Green product development under competition: A study of the fashion apparel industry

Motivated by the observed industrial issues, we analytically develop a fashion supply chain consisting of one manufacturer and two competing retailers and investigate how retail competition and consumer returns affect green product development in fashion apparel. In the basic model, that is, the pure “product greenness level” game, we find that the optimal greenness level of the fashion product decreases along with the level of market competition. This finding implies that a more competitive market leads to a lower optimal greenness level. We also identify that when the consumer return rate increases, the optimal product greenness level is substantially reduced. In the extended model with joint decisions on greenness and pricing, we find that the optimal product greenness level for the whole channel is always higher in the scenario when both retailers charge a higher retail price than in the case with a lower retail price. As such, the underdevelopment of green fashion products is a result of fashion industry features, such as an extremely competitive environment for green product development, relatively low retail prices for fashion products, and high consumer return rates. Therefore, fashion companies should join a co-opetition game for the green product market and simultaneously enhance their efficiency in managing consumer returns. To support our analytical findings, we conduct extensive industrial interviews with various representative companies. Based on this multi-methodological approach (MMA), this paper generates practice-relevant managerial insights that not only contribute to the literature, but also act as valuable references for industrialists

Leukocyte-Endothelium Interaction in the Sublingual Microcirculation of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Patients

Objective: The aim of this study was to apply an innovative methodology to incident dark-field (IDF) imaging in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) patients for the identification and quantification of rolling leukocytes along the sublingual microcirculatory endothelium. Methods: This study was a post hoc analysis of a prospective study that evaluated the perioperative course of the sublingual microcirculation in CABG patients. Video images were captured using IDF imaging following the induction of anesthesia (T-0) and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) (T-1) in 10 patients. Rolling leukocytes were identified and quantified using frame averaging, which is a technique that was developed for correctly identifying leukocytes. Results: The number of rolling leukocytes increased significantly from T-0 (7.5 {[}6.4-9.1] leukocytes/capillary-postcapillary venule/4 s) to T-1 (14.8 {[}13.2-15.5] leukocytes/capillary-postcapillary venule/4 s) (p < 0.0001). A significant increase in systemic leukocyte count was also detected from 7.4 +/- 0.9 x 10(9)/L (preoperative) to 12.4 +/- 4.4 x 10(9)/L (postoperative) (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The ability to directly visualize leukocyte-endothelium interaction using IDF imaging facilitates the diagnosis of a systemic inflammatory response after CPB via the identification of rolling leukocytes. Integration of the frame averaging algorithm into the software of handheld vital microscopes may enable the use of microcirculatory leukocyte count as a real-time parameter at the bedside.1JAN8-155

A spectral method for elliptic equations: the Dirichlet problem

An elliptic partial differential equation Lu=f with a zero Dirichlet boundary condition is converted to an equivalent elliptic equation on the unit ball. A spectral Galerkin method is applied to the reformulated problem, using multivariate polynomials as the approximants. For a smooth boundary and smooth problem parameter functions, the method is proven to converge faster than any power of 1/n with n the degree of the approximate Galerkin solution. Examples in two and three variables are given as numerical illustrations. Empirically, the condition number of the associated linear system increases like O(N), with N the order of the linear system.Comment: This is latex with the standard article style, produced using Scientific Workplace in a portable format. The paper is 22 pages in length with 8 figure

Age at menarche and prevention of hypertension through lifestyle in young Chinese adult women: result from project ELEFANT.

