we find that regions of lower density than the bulk are formed by accretion of molecules into clusters exceeding a minimum size. Clusters are predominantly linear objects and become less compact as they grow until they reach a size beyond which further accretion is not accompanied by a density decrease. The results suggest that the formation of "icelike" regions in liquid water is cooperative.