Sourcing Flexibility, Spot Trading, and Procurement Contract Structure

We analyze the structure and pricing of option contracts for an industrial good in the presence of spot trading. We combine the analysis of spot trading and buyers' disparate private valuations for different suppliers' products, and we jointly endogenize the determination of three major dimensions in contract design: (i) sales contracts versus options contracts, (ii) flat-price versus volume-dependent contracts, and (iii) volume discounts versus volume premia. We build a model in which a supplier of an industrial good transacts with a manufacturer who uses the supplier's product to produce an end good with an uncertain demand. We show that, consistent with industry observations, volume-dependent optimal sales contracts always demonstrate volume discounts (i.e., involve concave pricing). However, options are more complex agreements, and optimal option contracts can involve both volume discounts and volume premia. Three major contract structures commonly emerge in optimality. First, if the seller has a high discount rate relative to the buyer and the seller's production costs or the production capacity is low, the optimal contracts tend to be flat-price sales contracts. Second, when the seller has a relatively high discount rate compared to the buyer but production costs or production capacity are high, the optimal contracts are sales contracts with volume discounts. Third, if the buyer's discount rate is high relative to the seller's, then the optimal contracts tend to be volume-dependent options contracts and can involve both volume discounts and volume premia. However, when the seller's production capacity is sufficiently low, it is possible to observe flat-price option contracts. Furthermore, we provide links between production and spot market characteristics, contract design, and efficiency.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (contract CMMI-0758069)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (contract DMI-0245352

EPIdemiology of Surgery-Associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) : Study protocol for a multicentre, observational trial

More than 300 million surgical procedures are performed each year. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication after major surgery and is associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes. However, there is a large variation in the incidence of reported AKI rates. The establishment of an accurate epidemiology of surgery-associated AKI is important for healthcare policy, quality initiatives, clinical trials, as well as for improving guidelines. The objective of the Epidemiology of Surgery-associated Acute Kidney Injury (EPIS-AKI) trial is to prospectively evaluate the epidemiology of AKI after major surgery using the latest Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) consensus definition of AKI. EPIS-AKI is an international prospective, observational, multicentre cohort study including 10 000 patients undergoing major surgery who are subsequently admitted to the ICU or a similar high dependency unit. The primary endpoint is the incidence of AKI within 72 hours after surgery according to the KDIGO criteria. Secondary endpoints include use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality during ICU and hospital stay, length of ICU and hospital stay and major adverse kidney events (combined endpoint consisting of persistent renal dysfunction, RRT and mortality) at day 90. Further, we will evaluate preoperative and intraoperative risk factors affecting the incidence of postoperative AKI. In an add-on analysis, we will assess urinary biomarkers for early detection of AKI. EPIS-AKI has been approved by the leading Ethics Committee of the Medical Council North Rhine-Westphalia, of the Westphalian Wilhelms-University Münster and the corresponding Ethics Committee at each participating site. Results will be disseminated widely and published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at conferences and used to design further AKI-related trials. Trial registration number NCT04165369

Pretreatment Of Textile Processing Wastewaters

In this paper, the pretreatment approaches in the textile processing industry are discussed and two case studies which have been carried out in two textile processing plants are delineated. Case studies include the phases of process and pollution profiles, treatability study, conceptual design and evaluation of one-year actual treatment plant performances. One of the treatment schemes applied was chemical coagulation while the other was activated sludge. Therefore a comparison of two main types of pretreatment has been realised. Results indicate that biological treatment is more efficient and reliable in terms of organic matter removal as compared to chemical coagulation. Comparisons of cost of initial investment, cost and ease of operation, and sludge production are also made and discussed.INT ASSOC WATER POLLUT RES & CONTROL; ISTANBUL WATER & SEWERAGE ADMIN; ISTANBUL TECH UNIV; UNDERSECRETARIAT ENVIRONM TURKEY; ISTANBUL CHAMBER IND; SCI & RES COUNCIL TURKEYPublisher's Versio

Neural activation during cognitive reappraisal in girls at high risk for depression

WOS: 000404308100006PubMed ID: 28372994Objective: Although emotion dysregulation, one of the core features of depression, has long been thought to be a vulnerability factor for major depressive disorder (MDD), surprisingly few functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have investigated neural correlates of emotion regulation strategies in unaffected high risk individuals. Method: Sixteen high risk (RSK) young women and fifteen matched low risk controls (CU) were scanned using fMRI while performing an emotion regulation task. During this task, participants were instructed to reappraise their negative emotions elicited by International Affective Picture System images (TAPS). In addition, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Strategies Scale (DERS) was used to assess participants' emotion dysregulation levels. Results: Both RSK and CTL individuals show increased amygdala activation in response to negative emotional stimuli, however no difference was found between groups in using cognitive reappraisal strategies and functions of brain regions implicated in cognitive reappraisal. Interestingly, our psychometric test results indicate that high risk individuals are characterised by lower perceived emotional clarity (EC). Conclusion: Results of the current study suggest depression vulnerability may not be linked to the effectiveness of cognitive reappraisal. Alternatively, lower EC may be a vulnerability factor for depression.Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK)Turkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [1001, 109S134]; UK Medical Research Council FellowshipMedical Research Council UK (MRC) [MR/J008915/1]This research was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) grant 1001 with the project number 109S134 to Ali Saffet Gonul. Matthew J. Kempton was funded by a UK Medical Research Council Fellowship (grant MR/J008915/1)

Erratum: Corrigendum to “Cortical thickness and VBM in young women at risk for familial depression and their depressed mothers with positive family history” (Psychiatry Research - Neuroimaging (2016) 252 (1–9)(S0925492716300993)(10.1016/j.pscychresns.2016.04.004))

This article contained a misspelling of a co-author's name. The correct spelling is Swati Chandhoke. © 201