Early and late age at menarche are associated with risk of hypertension, but little is known whether modifiable lifestyle can reduce this risk. METHODS: Our study leverages 60,135 healthy young Chinese women from the Environmental and LifEstyle FActors iN metabolic health throughout life-course Trajectories (ELEFANT) study. Menarche age and lifestyle factors were assessed by self-reported questionnaires and hypertension was diagnosed by physicians. We estimated the odds ratios (ORs) of hypertension associated with menarche age using multivariable logistic regression. We further investigated whether modifiable lifestyles (body mass index, BMI; psychological stress; passive smoking; and imbalanced diet) increased risk in joint analyses. RESULTS: The association between age at menarche and hypertension was U-shaped, with age ≤ 12 at menarche giving the highest OR (1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27-1.69) and ≥ 16 the second highest (OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.15-1.62). Simultaneous analysis of lifestyle risk factors and age of menarche showed that having one or more modifiable risk factors increased the menarche age-hypertension association. The risk of hypertension among participants with menarche age ≤ 12 decreased from OR 13.21 (95% CI = 5.17-29.36) with four high-risk lifestyle factors to 12.36 (95% CI = 9.51-16.05) with three high-risk factors, 5.24 (95% CI = 4.11-6.69) with two, and 2.76 (95% CI = 2.09-3.60) with one, in comparison to individuals with no high-risk lifestyle factors and menarche age 14. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that modification of lifestyle, including maintenance of normal weight and a balanced diet, are associated with substantially reduce the risk of hypertension in high-risk individuals. Early and late age at menarche are risk factors for the development of hypertension in Western populations, and there is limited evidence that this is also true of Chinese populations. Targeted prevention of hypertension in vulnerable populations would be highly beneficial in efforts to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease, but it is not currently known whether lifestyle intervention could reduce hypertension risk. In this study, we analysed the risk of hypertension by age at menarche and four modifiable lifestyle factors (BMI, diet, psychological stress, and smoking tobacco) in a cohort of 60,135 young adult Chinese women (mean age 29). We identified that early and late age at menarche are associated with increased risk of hypertension in young Chinese women. There was joint effects between age at menarche and lifestyles on hypertension only participants with age at menarche ≤12 and being overweight or obese. Modification of lifestyle, including maintenance of normal weight and a balanced diet, can substantially reduce the risk of hypertension in high-risk individuals. In conclusion, our study has revealed that early and late menarche age are associated with the development of hypertension in young Chinese women, and that this risk is modified by healthy lifestyle traits

Impact of Microvascular Invasion on Clinical Outcomes After Curative-Intent Resection for Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

Background: Microvascular invasion (MiVI) is a histological feature of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) that may be associated with biological behavior. We sought to investigate the impact of MiVI on long-term survival of patients undergoing curative-intent resection for ICC. Methods: A total of 1089 patients undergoing curative-intent resection for ICC were identified. Data on clinicopathological characteristics, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) were compared among patients with no vascular invasion (NoVI), MiVI, and macrovascular invasion (MaVI). Results: A total of 249 (22.9%) patients had MiVI, while 149 (13.7%) patients had MaVI (±MiVI). MiVI was associated with higher incidence of perineural, biliary and adjacent organ invasion, and satellite lesions (all P 18 months) prognosis. Conclusions: Roughly 1 out of 5 patients with resected ICC had MiVI. MiVI was associated with advanced tumor characteristics and a higher risk of tumor recurrence.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

R-process enrichment from a single event in an ancient dwarf galaxy

Elements heavier than zinc are synthesized through the (r)apid and (s)low neutron-capture processes. The main site of production of the r-process elements (such as europium) has been debated for nearly 60 years. Initial studies of chemical abundance trends in old Milky Way halo stars suggested continual r-process production, in sites like core-collapse supernovae. But evidence from the local Universe favors r-process production mainly during rare events, such as neutron star mergers. The appearance of a europium abundance plateau in some dwarf spheroidal galaxies has been suggested as evidence for rare r-process enrichment in the early Universe, but only under the assumption of no gas accretion into the dwarf galaxies. Cosmologically motivated gas accretion favors continual r-process enrichment in these systems. Furthermore, the universal r-process pattern has not been cleanly identified in dwarf spheroidals. The smaller, chemically simpler, and more ancient ultra-faint dwarf galaxies assembled shortly after the first stars formed, and are ideal systems with which to study nucleosynthesis events such as the r-process. Reticulum II is one such galaxy. The abundances of non-neutron-capture elements in this galaxy (and others like it) are similar to those of other old stars. Here, we report that seven of nine stars in Reticulum II observed with high-resolution spectroscopy show strong enhancements in heavy neutron-capture elements, with abundances that follow the universal r-process pattern above barium. The enhancement in this "r-process galaxy" is 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than that detected in any other ultra-faint dwarf galaxy. This implies that a single rare event produced the r-process material in Reticulum II. The r-process yield and event rate are incompatible with ordinary core-collapse supernovae, but consistent with other possible sites, such as neutron star mergers.Comment: Published in Nature, 21 Mar 2016: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature1742

Proteomics: in pursuit of effective traumatic brain injury therapeutics

Effective traumatic brain injury (TBI) therapeutics remain stubbornly elusive. Efforts in the field have been challenged by the heterogeneity of clinical TBI, with greater complexity among underlying molecular phenotypes than initially conceived. Future research must confront the multitude of factors comprising this heterogeneity, representing a big data challenge befitting the coming informatics age. Proteomics is poised to serve a central role in prescriptive therapeutic development, as it offers an efficient endpoint within which to assess post-TBI biochemistry. We examine rationale for multifactor TBI proteomic studies and the particular importance of temporal profiling in defining biochemical sequences and guiding therapeutic development. Lastly, we offer perspective on repurposing biofluid proteomics to develop theragnostic assays with which to prescribe, monitor and assess pharmaceutics for improved translation and outcome for TBI patients

