Information sharing in a competitive supply chain with capacity constraint

This paper studies the incentives for vertical demand information sharing in a two-echelon supply chain formed by many downstream retailers and one upstream manufacturer with a limited production capacity. The retailers are engaged in a Cournot competition, and endowed with some private information about the demand. The total order of all the retailers may exceed the manufacturer’s capacity, and in that case, an allocation strategy is required. We show that a discriminated allocation strategy will encourage the retailers to share their demand information. We also find the condition under which full information sharing can be reached. Furthermore, we prove that when the manufacturer cannot satisfy the total order of all the retailers, social welfare and consumer surplus will be locked by the capacity.     

Assessment of local wood species used for the manufacture of cookware and the perception of chemical benefits and chemical hazards associated with their use in Kumasi,Ghana

Background

Historical proven wood species have no reported adverse health effect associated with its past use. Different historical proven species have traditionally been used to manufacture different wooden food contact items. This study uses survey questionnaires to assess suppliers’, manufacturers’, retailers’ and consumers’ (end-users’) preferences for specific wood species, to examine the considerations that inform these preferences and to investigate the extent of awareness of the chemical benefits and chemical hazards associated with wooden food contact material use.

Methods

Through the combined use of a cross sectional approach and a case study design, 25 suppliers, 25 manufacturers, 25 retailers and 125 consumers (end-users) of wooden food contact materials in four suburbs in Kumasi Metropolitan Area (Anloga junction, Ahinsan Bus Stop, Ahwia-Pankrono and Race Course) and Ashanti Akyim Agogo in the Ashanti Akyim North District of the Ashanti Region were administered with closed ended questionnaires. The questionnaires were prepared in English, but local language, Twi, was used to translate and communicate the content of the questionnaire where necessary.

Results

Suppliers’, manufacturers’ and retailers’ preferences for specific wood species for most wooden cookware differed from that of consumers (end-users). But all respondent groups failed to indicate any awareness of chemical benefits or chemical hazards associated with either the choice of specific wood species for specific wooden cookware or with the general use of wooden food contact materials. The lack of appreciation of chemical benefits or hazards associated with active principles of wooden cookware led to heavy reliance of consumers (end-users) on the wood density, price, attractive grain pattern and colour or on the judgement of retailers in their choice of specific species for a wooden cookware.

Conclusion

This study contributes some practical suggestions to guide national policy development on improvement in quality of available wooden food contact materials in Ghana.

     

Why Are Product Prices in Online Markets Not Converging?

Why are product prices in online markets dispersed in spite of very small search costs? To address this question, we construct a unique dataset from a Japanese price comparison site, which records price quotes offered by e-retailers as well as customers’ clicks on products, which occur when they proceed to purchase the product. The novelty of our approach is that we seek to extract useful information on the source of price dispersion from the shape of price distributions rather than focusing merely on the standard deviation or the coefficient of variation of prices, as previous studies have done. We find that the distribution of prices retailers quote for a particular product at a particular point in time (divided by the lowest price) follows an exponential distribution, showing the presence of substantial price dispersion. For example, 20 percent of all retailers quote prices that are more than 50 percent higher than the lowest price. Next, comparing the probability that customers click on a retailer with a particular rank and the probability that retailers post prices at a particular rank, we show that both decline exponentially with price rank and that the exponents associated with the probabilities are quite close. This suggests that the reason why some retailers set prices at a level substantially higher than the lowest price is that they know that some customers will choose them even at that high price. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that price dispersion in online markets stems from heterogeneity in customers’ preferences over retailers; that is, customers choose a set of candidate retailers based on their preferences, which are heterogeneous across customers, and then pick a particular retailer among the candidates based on the price ranking.     

Reverse micelles as a bioseparation tool

Most of the recent studies in biotechnology have focused on upstream developments such as genetic engineering and bioreactor design. In contrast, downstream processing, which is a major part of production costs, has received disproportionately little attention. Development of techniques that can be scaled up into feasible downstream technology is needed. Selective solubilization of proteins and other biomolecules in reverse micellar organic phase is a promising technique that has the potential to be developed into a liquid-liquid extraction technology for bioseparation. This review describes the concept of ‘enzymes in reverse micelles’ and discusses the ways in which various parameters govern protein solubilization in reverse micelles. Also, a general rationale is provided for developing a process for bioseparation by exploiting the reverse micelle phenomenon.     

