ABSTRACT
Purpose>COVID-19 has pushed many supply chains to re-think and strengthen their resilience and how it can help organisations survive in difficult times. Considering the availability of data and the huge number of supply chains that had their weak links exposed during COVID-19, the objective of the study is to employ artificial intelligence to develop supply chain resilience to withstand extreme disruptions such as COVID-19.Design/methodology/approach>We adopted a qualitative approach for interviewing respondents using a semi-structured interview schedule through the lens of organisational information processing theory. A total of 31 respondents from the supply chain and information systems field shared their views on employing artificial intelligence (AI) for supply chain resilience during COVID-19. We used a process of open, axial and selective coding to extract interrelated themes and proposals that resulted in the establishment of our framework.Findings>An AI-facilitated supply chain helps systematically develop resilience in its structure and network. Resilient supply chains in dynamic settings and during extreme disruption scenarios are capable of recognising (sensing risks, degree of localisation, failure modes and data trends), analysing (what-if scenarios, realistic customer demand, stress test simulation and constraints), reconfiguring (automation, re-alignment of a network, tracking effort, physical security threats and control) and activating (establishing operating rules, contingency management, managing demand volatility and mitigating supply chain shock) operations quickly.Research limitations/implications>As the present research was conducted through semi-structured qualitative interviews to understand the role of AI in supply chain resilience during COVID-19, the respondents may have an inclination towards a specific role of AI due to their limited exposure.Practical implications>Supply chain managers can utilise data to embed the required degree of resilience in their supply chains by considering the proposed framework elements and phases.Originality/value>The present research contributes a framework that presents a four-phased, structured and systematic platform considering the required information processing capabilities to recognise, analyse, reconfigure and activate phases to ensure supply chain resilience.
ABSTRACT
Education has been evolving with the advancements in information and communication technologies (ICT). The pace of this modernization is determined by the requirements of the society and the technological developments. Although online mode of education has existed since past four decades, an abrupt shift to completely online mode during COVID-19 exposed the lack of proper infrastructure and technological solutions for the same. This article contributes to fill-in this gap and proposes a community-based approach of learning via the establishment of Makers’ Studios, where all the stakeholders of the academic community will have contributions and takeaways. Makers’ Studio will be a public premise providing access to its members of numerous ICT-enabled educational facilities that would, otherwise, be inaccessible or expensive for an individual. This article describes working of the Makers’ Studio, analyze its return-on-investment, and presents role of its stakeholders, i.e., learners, instructors, academic institutions, policy makers, industry, and independent bodies.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: COVID 19 is associated with the development of ARDS displaying the typical features of diffuse alveolar damage with extensive pulmonary coagulation activation resulting in fibrin deposition in the microvasculature and formation of hyaline membranes in the air sacs. The anticoagulant actions of nebulised heparin limit fibrin deposition and progression of lung injury. Serendipitously, unfractionated heparin also inactivates the SARS CoV 2 virus and prevents its entry into mammalian cells. Nebulisation of heparin may therefore limit both fibrin mediated lung injury and inhibit pulmonary infection by SARS CoV 2. For these reasons we have initiated a multicentre international trial of nebulised heparin in patients with COVID 19. Methods and intervention: Mechanically ventilated patients with confirmed or strongly suspected SARS CoV 2 infection, hypoxaemia and an acute pulmonary opacity in at least one lung quadrant on chest Xray, will be randomised to nebulised heparin 25,000 Units every 6 hours or standard care for up to 10 days while mechanically ventilated. The primary outcome is the time to separation from invasive ventilation to day 28, where non survivors to day 28 are treated as though not separated from invasive ventilation. Ethics and dissemination: The study protocol has been submitted to the human research and ethics committee of St Vincents Hospital, Melbourne, Australia. Submission is pending in other jurisdictions. Results of this study will be published in scientific journals and presented at scientific meetings.