An Evaluation of the Critical Success Factors in Sustainable Food Supply Chains in Developing Countries

Food is one of the biggest industries in developed and underdeveloped countries. Supply chain sustainability is essential in established and emerging economies because of the rising acceptance of cost-based outsourcing and the growing technological, social, and environmental concerns. The food business faces serious sustainability and growth challenges in developing countries. A comprehensive analysis of the critical success factors (CSFs) influencing the performance outcome and the sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) process. A theoretical framework is established to explain how they are used to examine the organizational aspect of the food supply chain life cycle analysis. This study examined the CSFs and revealed the relationships between them using a methodology that included a review of literature, interpretative structural modeling (ISM), and cross-impact matrix multiplication applied in classification (MICMAC) tool analysis of soil liquefaction factors. The findings of this research demonstrate that the quality and safety of food are important factors and have a direct effect on other factors. To make sustainable food supply chain management more adequate, legislators, managers, and experts need to pay attention to this factor. In this work. It also shows that companies aiming to create a sustainable business model must make sustainability a fundamental tenet of their organization. Practitioners and managers may devise effective long-term plans for establishing a sustainable food supply chain utilizing the recommended methodology.

Facilitating and hindering factors of community nurses'emergency and critical care treatment abilities:A qualitative study

BACKGROUND This study adopts a descriptive phenomenological approach to investigate the facilitators and barriers of community nurses'abilities in managing critical and emergency conditions.With the transition of healthcare systems to the community,the evolution of nursing practices,and the attention from policies and practices,community nurses play a crucial role in the management of critical and emergency conditions.However,there is still a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the factors that promote or hinder their capabilities in this area.AIM To understand the facilitators and barriers of community nurses in managing critical and emergency conditions,exploring the fundamental reasons and driving forces influencing their treatment capabilities.METHODS This study utilized the destination sampling method between May 2023 and July 2023.It employed a descriptive phenomenological approach within qualitative research methodologies.Through objective sampling,17 community nurses from 7 communities in Changning District,Shanghai,were selected as the study subjects.Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather data,which were subsequently organized and analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step analysis method,leading to the extraction of final themes.RESULTS The barrier factors identified from the interviews encompassed three topics:resource allocation,professional factors,and personal literacy.The facilitators comprised three themes:professionalism,management attention,and training and continuing education.We identified that the root causes of the barriers included the lack of practical treatment experience among community nurses,insufficient awareness of self-directed learning,and limited knowledge and technical proficiency.The professional quality of community nurses and management attention serve as motivation for them to enhance their treatment abilities.CONCLUSION To enhance the capability of community nurses in treating acute and critical patients,it is recommended to bolster training specifically tailored to acute and critical care,raise awareness of first aid practices,and elevate knowledge and skill levels.

Analysis on Critical Success Factors for Agile Manufacturing Evaluation in Original Equipment Manufacturing Industry-An AHP Approach

Manufacturing industries are facing challenges in the implementation of agile manufacturing in their products and processes. Agility is widely accepted as a new competitive concept in the manufacturing sector in fulfilling varying customer demand. Thus, evaluation of agile manufacturing in industries has become a necessity. The success of an organisation depends on its ability to manage finding the critical success factors and give them special and continued attention in order to bring about high performance. This paper proposes a set of critical success factors （CSFs） for evaluating agile manufacturing considered appropriate for the manufacturing sector. The analytical hierarchy process （AHP） method is applied for prioritizing the success factors, by summarizing the opinions of experts. It is believed that the proposed CSFs enable and assist manufacturing industries to achieve a higher performance in agile manufacturing so as to increase competitiveness.

