Dynamic pricing and inventory control of online retail of fresh agricultural products with forward purchase behavior

In this paper we formulate and analyze a novel model on a retailer’s inventory and pricing decisions for fresh agricultural products with consumers’ forward consuming behavior under online channel. We consider a dynamic stochastic setting, where every period consists of two stages, discounting pricing stage and regular sale stage. At the beginning of the period, the retailer decides how much new fresh agricultural products to order and sets discount price for leftover inventories from the previous period which will be disposed otherwise, and determines regular price for fresh products on the second stage, respectively. Since forward purchase consumers may buy the products during discount pricing stage, which may cannibalize future sales at regular price, the retailer needs to make a trade-off decision between regular price and discounting price. We bring forward a dynamic optimization model and use nonlinear programming method of Karush Kuhn Tucker condition to obtain the optimal dynamic strategy, which is comparatively analyzed to dominate the related static strategy. We also show that consumers forward buying behavior will negatively influence the retailer’s profit. When the price is set too low in regular or discounting sales, the profit will show an up-down trend if the inventory exceeds a certain threshold. Meanwhile, when fresh goods returns are allowed and resold in the secondary stage, the retailer’s profit will increase. We finally conduct numerical studies to further characterize the optimal policy, and to evaluate the loss of efficiency under static policies when compared to the optimal dynamic policy

A Rab10:RalA G protein cascade regulates insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in adipocytes.

Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in fat and muscle is mediated by the major facilitative glucose transporter Glut4. Insulin controls the trafficking of Glut4 to the plasma membrane via regulation of a series of small G proteins, including RalA and Rab10. We demonstrate here that Rab10 is a bona fide target of the GTPase-activating protein AS160, which is inhibited after phosphorylation by the protein kinase Akt. Once activated, Rab10 can increase the GTP binding of RalA by recruiting the Ral guanyl nucleotide exchange factor, Rlf/Rgl2. Rab10 and RalA reside in the same pool of Glut4-storage vesicles in untreated cells, and, together with Rlf, they ensure maximal glucose transport. Overexpression of membrane-tethered Rlf compensates for the loss of Rab10 in Glut4 translocation, suggesting that Rab10 recruits Rlf to membrane compartments for RalA activation and that RalA is downstream of Rab10. Together these studies identify a new G protein cascade in the regulation of insulin-stimulated Glut4 trafficking and glucose uptake

Benefits and risks of antiplatelet therapy for moyamoya disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundMoyamoya disease (MMD) is a leading cause of stroke in children and young adults, whereas no specific drugs are available. Antiplatelet therapy (APT) has been considered a promising treatment option, but its effectiveness remains controversial. Therefore, we aimed to comprehensively evaluate the benefits and risks of APT for MMD.MethodsWe systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library electronic databases from their inception to 30 June 2022 and conducted a systematic review. All-cause mortality was taken as the primary outcome.ResultsNine studies that enrolled 16,186 patients with MMD were included. The results from a single study showed that APT was associated with lower mortality [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.60; 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.50–0.71); p < 0.01] and improved bypass patency after surgical revascularization [HR = 1.57; 95% CI (1.106–2.235); p < 0.05]. The results of the meta-analysis showed that APT reduced the risk of hemorrhagic stroke [HR = 0.47; 95% CI (0.24–0.94); p < 0.05] but neither reduced the risk of ischemic stroke [HR = 0.80; 95% CI (0.33–1.94); p = 0.63] nor increased the proportion of independent patients [RR = 1.02; 95% CI (0.97–1.06); p = 0.47].ConclusionCurrent evidence showed that APT was associated with a reduced risk of hemorrhagic stroke in MMD patients but did not reduce the risk of ischemic stroke or increase the proportion of independent patients. There was insufficient evidence about the benefit of APT on survival and postoperative bypass patency after surgical revascularization. However, the results should be interpreted cautiously because of the limited number of studies.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/

Longitudinal survey of microbiome associated with particulate matter in a megacity.

