European Journal of Science, Innovation and Technology

Risk Management Strategies in Global Supply Chains of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients

2026-03-22T19:01:33+02:00

The article examines risk management strategies in global supply chains of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), which underpin the availability and affordability of generic and branded medicines. The study addresses the growing instability in API sourcing caused by the geographical concentration of production, geopolitical tensions, regulatory heterogeneity, and recurrent quality failures. The research objective is to systematise vulnerabilities in API supply chains and to evaluate managerial and policy tools that strengthen resilience without undermining cost efficiency. The work relies on a structured review of recent empirical and analytical studies on pharmaceutical supply chains, complemented by a comparative analysis of regulatory and industrial initiatives. Special attention is paid to risk assessment frameworks, resilience and criticality metrics, and strategic options such as diversification, reshoring, strategic stockpiling, and collaborative governance. The conclusions highlight combinations of operational and institutional measures that reduce the probability and impact of disruptions. The article is intended for scholars and practitioners in pharmaceutical management, health economics, supply chain governance, and quality systems, as well as regulators designing interventions for strategically significant medicines.

A Proposed Manila-Batangas By-pass Road Development Model Plan: Enhancing the Socio-Spatial Interaction and Urbanization of New By-pass Roads

2026-03-22T19:03:17+02:00

Urban by-pass roads reduce congestion but often trigger fragmented growth, land-use conflicts, and socio-spatial disconnection. This study evaluates the Manila–Batangas by-pass corridor to determine how infrastructure influences spatial interaction, urban form, and development control. A mixed-method approach was applied, combining household surveys, focus group discussions, key personnel interviews, spatial mapping, and traffic volume analysis. Results indicate that improved accessibility stimulates economic activity and mobility but accelerates linear sprawl and uneven land conversion without coordinated zoning. Stakeholders emphasized the need for integrated corridor planning, growth node management, environmental safeguards, and multimodal accessibility. Guided by growth pole and corridor development frameworks, the study proposes policy-oriented land-use strategies that promote compact development, balanced node distribution, and protection of open spaces. The findings support the use of by-pass corridors as structured urban growth tools rather than passive transport infrastructure, offering a transferable planning model for emerging urban regions.

Design, Modeling and Seasonal Power Yield Comparison of a Radio Frequency Energy Harvester for Wireless Sensor Nodes

2026-04-20T09:55:38+03:00

A Radio-Frequency (RF) energy harvesting system for continuous operation in tropical environments is presented and evaluated. A detailed MATLAB/Simulink model was developed to analyze the performance of the RF energy harvester under seasonally varying ambient RF conditions. Monthly simulations were conducted to assess DC–DC output power, power management output, load power, conversion efficiency, and daily harvested energy. The results show a consistent power hierarchy in which the DC–DC converter output exceeds the regulated and load powers due to conversion and control losses. The system maintains a nearly constant efficiency of approximately 49.64% throughout the year, indicating stable power conditioning. Seasonal variations in harvested energy are primarily governed by changes in RF propagation conditions, with dry-season months achieving daily harvested energy above 3.4 mWh, while peak rainy-season conditions yield a minimum of approximately 2.99 mWh. Despite an 18-20% variation between best-case and worst-case months, the system consistently delivers usable power to the load. These results confirm the suitability of the proposed RF energy harvesting system for year-round deployment in tropical environments and for powering low-energy wireless sensor nodes.

Socio-Spatial Determinants of Accessibility and Utilization of Pediatric Services in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

