Risk management has become an essential issue in supply chain management, from the modeling of the decision maker's risk preference, and the studies on uncertain elements such as demand, supply, price, lead time, etc., to the consideration of more practical background including cash flow constraints, inventory financing and delayed cash payment. In this new volume, the authors provide a framework to study the interaction of various factors related to risk and their influence on supply chain management. The scope of areas covered includes operations management, decision analysis, and business administration. This book focuses on several key issues of risk management in supply chains. Specifically, an analysis framework is presented for studying the supplier selection problem and identifying the optimal sourcing strategy in a one-retailer two-suppliers supply chain with random yields. The optimal sourcing strategy of a retailer and the pricing strategies of two suppliers under an environment of supply disruption are investigated. Besides, the authors study the dynamic inventory control problems with cash flow constraints, financing decisions as well as delayed cash payment. In addition, originating from the annual international iron ore price negotiation, the authors model the bargaining process to deal with the risk of wholesale price in the game analysis context. Within the three perspectives of risk management in supply chains, the modeling of decision maker's risk preference has been extensively studied and many results have been obtained to guide the practice. However, the analysis on the other two kinds of topics is still in its infancy, and needs more efforts from academia. It is thus the ambition and innovation for this book to contribute on risk management in supply chains in the following ways: (1) characterizing the explicit sourcing strategy (i.e., single sourcing or dual sourcing) to deal with supply disruption risk; (2) introducing the concepts of financial risk measurement by incorporating cash flow constraints, inventory financing and delayed cash payment into inventory management models; and (3) providing insights for the iron ore price negotiation to help steel manufacturers handle the risk of price increase.

The three-volume set CCIS 761, CCIS 762, and CCIS 763 constitutes the thoroughly refereed proceedings of the International Conference on Life System Modeling and Simulation, LSMS 2017, and of the International Conference on Intelligent Computing for Sustainable Energy and Environment, ICSEE 2017, held in Nanjing, China, in September 2017. The 208 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from over 625 submissions. The papers of this volume are organized in topical sections on: Biomedical Signal Processing; Computational Methods in Organism Modeling; Medical Apparatus and Clinical Applications; Bionics Control Methods, Algorithms and Apparatus; Modeling and Simulation of Life Systems; Data Driven Analysis; Image and Video Processing; Advanced Fuzzy and Neural Network Theory and Algorithms; Advanced Evolutionary Methods and Applications; Advanced Machine Learning Methods and Applications; Intelligent Modeling, Monitoring, and Control of Complex Nonlinear Systems; Advanced Methods for Networked Systems; Control and Analysis of Transportation Systems; Advanced Sliding Mode Control and Applications; Advanced Analysis of New Materials and Devices; Computational Intelligence in Utilization of Clean and Renewable Energy Resources; Intelligent Methods for Energy Saving and Pollution Reduction; Intelligent Methods in Developing Electric Vehicles, Engines and Equipment; Intelligent Computing and Control in Power Systems; Modeling, Simulation and Control in Smart Grid and Microgrid; Optimization Methods; Computational Methods for Sustainable Environment.

This book constitutes the first part of the refereed proceedings of the International Conference on Life System Modeling and Simulation, LSMS 2014, and of the International Conference on Intelligent Computing for Sustainable Energy and Environment, ICSEE 2014, held in Shanghai, China, in September 2014. The 159 revised full papers presented in the three volumes of CCIS 461-463 were carefully reviewed and selected from 572 submissions. The papers of this volume are organized in topical sections on biomedical signal processing, imaging, and visualization; computational methods and intelligence in modeling genetic and chemical networks and regulation; computational methods and intelligence in organism modeling; computational methods and intelligence in modeling and design of synthetic biological systems; computational methods and intelligence in biomechanical systems, tissue engineering and clinical bioengineering; intelligent medical apparatus and clinical applications; modeling and simulation of societies and collective behaviour; innovative education in systems modeling and simulation; data analysis and data mining of biosignals; feature selection; robust optimization and data analysis.

