McKesson is America’s oldest and largest healthcare services company. IBM Research developed an innovative scenario modeling and analysis tool, supply chain scenario modeler (SCSM), for McKesson to optimize its end-to-end pharmaceutical supply chain policies. Through integrated operations research (OR) models, SCSM optimizes the distribution network, supply flow, inventory, and transportation policies, and quantifies the impacts of changes on financial, operational, and environmental metrics. The modeling work spawned a roadmap of projects with quantified opportunities, including a new air freight supply chain path, and provided new insights that have been critical to improving McKesson’s performance as a pharmaceutical industry leader. A structured data model supporting the OR models has provided a basis for additional improvement projects. The model directly links OR modeling results to a detailed profit-and-loss statement by product category for the different supply chain paths that McKesson uses. Since this effort began in 2009, McKesson Pharmaceutical division has reduced its committed capital by more than $1 billion.

SUMMARY: A sampling trawl with a rigid mouth; that is, the frame trawl, was designed so as to catch the large larval and juvenile fish more efficiently. The net consisted of four 13 m panels (nylon multifilament and twine diameter φ 0.75 mm, mesh size 8 mm). The frame of the net's mouth was composed of four stainless steel pipes (length 4 m, diameter φ 76 mm, thickness 5 mm). Several operations were conducted to investigate the capability of catching juveniles. A lot of Sardinops melanostictus juveniles, which are generally difficult to catch, were caught during every operation. Underwater observations proved that juveniles could not elude the capture. The frame trawl requires no special handling and is possible to operate in a rough sea.

Thallium in waste water can be removed effectively by DOWA Iron Powder Method which uses Fe metal powder and H2O2. The concentration of Tl in waste water was decreased by a factor of about 100 from the initial concentration with each treatment.

Controlled switching system (CSS) with a 204 kV gas circuit breaker (GCB) demonstrates to reduce an inrush current and to eliminate re-ignitions in shunt reactor switching. Target closing and opening instants for controlled switching are determined by the electrical and mechanical characteristics of GCB. Idle time dependence of the operating time, which gives a sufficient impact on controlling accuracy, is evaluated and successfully compensated by synchronous switching controller (SSC). Field operation of CSS for a year shows an effective suppression of inrush current on closing and prevention of re-ignitions on opening of shunt reactor. The operations also proved that the CSS has a satisfactory performance for electro-magnetic disturbance imposed in practical field. GCB

This paper describes the characteristics of a towed sampling gear system by using a linearized equation of motion. The linearized model was validated by comparing the results of the simulation and actual operation using the system of R/V Ushio Maru and a FMT (Framed Midwater Trawl). Damping factor and natural frequency, which are two parameters of a second-order system, were expressed as a function of the speciˆcations of the sampling gear and operational conditions. As a result, the motion of the system was regarded as over-damping in common operations, and so the system generally seemed to be approximated by aˆrst-order system. In this approximation, the value of the time constant remained constant even though the virtual mass of the net was varied. It was also found that the advantage of stable towing depth was obtained by using warp with a small scope ratio.