In this paper we focus on the integration of strategic objectives and process knowledge that a manufacturing factory collects from its external interfaces. Using data from a variety of manufacturing industries, this study examines four different types of strategic integration at the manufacturing plant level. We use a path analytic approach to simultaneously assess the contributions of the various types of integration to manufacturing-based competitive capabilities and business level performance. In addition, we examine the intervening roles that manufacturing-based competitive capabilities play in mediating the relationships between strategic integration and business performance. We find that each type of integration activity has unique benefits and detriments. These findings extend prior studies of manufacturing and supply chain integration by broadening the theory relating to strategic integration. The results also provide implications for manufacturing managers who seek to design integration policies and associated resource deployments. #

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Real estate needs to improve its adoption of disruptive technologies to move from traditional to smart real estate (SRE). This study reviews the adoption of disruptive technologies in real estate. It covers the applications of nine such technologies, hereby referred to as the Big9. These are: drones, the internet of things (IoT), clouds, software as a service (SaaS), big data, 3D scanning, wearable technologies, virtual and augmented realities (VR and AR), and artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. The Big9 are examined in terms of their application to real estate and how they can furnish consumers with the kind of information that can avert regrets. The review is based on 213 published articles. The compiled results show the state of each technology’s practice and usage in real estate. This review also surveys dissemination mechanisms, including smartphone technology, websites and social media-based online platforms, as well as the core components of SRE: sustainability, innovative technology and user centredness. It identifies four key real estate stakeholders—consumers, agents and associations, government and regulatory authorities, and complementary industries—and their needs, such as buying or selling property, profits, taxes, business and/or other factors. Interactions between these stakeholders are highlighted, and the specific needs that various technologies address are tabulated in the form of a what, who and how analysis to highlight the impact that the technologies have on key stakeholders. Finally, stakeholder needs as identified in the previous steps are matched theoretically with six extensions of the traditionally accepted technology adoption model (TAM), paving the way for a smoother transition to technology-based benefits for consumers. The findings pertinent to the Big9 technologies in the form of opportunities, potential losses and exploitation levels (OPLEL) analyses highlight the potential utilisation of each technology for addressing consumers’ needs and minimizing their regrets. Additionally, the tabulated findings in the form of what, how and who links the Big9 technologies to core consumers’ needs and provides a list of resources needed to ensure proper information dissemination to the stakeholders. Such high-quality information can bridge the gap between real estate consumers and other stakeholders and raise the state of the industry to a level where its consumers have fewer or no regrets. The study, being the first to explore real estate technologies, is limited by the number of research publications on the SRE technologies that has been compensated through incorporation of online reports.

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Inflammation plays important roles at all stages of atherosclerosis. Chemokine systems have major effects on the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis by controlling the trafficking of inflammatory cells in vivo through interaction with their receptors. Chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) has been reported to be an active participant in the late stage of atherosclerosis and has the potential as a prognostic biomarker for plaque stability. However, its diagnostic potential has not yet been explored. The purpose of this study was to develop a targeted nanoparticle for sensitive and specific PET/CT imaging of the CCR5 receptor in an apolipoprotein E knock-out (ApoE−/−) mouse vascular injury model. Methods The D-Ala1-peptide T-amide (DAPTA) peptide was selected as a targeting ligand for the CCR5 receptor. Through controlled conjugation and polymerization, a biocompatible poly(methyl methacrylate)-core/polyethylene glycol-shell amphiphilic comblike nanoparticle was prepared and labeled with 64Cu for CCR5 imaging in the ApoE−/− wire-injury model. Immunohistochemistry, histology, and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were performed to assess the disease progression and upregulation of CCR5 receptor. Results The 64Cu-DOTA-DAPTA tracer showed specific PET imaging of CCR5 in the ApoE−/− mice. The targeted 64Cu-DOTA-DAPTA-comb nanoparticles showed extended blood signal and optimized biodistribution. The tracer uptake analysis showed significantly higher accumulations at the injury lesions than those acquired from the sham-operated sites. The competitive PET receptor blocking studies confirmed the CCR5 receptor–specific uptake. The assessment of 64Cu-DOTA-DAPTA-comb in C57BL/6 mice and 64Cu-DOTA-comb in ApoE−/− mice verified low nonspecific nanoparticle uptake. Histology, immunohistochemistry, and RT-PCR analyses verified the upregulation of CCR5 in the progressive atherosclerosis model. Conclusion This work provides a nanoplatform for sensitive and specific detection of CCR5’s physiologic functions in an animal atherosclerosis model.