Pricing Decision of Closed-Loop Supply Chain to Improve Service Level under Patent Protection

This paper constructs a two-level closed-loop supply chain system consisting of original parts manufacturers and parts distributors. Based on the different preferences of consumers for remanufactured parts and new parts, four combination models of patent protection and service improvement are constructed. Through comparative analysis, the impact of implementing patent protection policies by original parts manufacturers and improving service levels by parts distributors on the pricing decisions of the closed-loop supply chain is explored.Through the comparison between related models and the verification of calculation examples, it is found that (1) a manufacturer prevents the price of new products from being affected by the price of remanufactured products and upgrading of service level by introducing royalties, which reduces its loss of profit; (2) in the absence of patent protection, the manufacturerꞌs profit decreases as the level of service increases; in the presence of patent protection, the manufacturerꞌs profit increases as the level of service increases; (3) retailersꞌ profits decrease after the manufacturer introduces royalties, which discourages them to improve service levels for remanufactured products; (4) as retailers raise the service level of the remanufactured products, the profits of the manufacturer and third-party manufacturers keep increasing, while the profits of the retailers first increase and then decrease

Electrospun ZnO/Bi 2

ZnO/Bi2O3 nanofibers were synthesized by a simple electrospinning method and both the UV and visible light responsive photocatalytic properties were studied by the decolorization of RhB dye. Thermogravimetric analysis/differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) were employed to study the structure, morphology, and optical properties of the ZnO/Bi2O3 nanofibers, respectively. The relationship between the ZnO/Bi2O3 ratio and photocatalytic activity was also studied, and the composite with a molar ratio of 23 : 1 demonstrated the best activity under both excitations. The photocatalytic mechanisms for the composite fibers can be described as the direct photocatalysis under UV excitation and photosensitation for visible light irradiation. The enhanced photocatalytic activities can be ascribed to the effective electron-hole pairs separation that leads to the promoted photocatalytic efficiency

Development of Structure-Switching Aptamers for Kanamycin Detection Based on Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer

The structure-switching aptamers are designed for the simple and rapid detection of kanamycin based on the signal transduction principle of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). The structure switch is composed of kanamycin-binding aptamers and the complementary strands, respectively labeled with fluorophore and quencher, denoted as FDNA and QDNA. In the absence of kanamycin, FDNA and QDNA form the double helix structure through the complementary pairing of bases. The fluorophore and the quencher are brought into close proximity, which results in the fluorescence quenching because of the FRET mechanism. In the presence of kanamycin, the FDNA specifically bind to the target due to the high affinity of aptamers, and the QDNA are dissociated. The specific recognition between aptamers and kanamycin will obstruct the formation of structure switch and reduce the efficiency of FRET between FDNA and QDNA, thus leading to the fluorescence enhancement. Therefore, based on the structure-switching aptamers, a simple fluorescent assay for rapid detection of kanamycin was developed. Under optimal conditions, there was a good linear relationship between kanamycin concentration and the fluorescence signal recovery. The linear range of this method in milk samples was 100–600 nM with the detection limit of 13.52 nM (3σ), which is well below the maximum residue limit (MRL) of kanamycin in milk. This method shows excellent selectivity for kanamycin over the other common antibiotics. The structure-switching aptamers have been successfully applied to the detection of kanamycin spiked in milk samples with the satisfying recoveries between 101.3 and 109.1%, which is well-consistent with the results from LC-MS/MS. Due to the outstanding advantages of facile operation, rapid detection, high sensitivity, excellent specificity, and low cost, the application and extension of this strategy for rapid determination of antibiotics in food samples may greatly improve the efficiency in food safety and quality supervision

Smad Ubiquitination Regulatory Factor 1 (Smurf1) Promotes Thyroid Cancer Cell Proliferation and Migration via Ubiquitin-Dependent Degradation of Kisspeptin-1

