The information of trip demand as the freight origin-destination (O-D) matrices plays a significant role in intercity transportation engineering and planning. Access to this matrix from conventional methods needs to spend time, money and human resources. During the recent years, numerous studies have been conducted in order to obtain the freight O-D matrix using freight vehicle count information in network links. Furthermore, the estimation of O-D matrix and its communicating with freight vehicles can greatly help planners improve logistic, safety and the maintenance issues. This paper presents a method based on the minimization of the deviations between the observed and estimated values for finding the freight O-D matrix. To solve the model, traffic count data of trucks in the network links as well as other related information resources are used. The model is solved for a case study in Iran using meta-heuristic Simulated Annealing Algorithm.

Recently, researchers have focused on how to minimize the negative effects of industrial activities on environment. Consequently, they work on mathematical models, which minimize the environmental issues as well as optimizing the costs. In the field of supply chain network design, most managers consider economic and environmental issues, simultaneously. This paper introduces a bi-objective supply chain network design, which uses fuzzy programming to obtain the capability of resisting uncertain conditions. The design considers production, recovery, and distribution centers. The advantage of using this model includes the optimal facilities, locating them and assigning the optimal facilities to them. It also chooses the type and the number of technologies, which must be bought. The fuzzy programming converts the multi objective model to an auxiliary crisp model by Jimenez approach and solves it with ?-constraint. For solving large size problems, the Multi Objective Differential Evolutionary algorithm (MODE) is applied.

Nowadays, the increase in competition has increased the relative importance of innovation for most firms and many managers believe a good innovation must be knowledge oriented. This paper has tried to determine different methods for creating knowledge in project oriented organizations. The study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale and distributes it among 32 experts who were well informed about different methods of knowledge creation and lessons learned. Cronbach alphas for all components of the survey were well above the desirable level. The study has detected 11 methods for knowledge creation and lessons learned. In terms of preliminary assessment, business transactions has received the highest impact while knowledge team has received the highest effect in terms of necessary assessment. The results of this survey have indicated that although there are several methods for detecting knowledge within organizations, in most cases, it is not easy to gain value added knowledge within an organization, quickly. The people who participated in our survey have indicated that organizational commitment, brainstorming, Delphi and storytelling also have played important role for creation of knowledge. The results have also shown that brainstorming, knowledge brokers, map knowledge and work experience were easier to use for knowledge creation and lessons learned compared with other forms of knowledge creation.

In this investigation, neodymium orthoferrite (NdFeO3) nanoparticles has been synthesized through ultrasonic method in the presence of octanoic acid as surfactant. This method comparing to the other methods is very fast and it does not need high temperatures during the reaction. The spherical NdFeO3 nanoparticles with an average particles size of about 40 nm can be obtained at a relatively high calcination temperature of 800 °C for 4 h. Also, product obtained by this method are uniform in both morphology and particles size. The phase composition, morphology, lattice parameters and size of particles in these product are characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). The XRD analysis reveals only the pattern corresponding to perovskite type NdFeO3 which crystallizes in the orthorhombic structure. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis confirms the elemental compositions of the synthesized material.

Knowledge management strategies are considered as the foundation of learning organizations. One of the problems of Iranian organizations is the assessment of knowledge management processes. The purpose of the present study is to present an applied organized model for the assessment of knowledge management performance in six dimensions, i.e., the financial dimension, stakeholders, local processes, growth and learning, employee satisfaction, and environment and community; identifying and investigating the correlation among the criteria; mapping network relations; weighing the indices using DEMATEL Technique; ranking assessment dimensions of knowledge management using ORESTE Technique; drawing strategic map; and designing Balanced Scorecard for improved performance of knowledge management. The population and sample of the study included 25 petrochemical Tehran managers and senior experts in information technology section. The results of this study provides a comprehensive view for the decision makers of Iran Petrochemical Industries for an improved performance in knowledge management.

In this paper, the issue of cooperative (co-op) promotion efforts is addressed in a two-stage supply chain (SC). The investigated SC includes one monopolistic manufacturer and two duopolistic retailers facing different market demands. The customers’ demand is affected by both advertising efforts of the manufacturer and two retailers. Moreover, the retailers compete with each other on local advertising investments within the market. In order to boost the retailers’ advertising level, it is assumed that the manufacturer pays a ratio of the retailers' advertising expenditures. We propose four non-cooperative game scenarios and one cooperative game. Non-cooperative models are established through both Stackelberg and Nash game between two echelons. Moreover, both Cournot and Collusion behaviors are assumed to be followed by two retailers. We develop a promotion cost sharing contract to achieve the channel coordination. Under cooperation model, all SC members seek to reach the highest profit for the entire SC by considering the bargaining power of the SC participants. In each game scenario the optimal solution and unique equilibrium are determined. In addition, a comparison on the advertising level of all SC members along with the value of participation rate are provided. In addition, the feasibility of the cooperative game is discussed and resulted.

This paper examines the effect of different factors on customer knowledge management development for a custom organization in Bandar Abbas, Iran. The statistical population of this research includes all 440 managers and employees in different levels where 205 people are randomly selected for this survey. Using t-student as well as Friedman tests, the study has confirmed that organizational culture, training, strategy, information and organizational infrastructure, top management commitment, organizational conflict, standardization, employee performance, communication, budget support and necessary skills could influence positively on knowledge management development. In our survey, training is also believed to be the most influential factor.

In this article, waste plastics (low-density polyethylene, LDPE) and crumb rubber have been utilized to solve one of the most important environmental issues and to improve bitumen performance properties by these low cost materials. At first, modified bitumen samples were made using high shear mixer, then classic and performance tests were performed on them. It has been observed that adding low-density polyethylene and crumb rubber to the bitumen leads to improvement of classical characteristics. Then, after conducting dynamic shear rheometer test on modified bitumen samples, it was found that the sample containing 3% LDPE and 3% crumb rubber has the best performance. Conducting short-term and long-term aging experiments on samples containing 3% LDPE showed improved performance at high temperature services. After BBR test, more appropriate performance grade is observed for the sample containing 3% LDPE 3% crumb rubber.

In this paper, a weighted transfer point location problem is developed in which demand points have probabilistic coordinates. The proposed model is formulated as a probabilistic unconstrained nonlinear programming and the optimum values of decision variables are obtained in the form of probability distribution functions. Because of the complexity in solving the developed model by using the traditional solution approaches, a new stochastic inference method called Probabilistic Role Base (PRB) is developed based on the derived optimum probability distribution functions of the decision variables. This method is used to infer the optimum or near optimum values of all decision variables without solving nonlinear programming model, directly. Finally, to demonstrate the efficiency of the developed algorithm, a numerical example is presented and the results are compared with the optimum solution.

Vendor managed inventory (VMI) is one of the most effective methods for reducing bullwhip effect. This paper presents a mathematical VMI model where there are three levels of central storage, multi distribution centers and various retailors. The problem is formulated as a mixed integer programming by considering uncertainty on different input parameters. To cope with uncertainty, the study uses rectangular fuzzy numbers. We also propose two metaheuristics; namely, genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization to solve the resulted problems for some large instances. The preliminary results have indicated that genetic algorithm could solve the proposed model faster than particle swarm optimization in terms of CPU time reaching to slightly better objective functions.