Uncertainty Analysis and Optimization Modeling with Application to Supply Chain Management: A Systematic Review

Due to the high complexity, fractal based approach was adopted to solve general problems in supply chain management. As a consequence, the research question of this study is “How fractals contribute to supply chain management?” Web of Science database is used to find both “fractal” and “supply chain” related articles to answer the research question. According to the results only seven articles were identified. Bibliometric and social network analysis were employed. The findings of these analysis show that, seven articles were written in high quality journals. There are four clusters in the social network and Ryu and Jung wrote at most three articles in this field. Both of these authors are located in Korea. In terms of the subjects, the predominantly articles are related with fractal-based supply chain management and fractal frameworks for supply chain networks. In addition to these, there are some articles related with agent-based modelling and simulation. According to the results, it can be easily seen that this field is immature and there is a gap. Fractal based approach can be applied for other supply chain management problems.KeywordsFractalSupply chainBibliometric analysisSocial network

A bibliometric analysis is presented in this paper to examine the use of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in the domain of Supply Chain Management (SCM). The research trends on DEA in SCM from 2000 to 2023 are explored, using data obtained from the Web of Science database (WoS) and VOS viewer software for detailed mapping of the articles. The numerous articles that use DEA in SCM worldwide are analyzed and summarized in this bibliometric study, producing a complete assessment of DEA in the field from 352 academic papers published in high-ranking publications. The articles are classified according to the year of publication, countries of the author(s), working areas, journals, and content of studies. Based on the findings of this research, tremendous potential is shown for DEA as a suitable evaluation instrument for future studies on sustainability concerns in SCM.

ABSTRACTThis study was performed to summarize the current research status of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for bladder tumors in China and provide a comprehensive analysis of global research frontiers and emerging trends in PDT for bladder tumors. Bladder cancer is a significant health concern, posing a significant threat to human well‐being because of its malignant nature. PDT is an effective treatment for bladder tumors. We conducted a bibliometric analysis of research literature on PDT for bladder tumors. A comprehensive search of published papers up to December 31, 2023 was performed using the Web of Science database, following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta‐analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We analyzed the literature distribution characteristics, research frontiers, and hotspots in PDT using Citespace software, employing co‐citation and co‐word analysis protocols. We also summarized specific treatments and preliminary results from the Department of Urological Oncology at Shanghai General Hospital. In total, 465 scientific papers were retrieved, with research predominantly conducted in developed countries such as the United States, Germany, and Belgium. China leads among developing countries but still lags behind these developed countries. Key research frontiers include the design and development of photosensitizers, evaluation of PDT efficacy, optimization and standardization of clinical therapeutic procedures, and clinical transformation of photosensitizers. Although the number of research papers on PDT for bladder tumors from China is increasing, a noticeable gap remains compared with Western countries. Moving forward, the design of novel photosensitizers, the standardization and normalization of clinical therapeutic procedures, and robust efficacy assessment processes are expected to be the main areas of focus and development in PDT research globally.

Contributors

Supply chain management (SCM) that is Lean, Agile, Resilient, and Green (LARG) are required for competitiveness in today's complex, high-demand market. SCM must consider LARG paradigms concurrently, a rarely investigated topic. This study provides a comprehensive review of publications that combine all four LARG principles in engineering, business, and management domains. According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach, two Scopus and Google Scholar databases were exhaustively examined. Thirty-two manuscripts were selected for a comprehensive review. The year of publication, document type, countries, authors, journals, keywords, and topics was analyzed from 2000 to 2023. Also, each paper's methodology, central topic, findings, limitations, and future recommendations were outlined. Consequently, the current systematic literature review (SLR) revealed that the proposed topic is in its infancy, with promising prospects. By emphasizing the findings of this study, managers and businesses can increase consumer satisfaction and reduce costs.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to systematically review and critically examine food losses and waste quantification in supply chain, especially in studies that tackle all the supply chain activities in a real context.Design/methodology/approachThis work employed a systematic literature review methodology on the extant literature focusing on peer-reviewed journal articles published from 2000 to 2019.FindingsA systematic analysis of 117 articles reveals that downstream supply chains are studied to a greater extent than upstream supply chains, with an emphasis on consumer waste. The findings also highlight more than half of the articles focus on only one supply chain activity. In terms of the methodologies, surveys and modelling methods are the most used to measure food losses and wastes, adopt monetary, carbon emission and calorific metrics. This study highlights that while food losses and waste research remains a relevant field of study, it has yet to been fully explored.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limit is the adoption of a systematic review method for food losses and waste quantification in supply chain.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that supply chain managers should invest in acquiring more knowledge about food losses in the global network. Upstream supply chains should be more studied and integrated with the downstream supply chains. Using combined direct and indirect methods has the potential to deal with the contradictions of quantification, the lack of data and reduce losses over time and space.Originality/valueBased on this review as the first one focusing exclusively on quantification of food losses and waste in supply chain context, the authors develop an aspiring research agenda that proposes opportunities for future research.HeadingsWe analyse 117 studies addressing food losses and waste quantification.Downstream food supply chains are more studied than upstream food supply chains.Case studies of food supply chains in developed countries are more prolific.The main metric to quantify food losses and waste is weight.

