Coordinating a Supply Chain With a Manufacturer-Owned Online Channel: A Dual Channel Model Under Price Competition

We consider a dual channel supply chain in which a manufacturer sells a single product to end-users through both a traditional retail channel and a manufacturer-owned direct online channel. We adopt a commonly used linear demand substitution model in which the mean demand in each channel is a function of the prices in each channel.We model each channel as a news vendor problem, with price and order quantity as decision variables. In addition, the manufacturer must choose the wholesale price to charge to the independent retailer. We analyze the optimal decisions for each channel and prove the existence of a unique equilibrium for the system. We compare this equilibrium solution to the solution for an integrated system, in which the manufacturer owns both the online store and the retailer. To enable supply chain coordination, we propose two contract schemes: a modified revenue-sharing contract and gain/loss sharing contract. We show that, in cases where the retail channel has a larger market than the online channel, such contracts enable the manufacturer to maintain price discrimination, selling the products in different channels at different prices. Finally, we perform a comprehensive numerical study to consider the impact of the model parameters on the equilibrium and to demonstrate the performance of the proposed coordination contracts. We conclude that coordination is most critical for products which are highly price sensitive and for systems in which the online and traditional retail channels are not viewed as close substitutes

CofeNet: Context and Former-Label Enhanced Net for Complicated Quotation Extraction

Quotation extraction aims to extract quotations from written text. There are three components in a quotation: source refers to the holder of the quotation, cue is the trigger word(s), and content is the main body. Existing solutions for quotation extraction mainly utilize rule-based approaches and sequence labeling models. While rule-based approaches often lead to low recalls, sequence labeling models cannot well handle quotations with complicated structures. In this paper, we propose the Context and Former-Label Enhanced Net (CofeNet) for quotation extraction. CofeNet is able to extract complicated quotations with components of variable lengths and complicated structures. On two public datasets (i.e., PolNeAR and Riqua) and one proprietary dataset (i.e., PoliticsZH), we show that our CofeNet achieves state-of-the-art performance on complicated quotation extraction.Comment: Accepted by COLING 202

Comparative miRNA Expression Profiles in Individuals with Latent and Active Tuberculosis

The mechanism of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection remains elusive. Several host factors that are involved in this complex process were previously identified. Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous ∼22 nt RNAs that play important regulatory roles in a wide range of biological processes. Several studies demonstrated the clinical usefulness of miRNAs as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers in various malignancies and in a few nonmalignant diseases. To study the role of miRNAs in the transition from latent to active TB and to discover candidate biomarkers of this transition, we used human miRNA microarrays to probe the transcriptome of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients with active TB, latent TB infection (LTBI), and healthy controls. Using the software package BRB Array Tools for data analyses, 17 miRNAs were differentially expressed between the three groups (P<0.01). Hierarchical clustering of the 17 miRNAs expression profiles showed that individuals with active TB clustered independently of individuals with LTBI or from healthy controls. Using the predicted target genes and previously published genome-wide transcriptional profiles, we constructed the regulatory networks of miRNAs that were differentially expressed between active TB and LTBI. The regulatory network revealed that several miRNAs, with previously established functions in hematopoietic cell differentiation and their target genes may be involved in the transition from latent to active TB. These results increase the understanding of the molecular basis of LTBI and confirm that some miRNAs may control gene expression of pathways that are important for the pathogenesis of this infectious disease

FLM-101B: An Open LLM and How to Train It with $100K Budget

Large language models (LLMs) have achieved remarkable success in NLP and multimodal tasks, among others. Despite these successes, two main challenges remain in developing LLMs: (i) high computational cost, and (ii) fair and objective evaluations. In this paper, we report a solution to significantly reduce LLM training cost through a growth strategy. We demonstrate that a 101B-parameter LLM with 0.31T tokens can be trained with a budget of 100K US dollars. Inspired by IQ tests, we also consolidate an additional range of evaluations on top of existing evaluations that focus on knowledge-oriented abilities. These IQ evaluations include symbolic mapping, rule understanding, pattern mining, and anti-interference. Such evaluations minimize the potential impact of memorization. Experimental results show that our model, named FLM-101B, trained with a budget of 100K US dollars, achieves performance comparable to powerful and well-known models, e.g., GPT-3 and GLM-130B, especially on the additional range of IQ evaluations. The checkpoint of FLM-101B is released at https://huggingface.co/CofeAI/FLM-101B

Association between pelvic floor muscle strength and sexual function based on PISQ-12—an analysis of data from a multicenter cross-sectional study on 735 nulliparae during pregnancy