Defining Long-Term Survivors Following Resection of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is an aggressive primary tumor of the liver. While surgery remains the cornerstone of therapy, long-term survival following curative-intent resection is generally poor. The aim of the current study was to define the incidence of actual long-term survivors, as well as identify clinicopathological factors associated with long-term survival. METHODS: Patients who underwent a curative-intent liver resection for ICC between 1990 and 2015 were identified using a multi-institutional database. Overall, 679 patients were alive with ≥ 5 years of follow-up or had died during follow-up. Prognostic factors among patients who were long-term survivors (LT) (overall survival (OS) ≥ 5) were compared with patients who were not non-long-term survivors (non-LT) (OS < 5). RESULTS: Among the 1154 patients who underwent liver resection for ICC, 5- and 10-year OS were 39.6 and 20.3% while the actual LT survival rate was 13.3%. After excluding 475 patients who survived  5 cm (OR 2.40, 95% CI, 1.54-3.74, p < 0.001), and direct invasion of an adjacent organ (OR 3.98, 95% CI, 1.18-13.4, p = 0.026). However, a subset of patients (< 10%) who had these pathological characteristics were LT. CONCLUSION: While ICC is generally associated with a poor prognosis, some patients will be LT. In fact, even a subset of patients with traditional adverse prognostic factors survived long term.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The highly rearranged mitochondrial genomes of the crabs Maja crispata and Maja squinado (Majidae) and gene order evolution in Brachyura

Abstract We sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of the spider crabs Maja crispata and Maja squinado (Majidae, Brachyura). Both genomes contain the whole set of 37 genes characteristic of Bilaterian genomes, encoded on both \u3b1- and \u3b2-strands. Both species exhibit the same gene order, which is unique among known animal genomes. In particular, all the genes located on the \u3b2-strand form a single block. This gene order was analysed together with the other nine gene orders known for the Brachyura. Our study confirms that the most widespread gene order (BraGO) represents the plesiomorphic condition for Brachyura and was established at the onset of this clade. All other gene orders are the result of transformational pathways originating from BraGO. The different gene orders exhibit variable levels of genes rearrangements, which involve only tRNAs or all types of genes. Local homoplastic arrangements were identified, while complete gene orders remain unique and represent signatures that can have a diagnostic value. Brachyura appear to be a hot-spot of gene order diversity within the phylum Arthropoda. Our analysis, allowed to track, for the first time, the fully evolutionary pathways producing the Brachyuran gene orders. This goal was achieved by coupling sophisticated bioinformatic tools with phylogenetic analysis

Impact of Body Mass Index on Tumor Recurrence Among Patients Undergoing Curative - Intent Resection of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma - a Multi-institutional International Analysis

Background: The association between body mass index (BMI) and long-term outcomes of patients with ICC has not been well defined. We sought to define the presentation and oncologic outcomes of patients with ICC undergoing curative-intent resection, according to their BMI category. Methods: Patients who underwent resection of ICC were identified in a multi-institutional database. Patients were categorized as normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2), overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9 kg/m2) and obese (BMI≥30 kg/m2) according to the World Health Organization (WHO) definition. Impact of clinico-pathological factors on recurrence-free survival (RFS) was assessed using Cox proportional hazards model among patients in the three BMI categories. Results: Among a total of 790 patients undergoing curative-intent resection of ICC in the analytic cohort, 399 (50.5%) had normal weight, 274 (34.7%) were overweight and 117 (14.8%) were obese. Caucasian patients were more likely to be obese (66.7%, n = 78) and overweight (47.1%, n = 129) compared with Asian (obese: 18.8%, n = 22; overweight: 46%, n = 126) and other races (obese: 14.5%, n = 17; overweight: 6.9%, n = 19)(p 0.05). On multivariable analysis, increased BMI was an independent risk factor for tumor recurrence (OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.02-1.32, for every 5 unit increase). Conclusion: Increasing BMI was associated with incremental increases in the risk of recurrence following curative-intent resection of ICC. Future studies should aim to achieve a better understanding of BMI-related factors relative to prognosis of patients with ICC.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio