The Impact of E‐Replenishment Strategy on Make‐to‐Order Supply Chain Performance

This research investigates the impact of electronic replenishment strategy on the operational activities and performance of a two‐stage make‐to‐order supply chain. We develop simulation‐based rolling schedule procedures that link the replenishment processes of the channel members and apply them in an experimental analysis to study manual, semi‐automated, and fully automated e‐replenishment strategies in decentralized and coordinated decision‐making supply chain structures. The average operational cost reductions for moving from a manual‐based system to a fully automated system are 19.6, 29.5, and 12.5%, respectively, for traditional decentralized, decentralized with information sharing, and coordinated supply chain structures. The savings are neither equally distributed among participants, nor consistent across supply chain structures. As expected, for the fully coordinated system, total costs monotonically decrease with higher levels of automation. However, for the two decentralized structures, under which most firms operate today, counter‐intuitive findings reveal that the unilateral application of e‐procurement technology by the buyer may lower his purchasing costs, but increase the seller's and system's costs. The exact nature of the relationship is determined by the channel's operational flexibility. Broader results indicate that while the potential economic benefit of e‐replenishment in a decentralized system is substantial, greater operational improvements maybe possible through supply chain coordination.     

The U.S. mainstream expands – again

Building on neo-assimilation ideas, we conceptualise the ‘mainstream’ and then find compelling evidence of its expansion in the U.S. in the rising number of individuals who come from mixed minority–majority backgrounds. In terms of the contexts in which they are raised and their social identities and affiliations, on the whole they resemble whites more than they do minorities, and they marry whites at very high rates. Individuals who are partly black are exceptions to some of these patterns. We note an important similarity between this expansion and the one associated with post-World War II assimilation: both are connected with growing diversity of identity and ethnic expression in the mainstream. An equally important difference lies in the more modest magnitude of the current expansion. We close with a series of questions for future research raised by our argument.     

Syrian Refugees Living on the Edge: Policy and Practice Implications for Mental Health and Psychosocial Wellbeing

This qualitative study aims to explore the difficulties experienced by Syrian refugees living in the camps of Turkey in the pre‐migration and post‐migration environment and the impacts thereof on their mental wellbeing. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with Syrian refugees living in three different camps on the Syrian border of Turkey. Syrian refugees were highly exposed to traumatic events in the pre‐migration period, including armed conflicts, human rights violations, and social and economic devastation. Participants reported a wide range of difficulties in the post‐migration environment, including separation from and loss of close ones, camp difficulties, gender‐based, adaptational and economic adversities. They reported a number of psychological and social effects of these pre‐migration and post‐migration difficulties. The implications of the findings are discussed and recommendations are made concerning the necessity of a rights‐based approach to policies and interventions for mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of Syrian refugees.     

Helping Low-Conflict Divorced Parents Establish Appropriate Boundaries Using a Variation of the Miracle Question: An Integration of Solution-Focused Therapy and Structural Family Therapy

The authors discuss the implications of divorce and the effect that divorce has on the relationships between family members. Parents are encouraged to develop appropriate co-parental boundaries that direct and influence subsequent interactions between family members. Using an integration of solution-focused therapy and structural family therapy, a variation of the miracle question is suggested as a means to help parents gain confidence in making changes in behavior. The miracle question also is intended to help parents set new goals for themselves and increase the ability to cooperate and communicate as co-parents. A case study provides an example of this idea.     

Egalitarian-equivalent Groves mechanisms in the allocation of heterogenous objects

We study the problem of allocating objects when monetary transfers are possible. We are interested in mechanisms that allocate the objects in an efficient way and induce the agents to report their true preferences. Within the class of such mechanisms, first we characterize egalitarian-equivalent mechanisms. Then, we add a bounded-deficit condition and characterize the corresponding class. Finally, we investigate the relations between egalitarian-equivalence and other fairness notions such as no-envy.     

Does Stage of Pelvic Organ Prolapse Affect Female Sexual Functions? A Retrospective Study

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of pelvic organ prolapse stage on sexual function in women. Methods: Prolapse stages, muscle strength, sexual function, and pelvic floor symptoms were assessed by Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification, by vaginal pressure measurement, by the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Function Questionnaire (PISQ-12), and the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20 (PFDI-20), respectively. Results: There was no difference between pelvic floor muscle strength, PISQ-12 subscales and PISQ-12 total scores based on prolapse stages (p > 0.05). When the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Distress Inventory and PFDI-20 scores of the women with stage 3/4 prolapse were compared with Stage 1 and Stage 2, there was a difference found between them (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Sexual function and muscular strength were not affected by prolapse stages.     

The effect of testosterone treatment on prostate histology and apoptosis in men with late-onset hypogonadism

Objectives: To investigate the effect of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) on prostate histology and apoptosis in men with late-onset hypogonadism (LOH).

Methods: The study included 25 men, having LOH with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 4?ng/ml or less. All patients underwent transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy at baseline, and received testosterone undecanoate treatment for 1 year. Prostate biopsy was repeated at the end of 1 year of testosterone therapy. In addition to clinical and biochemical parameters, prostate histology and apoptotic index (AI) were compared before and after the TRT.

Results: The mean serum total testosterone significantly increased from 178.04?±?51.92 to 496.28?±?103.73?ng/dl (p?=?0.001). No significant differences were observed in serum total and free PSA level, prostate volume and maximal urinary flow rate. There were also no significant differences in AI, stroma/epithelial cells ratio, Ki-67 positive cells and atrophy score of prostate tissue before and after the TRT.

Conclusions: This study demonstrated that TRT did not affect serum PSA level, prostate volume and maximal urinary flow rate. This study also suggests that TRT does not cause the risk for prostate cancer development, because of no significant differences in prostate histology after TRT.