Selling vertically differentiated products under one channel or two? A quality segmentation model for differentiated distribution channels

Many manufacturers, including Lenovo, Sony, Procter & Gamble, and Buckle, have adopted differentiated distribution channels to market vertically differentiated products. However, there is scant literature addressing the issue of quality differentiation in the presence of differentiated distribution channel policies. To fill this void, we examine whether (how) differentiated channel policies affect manufacturers’ quality differentiation and all parties’ performance. Specifically, we consider a manufacturer who produces two vertically differentiated products (high- and low-tier ) together, but withtwo marketing options: (1) distributing both products through one retailer (Model O, One-channel policy), or (2) providing high-quality products through one channel but low-tier products through another (Model T, Two-channel policy). Our results show that the manufacturer is more likely to decrease the level of quality differentiation in Model T than in Model O. Moreover, contrary to popular belief, we show that “quality distortion” is not limited to low-tier products but can occur with high-tier products. Among other results, we find that the one-channel policy benefits the retailer but hurts both the manufacturer and the total supply chain. To test the robustness of the results, we also comment on how the additional horizontal consumer heterogeneity affects our results and the implications of the competition at the manufacturer level

Relationship Among Children’s Social-emotional Competence, Social Support, Academic Achievement and Aggressive Behavior in the Primary School in China

With the development of humanistic education, scholars believe that children’s social-emotional competence mostly will take charge of their future family, school and life success in the future. Because of too much time focusing on social-skills training and few about children’ s social-emotional competence and relationship between social-emotional competence and aggressive behavior in China, and this article firstly shows concepts of social-emotional competence, social support, academic achievement and aggressive behavior. Secondly, social-emotional competence and social support were hypothesized to have strong influences on academic achievement and aggressive behavior in the study. Participants were 301 pupils (151 boys and 150 girls) from 2 elementary schools in Nanjing, China. The findings suggest that the students with stronger social-emotional competence performed fewer aggressive behaviors than the other peers. Keywords: children; social-emotions competence; social support; aggressio

Specific detection and deletion of the sigma-1 receptor widely expressed in neurons and glial cells in vivo

The chaperon protein sigma-1 receptor (S1R) has been discovered over 40 years ago. Recent pharmacological studies using S1R exogenous ligands demonstrated a promising therapeutical potential of targeting the S1R in several neurological disorders. Although intensive in vitro studies have revealed S1Rs are mainly residing at the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), the cell-specific in vivo expression pattern of S1Rs is still unclear, mainly because of the lack of a reliable detection method which also prevented a comprehensive functional analysis. Here, first, we identified a highly specific antibody using S1R knockout (KO) mice and established an immunohistochemical protocol involving a 1% sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) antigen retrieval step. Second, we characterized the S1R expression in the mouse brain and can demonstrate that the S1R is widely expressed: in principal neurons, interneurons and all glial cell types. In addition, unlike reported in previous studies, we showed that the S1R expression in astrocytes is not colocalized with the astrocytic cytoskeleton protein GFAP. Thus, our results raise concerns over previously reported S1R properties. Finally, we generated a Credependent S1R conditional KO mouse (S1R flox) to study cell-type-specific functions of the S1R. As a proof of concept, we successfully ablated S1R expressions in neurons or microglia employing neuronal and microglial Cre-expressing mice, respectively. In summary, we provide powerful tools to cell-specifically detect, delete and functionally characterize S1R in vivo

Should a Manufacturer Encroach on Its Retailer’s Operations with Quality Differentiated Products?

Despite the fact that manufacturers are progressively encroaching into the retail market by selling products that differ in quality from the products that are already on the market, this issue has received little attention in the literature on dual-channel supply chains. We fill this gap by first considering that a manufacturer sells higher- (lower-) quality products through its own direct channel, whereas all lower- (higher-) quality products are distributed by an independent retailer, and then comparing our equilibrium outcomes with those in the literature of the manufacturer who distributes homogeneous products through both channels. Our results show that, compared to selling lower-quality products directly or offering homogeneous products through both channels, an effort by the manufacturer that is too aggressive in its attempt to encroach on the retail market (i.e., selling higher-quality products directly) not only decreases the retailer’s profits but also reduces the manufacturer’s own profitability. Furthermore, we find that, compared with offering homogeneous products through both channels, selling lower-quality products directly is always beneficial for the retailer but hurts consumers

The Application of Solar Indirect System in Passive House in Cold Region and Severe Cold Region of CHINA

AbstractThis paper, the future developing prospect of application of passive house in China was provided,solar indirect system combined with fresh air ventilation system with heat recovery was used in designing to provide heat to meet fresh air load in the passive house, taking the Xining city as an example. The aperture areas of solar collector in different conditions were calculated by changing the influence factors such as the tilt angle of the collector and the solar fraction. This paper analyzed the relationship of the solar collector aperture area with the tilt angle of the collector and the solar fraction. On the basis of the analysis, it is safe to draw a conclusion that the program of using solar indirect system combined with fresh air ventilation system with heat recovery in passive house in cold region and severe cold region of China is economically feasible