Background/Aims: Thyroid cancer is the most common malignancy in human endocrine system. Smad ubiquitination regulatory factor 1 (Smurf1) is an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase in ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) system. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Smurf1 on thyroid cancer proliferation and metastasis, as well as underlying potential mechanism. Methods: The expression levels of Smurf1 in thyroid tumor tissues and thyroid cancer cells were detected by western blotting and qRT-PCR. Then, the effects of up-regulation or down-regulation of Smurf1 on thyroid cancer cell viability, migration, invasion, proliferation and apoptosis were measured using trypan blue exclusion assay, two-chamber migration (invasion) assay, cell colony formation assay and Guava Nexin assay, respectively. The ubiquitination of kisspeptin-1 (KISS-1) was assessed by protein ubiquitination assay. Finally, the effects of KISS-1 overexpression on activity of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway, as well as thyroid cancer cell viability, migration, invasion, proliferation and apoptosis were also detected, respectively. Results: Smurf1 was highly expressed in thyroid tumor tissues and thyroid cancer cells. Up-regulation of Smurf1 promoted the viability, migration, invasion and proliferation of thyroid cancer cells. Knockdown of Smurf1 had opposite effects. Moreover, smurf1 promoted the ubiquitination of KISS-1. Overexpression of KISS-1 inactivated NF-κB pathway, suppressed thyroid cancer cell viability, migration, invasion and proliferation, and induced cell apoptosis. Conclusion: Up-regulation of Smurf1 exerted important roles in thyroid cancer formation and development by promoting thyroid cancer proliferation and metastasis. The ubiquitin-dependent degradation of KISS-1 induced by Smurf1 and the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway might be involved in this process. Smurf1 could be an effective therapy target and biomarker for thyroid cancer treatment

Empirical Analysis of Reputation-aware Task Delegation by Humans from a Multi-agent Game (Extended Abstract)

ABSTRACT What are the strategies people adopt when deciding how to delegated tasks to agents when the agents' reputation and productivity information is available? How effective are these strategies under different conditions? These questions are important since they have significant implications to the ongoing research of reputation aware task delegation in multi-agent systems (MASs). In this paper, we conduct an empirical study to address the aforementioned research questions by providing a gamified mechanism for people to report the reputation-aware task delegation strategies they adopt. The findings from this empirical study may help MAS researchers develop multi-agent trust evaluation testbeds with more realistic simulated human behaviours

A multi-agent game for studying human decision-making.

ABSTRACT Understanding how human beings delegate tasks to trustees when presented with reputation information is important for building trust models for human-agent collectives. However, there is a lack of suitable platforms for building large scale datasets on this topic. We describe a demonstration of a multi-agent game for training students in the practice of Agile software engineering. Through interacting with agent competitors in the game, the behavior data related to users' decision-making process under uncertainty and resource constraints are collected in an unobtrusive fashion. These data may provide multi-agent trust researchers with new insight into the human decision-making process, and help them benchmark their proposed models

A network medicine approach to build a comprehensive atlas for the prognosis of human cancer

The Cancer Genome Atlas project has generated multi-dimensional and highly integrated genomic data from a large number of patient samples with detailed clinical records across many cancer types, but it remains unclear how to best integrate the massive amount of genomic data into clinical practice. We report here our methodology to build a multi-dimensional subnetwork atlas for cancer prognosis to better investigate the potential impact of multiple genetic and epigenetic (gene expression, copy number variation, microRNA expression and DNA methylation) changes on the molecular states of networks that in turn affects complex cancer survivorship. We uncover an average of 38 novel subnetworks in the protein-protein interaction network that correlate with prognosis across four prominent cancer types. The clinical utility of these subnetwork biomarkers was further evaluated by prognostic impact evaluation, functional enrichment analysis, drug target annotation, tumor stratification and independent validation. Some pathways including the dynactin, cohesion and pyruvate dehydrogenase-related subnetworks are identified as promising new targets for therapy in specific cancer types. In conclusion, this integrative analysis of existing protein interactome and cancer genomics data allows us to systematically dissect the molecular mechanisms that underlie unexpected outcomes for cancer, which could be used to better understand and predict clinical outcomes, optimize treatment and to provide new opportunities for developing therapeutics related to the subnetworks identified

Dichloroacetate blocks aerobic glycolytic adaptation to attenuated measles virus and promotes viral replication leading to enhanced oncolysis in glioblastoma

