A differential game model research on dynamic pricing and coordination of fresh agricultural products supply chain based on freshness

For the problem of optimal dynamic pricing and coordination of fresh agricultural products supply chain, the differential equations related to freshness and market needs are constructed, and the optimal control theory is used to solve the optimal strategy under centralized and decentralized decision-making, i.e., optimal selling price and optimal preservation input. The equilibrium results under the two scenarios are also compared. The comparison finds that the decentralized scenario leads to low overall supply chain profits, based on which a two-part pricing contract is proposed to coordinate the supply chain operating companies. The results show that freshness effectiveness directly impacts pricing, and the centralized scenario does not necessarily lead to high prices for fresh produce due to the ‘double marginal effect’. the two pricing contracts can successfully coordinate the supply chain. The freshness effectiveness increases the supply chain coordination ability of fresh produce suppliers, while operational inefficiencies, on the contrary, decrease the coordination abilit

Differential measurement of atmospheric refraction with a telescope with double fields of view

For the sake of complete theoretical research of atmospheric refraction, the atmospheric refraction under the condition of lower angles of elevation is still worthy to be analyzed and explored. In some engineering applications, the objects with larger zenith distance must be observed sometimes. Carrying out observational research of the atmospheric refraction at lower angles of elevation has an important significance. It has been considered difficult to measure the atmospheric refraction at lower angles of elevation. A new idea for determining atmospheric refraction by utilizing differential measurement with double fields of view is proposed. Taking the observational principle of HIPPARCOS satellite as a reference, a schematic prototype with double fields of view was developed. In August of 2013, experimental observations were carried out and the atmospheric refractions at lower angles of elevation can be obtained by the schematic prototype. The measured value of the atmospheric refraction at the zenith distance of 78.8 degree is $240.23"\pm0.27"$, and the feasibility of differential measurement of atmospheric refraction with double fields of view was justified. The limitations of the schematic prototype such as inadequate ability of gathering light, lack of accurate meteorological data recording and lower automatic level of observation and data processing were also pointed out, which need to be improved in subsequent work.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Improving QCD with fermions: the 2 dimensional case of QCD with Sea Quarks

We study QCD in 2 dimensions using the improved lattice fermionic Hamiltonian proposed by Luo, Chen, Xu and Jiang. The vector mass and the chiral condensate are computed for various $SU(N_C)$ gauge groups. We do observe considerable improvement in comparison with the Wilson quark case.Comment: LATTICE98(improvement

Domain selection combined with improved cloning strategy for high throughput expression of higher eukaryotic proteins

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Expression of higher eukaryotic genes as soluble, stable recombinant proteins is still a bottleneck step in biochemical and structural studies of novel proteins today. Correct identification of stable domains/fragments within the open reading frame (ORF), combined with proper cloning strategies, can greatly enhance the success rate when higher eukaryotic proteins are expressed as these domains/fragments. Furthermore, a HTP cloning pipeline incorporated with bioinformatics domain/fragment selection methods will be beneficial to studies of structure and function genomics/proteomics.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>With bioinformatics tools, we developed a domain/domain boundary prediction (DDBP) method, which was trained by available experimental data. Combined with an improved cloning strategy, DDBP had been applied to 57 proteins from <it>C. elegans</it>. Expression and purification results showed there was a 10-fold increase in terms of obtaining purified proteins. Based on the DDBP method, the improved GATEWAY cloning strategy and a robotic platform, we constructed a high throughput (HTP) cloning pipeline, including PCR primer design, PCR, BP reaction, transformation, plating, colony picking and entry clones extraction, which have been successfully applied to 90 <it>C. elegans </it>genes, 88 Brucella genes, and 188 human genes. More than 97% of the targeted genes were obtained as entry clones. This pipeline has a modular design and can adopt different operations for a variety of cloning/expression strategies.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The DDBP method and improved cloning strategy were satisfactory. The cloning pipeline, combined with our recombinant protein HTP expression pipeline and the crystal screening robots, constitutes a complete platform for structure genomics/proteomics. This platform will increase the success rate of purification and crystallization dramatically and promote the further advancement of structure genomics/proteomics.</p