Present and future perspectives of blockchain in supply chain management: a review of reviews and research agenda

PurposeBy applying a systematic literature review, this paper aims to identify the major healthcare problem domains (i.e. target areas) for lean supply chain management (LSCM) and to provide a list of the most common techniques for implementing LSCM in healthcare. Moreover, this study intends to investigate various contingency factors that may have influenced the selection of LSCM target areas or the application of LSCM techniques by healthcare organizations.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review was carried out following the method presented by Tranfield et al. (2003). Thereby, 280 peer-reviewed journal articles, published between 1995 and 2018, were selected, profiled and reviewed. In total, 75 papers were also selected for a qualitative analysis, known as meta-study, on the basis of high relevancy to the research objectives.FindingsThis work extracts, from previous research, a set of target areas for improving supply chain in healthcare by applying lean approaches. The work also unifies the language of lean thinking and supply chain in healthcare by defining metaphors in circumstances under which healthcare organizations pursue similar objectives from their supply chain management and lean programs (Schmitt, 2005). This paper also outlines a list of applications of lean for supply chain improvement in healthcare. Finally, a set of contingency factors in the field of lean supply chain in healthcare is found via the published literature.Practical implicationsThis paper provides insights for decision-makers in the healthcare industry regarding the benefits of implementing LSCM, and it identifies contingency factors affecting the implementation of LSCM principles for healthcare. Implementing LSCM can help healthcare organizations improve the following domains: internal interaction between employees, supply chain cost management, medication distribution systems, patient safety and instrument utilization.Social implicationsThe research shows potential synthesis of LSCM with the healthcare industry’s objectives, and, thus, the outcome of this research is likely to have positive influence on the quality and cost of healthcare services. The objectives of the healthcare industry are cost reduction and providing better service quality, and LSCM implementation could be an effective solution to help healthcare to achieve these objectives.Originality/valueThe prime value of this paper lies in conducting a systematic literature review using a meta-study to identify the major factors of implementing LSCM in healthcare. Only a few other studies have been published in the literature about LSCM in healthcare.

PurposeThe findings of this paper throw light on the focal research areas within RFID in the supply chain, which serves as an effective guideline for future research in this area. This research, therefore, contributes to filling the gap by carrying out an SLR of contemporary research studies in the area of RFID applications in supply chains. To date, SLR augmented with BA has not been used to study the developments in RFID applications in supply chains.Design/methodology/approachWe analyze 556 articles from years 2001 to date using Systematic Literature Review (SLR). Contemporary bibliometric analysis (BA) tools are utilized. First, an exploratory analysis is carried, out revealing influential authors, sources, regions, among other key aspects. Second, a co-citation work analysis is utilized to understand the conceptual structure of the literature, followed by a dynamic co-citation network to reveal the evolution of the field. This is followed by a multivariate analysis is performed on top-100 cited papers, and k-means clustering is carried out to find optimal groups and identify research themes. The influential themes are then pointed out using factor analysis.FindingsAn exploratory analysis is carried out using BA tools to provide insights into factors such as influential authors, production countries, top-cited papers and frequent keywords. Visualization of bibliographical data using co-citation network analysis and keyword co-occurrence analysis assisted in understanding the groups (communities) of research themes. We employed k-means clustering and factor analysis methods to further develop these insights. A historiographical direct citation analysis also unveils potential research directions. We observe that RFID applications in the supply chain are likely to benefit from the Internet of Things and blockchain Technology along with the other machine learning and visualization approaches.Originality/valueAlthough several researchers have researched RFID literature in relation to supply chains, these reviews are often conducted in the traditional manner where the author(s) select paper based on their area of expertise, interest and experience. Limitation of such reviews includes authors’ selection bias of studies to be included and limited or no use of advanced BA tools for analysis. This study fills this research gap by conducting an SLR of RFID in supply chains to identify important research trends in this field through the use of advanced BA tools.

