Modelling Pricing Policy Based on Shelf-Life of Non Homogeneous Available-To-Promise in Fruit Supply Chains

[EN] Fruit Supply Chains (SCs) are influenced by uncontrollable natural factors causing heterogeneity in their products, as regards certain attributes that are relevant to customers and vary over time because of the shelf-life. As a consequence customers should be served not only with the required quantity and due date as usual, but also with the quality, freshness and homogeneity specified in their orders. The order promising process (OPP) is based on the uncommitted availability of homogeneous product quantities in planned lots (ATP) that are uncertain. Therefore, there is a risk of not being reliable in the commitments because of discrepancies between the real and planned homogeneous quantities. Furthermore, due to the shelf-life (SL), serving customers with the freshest product introduce the risk of increasing waste because of the aging process. To efficiently manage these risks, this work proposes a mathematical model for handling the heterogeneous ATP in fruit SCs and a pricing policy based on the product SL in the moment of delivery. In order to illustrate the application of the modelling approach, a short numerical example is introduced. The example evidences a conflictive situation when optimizing the assignation of homogeneous ATP between serving orders with fresh and more valuable product, what could lead to increase the risk of having waste because of expiration, and consequently, more costs and less profit.This research has been supported by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications, government of Costa Rica (MICITT), through the program of innovation and human capital for competitiveness (PINN) (PED-019-2015-1).Grillo-Espinoza, H.; Alemany Díaz, MDM.; Ortiz Bas, Á. (2016). Modelling Pricing Policy Based on Shelf-Life of Non Homogeneous Available-To-Promise in Fruit Supply Chains. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology. 480:608-617. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45390-3_52S608617480Alarcon, F., Alemany, M.M.E., Lario, F.C., Oltra, R.F.: The lack of homogeneity in the product (LHP) in the ceramic tile industry and its impact on the reallocation of inventories. Boletin Soc. Espanola Ceram. Vidr. 50, 49–57 (2011). doi: 10.3989/cyv.072011Alemany, M.M.E., Grillo, H., Ortiz, A., Fuertes-Miquel, V.S.: A fuzzy model for shortage planning under uncertainty due to lack of homogeneity in planned production lots. Appl. Math. Model. (2015). doi: 10.1016/j.apm.2014.12.057Alemany, M.M.E., Lario, F.-C., Ortiz, A., Gomez, F.: Available-To-Promise modeling for multi-plant manufacturing characterized by lack of homogeneity in the product: an illustration of a ceramic case. Appl. Math. Model. 37, 3380–3398 (2013). doi: 10.1016/j.apm.2012.07.022Blanco, A.M., Masini, G., Petracci, N., Bandoni, J.A.: Operations management of a packaging plant in the fruit industry. J. Food Eng. 70, 299–307 (2005). doi: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2004.05.075Grillo, H., Alemany, M.M.E., Ortiz, A.: A review of mathematical models for supporting the order promising process under Lack of Homogeneity in Product and other sources of uncertainty. Comput. Ind. Eng. 91, 239–261 (2016)Kilic, O.A., van Donk, D.P., Wijngaard, J., Tarim, S.A.: Order acceptance in food processing systems with random raw material requirements. Spectrum 32, 905–925 (2010). doi: 10.1007/s00291-010-0213-4Lin, J.T., Hong, I.H., Wu, C.H., Wang, K.S.: A model for batch available-to-promise in order fulfillment processes for TFT-LCD production chains. Comput. Ind. Eng. 59, 720–729 (2010). doi: 10.1016/j.cie.2010.07.026Maihami, R., Karimi, B.: Optimizing the pricing and replenishment policy for non-instantaneous deteriorating items with stochastic demand and promotional efforts. Comput. Oper. Res. 51, 302–312 (2014). doi: 10.1016/j.cor.2014.05.022Mundi, M.I., Alemany, M.M.E., Poler, R., Fuertes-Miquel, V.S.: Fuzzy sets to model master production effectively in Make to Stock companies with Lack of Homogeneity in the Product. Fuzzy Sets Syst. 293, 95–112 (2016). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fss.2015.06.009Tsao, Y.-C., Sheen, G.-J.: Dynamic pricing, promotion and replenishment policies for a deteriorating item under permissible delay in payments. Part Spec. Issue Top. Real-Time Supply Chain Manag. 35, 3562–3580 (2008). doi: 10.1016/j.cor.2007.01.02

Endoscopic Ultrasound Plus Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Based Tissue Sampling for Diagnosis of Proximal and Distal Biliary Stenosis Due to Cholangiocarcinoma: Results from a Retrospective Single-Center Study

Differentiating between benign and malignant biliary stenosis (BS) is challenging, where tissue diagnosis plays a crucial role. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)-based tissue sampling and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) with fine-needle aspiration (FNA) or biopsy (FNB) are used to obtain tissue specimens from BS. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the diagnostic yield of EUS-FNA/B plus ERCP with brushing or forceps biopsy in BS. All endoscopic procedures performed in patients with BS at our gastroenterology unit were reviewed. The gold standard for diagnosis was histopathology of surgical specimens or the progression of the malignancy at radiological or clinical follow-up. A total of 70 endoscopic procedures were performed in 51 patients with BS. Final endoscopic diagnosis was reached in 96% of the patients and was malignant in 61.7% and benign in 38.3% of cases. Sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy were 73.9%, 100%, and 80%, respectively, for EUS-FNA/B; 66.7%, 100%, and 82.5% for ERCP; and 83.3%, 100%, and 87.5% for both procedures carried out in the same session. The combination of EUS and ERCP tissue sampling seems to increase diagnostic accuracy in defining the etiology of BS. Performing both procedures in a single session reduces the time required for diagnostic work-up and optimizes resources

Positivity, entanglement entropy, and minimal surfaces

The path integral representation for the Renyi entanglement entropies of integer index n implies these information measures define operator correlation functions in QFT. We analyze whether the limit $n\rightarrow 1$, corresponding to the entanglement entropy, can also be represented in terms of a path integral with insertions on the region's boundary, at first order in $n-1$. This conjecture has been used in the literature in several occasions, and specially in an attempt to prove the Ryu-Takayanagi holographic entanglement entropy formula. We show it leads to conditional positivity of the entropy correlation matrices, which is equivalent to an infinite series of polynomial inequalities for the entropies in QFT or the areas of minimal surfaces representing the entanglement entropy in the AdS-CFT context. We check these inequalities in several examples. No counterexample is found in the few known exact results for the entanglement entropy in QFT. The inequalities are also remarkable satisfied for several classes of minimal surfaces but we find counterexamples corresponding to more complicated geometries. We develop some analytic tools to test the inequalities, and as a byproduct, we show that positivity for the correlation functions is a local property when supplemented with analyticity. We also review general aspects of positivity for large N theories and Wilson loops in AdS-CFT.Comment: 36 pages, 10 figures. Changes in presentation and discussion of Wilson loops. Conclusions regarding entanglement entropy unchange

Plastid phylogenomics resolves ambiguous relationships within the orchid family and provides a solid timeframe for biogeography and macroevolution

Recent phylogenomic analyses based on the maternally inherited plastid organelle have enlightened evolutionary relationships between the subfamilies of Orchidaceae and most of the tribes. However, uncertainty remains within several subtribes and genera for which phylogenetic relationships have not ever been tested in a phylogenomic context. To address these knowledge-gaps, we here provide the most extensively sampled analysis of the orchid family to date, based on 78 plastid coding genes representing 264 species, 117 genera, 18 tribes and 28 subtribes. Divergence times are also provided as inferred from strict and relaxed molecular clocks and birth–death tree models. Our taxon sampling includes 51 newly sequenced plastid genomes produced by a genome skimming approach. We focus our sampling efforts on previously unplaced clades within tribes Cymbidieae and Epidendreae. Our results confirmed phylogenetic relationships in Orchidaceae as recovered in previous studies, most of which were recovered with maximum support (209 of the 262 tree branches). We provide for the first time a clear phylogenetic placement for Codonorchideae within subfamily Orchidoideae, and Podochilieae and Collabieae within subfamily Epidendroideae. We also identify relationships that have been persistently problematic across multiple studies, regardless of the different details of sampling and genomic datasets used for phylogenetic reconstructions. Our study provides an expanded, robust temporal phylogenomic framework of the Orchidaceae that paves the way for biogeographical and macroevolutionary studies.Universidad de Costa Rica/[814-B8-257]/UCR/Costa RicaUniversidad de Costa Rica/[814-B6-140]/UCR/Costa RicaIDEA WILD/[]//Estados UnidosSociedad Colombiana de Orquideología/[]/SCO/ColombiaFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo/[11/08308-9]/FAPESP/BrasilFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo/[13/19124-1]/FAPESP/BrasilSwiss Orchid Foundation/[]//SuizaRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew/[]//InglaterraSwedish Research Council/[2019-05191]//SueciaSwedish Foundation for Strategic Research/[FFL15-0196]/SSF/SueciaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Jardín Botánico Lankester (JBL

MOONS Surveys of the Milky Way and its Satellites

The study of resolved stellar populations in the Milky Way and other Local Group galaxies can provide us with a fossil record of their chemo-dynamical and star-formation histories over timescales of many billions of years. In the galactic components and stellar systems of the Milky Way and its satellites, individual stars can be resolved. Therefore, they represent a unique laboratory in which to investigate the details of the processes behind the formation and evolution of the disc and dwarf/irregular galaxies. MOONS at the VLT represents a unique combination of an efficient infrared multi-object spectrograph and a large-aperture 8-m-class telescope which will sample the cool stellar populations of the dense central regions of the Milky Way and its satellites, delivering accurate radial velocities, metallicities, and other chemical abundances for several millions of stars over its lifetime (see Cirasuolo et al., this issue). MOONS will observe up to 1000 targets across a 25-arcminute field of view in the optical and near-infrared (0.6-1.8 micron) simultaneously. A high-resolution (R~19700) setting in the H band has been designed for the accurate determination of stellar abundances such as alpha, light, iron-peak and neutron-capture elements

Single cell derived mRNA signals across human kidney tumors.