Factors related to successful aging among community-dwelling elderly in Wenzhou,China

Objectives:To examine the level of successful aging and the relationship between successful aging and activities of daily living(ADL),life satisfaction,social support,income,and self-efficacy among community-dwelling elderly in Wenzhou,China.Methods:A descriptive correlational design was applied.Subjects were community-dwelling elderly in 4 districts of Wenzhou,China.Simple random sampling was used to recruit 83 participants.All participants were screened using the Mini-Cog tool.Data were collected using 6 questionnaires such as a demographic questionnaire,the Successful Aging Inventory(SAI),the Barthel Index for ADL,the Satisfaction With Life Scale(SWLS),the Social Support Rating Scale(SSRS),and the General Self-Efficacy Scale(GSES).Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis.Results:The results showed that 53%of the participants had a higher level of successful aging and 43.4%had a moderate level of successful aging with a mean score of 56.76(standard deviation[SD]=12.31).Factors such as elderly income(r=0.73,P<0.001)and self-efficacy(r=0.72,P<0.001)had high correlations with successful aging,whereas ADL(r=0.67,P<0.001),life satisfaction(r=0.63,P<0.001),and social support(r=0.36,P<0.001)had moderate correlations with successful aging.Conclusions:There was a significant positive correlation between successful aging and ADL,life satisfaction,social support,income,and self-efficacy among community-dwelling elderly in Wenzhou,China.The findings may guide the formulation of more effective health education and intervention measures to improve successful aging among the elderly.

Case Study on Critical Success Factors of Running Scrum

Agile development 12 principles, and adaptive project management life cycle model are applied to case study of J group, the critical success factors of running Scrum are identified as follows: 1) explicit the process of project management and a self-managing group with Scrum;2) professional agile development and release capability;3) building learning organization. J group as a pioneer Scrum agile software development practices, realizes the productivity of significant promotion and cost reduction, accelerates the product to the market, improves customer satisfaction and achieves a more transparent development process and higher predictive capability. The study aims to improve the success rate of the running Scrum.

What European Incubators Can Learn From Their American Counterparts： An Analysis of the Critical Success Factors for a Startup Incubator

This study suggests a theoretical component to the thus far proposed explanations of what makes a startup incubator successful in enabling entrepreneurial activity. Departing from a traditional focus on industry- and nation-wide resources, we develop a framework of the critical success factors for a startup incubator and a scoring mechanism to evaluate the success of existing startup incubators using these factors. We score a selection of American and European incubators using the developed scoring mechanism and comparatively benchmark the European incubators against the American ones to identify areas for improvement. Our findings suggest that European incubators, while relatively strong overall, can look to and learn from their American counterparts in certain areas. Importantly, these improvement areas are not specific to characteristics of any individual European incubator, but to European incubators overall. Finally, we aim to expand this study to other entrepreneurship hubs worldwide and we outline a plan of action to enable this expansion.

Effect of CRM＇s Critical Success Factors on Company Performance

In the last years, most of the leader companies have advantages of their CRM （customer relationship management） systems in order to improve their market share. These companies implement CRM systems to get loyal customer portfolio and maintain the sustainability of it. While they are building CRM strategies, they try to catch business excellence results like valuable marketing opportunities, improve customer value and customer satisfaction. CRM gained prominence as a marketing sub-discipline in the 1990s, fueled by publications like The One to One Future and The Loyalty Effect. Some studies were especially powerful in highlighting the gap between the cost of acquiring customers and retaining them. The quest for competitive advantage and profitability triggered a rush to implement CRM programs in enterprises both large and small in all comers of the globe. Different kinds of studies show that there are some key components which play a critical role in gaining success for companies which use CRM applications. At this situation, these key components are named as critical success factors. Purpose of this study is to find out that how these critical success factors affect results which show company performance. On this direction, critical success factors are defined as independent variable and company performance is defined as dependent variable. A supportive model is suggested. In order to verify proposed model, hypotheses are developed and a survey is applied in automotive sales agents in Turkey. The study is completed with survey results.

