Can Trustworthiness in a Supply Chain Be Signaled?

The relationship between a buyer and its suppliers is important and often relies on factors beyond the terms of a contractual agreement. Buyers can therefore benefit from identifying trustworthy suppliers. We argue that pre-contractual actions by the supplier, for example making costly buyer-specific investments without a long-term contract, can signal a supplier's trustworthiness. We develop a theoretical model to reflect supplier trustworthiness, and identify when a buyer can benefit from identifying trustworthy suppliers. We show that costly relationship-specific investments can serve as a signal of trustworthiness, and that supply chain profits increase when trustworthy suppliers are able to identify themselves in this fashion. We demonstrate the importance of the signaling mechanism using laboratory experiments. The experimental results show that relationship-specific investments lead to more collaborative transactions, with buyers offering higher prices and suppliers reciprocating with higher quality goods. This results in increased profits for both buyers and suppliers. Additionally, we show that the benefit of the relationship-specific investment depends directly on the signaling mechanism. Finally, we show that the benefits of buyer-specific investments for both suppliers and buyers are strengthened when firms interact repeatedly.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108713/1/1251_RBeer.pd

Impaired glucose tolerance or newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus diagnosed during admission adversely affects prognosis after myocardial infarction: An observational study

Objective To investigate the prognostic effect of newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus (NDM) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) post myocardial infarction (MI). Research Design and Methods Retrospective cohort study of 768 patients without preexisting diabetes mellitus post-MI at one centre in Yorkshire between November 2005 and October 2008. Patients were categorised as normal glucose tolerance (NGT n = 337), IGT (n = 279) and NDM (n = 152) on predischarge oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Primary end-point was the first occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) including cardiovascular death, non-fatal MI, severe heart failure (HF) or non-haemorrhagic stroke. Secondary end-points were all cause mortality and individual components of MACE. Results Prevalence of NGT, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), IGT and NDM changed from 90%, 6%, 0% and 4% on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) to 43%, 1%, 36% and 20% respectively after OGTT. 102 deaths from all causes (79 as first events of which 46 were cardiovascular), 95 non fatal MI, 18 HF and 9 non haemorrhagic strokes occurred during 47.2 ± 9.4 months follow up. Event free survival was lower in IGT and NDM groups. IGT (HR 1.54, 95% CI: 1.06–2.24, p = 0.024) and NDM (HR 2.15, 95% CI: 1.42–3.24, p = 0.003) independently predicted MACE free survival. IGT and NDM also independently predicted incidence of MACE. NDM but not IGT increased the risk of secondary end-points. Conclusion Presence of IGT and NDM in patients presenting post-MI, identified using OGTT, is associated with increased incidence of MACE and is associated with adverse outcomes despite adequate secondary prevention

Exponentially Increasing Incidences of Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma in Europe Correlate with Low Personal Annual UV Doses and Suggests 2 Major Risk Factors

For several decades the incidence of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) steadily increased in fair-skinned, indoor-working people around the world. Scientists think poor tanning ability resulting in sunburns initiate CMM, but they do not understand why the incidence continues to increase despite the increased use of sunscreens and formulations offering more protection. This paradox, along with lower incidences of CMM in outdoor workers, although they have significantly higher annual UV doses than indoor workers have, perplexes scientists. We found a temporal exponential increase in the CMM incidence indicating second-order reaction kinetics revealing the existence of 2 major risk factors. From epidemiology studies, we know one major risk factor for getting CMM is poor tanning ability and we now propose the other major risk factor may be the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) because clinicians find β HPVs in over half the biopsies. Moreover, we uncovered yet another paradox; the increasing CMM incidences significantly correlate with decreasing personal annual UV dose, a proxy for low vitamin D3 levels. We also discovered the incidence of CMM significantly increased with decreasing personal annual UV dose from 1960, when it was almost insignificant, to 2000. UV and other DNA-damaging agents can activate viruses, and UV-induced cytokines can hide HPV from immune surveillance, which may explain why CMM also occurs in anatomical locations where the sun does not shine. Thus, we propose the 2 major risk factors for getting CMM are intermittent UV exposures that result in low cutaneous levels of vitamin D3 and possibly viral infection

Cross-Recurrence Quantification Analysis of Categorical and Continuous Time Series: an R package

This paper describes the R package crqa to perform cross-recurrence quantification analysis of two time series of either a categorical or continuous nature. Streams of behavioral information, from eye movements to linguistic elements, unfold over time. When two people interact, such as in conversation, they often adapt to each other, leading these behavioral levels to exhibit recurrent states. In dialogue, for example, interlocutors adapt to each other by exchanging interactive cues: smiles, nods, gestures, choice of words, and so on. In order for us to capture closely the goings-on of dynamic interaction, and uncover the extent of coupling between two individuals, we need to quantify how much recurrence is taking place at these levels. Methods available in crqa would allow researchers in cognitive science to pose such questions as how much are two people recurrent at some level of analysis, what is the characteristic lag time for one person to maximally match another, or whether one person is leading another. First, we set the theoretical ground to understand the difference between 'correlation' and 'co-visitation' when comparing two time series, using an aggregative or cross-recurrence approach. Then, we describe more formally the principles of cross-recurrence, and show with the current package how to carry out analyses applying them. We end the paper by comparing computational efficiency, and results' consistency, of crqa R package, with the benchmark MATLAB toolbox crptoolbox. We show perfect comparability between the two libraries on both levels