2026-04-26T18:50:44+03:00

This study examines the socio-spatial determinants of accessibility to and utilization of pediatric services in Kinshasa. Using survey data from 1,164 parents and guardians and a series of binary logistic regression models, the analysis explores how geographic position, household socio-demographic profile, transport conditions, perceived barriers, and prior care experiences shape the choice between formal pediatric consultation and self-medication or other non-medicalized practices. The results show pronounced territorial inequalities in the distribution of respondents and in the spatial pattern of pediatric consultation and self-medication across the city. Among the respondents, 67.27% reported resorting to pediatric consultation while 32.71% relied on self-medication or related informal practices. In the bivariate models, consultation was significantly associated with male parenthood, health insurance for the child, non-biological caregiving, higher income brackets, and the use of motorized or public transport. By contrast, walking, lack of transport, and lack of information reduced the odds of formal consultation. In adjusted models, older parental age remained negatively associated with consultation, whereas male sex, Protestant affiliation, higher monthly income, older child age, public transport use, and some disease contexts increased the likelihood of consultation. Perceptions of service quality showed mixed and sometimes paradoxical effects: courtesy encouraged consultation, but long waiting times consistently reduced it, while evaluations of care quality were not uniformly associated with formal care-seeking. Overall, access to pediatric services in Kinshasa is jointly structured by socio-economic resources, mobility conditions, perceived constraints, and uneven urban geography. Policies that improve transport access, reduce waiting time, strengthen financial protection, and correct spatial disparities in service distribution could increase timely pediatric care utilization.

Spatial Distribution and Inequalities in Pediatric Healthcare Services in Kinshasa: A GIS-Based Assessment of Health Equity

2026-04-26T18:54:12+03:00

Rapid urban growth in many African cities has intensified spatial inequalities in access to healthcare services, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children. This study analyzes the spatial distribution and territorial disparities of pediatric healthcare services in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial statistical methods.

Data were collected from health facilities providing pediatric services across 11 sampled health zones out of the 35 existing zones in Kinshasa. Spatial datasets and demographic information were integrated into a GIS environment to assess healthcare distribution, facility density, and accessibility. Spatial analyses included density mapping, buffer-based accessibility analysis (500 m, 1 km and 2 km), and spatial autocorrelation using Moran’s I.

The results reveal a strong spatial concentration of pediatric healthcare facilities in central and peri-central communes, particularly in Gombe, Lingwala and Kasa-Vubu. These areas show the highest facility densities, exceeding 2.5 structures per km² and more than 4 facilities per 10,000 inhabitants. In contrast, peripheral communes such as Kimbanseke, Mont-Ngafula and Kisenso display significantly lower service densities, often below 0.5 facilities per km² and fewer than 1 facility per 10,000 inhabitants.

Spatial analysis also indicates a significant clustering pattern of healthcare facilities (Global Moran’s I = 0.34, z-score = 3.21, p < 0.01), confirming a polarized spatial structure of pediatric healthcare provision. Large peripheral areas remain underserved, with populations located more than 2 km from the nearest pediatric facility.

These findings highlight substantial territorial inequalities in pediatric healthcare accessibility in Kinshasa. Integrating spatial analysis into urban health planning could help identify priority areas for infrastructure development and improve equitable access to child healthcare services.

Spatial Accessibility to Livestock Sanitary Infrastructure in the Kaniama-Kasese Site in Haut-Lomami Province, Democratic Republic of Congo: A GIS-Based Assessment of Veterinary Vulnerability

2026-04-26T18:58:08+03:00

Livestock production in rural and peri-rural areas depends not only on herd size and grazing resources but also on access to essential sanitary infrastructure such as dipping facilities, veterinary clinics, watering points, and transport routes. This study analyzes the spatial accessibility of livestock sanitary infrastructure in the Kaniama-Kasese site in Haut-Lomami Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), distance-based indicators, spatial autocorrelation, and multicriteria analysis.

The analysis was based on georeferenced data for 23 kraals, 38 route segments, 24 points associated with watering infrastructure, one veterinary clinic, one existing dipping facility, and one visited kraal. Spatial analyses were conducted in a projected metric coordinate system (UTM Zone 35S). Indicators included kraal density, Euclidean distance to the nearest watering point, veterinary clinic, and dip, as well as proximity to the road network. Global and local spatial autocorrelation were used to examine the spatial structure of sanitary accessibility. A multicriteria sanitary vulnerability index was also developed by combining normalized distances to dips, watering points, and routes.

The results show a low overall kraal density of 0.091 kraals/km² over a convex-hull area of 253.40 km². Mean distance from kraals to the nearest watering point was 1.70 km, whereas the mean distance to the veterinary clinic reached 8.99 km. Kraals were generally well connected to routes, with an average distance of only 0.04 km. In contrast, access to the existing dip was markedly unequal, with a mean kraal-to-dip distance of 8.70 km and strong positive spatial autocorrelation (Moran’s I = 0.584, z = 5.09, p < 0.001), indicating significant spatial clustering of sanitary disadvantage.