BackgroundWhile the physical and chemical properties of airborne particulate matter (PM) have been extensively studied, their associated microbiome remains largely unexplored. Here, we performed a longitudinal metagenomic survey of 106 samples of airborne PM2.5 and PM10 in Beijing over a period of 6 months in 2012 and 2013, including those from several historically severe smog events.ResultsWe observed that the microbiome composition and functional potential were conserved between PM2.5 and PM10, although considerable temporal variations existed. Among the airborne microorganisms, Propionibacterium acnes, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter lwoffii, Lactobacillus amylovorus, and Lactobacillus reuteri dominated, along with several viral species. We further identified an extensive repertoire of genes involved in antibiotic resistance and detoxification, including transporters, transpeptidases, and thioredoxins. Sample stratification based on Air Quality Index (AQI) demonstrated that many microbial species, including those associated with human, dog, and mouse feces, exhibit AQI-dependent incidence dynamics. The phylogenetic and functional diversity of air microbiome is comparable to those of soil and water environments, as its composition likely derives from a wide variety of sources.ConclusionsAirborne particulate matter accommodates rich and dynamic microbial communities, including a range of microbial elements that are associated with potential health consequences

Impact of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea on the development of Class II hyperdivergent patients receiving orthodontic treatment: A pilot study

Objectives: To conduct a pilot study to determine if the presence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) influences the orthodontic treatment outcome of Class II hyperdivergent patients receiving comprehensive orthodontic treatment. Materials and Methods: Patients between the ages of 12 and 14 who received orthodontic treatment at the Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, China, were included in this study. Patients were divided into two groups: the OSA group and the control group, based on the outcome of pretreatment polysomnography findings and lateral cephalometric radiograph examination. Patients in the control group were matched with the OSA group for age, sex, ethnicity, weight, and height. Cephalometric measurements were used to record the skeletal and dental changes from before to after treatment. Data were analyzed using the t-test. Results: Twenty three OSA patients and 23 control patients were included. After comprehensive orthodontic treatment, the mandibular plane angle (SN-GoMe), articular angle (SArGo), sum of Jarabak angles (SUM) and the lower gonial angle (NGoMe) were found to increase significantly in the OSA group but remained unchanged or decreased slightly in the control group (P , .05). In the non-OSA group, the growth pattern became more horizontal. In contrast, in the OSA group the growth pattern became more vertical. Otherwise, similar treatment results were obtained for both groups in terms of sagittal change and occlusion. Conclusions: The presence of OSA in pediatric patients has a deleterious effect on the development of hyperdivergent malocclusions. Early diagnosis and management of pediatric OSA can affect the orthodontic treatment outcome of these patients. (Angle Orthod. 2018;88:560–566.

Highly Efficient and Selective Photocatalytic Nonoxidative Coupling of Methane to Ethylene over Pd-Zn Synergistic Catalytic Sites

Photocatalytic nonoxidative coupling of CH4 to multicarbon (C2+) hydrocarbons (e.g., C2H4) and H2 under ambient conditions provides a promising energy-conserving approach for utilization of carbon resource. However, as the methyl intermediates prefer to undergo self-coupling to produce ethane, it is a challenging task to control the selective conversion of CH4 to higher value-added C2H4. Herein, we adopt a synergistic catalysis strategy by integrating Pd-Zn active sites on visible light-responsive defective WO3 nanosheets for synergizing the adsorption, activation, and dehydrogenation processes in CH4 to C2H4 conversion. Benefiting from the synergy, our model catalyst achieves a remarkable C2+ compounds yield of 31.85 mu mol center dot g-1 center dot h-1 with an exceptionally high C2H4 selectivity of 75.3% and a stoichiometric H2 evolution. In situ spectroscopic studies reveal that the Zn sites promote the adsorption and activation of CH4 molecules to generate methyl and methoxy intermediates with the assistance of lattice oxygen, while the Pd sites facilitate the dehydrogenation of methoxy to methylene radicals for producing C2H4 and suppress overoxidation. This work demonstrates a strategy for designing efficient photocatalysts toward selective coupling of CH4 to higher value-added chemicals and highlights the importance of synergistic active sites to the synergy of key steps in catalytic reactions.Peer reviewe