BackgroundPelvic floor muscle strength is well-known to be associated with female sexual function. However, there were a few studies that reported on the relationship between pelvic floor muscle strength and female sexual function in pregnant women, and the presented results were inconsistent. Nulliparae represent a specific cohort with simplicity to exclude confounding factors that are caused by parity. The present study aimed to explore the association of pelvic floor muscle strength and sexual function based on the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire (PISQ-12) of nulliparae during pregnancy.MethodsThis is the second analysis of the baseline data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT), which aimed to study the protective efficacy of pelvic floor muscle training on stress urinary incontinence at 6th week postpartum (registration number: ChiCTR2000029618). Nulliparae aged 20–40 years with singleton pregnancy before 16 weeks of gestation were enrolled in this study, and data, including participants' demographic information, the Modified Oxford Scale (MOS), and PISQ-12, were collected. Eligible nulliparae were divided into two groups: Group MOS &gt; 3 and Group MOS ≤ 3. Demographic information of the two groups was compared. Sexual function based on the PISQ-12 scores of the two groups was compared. A comparison of the PISQ-12 scores between the two groups was calculated by the Mann–Whitney U-test using SPSS version 23.0.ResultsA total of 735 eligible nulliparae were enrolled in this study. Along with MOS grading up, PISQ-12 scores tended to get lower. Of the 735 nulliparae, there were 378 and 357 participants included in Group MOS &gt; 3 and Group MOS ≤ 3, respectively. The PISQ-12 scores of Group MOS &gt; 3 were significantly lower than those of Group MOS ≤ 3 (11 vs. 12, p &lt; 0.001). The scores of the frequency of feeling sexual desire, orgasm achievement, sexual excitement, sexual activity satisfaction, sexual intercourse pain, fear of urinary incontinence, and negative emotion reactions with the sexual intercourse of Group MOS &gt; 3 were lower than those of Group MOS ≤ 3 (p &lt; 0.05).ConclusionPelvic floor muscle strength was positively associated with sexual function based on the questionnaire of young nulliparae during their first trimester. Up to half of the nulliparae during the first trimester were suffering from weak pelvic floor muscle strength and nearly a quarter of the nulliparae were facing this weakness combined with sexual dysfunction.Trial registrationThis study has been registered at http://www.chictr.org.cn (registration number: ChiCTR2000029618)

Use of ovary culture techniques in reproductive toxicology

Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Acknowledgements The author's studies in this field are supported by MRC grants G1002118 (NS and RAA) and G110357 (RAA), MR/L010011/1 (PAF), the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement no. 212885 (PAF) and the Wellcome Trust (080388 to PAF). AS was funded by a BBSRC CASE Studentship co-funded by AstraZeneca.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Coordinating a Supply Chain With a Manufacturer-Owned Online Channel: A Dual Channel Model Under Price Competition

We consider a dual channel supply chain in which a manufacturer sells a single product to end-users through both a traditional retail channel and a manufacturer-owned direct online channel. We adopt a commonly used linear demand substitution model in which the mean demand in each channel is a function of the prices in each channel.We model each channel as a news vendor problem, with price and order quantity as decision variables. In addition, the manufacturer must choose the wholesale price to charge to the independent retailer. We analyze the optimal decisions for each channel and prove the existence of a unique equilibrium for the system. We compare this equilibrium solution to the solution for an integrated system, in which the manufacturer owns both the online store and the retailer. To enable supply chain coordination, we propose two contract schemes: a modified revenue-sharing contract and gain/loss sharing contract. We show that, in cases where the retail channel has a larger market than the online channel, such contracts enable the manufacturer to maintain price discrimination, selling the products in different channels at different prices. Finally, we perform a comprehensive numerical study to consider the impact of the model parameters on the equilibrium and to demonstrate the performance of the proposed coordination contracts. We conclude that coordination is most critical for products which are highly price sensitive and for systems in which the online and traditional retail channels are not viewed as close substitutes

Alzheimer’s Disease and Impaired Bone Microarchitecture, Regeneration and Potential Genetic Links

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and osteoporosis are both age-related degenerative diseases. Many studies indicate that these two diseases share common pathogenesis mechanisms. In this review, the osteoporotic phenotype of AD mouse models was discussed, and shared mechanisms such as hormonal imbalance, genetic factors, similar signaling pathways and impaired neurotransmitters were identified. Moreover, the review provides recent data associated with these two diseases. Furthermore, potential therapeutic approaches targeting both diseases were discussed. Thus, we proposed that preventing bone loss should be one of the most important treatment goals in patients with AD; treatment targeting brain disorders is also beneficial for osteoporosis

Alzheimer&rsquo;s Disease and Impaired Bone Microarchitecture, Regeneration and Potential Genetic Links

Alzheimer&rsquo;s Disease (AD) and osteoporosis are both age-related degenerative diseases. Many studies indicate that these two diseases share common pathogenesis mechanisms. In this review, the osteoporotic phenotype of AD mouse models was discussed, and shared mechanisms such as hormonal imbalance, genetic factors, similar signaling pathways and impaired neurotransmitters were identified. Moreover, the review provides recent data associated with these two diseases. Furthermore, potential therapeutic approaches targeting both diseases were discussed. Thus, we proposed that preventing bone loss should be one of the most important treatment goals in patients with AD; treatment targeting brain disorders is also beneficial for osteoporosis