Bimetallic Pt(II)-bipyridyl-diacetylide/Ln(III) tris-diketonate adducts based on a combination of coordinate bonding and hydrogen bonding between the metal fragments: syntheses, structures and photophysical properties

The luminescent Pt(II) complex [Pt(4,4'-Bu-t(2)-bipy){CC-(5-pyrimidinyl)}(2)] (1) was prepared by coupling of [Pt(4,4'-Bu-t(2)-bipy)Cl-2] with 5-ethynyl-pyrimidine, and contains two pyrimidinyl units pendant from a Pt(H) bipyridyl diacetylide core; it shows luminescence at 520 nm which is typical of Pt(II) luminophores of this type. Reaction with [Ln(hfac)(3)(H2O)(2)] (hfac = anion of hexafluoroacetylacetone) affords as crystalline solids the compounds [1 center dot {Ln(hfac)(3)(H2O)}{Ln(hfac)(3)(H2O)(2)}] (Ln = Nd, Gd, Er, Yb), in which the {Ln(hfac)(3)(H2O)} unit is coordinated to one pyrimidine ring via an N atom, whereas the {Ln(hfac)(3)(H2O)(2)} unit is associated with two N atoms, one from each pyrimidine ring of 1, via N center dot center dot center dot HOH hydrogen-bonding interactions involving the coordinated water ligands on the lanthanide centre. Solution spectroscopic studies show that the luminescence of 1 is partly quenched on addition of [Ln(hfac)(3)(H2O)(2)] (Ln = Er, Nd) by formation of Pt(II)/Ln(III) adducts in which Pt(II)-> Ln(III) photoinduced energy-transfer occurs to the low-lying f-f levels of the Ln(Ill) centre. Significant quenching occurs with both Er(Ill) and Nd(III) because both have several f-f states which match well the (MLCT)-M-3 emission energy of 1. Time-resolved luminescence studies show that Pt(II)-Er(III) energy-transfer (7.0 x 10(7) M-1) is around three times faster than Pt(II)-> Nd(III) energy-transfer (approximate to 2 x 10(7) M-1) over the same distance because the luminescence spectrum of l overlaps better with the absorption spectrum of Er(111) than with Nd(III). In contrast Yb(111) causes no significant quenching of 1 because it has only a single f-f excited level which is a poor energy match for the Pt(II)-based excited state

Lanthanide Complexes that Respond to Changes in Cyanide Concentration in Water

Cyanide ions are shown to interact with lanthanide complexes of phenacylDO3A derivatives in aqueous solution, giving rise to changes in the luminescence and NMR spectra. These changes are the consequence of cyanohydrin formation, which is favored by the coordination of the phenacyl carbonyl group to the lanthanide center. These complexes display minimal affinity for fluoride and can detect cyanide at concentrations less than 1 μm. By contrast, lanthanide complexes with DOTAM derivatives display no affinity for cyanide in water, but respond to changes in fluoride concentration

Centroacinar cells are progenitors that contribute to endocrine pancreas regeneration

Diabetes is associated with a paucity of insulin-producing β-cells. With the goal of finding therapeutic routes to treat diabetes, we aim to find molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in β-cell neogenesis and regeneration. To facilitate discovery of such mechanisms, we use a vertebrate organism where pancreatic cells readily regenerate. The larval zebrafish pancreas contains Notch-responsive progenitors that during development give rise to adult ductal, endocrine, and centroacinar cells (CACs). Adult CACs are also Notch responsive and are morphologically similar to their larval predecessors. To test our hypothesis that adult CACs are also progenitors, we took two complementary approaches: 1) We established the transcriptome for adult CACs. Using gene ontology, transgenic lines, and in situ hybridization, we found that the CAC transcriptome is enriched for progenitor markers. 2) Using lineage tracing, we demonstrated that CACs do form new endocrine cells after β-cell ablation or partial pancreatectomy. We concluded that CACs and their larval predecessors are the same cell type and represent an opportune model to study both β-cell neogenesis and β-cell regeneration. Furthermore, we show that in cftr loss-of-function mutants, there is a deficiency of larval CACs, providing a possible explanation for pancreatic complications associated with cystic fibrosis

Lanthanide appended rotaxanes respond to changing chloride concentration

Lanthanide appended rotaxanes have been prepared by the CuAAC ‘click’ reaction between an azide appended rotaxane and lanthanide complexes of propargyl DO3A. The resulting complexes are luminescent, and exhibit chloride responsive luminescence behavior consistent with the existence of two independent halide binding pockets, one in the rotaxane cavity and one on the ninth (axial) coordination site of the lanthanide. Strong halide binding to europium gives rise to changes in the relative intensity of the hypersensitive ΔJ = 2 transition compared to the rest of the europium emission spectrum, combined with quenching of the overall intensity of emission as a consequence of non-radiative quenching by the bound halide. The weaker interaction with the rotaxane pocket mediates a subsequent recovery of intensity of the europium centered luminescence despite the considerable separation between the lanthanide and the rotaxane binding pocket