RICD: A rice indica cDNA database resource for rice functional genomics

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The <it>Oryza sativa </it>L. <it>indica </it>subspecies is the most widely cultivated rice. During the last few years, we have collected over 20,000 putative full-length cDNAs and over 40,000 ESTs isolated from various cDNA libraries of two <it>indica </it>varieties Guangluai 4 and Minghui 63. A database of the rice <it>indica </it>cDNAs was therefore built to provide a comprehensive web data source for searching and retrieving the <it>indica </it>cDNA clones.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Rice <it>Indica </it>cDNA Database (RICD) is an online MySQL-PHP driven database with a user-friendly web interface. It allows investigators to query the cDNA clones by keyword, genome position, nucleotide or protein sequence, and putative function. It also provides a series of information, including sequences, protein domain annotations, similarity search results, SNPs and InDels information, and hyperlinks to gene annotation in both The Rice Annotation Project Database (RAP-DB) and The TIGR Rice Genome Annotation Resource, expression atlas in RiceGE and variation report in Gramene of each cDNA.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The online rice <it>indica </it>cDNA database provides cDNA resource with comprehensive information to researchers for functional analysis of <it>indica </it>subspecies and for comparative genomics. The RICD database is available through our website <url>http://www.ncgr.ac.cn/ricd</url>.</p

Auto-degradable and biocompatible superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles/polypeptides colloidal polyion complexes with high density of magnetic material

International audienceHypothesis: superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are extensively used as building block of colloidal nanocomposites for biomedical applications. Strategies employed to embed them in a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer matrix often fail to achieve a high density of loading which would greatly benefit to applications such as imaging and hyperthermia. In this study, poly(acrylic acid) coated SPION (γ-Fe2O3-PAA) are self-assembled with hydrolysable poly(serine ester) by electrostatic complexation, leading to perfectly defined spherical particles with ultra-high density of magnetic material and an ability to auto-degrade into individual SPION and biocompatible byproducts.Experiments: self-assembly and auto-degradation of γ-Fe2O3-PAA/poly(serine ester) and γ-Fe2O3-PAA/poly(serine ester)-b-PEG colloidal particles are studied by light scattering and microscopy. Colloidal stability in bio-fluids, hyperthermia under alternating magnetic field, cellular uptake, cytotoxicity and degradation of γ-Fe2O3-PAA/poly(serine ester)-b-PEG in living cells are investigated.Findings: a remarkably slow electrostatic complexation leads to dense superparamagnetic γ-Fe2O3-PAA/poly(serine ester)-b-PEG polyion complexes (PICs) with controlled sizes (150 – 500 nm) and times of degradation in aqueous solvents (700 – 5000 h). The material shows good sustainability during hyperthermia, is well taken up by MC3T3 cells and non-cytotoxic. TEM images reveal a mechanism of degradation by “peeling” and fragmentation. In cells, PICs are reduced into individual SPIONs within 72 h

High flux coherent supercontinuum soft X-ray source driven by a single-stage 10 mJ, kHz, Ti:sapphire laser amplifier

We demonstrate the highest flux tabletop source of coherent soft X-rays to date, driven by a single-stage 10 mJ Ti:sapphire regenerative amplifier at 1 kHz. We first down-convert the laser to 1.3 um using a parametric amplifier, before up-converting it to soft X-rays using high harmonic generation in a high-pressure, phase matched, hollow waveguide geometry. The resulting optimally phase matched broadband spectrum extends to 200 eV, with a soft X-ray photon flux of > 10^6 photons/pulse/1% bandwidth at 1 kHz, corresponding to > 10^9 photons/s/1% bandwidth, or approximately a three order-of-magnitude increase compared with past work. Finally, using this broad bandwidth X-ray source, we demonstrate X-ray absorption spectroscopy of multiple elements and transitions in molecules in a single spectrum, with a spectral resolution of 0.25 eV, and with the ability to resolve the near edge fine structure.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, under Optics Express peer revie