Tumor cells may share some patterns of gene expression with their cell of origin, providing clues into the differentiation state and origin of cancer. Here, we study the differentiation state and cellular origin of 1300 childhood and adult kidney tumors. Using single cell mRNA reference maps of normal tissues, we quantify reference "cellular signals" in each tumor. Quantifying global differentiation, we find that childhood tumors exhibit fetal cellular signals, replacing the presumption of "fetalness" with a quantitative measure of immaturity. By contrast, in adult cancers our assessment refutes the suggestion of dedifferentiation towards a fetal state in most cases. We find an intimate connection between developmental mesenchymal populations and childhood renal tumors. We demonstrate the diagnostic potential of our approach with a case study of a cryptic renal tumor. Our findings provide a cellular definition of human renal tumors through an approach that is broadly applicable to human cancer

Conformational Dynamics of Single pre-mRNA Molecules During \u3cem\u3eIn Vitro\u3c/em\u3e Splicing

The spliceosome is a complex small nuclear RNA (snRNA)-protein machine that removes introns from pre-mRNAs via two successive phosphoryl transfer reactions. The chemical steps are isoenergetic, yet splicing requires at least eight RNA-dependent ATPases responsible for substantial conformational rearrangements. To comprehensively monitor pre-mRNA conformational dynamics, we developed a strategy for single-molecule FRET (smFRET) that uses a small, efficiently spliced yeast pre-mRNA, Ubc4, in which donor and acceptor fluorophores are placed in the exons adjacent to the 5′ and 3′ splice sites. During splicing in vitro, we observed a multitude of generally reversible time-and ATP-dependent conformational transitions of individual pre-mRNAs. The conformational dynamics of branchpoint and 3′-splice site mutants differ from one another and from wild type. Because all transitions are reversible, spliceosome assembly appears to be occurring close to thermal equilibrium

Integrin-Dependent Activation of the JNK Signaling Pathway by Mechanical Stress

Mechanical force is known to modulate the activity of the Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling cascade. However, the effect of mechanical stresses on JNK signaling activation has previously only been analyzed by in vitro detection methods. It still remains unknown how living cells activate the JNK signaling cascade in response to mechanical stress and what its functions are in stretched cells

Mapping of QTL for Resistance against the Crucifer Specialist Herbivore Pieris brassicae in a New Arabidopsis Inbred Line Population, Da(1)-12×Ei-2

In Arabidopsis thaliana and other crucifers, the glucosinolate-myrosinase system contributes to resistance against herbivory by generalist insects. As yet, it is unclear how crucifers defend themselves against crucifer-specialist insect herbivores.We analyzed natural variation for resistance against two crucifer specialist lepidopteran herbivores, Pieris brassicae and Plutella xylostella, among Arabidopsis thaliana accessions and in a new Arabidopsis recombinant inbred line (RIL) population generated from the parental accessions Da(1)-12 and Ei-2. This RIL population consists of 201 individual F(8) lines genotyped with 84 PCR-based markers. We identified six QTL for resistance against Pieris herbivory, but found only one weak QTL for Plutella resistance. To elucidate potential factors causing these resistance QTL, we investigated leaf hair (trichome) density, glucosinolates and myrosinase activity, traits known to influence herbivory by generalist insects. We identified several previously unknown QTL for these traits, some of which display a complex pattern of epistatic interactions.Although some trichome, glucosinolate or myrosinase QTL co-localize with Pieris QTL, none of these traits explained the resistance QTL convincingly, indicating that resistance against specialist insect herbivores is influenced by other traits than resistance against generalists

Heart Rate Variability Dynamics for the Prognosis of Cardiovascular Risk

Statistical, spectral, multi-resolution and non-linear methods were applied to heart rate variability (HRV) series linked with classification schemes for the prognosis of cardiovascular risk. A total of 90 HRV records were analyzed: 45 from healthy subjects and 45 from cardiovascular risk patients. A total of 52 features from all the analysis methods were evaluated using standard two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (KS-test). The results of the statistical procedure provided input to multi-layer perceptron (MLP) neural networks, radial basis function (RBF) neural networks and support vector machines (SVM) for data classification. These schemes showed high performances with both training and test sets and many combinations of features (with a maximum accuracy of 96.67%). Additionally, there was a strong consideration for breathing frequency as a relevant feature in the HRV analysis