Reexamination of Bargaining Power in the Distribution Channel under Possible Price Pass-through Behaviors of Retailers (Bayesian approaches and statistical inference)

This research aims to gain deeper insight into the determinants of relative power within the distribution channel. We formulate bilateral bargaining under the generalized Nash bargaining. However, when the retailers think retail price increase can be passed on to their customers, we expect them to engage less in vigorous bargaining. We thus allow for the possibility that the retailers can pass through the price increase negotiated with manufacturers to its customers and that the manufacturers are well aware of such behavior by the retailer. As a result, the parties' bargaining powers are determined endogenously not only from the substitution patterns of their customers but also from the willingness of their customers to accept the retail price increase triggered by the wholesale price increase negotiated between the retailer and the manufacturer. In this manuscript, we present the theoretical result on the barganing power in the distribution channel under this expanded framework

Selective Dual-purpose Photocatalysis for Simultaneous H2 Evolution and Mineralization of Organic Compound Enabled by Cr2O3 Barrier Layer Coated on Rh/SrTiO3

Dual-functional photocatalysis for H-2 evolution with the simultaneous mineralization of 4-chlorophenol was achieved under de-aerated conditions using a Cr2O3/Rh/SrTiO3 photocatalyst which has Rh nanoparticles covered with a thin Cr2O3 barrier layer to selectively control and maximize the dual-functional photocatalytic activity.111511Ysciescopu

In Vitro Assessment of Factors Affecting the Apparent Diffusion Coefficient of Jurkat Cells Using Bio-phantoms

It is well known that many tumor tissues show lower apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values, and that several factors are involved in the reduction of ADC values. The aim of this study was to clarify how much each factor contributes to decreases in ADC values. We investigate the roles of cell density, extracellular space, intracellular factors, apoptosis and necrosis in ADC values using bio-phantoms. The ADC values of bio-phantoms, in which Jurkat cells were encapsulated by gellan gum, were measured by a 1.5-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging device with constant diffusion time of 30sec. Heating at 42℃ was used to induce apoptosis while heating at 48℃ was used to induce necrosis. Cell death after heating was evaluated by flow cytometric analysis and electron microscopy. The ADC values of bio-phantoms including non-heated cells decreased linearly with increases in cell density, and showed a steep decline when the distance between cells became less than 3μm. The analysis of ADC values of cells after destruction of cellular structures by sonication suggested that approximately two-thirds of the ADC values of cells originate from their cellular structures. The ADC values of bio-phantoms including necrotic cells increased while those including apoptotic cells decreased. This study quantitatively clarified the role of the cellular factors and the extracellular space in determining the ADC values produced by tumor cells. The intermediate diffusion time of 30msec might be optimal to distinguish between apoptosis and necrosis

Light-Induced Synthesis of Heterojunctioned Nanoparticles on a Semiconductor as Durable Cocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution

This work attempted to synthesize heterojunctioned nanoparticles consisting of a transition metal and Cr on powdered SrTiO₃, an n-type semiconductor exhibiting photocatalytic activity for overall water splitting. This was performed via band gap irradiation of SrTiO₃ (λ > 300 nm) in an aqueous methanol solution containing a transition metal precursor and K₂CrO₄. The resulting multicomponent nanoparticles were examined as promoters for photocatalytic overall water splitting. Among the transition metals examined, Au and Pd became effective promoters for overall water splitting upon codeposition of Cr. In the case of Au, which is stable in its metallic state, the resulting (Au+Cr) nanoparticles had a core/shell structure consisting of metallic Au (the core) and amorphous Cr₂O₃ (the shell), similar to Au/Cr₂O₃ prepared by a stepwise photodeposition method. However, when using a core transition metal with a tendency to form an oxide, such as Pd, the nanoparticles had different morphologies and electronic states, depending on the proportion of Cr. In the case of a combination of Pd and Cr, the photocatalytic activity for overall water splitting was strongly dependent on the structure and electronic state of the (Pd+Cr) multicomponent cocatalyst. Increasing the proportion of Cr was found to suppress the reverse reaction (that is, H₂–O₂ recombination), an effect that is not realized when employing a conventional impregnation method

Structure and Photocatalytic Activity of PdCrOx Cocatalyst on SrTiO3 for Overall Water Splitting

The mechanism of PdCrOx multi-component cocatalyst formation on SrTiO3 was investigated using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The PdCrOx/SrTiO3 samples were synthesized by a photodeposition method under UV light irradiation (λ > 300 nm) for various time periods (0–5 h). The fine structure and valence state of the Pd species of PdCrOx nanoparticles were varied from Pd oxide to a mixture of metallic Pd and oxidized Pd species with an increase in the irradiation time. The overall water-splitting activity of PdCrOx was strongly dependent on the photoirradiation time during deposition. Although longer photoirradiation time during preparation did not influence the H2 evolution activity of PdCrOx/SrTiO3 from aqueous methanol solution, it was effective in suppressing the O2 photoreduction activity, which is one of the backward reactions during overall water splitting