Clinicians increasingly rely on abstracts to assist with clinical decision-making. Spin is a bias that misrepresents research findings. The presence of spin in abstracts may mislead surgeons to believe a treatment is more effective than data suggest. To evaluate the presence of spin in abstracts of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on free bone block (FBB) procedures for glenohumeral instability. Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were queried with the terms "bone block" and "shoulder." Studies were included if they met the following criteria: systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses regarding FBB procedures published in the English language in peer-reviewed journals. Abstracts were analyzed for 15 spin types. Study quality was assessed using AMSTAR 2 (Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews Version 2) categories. Study characteristics including year of publication, journal impact factor and CiteScore, and level of evidence were collected, and Fisher exact test was used to find correlations between spin and study characteristics. Statistical significance was defined as a P value ≤.05. A total of 23 studies were included in this study. Spin was identified in 21 (91.3%) studies, and the number of spin types present in a single study ranged from 0 to 7. Spin type 6 (selective reporting of or overemphasis on harm outcomes or analysis favoring the safety of the experimental intervention) was identified most frequently (17; 73.9%). A significant association was found between spin type 5 (the conclusion claims the beneficial effect of the experimental treatment despite a high risk of bias in primary studies) and scientific journal (P = .013), and between spin 9 (the conclusion claims the beneficial effect of the experimental treatment despite reporting bias) and year of publication (P = .010). Spin is highly prevalent in abstracts of systematic reviews and meta-analyses investigating FBB for glenohumeral instability. Associations between spin and both year and journal of publication were identified. These results suggest that surgeons should use full texts to help inform conclusions when using systematic reviews and meta-analyses to determine the efficacy and safety of FBB for glenohumeral instability.

The paper presents possible solutions to small farmers in the agricultural sector in a small island setting grappling with challenges of enhancing their local industry and import substitution through a supply-demand chain framework. In 2005, Hawaiian farms produced approximately 363,200 kg of avocados. However, Hawaiian demand for these fruits required an additional 908,000 kg of avocados that were supplied through imports. At the same time, it is worth noting; almost 49% of locally produced avocados did not reach the market. These facts clearly suggest inefficiencies in the local avocado supply chain. Review of the literature on supply chain management suggests a sustainable avocado industry requires an integrated supply and demand chain management system. Hence, a modified conceptual model of supply-chain management called the Supply Demand Integrated Management (SDIM) model is proposed in this paper. Traditional supply chains contain three functional components: supply coordination, physical production and logistic management. In the new model, we propose adding R4D (Research for Development), a public good provided by the government to agricultural industries as an integral part of the supply-demand chain system. It articulates the significance of research and supply chain partnerships between small growers, industry groups, and public agencies. A well-integrated demand/supply chain in the avocado industry allows sharing of vital market information which can contribute to long-term strategic decisions that help local avocado growers increase their competitiveness against foreign imports. It also provides metrics in terms of consumer satisfaction, profitability, competitiveness, self-sufficiency, import substitution and sustainability. The SDIM model as applied to the avocado industry suggests two hypotheses relevant to the current situation. The hypotheses are: (1) There is a lack of coordination between what the farmers are growing and the chefs' (a high-end customer/buyer) preferences; (2) Forming an avocado farmer cooperative will enhance the profitability of local farmers. Survey data was collected from Hawaiian chefs and avocado farmers. Data was analysed using a Duncan multi-range test and a mathematical model, respectively, to test the hypotheses. The test revealed a lack of coordination between what the farmers are growing and buyer preferences. The results from the mathematical model suggested that formation of an avocado marketing cooperative would enhance the profitability of local farmers. Thus, the SDIM framework expands existing body of knowledge about supply chain management and provides useful information to local avocado growers that can help strengthen their supply and demand chain management.

Determinant factors of entrepreneurial ideation among university students: A systematic literature review

Implementation and adoption of new technologies are gaining the result of smooth supply chain and logistics operations. Internet of things (IoT) artificial intelligence, including data mining, intensified in all fields of life, particularly in supply chain management and operations. Blockchain technology has the capability to reform the supply chain and logistics operations management. Blockchain provides digital database solutions for all transactions across supply chain and operations management. Radio frequency identification device (RFID) is also helping technology transmit electromagnetic waves to radio-compatible integrated circuits to look after and manage the entire supply chain and logistics operations management. The Fourth Industry Revolution 4.0 refers to the automation, interconnectivity, machine learning, and real-time data that help supply chain and logistics operations management in the 21st century.

PRISMA and AMSTAR show systematic reviews on health literacy and cancer screening are of good quality

Computational thinking is an approach used to solve complex problems with basic skills such as decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction and algorithm design. Especially artificial intelligence and its sub-fields make significant contributions to the development of these skills. This study aims to evaluate the research in the field of artificial intelligence in the computational thinking process through bibliometric analysis. The data of the study were obtained from the Web of Science (WoS) database on May 1, 2024. The VOSviewer software program, which is frequently used in bibliometric analysis and can be used free of charge, was used to analyze the data obtained from the WoS database. Analyses using the data obtained from the WoS database enabled the analysis of research in this field in terms of countries, authors, co-authorship status, publication journals, publication years and keywords. The findings of the study show that Taiwan is the country with the highest number of studies in this field, while Spain is the country with the highest number of citations. Hooshyar, D and Hsu, T are among the authors who contributed to the most publications. Collaboration plays an important role in research and Lai, C stands out as the author with the most co-authorship. Education and Information Technologies and Kunstliche Intelligenz are among the journals where the most studies are published. As a result of the examination of the 5 most cited studies, it was determined that different research methods and participant groups were used, data collection tools varied and different data analysis methods were used. These studies provide a broad perspective on artificial intelligence studies in the field of computational thinking and make important contributions to the literature in this field.