Targeting reprogrammed energy metabolism such as aerobic glycolysis is a potential strategy for cancer treatment. However, tumors exhibiting low-rate glycolysis or metabolic heterogeneity might be resistant to such treatment. We hypothesized that a therapeutic modality that drove cancer cells to high-rate glycolysis might sensitize cancer cells to interference directed against metabolic flux. In this study, we found that attenuated oncolytic measles virus Edmonston strain (MV-Edm) caused glioblastoma cells to shift to high-rate aerobic glycolysis; this adaptation was blocked by dichloroacetate (DCA), an inhibitor of glycolysis, leading to profound cell death of cancer cells but not of normal cells. DCA enhanced viral replication by mitigating mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS)-mediated innate immune responses. In a subcutaneous glioblastoma (GBM) xenograft mouse model, low-dose MV-Edm and DCA significantly inhibited tumor growth in vivo. We found that DCA impaired glycolysis (blocking bioenergetic generation) and enhanced viral replication (increasing bioenergetic consumption), which, in combination, accelerated bioenergetic exhaustion leading to necrotic cell death. Taken together, oncolytic MV-Edm sensitized cancer cells to DCA, and in parallel, DCA promoted viral replication, thus, improving oncolysis. This novel therapeutic approach should be readily incorporated into clinical trials

Coupling Coordination Relationship between Urban Sprawl and Urbanization Quality in the West Taiwan Strait Urban Agglomeration, China: Observation and Analysis from DMSP/OLS Nighttime Light Imagery and Panel Data

Urban sprawl is the most prominent characteristic of urbanization, and increasingly affects local and regional sustainable development. The observation and analysis of urban sprawl dynamics and their relationship with urbanization quality are essential for framing integrative urban planning. In this study, the urban areas of the West Taiwan Strait Urban Agglomeration (WTSUA) were extracted using nighttime light imagery from 1992 to 2013. The spatio-temporal characteristics and pattern of urban sprawl were quantitatively analyzed by combining an urban expansion rate index and a standard deviation ellipse model. The urbanization quality was assessed using an entropy weight model, and its relationship with urban sprawl was calculated by a coupling coordination degree model. The results showed that the urban area in the WTSUA experienced a significant increase, i.e., 18,806.73 km2, during the period 1992–2013. The central cities grew by 11.08% and noncentral cities by 27.43%, with a general uneven city rank-size distribution. The urban sprawl showed a circular expansion pattern, accompanied by a gradual centroid migration of urban areas from the southeast coast to the central-western regions. The coupling coordination level between urban expansion and urbanization quality increased from serious incoordination in 1992 to basic coordination in 2013. Dual driving forces involving state-led policies and market-oriented land reform had a positive influence on the harmonious development of urban sprawl and urbanization quality of the WTSUA. This research offers an effective approach to monitor changes in urban sprawl and explore the coupling coordination relationship between urban sprawl and urbanization quality. The study provides important scientific references for the formulation of future policies and planning for sustainable development in urban agglomerations

Risk and Protective Factors for the Mental Wellbeing of Deployed Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in China: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Though many literatures documented burnout and occupational hazard among healthcare workers and frontliners during pandemic, not many adopted a systemic approach to look at the resilience among this population. Another under-studied population was the large numbers of global healthcare workers who have been deployed to tackle the crisis of COVID-19 pandemic in the less resourceful regions. We investigated both the mental wellbeing risk and protective factors of a deployed healthcare workers (DHWs) team in Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak during 2020. Method: A consensual qualitative research approach was adopted with 25 DHWs from H province through semi-structured interviews after 3 months of deployment period. Results: Inductive-Deductive thematic coding with self-reflexivity revealed multi-layered risk and protective factors for DHWs at the COVID-19 frontline. Intensive working schedule and high-risk environment, compounded by unfamiliar work setting and colleagues; local culture adaptation; isolation from usual social circle, strained the DHWs. Meanwhile, reciprocal relationships and "familial relatedness" with patients and colleagues; organizational support to the DHWs and their immediate families back home, formed crucial wellbeing resources in sustaining the DHWs. The dynamic and dialectical relationships between risk and protective factors embedded in multiple layers of relational contexts could be mapped into a socio-ecological framework. Conclusion: Our multidisciplinary study highlights the unique social connectedness between patient-DHWs; within DHWs team; between deploying hospital and DHWs; and between DHWs and the local partners. We recommend five organizational strategies as mental health promotion and capacity building for DHWs to build a resilient network and prevent burnout at the disaster frontline