A simulated second dip located in the most disadvantaged area reduced mean distance to dipping services to 6.22 km, corresponding to a reduction of 28.57%. Spatial clustering also decreased substantially, with Moran’s I falling from 0.584 to 0.352. This improvement was statistically significant according to both the paired t-test (p = 0.0017) and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (p = 0.0039).

These findings demonstrate the usefulness of GIS-based spatial analysis for identifying veterinary service gaps and supporting evidence-based planning of livestock sanitary infrastructure. The study provides a practical framework for improving spatial equity in animal health service provision in the Kaniama-Kasese site in Haut-Lomami Province.

Analysis of the Vegetative Characteristics of Four Varieties of Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata) Grown in Two Seasons in the Province of Maniema (D.R. Congo)

2026-04-26T19:03:00+03:00

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a dietary legume of great importance for food security and nutrition in several parts of Africa. In the Maniema Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo, this crop is widely practiced by local farmers, but information on the morphological variability of these varieties under the same environment and during the different seasons is very limited. A situation that hinders the efficient use (cultivation) of varieties of this crop, particularly in the Province of Maniema. Thus, this study mainly aims to determine the characteristics of these four varieties as well as their variations according to species and seasons. To achieve this objective, these varieties were evaluated on the basis of morphological and agronomic descriptors relating to vegetative parameters, in particular the height or length of the plants, the diameter at the collar of the plants, the leaf area, the number of nodules, etc. The data collected were subjected to statistical analyses for possible differences between the varieties studied as well as between the two seasons observed. The results obtained showed significant morphological variability between the varieties observed. Some varieties showed more vigorous vegetative growth (high height and diameter for VITA7) and greater leaf development (high surface area for H4). This morphological diversity reflects the existence of an exploitable genetic potential for varietal improvement and adaptation of cowpea to local agro-ecological conditions.

Morphological Evaluation of the Production Parameters of Cowpea Varieties (Vigna unguiculata) Grown in Maniema (D.R. Congo)

2026-04-26T19:09:36+03:00

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Walp.) is a major dietary legume contributing to food security in Africa. In Maniema, Democratic Republic of Congo, data on the productive diversity of local cowpea accessions remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate this diversity of cowpea cultivated in this Province on the basis of a few production parameters. An experimental test was conducted according to an appropriate set-up and accessions were evaluated according to a number of production parameters. The data were subjected to an analysis of variance (ANOVA), supplemented by the calculation of coefficients of variation and the analysis of correlations between traits. The results revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) between accessions for the majority of the parameters studied, reflecting an exploitable productive variability. Significant positive correlations were observed between the number of pods per plant, the number of seeds per pod, and seed yield. Some accessions have been distinguished by superior performance, indicating interesting agronomic potential and good adaptation to local agro-ecological conditions. This diversity is a strategic resource for varietal selection and the sustainable improvement of cowpea production in Maniema.

Design and Fabrication of an Arduino-Based 5-DoF Robotic Arm for Pick-and-Place Applications

2026-04-27T12:45:36+03:00

The design, construction, control, and performance assessment of an Arduino-based, five-degree-of-freedom robotic arm intended for pick-and-place tasks are presented in this work. Using acrylic structural elements, six AD002 servo motors, an Arduino UNO R3 microcontroller, an Adept driver board, and Bluetooth-based control via an Android interface, the prototype was created as an inexpensive educational and testing platform. With consideration for payload capacity, structural stability, and convenience of use, the system was set up to offer synchronised motion at the base, shoulder, elbow, wrist, and gripper joints. Following assembly and calibration, three objects weighing 0.0245 kg, 0.0297 kg, and 0.0347 kg were used to test the robotic arm over a predetermined distance of 0.061 m. Higher payloads required more actuator effort and longer completion times, but the arm successfully finished all pick-and-place trials. The outcomes demonstrated that the system maintained adequate stability and repeatability during testing and operated dependably under modest loads. In addition to pointing up possibilities for future development in cargo handling, structural strengthening, and motion efficiency, the study shows that a basic microcontroller-based robotic arm can function as an efficient model for robotics education, embedded control, and small-scale automation.