Unveiling significant risk factors for intensive care unit-acquired weakness:Advancing preventive care

In this editorial,we discuss an article titled,“Significant risk factors for intensive care unit-acquired weakness:A processing strategy based on repeated machine learning,”published in a recent issue of the World Journal of Clinical Cases.Intensive care unit-acquired weakness(ICU-AW)is a debilitating condition that affects critically ill patients,with significant implications for patient outcomes and their quality of life.This study explored the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to predict ICU-AW occurrence and identify key risk factors.Data from a cohort of 1063 adult intensive care unit(ICU)patients were analyzed,with a particular emphasis on variables such as duration of ICU stay,duration of mechanical ventilation,doses of sedatives and vasopressors,and underlying comorbidities.A multilayer perceptron neural network model was developed,which exhibited a remarkable impressive prediction accuracy of 86.2%on the training set and 85.5%on the test set.The study highlights the importance of early prediction and intervention in mitigating ICU-AW risk and improving patient outcomes.

High-risk factors for delirium in severely ill patients and the application of emotional nursing combined with pain nursing

BACKGROUND Delirium is a neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by acute disturbances of consciousness with rapid onset,rapid progression,obvious fluctuations,and preventable,reversible,and other characteristics.Patients with delirium in the intensive care unit(ICU)are often missed or misdiagnosed and do not receive adequate attention.AIM To analyze the risk factors for delirium in ICU patients and explore the applica-tion of emotional nursing with pain nursing in the management of delirium.METHODS General data of 301 critically ill patients were retrospectively collected,including histories(cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases,hypertension,smoking,alcoholism,and diabetes),age,sex,diagnosis,whether surgery was performed,and patient origin(emergency/clinic).Additionally,the duration of sedation,Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale score,combined emotional and pain care,ven-tilator use duration,vasoactive drug use,drainage tube retention,ICU stay du-ration,C-reactive protein,procalcitonin,white blood cell count,body tempe-rature,Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II(APACHE II)score,and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score were recorded within 24 h after ICU admission.Patients were assessed for delirium according to confusion assessment method for the ICU,and univariate and multivariate logistic regre-ssion analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for delirium in the patients.RESULTS Univariate logistic regression analysis was performed on the 24 potential risk factors associated with delirium in ICU patients.The results showed that 16 risk factors were closely related to delirium,including combined emotional and pain care,history of diabetes,and patient origin.Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that no combined emotional and pain care,history of diabetes,emergency source,surgery,long stay in the ICU,smoking history,and high APACHE II score were independent risk factors for de-lirium in ICU patients.CONCLUSION Patients with diabetes and/or smoking history,postoperative patients,patients with a high APACHE II score,and those with emergency ICU admission need emotional and pain care,flexible visiting modes,and early intervention to reduce delirium incidence.

Empirical Research on Critical Success Factors of Agile Software Process Improvement

In this paper, we discuss agile software process improvement in P company with their description of process management in current level and analysis of problems, design the P Company success factors model in organizational culture, systems, products, customers, markets, leadership, technology and other key dimensions, which is verified through questionnaire in P company. In the end, we apply knowledge creation theory to analyze the open source software community with successful application of the typical agile software method, propose ten principles of knowledge creation in open source software community: Self-organizing, Code sharing, Adaptation, Usability, Sustention, Talent, Interaction, Collaboration, Happiness, and Democracy.

A Brief Review for E- Commerce and the Critical Success Factors

Along with the rapid development of information technologies, traditional trade has moved to electronic area. Today, many business activities are performed in electronic environment. Since electronic commerce is rapid and easily reachable, it has begun to attract much more attention by consumers and businesses over time. In this study, a brief review about e-commerce is provided. The main aim is to examine the hot topic of e-commerce with different aspects. The increasing importance of e-commerce is presented by providing statistical support which shows a dramatic increase in total e-commerce sales worldwide. Tools, types, payment methods, and critical success factors of e-commerce are investigated. Eight different tools which can be used in e-commerce are explained. Seven types of e-commerce are classified. In addition, nine payment methods of e-commerce are elaborated. Moreover, three main critical success factors including eight sub-factors are structured in a hierarchical form to aid the companies in e-commerce. Depending on these critical success factors, this study aims to set a well-organized base in order to decide the best e-commerce company in further studies.

