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The importance of international dry port integration in the supply chain has received a great deal of attention and been widely discussed in the literature. This study empirically examines the relationship among dry port logistics supply chain integration (DPLSCI), its operational performance (OP) and dry port competitiveness (DPC) in the context of China.

The authors developed a structured questionnaire based on the supply chain integration (SCI) theory and resource-based view, and collected data from the dry port operation enterprises and their stakeholders in central and western China. A structural equation model (SEM) is used to test the research hypotheses.

The results demonstrate that DPLSCI has a positive effect on logistics cost performance (LCP) and service quality performance (SQP), which further improves DPC. Meanwhile, OP (LCP and SQP) is a full mediator between DPLSCI and DPC.

This paper provides guidelines for dry port operators and their stakeholders to integrate supply chain resources and develop the OP for improving the overall competitiveness of an international dry port. The government could also invest in physical infrastructure and system platform to strengthen the OP of a dry port and further enhance its competitiveness.

The authors emphasise that the international dry port is a proactive and integrated system in providing a supply chain logistics service. This study fills up a research gap in the extant literature on theoretically proposing and empirically testing a new theoretical model. It also contributes to dry port stakeholders by providing useful guidelines to enhance OP and dry port competitiveness.

A bio-sensor has been developed in this study for the purpose of point-of-care diagnostics. Point-of-care-diagnostic is a type of diagnosis where the diagnostic centre, i.e. the diagnosis kit is made available at the location of the patient when the patient needs immediate action. In this process of diagnosis a compact, portable, integrated kit must be available which can diagnose the disease of the patient by testing various analytes.

Using a fully experimental methodology, a blood glucose sensor is made by conducting carbon interdigitated electrode (IDE) on a flexible substrate. IDEs are used to increase the effective capacitance of the structure, as well as the effective electroactive area of the sensor. Interdigitated structure permits two-electrode sticks with “each other” and “infuse” together. As a consequence, the distance between electrodes can be tuned to a much smaller value than traditional thin-film architectures. Narrowing the distance between electrodes allows for fast ion diffusion that offers better rate capability and efficiency in power density. The fabricated device exhibits a remarkable value of sensitivity in the order of 2.741 µA mM-1 cm⁻².

A highly sensitive, portable and inexpensive blood glucose sensor has been developed in this context.

This research study can be a scope for future research in the field of bio-sensors.