Structural Performance of a Hybrid FRP-Aluminum Modular Triangular Truss System Subjected to Various Loading Conditions

A novel hybrid FRP-aluminum truss system has been employed in a two-rut modular bridge superstructure composed of twin inverted triangular trusses. The actual flexural behavior of a one-rut truss has been previously investigated under the on-axis loading test; however, the structural performance of the one-rut truss subjected to an off-axis load is still not fully understood. In this paper, a geometrical linear finite element model is introduced and validated by the on-axis loading test; the structural performance of the one-rut truss subjected to off-axis load was numerically obtained; the dissimilarities of the structural performance between the two different loading cases are investigated in detail. The results indicated that (1) the structural behavior of the off-axis load differs from that of the on-axis load, and the off-axis load is the critical loading condition controlling the structural performance of the triangular truss; (2) under the off-axis load, the FRP trussed members and connectors bear certain out-of-plane bending moments and are subjected to a complicated stress state; and (3) the stress state of these members does not match that of the initial design, and optimization for the redesign of these members is needed, especially for the pretightened teeth connectors

Analysis of the association between testosterone and cardiovascular disease potential risk factor apolipoprotein B in adult males without cancer: national health and nutrition examination survey 2011-2016

BackgroundOver the years, there has been extensive exploration of the association between testosterone and lipid profiles, yet the precise mechanisms underlying their interaction remain incompletely elucidated. Similarly, there is a dearth of research on the correlation between serum apolipoprotein B (apoB) and serum total testosterone (TT), particularly within specific populations.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the relationship between serum TT concentration and serum apoB concentration. Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to 2016, we employed weighted generalized linear models, weighted univariate, weighted multivariate analysis, and smooth curve fitting to assist in exploring the relationship between serum TT and apoB. Serum apoB concentration served as the independent variable, and serum TT concentration as the dependent variable. ApoB was divided into four quartiles—Q1 (<0.7g/L, N=691), Q2 (≥0.7g/L to <0.9g/L, N=710), Q3 (≥0.9g/L to <1.1g/L, N=696), and Q4 (≥1.1g/L, N=708)—thereby further solidifying the stable association between the two. Additionally, the application of smooth curve fitting will contribute to a more detailed elucidation of the specific relationship between serum TT concentration and serum apoB concentration under different factors (Drinking, Smoke, Diabetes, Hypertension, and High cholesterol level.).ResultsThe results indicate a negative correlation between serum TT concentration and apoB concentration (β=-113.4; 95% CI: -146.6, -80.2; P<0.001). After adjusting for confounding variables, the negative correlation between apoB concentration and TT concentration remains significant (β=-61.0; 95% CI: -116.7, -5.2; P=0.040). When apoB concentration was converted from a continuous variable to a categorical variable (quartiles: Q1<0.7g/L; Q2:≥0.7g/L to<0.9g/L; Q3:≥0.9g/L to <1.1g/L; Q4: ≥1.1g/L), TT level of participants in the highest quartile (≥1.1g/L) was -47.2 pg/mL (95% CI: -91.2, -3.3; P=0.045) lower than that in the lowest quartile (<0.7g/L). The smooth curve fitting diagram revealed differences in the relationship between TT concentration and apoB among individuals with different cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.ConclusionsThis study elucidates a robust inverse correlation between serum TT concentration and apoB concentration, maintaining statistical significance even upon adjustment for confounding factors. These findings present a promising avenue for addressing the prevention and treatment of low testosterone and CVD

NF-κB-inducing kinase regulates selected gene expression in the Nod2 signaling pathway

The innate immune system surveys the extra- and intracellular environment for the presence of microbes. Among the intracellular sensors is a protein known as Nod2, a cytosolic protein containing a leucine-rich repeat domain. Nod2 is believed to play a role in determining host responses to invasive bacteria. A key element in upregulating host defense involves activation of the NF-κB pathway. It has been suggested through indirect studies that NF-κB-inducing kinase, or NIK, may be involved in Nod2 signaling. Here we have used macrophages derived from primary explants of bone marrow from wild-type mice and mice that either bear a mutation in NIK, rendering it inactive, or are derived from NIK(−/−) mice, in which the NIK gene has been deleted. We show that NIK binds to Nod2 and mediates induction of specific changes induced by the specific Nod2 activator, muramyl dipeptide, and that the role of NIK occurs in settings where both the Nod2 and TLR4 pathways are activated by their respective agonists. Specifically, we have linked NIK to the induction of the B-cell chemoattractant known as BLC and suggest that this chemokine may play a role in processes initiated by Nod2 activation that lead to improved host defense