Risk management has become an essential issue in supply chain management, from the modeling of the decision maker's risk preference, and the studies on uncertain elements such as demand, supply, price, lead time, etc., to the consideration of more practical background including cash flow constraints, inventory financing and delayed cash payment. In this new volume, the authors provide a framework to study the interaction of various factors related to risk and their influence on supply chain management.

The scope of areas covered includes operations management, decision analysis, and business administration. This book focuses on several key issues of risk management in supply chains. Specifically, an analysis framework is presented for studying the supplier selection problem and identifying the optimal sourcing strategy in a one-retailer two-suppliers supply chain with random yields. The optimal sourcing strategy of a retailer and the pricing strategies of two suppliers under an environment of supply disruption are investigated. Besides, the authors study the dynamic inventory control problems with cash flow constraints, financing decisions as well as delayed cash payment. In addition, originating from the annual international iron ore price negotiation, the authors model the bargaining process to deal with the risk of wholesale price in the game analysis context.

Within the three perspectives of risk management in supply chains, the modeling of decision maker's risk preference has been extensively studied and many results have been obtained to guide the practice. However, the analysis on the other two kinds of topics is still in its infancy, and needs more efforts from academia. It is thus the ambition and innovation for this book to contribute on risk management in supply chains in the following ways:

(1) characterizing the explicit sourcing strategy (i.e., single sourcing or dual sourcing) to deal with supply disruption risk;

(2) introducing the concepts of financial risk measurement by incorporating cash flow constraints, inventory financing and delayed cash payment into inventory management models; and

(3) providing insights for the iron ore price negotiation to help steel manufacturers handle the risk of price increase.

The 2010 International Conference on Life System Modeling and Simulation (LSMS 2010) and the 2010 International Conference on Intelligent Computing for Sustainable Energy and Environment (ICSEE 2010) were formed to bring together researchers and practitioners in the fields of life system modeling/simulation and intelligent computing applied to worldwide sustainable energy and environmental applications. A life system is a broad concept, covering both micro and macro components ra- ing from cells, tissues and organs across to organisms and ecological niches. To c- prehend and predict the complex behavior of even a simple life system can be - tremely difficult using conventional approaches. To meet this challenge, a variety of new theories and methodologies have emerged in recent years on life system modeling and simulation. Along with improved understanding of the behavior of biological systems, novel intelligent computing paradigms and techniques have emerged to h- dle complicated real-world problems and applications. In particular, intelligent c- puting approaches have been valuable in the design and development of systems and facilities for achieving sustainable energy and a sustainable environment, the two most challenging issues currently facing humanity. The two LSMS 2010 and ICSEE 2010 conferences served as an important platform for synergizing these two research streams.

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is one of the most important endocrine (tissue-to-tissue), paracrine (cell-to-cell) and intracrine (intracellular/nuclear) humoral systems in the regulation of blood pressure, cardiovascular, and kidney function in health and disease. The RAS has remarkably evolved from the initial discovery of the rate-limiting enzyme renin to a complex biochemical and physiological cascade involving more than a dozen members. Currently, there are up to five axes or pathways identified in the RAS; each has its substrate, enzyme, effector peptide, receptor, and downstream signaling pathways. These include the renin/ACE/ANG II/AT1 receptor, the APA/ANG III/AT2 receptor, the ACE2/ANG (1-7)/Mas receptor, the prorenin/prorenin receptor (PRR), and the ANG IV/AT4 receptor (IRAP) pathways. Accordingly, the roles of the RAS have expanded well beyond the classic endocrine paradigm as a powerful vasoconstrictor, a potent aldosterone stimulator, or a sodium-retaining hormonal system. The goals of this article are to review and discuss the current insights into and new perspectives on the expression, localization, and novel actions of the RAS with a focus in the kidney. Special emphasis will be placed on recently discovered new members of the RAS derived from studies using innovative mutant rats or mice that either overexpress (knockin) or are deficient (knockout) of a particular substrate, enzyme, ANG peptide, or receptor. This new knowledge will help improve our understanding how each of these pathways act directly or indirectly to regulate blood pressure, cardiovascular and kidney function in physiology, and can be targeted to treat hypertension, cardiovascular and renal diseases.