The Status and Associated Factors of Successful Aging among Older Adults Residing in Longevity Areas in China

Objective This study aims to assess the status of successful aging （SA） in longevity areas in China and explore multiple factors associated with SA among the young-old and oldest-old. Methods A total of 2296 elderly people aged 65 and older were interviewed in the longevity areas sub-sample of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey （CLHLS） in 2012. Baseline assessments included a researcher-administered questionnaire, physical examination, and laboratory testing. A logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with SA. Results The prevalence of SA was 38.81% in the CLHLS in 2012. There were significant differences between ages groups, with SA compromising 56.85% among _〉65 years group and 20.31% among 〉100 years group （X2trend=126.73, P〈O.01）. The prevalence of SA among females was 33.59%, which was significantly lower than that among males （45.58%） （X2gender=33.65, P〈0.05）. In the regression analysis, having anemia ~OR=0.744, 95% CI： 0.609-0.910）, poor lifestyle （OR=0.697, 95% CI： 0.568-0.854）, poor sleep quality （OR=0.558, 95% CI： 0.456-0.682）, and central obesity （OR=0.684, 95% CI： 0.556-0.841） were the main factors associated with SA. The promoting SA rate decreased as age increased, and the group of 65-79 years had higher odds than the other age group. Conclusion Preventing central obesity, improving sleep quality and promoting healthy lifestyle may contribute to achieve SA among the elderly.

Seasonal succession of phytoplankton in response to the variation of environmental factors in the Gaolan River, Three Gorges Reservoir, China

To understand the responses of a freshwater ecosystem to the impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir （TGR）, phytoplankton was monitored in the tributaries of the TGR area. From August 2010 to July 2011, algal species composition, abundance, chlorophyll a and other environmental parameters were investigated in the Gaolan River, which is a tributary of Xiangxi River. Thirty-one algal genera from seven phyla were identified. Results show that the lowest concentrations of total phosphorus （TP） and total nitrogen （TN） were 0.06 mg/L and 1.08 rag/L, respectively. The values of TP and TN exceeded the threshold concentration of the eutrophic state suggested for freshwater bodies. In the Gaolan River, the succession of phytoplankton showed clear seasonal characteristics. Different dominant species were observed among seasons under the control of environment factors. In spring and summer, the dominant species were Nitzschia sp. and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae （L.） Ralfs, the limiting nutrient was NO3^--N, and the key environmental factor for phytoplankton population succession was water temperature （WT）. In autumn and winter, the dominant species were A.flos-aquae and Chlorella sp., the limiting nutrient was pO3--P, and the key environmental factors were transparency and WT. This study illustrates the influence of physical and chemical factors on phytoplankton seasonal succession in a tributary of TGR since the downstream regions of Xiangxi River and Gaolan River became reservoirs after impoundment of the Three Gorges Dam. We suggest that this activity has significantly affected water quality in the dam area.

Risk factors and prognosis of critically ill cancer patients with postoperative acute respiratory insufficiency