Cloud Resource Management With Turnaround Time Driven Auto-Scaling

Cloud resource management research and techniques have received relevant attention in the last years. In particular, recently numerous studies have focused on determining the relationship between server-side system information and performance experience for reducing resource wastage. However, the genuine experiences of clients cannot be readily understood only by using the collected server-side information. In this paper, a cloud resource management framework with two novel turnaround time driven auto-scaling mechanisms is proposed for ensuring the stability of service performance. In the first mechanism, turnaround time monitors are deployed in the client-side instead of the more traditional server-side, and the information collected outside the server is used for driving a dynamic auto-scaling operation. In the second mechanism, a schedule-based auto scaling preconfiguration maker is designed to test and identify the amount of resources required in the cloud. The reported experimental results demonstrate that using our original framework for cloud resource management, stable service quality can be ensured and, moreover, a certain amount of quality variation can be handled in order to allow the stability of the service performance to be increased

Prevalence of depressive tendencies among college students and the influence of attributional styles on depressive tendencies in the post-pandemic era

IntroductionDepression symptoms are prevalent globally, including China, with a notable impact on college students. This study aims to not only estimate the prevalence of depressive tendencies and attributional styles among college students in the post-pandemic era but also explore the relationship between the two factors. The findings of this study can provide new insights into early intervention and support services for individuals exhibiting tendencies toward depression.MethodsThe survey was administered to college students from various academic backgrounds at a specific university in southern Jiangxi Province by employing two scales to investigate depressive tendencies and attributional styles. Depressive tendency was evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), while the attributional styles were assessed using the Multidimensional-Multiattributional Causality Scale (MMCS). Univariate analysis and multiple logistic regressions were conducted to identify the related factors of depressive tendency.ResultsA relatively high (48.9%) prevalence of depression among college students was found in this study. College students with higher grades (OR = 1.574, 95%CI: 1.369–1.810), profession of medicine and allied health sciences (OR = 1.779, 95%CI: 1.203–2.629), experiencing higher study stress (OR = 2.006, 95%CI: 1.601–2.514), and having poor physical condition (OR = 1.527, 95%CI: 1.247–1.869) were identified as risk factors for depressive tendency. The correlation between higher grades and increased learning pressure, coupled with poorer physical condition, heightens the vulnerability of college students to depression. Moreover, the more they attribute these experiences to achievement effort (OR = 0.897, 95%CI: 0.828–0.972), achievement ability (OR = 0.903, 95%CI: 0.838–0.972), and affiliation context (OR = 0.919, 95%CI: 0.860–0.982), the less likely they are to develop depression.ConclusionIn the group of college students, especially those in higher grades, profession of medicine and allied health sciences or experiencing high learning pressure and poor physical condition, emphasizing the significance of their mental well-being becomes crucial. Offering suitable support and assistance is essential. Additionally, fostering the cultivation of positive attributional and coping strategies by attributing difficulties to controllable factors and instilling a belief in their ability to overcome challenges can help reduce the risk of depression

Studies Based on Preparation, Physical Characteristics, and Cellular Pharmacological Activities of Thin PLGA Film Loaded with Geniposide

In this primary study, thin polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) film loaded with geniposide was first prepared and demonstrated on both physical and pharmacological aspects for its potential application on drug-eluting vascular stents. Physical parameters of geniposide-loaded thin film, such as crystal structure, molecular spectral characteristics, and release behavior in the whole process were detected. From X-Ray diffraction, the characteristic peak of crystal geniposide disappeared on geniposide-loaded PLGA film (GLPF) after it formed, which meant there was no agglomeration phenomenon, as geniposide was distributed in the form of single molecule. According to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) figure, the GLPF was more flat and uniform with better compactness. It inferred that release behavior of geniposide at the early stage (0~15 d) was in the form of free diffusion. Carrier PLGA began to degrade 15 days later, so the residual geniposide was also dissolved. Cellular pharmacological effects of geniposide on endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were also demonstrated on GLPF. 5% and 10% (w/w) geniposide-loaded PLGA (60 : 40) membrane indicated its significant effect on ECs promotion and SMCs inhibition. All provided feasible evidences for the development of new geniposide-coating vascular stent using PLGA as carrier