BACKGROUND:This study aimed to investigate the risk factors and outcome of critically ill cancer patients with postoperative acute respiratory insufficiency.METHODS:The data of 190 critically ill cancer patients with postoperative acute respiratory insufficiency were retrospectively reviewed.The data of 321 patients with no acute respiratory insufficiency as controls were also collected.Clinical variables of the first 24 hours after admission to intensive care unit were collected,including age,sex,comorbid disease,type of surgery,admission type,presence of shock,presence of acute kidney injury,presence of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome,acute physiologic and chronic health evaluation(APACHE Ⅱ) score,sepsis-related organ failure assessment(SOFA),and PaO_2/FiO_2 ratio.Duration of mechanical ventilation,length of intensive care unit stay,intensive care unit death,length of hospitalization,hospital death and one-year survival were calculated.RESULTS:The incidence of acute respiratory insufficiency was 37.2%(190/321).Multivariate logistic analysis showed a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases(P=0.001),surgeryrelated infection(P=0.004),hypo-volemic shock(P<0.001),and emergency surgery(P=0.018),were independent risk factors of postoperative acute respiratory insufficiency.Compared with the patients without acute respiratory insufficiency,the patients with acute respiratory insufficiency had a prolonged length of intensive care unit stay(P<0.001),a prolonged length of hospitalization(P=0.006),increased intensive care unit mortality(P=0.001),and hospital mortality(P<0.001).Septic shock was shown to be the only independent prognostic factor of intensive care unit death for the patients with acute respiratory insufficiency(P=0.029,RR:8.522,95%CI:1.243-58.437,B=2.143,SE=0.982,Wald=4.758).Compared with the patients without acute respiratory insufficiency,those with acute respiratory insufficiency had a shortened one-year survival rate(78.7%vs.97.1%,P<0.001).CONCLUSION:A history of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases,surgery-related infection,hypovolemic shock and emergency surgery were risk factors of critically ill cancer patients with postoperative acute respiratory insufficiency.Septic shock was the only independent prognostic factor of intensive care unit death in patients with acute respiratory insufficiency.Compared with patients without acute respiratory insufficiency,those with acute respiratory insufficiency had adverse shortterm outcome and a decreased one-year survival rate.

The key environmental factors driving the succession of phytoplankton functional groups in Hongfeng Reservoir, southwest China

Reservoirs are an important water source in many densely populated areas in southwest China.Phytoplankton play an essential role in maintaining the structure and function of reservoir ecosystems.Understanding the succession in phytoplankton communities and the factors driving it are essential for eff ective water quality management in drinking water reservoirs.In this study,water samples were collected monthly at the surface layers from March 2016 to December 2019 in Hongfeng Reservoir,southwest China.The relationship between functional group succession was analyzed based on nonmetric multidimensional scaling analysis(NMDS),redundancy analysis(RDA),succession rate,and other analysis methods.The results showed distinct shifts in the community structure of phytoplankton functional groups within study period.The Cyclotella sp.was dominant in 2016 and 2017,and Pseudanabaena limnetica was the dominant group in 2018 and 2019.It appears that the phytoplankton composition and biomass are closely related to the water temperature and nutrient status in this reservoir.The results clearly showed that the permanganate index(COD_(Mn))was the key factor of dramatic phytoplankton functional group succession,and the change in succession rates was closely caused by total nitrogen concentration(TN).Therefore,the succession pattern and key factors of Hongfeng Reservoir revealed in this study were important guidance for the management of drinking water reservoirs in southwest China.A reasonable limit on exogenous nutrient input should be a priority,especially in high water temperature period.

Success Factors of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy (ESWL) for Renal &Ureteric Calculi in Adult

The purpose of this study was to define factors that have a significant impact on the stone-free rate after ESWL. Methods: A total of 417 patients harboring renal or ureteral stones underwent extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) between October 2008 and July 2012. Eighty five patients were lost on follow up. The remaining (n = 332). All patients were >18 yr of age. Siemens and SLX-F2 electromagnetic machines were used to impart shock waves. Patients were stratified according to localization (pelvic, calyceal, or ureteral stones) and stone size (up to 10 mm, 10 - 20 mm, and >20 mm). Result: The overall success rate was 251/332 (75.6%) achieve stone free status. Repeated ESWL sessions were needed in 258 (61.9%). Of eleven variables were studied including age, sex, side, location (pelvic, calyx, ureter), ureteric stent, previous renal surgery, stone size, number of shock waves, opacity of stone, renal system state, and type of lithotripter, three variables were significantly affect the success rate namely stone size, number of shock waves and location of stone. Conclusions: ESWL remains one of the most commonly utilized treatments for patients with upper urinary tract calculi;Stone diameter, location, and number of shock waves, are the most important predictors determining stone clearance after ESWL of renal and ureteric calculi. To optimize treatment outcomes with ESWL the presence of treating urologist is essential to optimize the final result.

An Exploratory Study of E-Business Success Factors

E-business success factors are Important for traditional enterprises to implement e-business. This topic is attracting more and more researchers to study. This paper makes an exploratory study on the factors influencing e-business success. Firstly, based on the literature review, 52 factors are suggested. Secondly, two rounds of survey with Delphi method are conducted. Qualitative and quantitative analysis are used to identify 57 factors. This is the foundation of empirical study.

Success Factors of Biotechnology Industry Based on Triangular Fuzzy Number

Based on the theory of competitive advantage and value chain, this paper establishes the indicator system, and develop the strategic framework using the fuzzy Delphi method. Then the triangular fuzzy number model is established using Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process, and the key factors influencing biotechnology industry are extracted. The results show that in terms of weight, the key factors influencing the success of biotechnology industry are sequenced as follows: "open innovation capacity", "quality and cost control ability", "advanced customer-oriented product manufacturing capacity", "technology R & D personnel's capacity", "brand image building capacity", "logistics and sales capacity", "grasping the market demand trends". The manufacturers and government decision-making body can use this as the basis, to promote the development of the biotechnology industry.

Short Term Outcome and Risk Factors for Mortality in Adults with Critical Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

The independent risk factors to predict mortality of critical severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) were investigated. One hundred and two patients diagnosed with critical SARS were admitted to hospitals of Shanxi Province, from March 7, 2003 to June 4, 2003. The patients were prospectively studied after admission to access their short term outcomes and the risk factors associated with adverse outcomes, defined as death. All the demographic and clinical characteristics were studied and univariate and multivariate Logistic regression were employed to access the risk factors. The results showed that of the 102 cases, 23 patients died, with a crude mortality rate of 22.5 %. Multivariate Logistic regression revealed that age above 50 [odds ratio (OR) 1.10, 95 % confidence internal (CI) 1.03 to 1.16, P=0.004], lymphopenia at early stage (OR 14.62, 95 % CI 1.78 to 11.97, P=0.01) were independently associated with mortality. On the other side, psychotherapy (OR 0.01, 95 % CI 0.00 to 0.06, P<0.001) was independently associated with aliveness. It was concluded that critical SARS is a new disease entity that carries significant mortality and morbidity. Specific clinical and laboratory parameters predicting unfavorable and favorable outcomes have been identified.

Variation of Environmental Factors and Dominant Population Succession of Microalgae Planktonic in Closed Shrimp Pond

In order to investigate the influence of season changes of environmental factors in closed shrimp ponds on the community structure of planktonic microalgae,this paper conducted isolated tests to the temperature,pH,total nitrogen( TN),total phosphorus( TP) and chlorophyll a in the shrimp culture ponds,analyzed the planktonic microalgae community structure and changes of dominant species in water over the same period,with the aim to explain the responses of microalgae community to changes of environmental factors in the pond without foreign water sources.The results showed that pond water temperature and TP content gradually increased from April to the end of September and then declined in October; water pH first decreased and then increased; TN and chlorophyll a first increased and then decreased.The dominant species in the pond were Cyclotella sp.,Navicula sp.,Oocystis borgei and S.quadricauda in the early stage( Apirl-May),Chlamydomonas sp.,Chlorella sp.,S.quadricauda,Golenkinia radiata and Pseudanabeanain in medium stage( June-July),Microcystis,Pseudanabeana,Chlorella sp.And S.quadricaudain in the mid-late stage( August-September),Microcystis,Pseudanabeana,Oscillatoria sp.and Chlorella sp.in the late stage( October-December),and Chlorella sp.,Golenkinia radiate,S.quadricauda in the last stage.Diatoms and green algae were the dominant species in the early stage when the water had low temperature,low N and P nutrition but high N/P and a certain salinity.With the increase of temperature,water desalination and accumulation of N and P nutrition,algae became the dominant species.Cyanobacteria became the strong dominant stages in the mid-late stage when the water had high temperature in the state of eutrophication,and there were also some green algae which were fond of high temperature and had resistant to pollution.In the late stage,cyanobacteria were the absolute dominant stage,but with the decrease of water temperature in the last stage,green algae became the dominant species,and planktonic microalgae biomass in the pool decreased.