‘Do you have a mobile?’ Mobile phone practices and the refashioning of social relationships in Port Vila Town

Mobile phones have quickly become an important part of young people's social relationships in Port Vila Vanuatu. In particular, young people embrace the new technology's capacity to broaden the breadth of their sociality. They use the mobile phone to facilitate private and secretive communication, engage in unsanctioned relationships, pre‐marital sexual relationships, and also multiple concurrent intimate relationships. Literature on mobile phone use often either takes the approach that mobile phone technology becomes purely incorporated into pre‐existing social practices, or that it dramatically reshapes social ontologies. The present article argues for an alternative view, one that takes into account the nuances between these two analytical poles. This article suggests that young people use the mobile phone in practices informed by previous models of social relationships, yet the specific materiality of the mobile phone technology is influencing the direction in which models of social relationships are changing. In demonstrating this point, I pay particular attention to two material aspects of the mobile phone technology ‐ the mobile phone as a repository of a particular kind of information ‐ ‘evidence’, and the capacity of the mobile phone to ‘disconnect’ people from their relationships by switching off the mobile. This article argues that these practices are influencing the emergence of a radically altered kinship and gender landscape in the urban context.     

Genetic Modification in Floriculture

An important driving force for the floriculture industry is the development of novel plants and flowers. New varieties provide marketing opportunities for retailers and judicious selection can increase productivity for growers, as well as improving the quality of the final product in the consumer's hands. While plant exploration and conventional breeding programs have been very successful in achieving these goals, genetic modification offers additional routes for the generation of new varieties of important floricultural plants. This can be achieved by the incorporation of genes from outside of the normally available gene pool. This paper provides a summary of the potential applications of gene technology in floriculture and reviews progress to date, with a particular emphasis on the manipulation of flower color. The manipulation of the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway in carnation to produce novel-colored flowers is so far the only commercial application of genetic modification in floriculture. This progress is in stark contrast to the widespread cultivation of genetically modified broad-acre crops. The commercial use of gene technology requires adherence to regulatory regimes specific to genetically modified plants, and compliance with intellectual property laws. These added complexities are a significant cost, which may be hampering the use of gene technology by breeders of floricultural crops. Another factor may be a perception that the public and retail trade may not accept genetically modified floricultural products. Experience in the real marketplace with the Florigene Moon-series? of genetically modified carnation suggests that these concerns are unwarranted.     

Tough tobacco-control legislation begins to have an impact in Ontario.

In 1994 the Ontario government passed one of the world''s toughest packages of antitobacco legislation. The Tobacco Control Act places restrictions on who can sell tobacco products, provides for severe penalties for retailers who sell to minors, bans smoking in many public places and severely restricts the use of designated smoking areas in others. The province has had antismoking legislation before, but enforcement was lax; this time enforcement of the law, particularly as it concerns retailers who sell to minors, has been given priority Brenda Gibson asks if these tough new measures are working.     

Understanding Community Norms Surrounding Tobacco Sales

Background

In the US, denormalizing tobacco use is key to tobacco control; less attention has been paid to denormalizing tobacco sales. However, some localities have placed limits on the number and type of retailers who may sell tobacco, and some retailers have abandoned tobacco sales voluntarily. Understanding community norms surrounding tobacco sales may help accelerate tobacco denormalization.

Methods

We conducted 15 focus groups with customers of California, New York, and Ohio retailers who had voluntarily discontinued tobacco sales to examine normative assumptions about where cigarettes should or should not be sold, voluntary decisions to discontinue tobacco sales, and government limits on such sales.

Results

Groups in all three states generally agreed that grocery stores that sold healthy products should not sell tobacco; California groups saw pharmacies similarly, while this was a minority opinion in the other two states. Convenience stores were regarded as a natural place to sell tobacco. In each state, it was regarded as normal and commendable for some stores to want to stop selling tobacco, although few participants could imagine convenience stores doing so. Views on government''s role in setting limits on tobacco sales varied, with California and New York participants generally expressing support for restrictions, and Ohio participants expressing opposition. However, even those who expressed opposition did not approve of tobacco sales in all possible venues. Banning tobacco sales entirely was not yet normative.

Conclusion

Limiting the ubiquitous availability of tobacco sales is key to ending the tobacco epidemic. Some limits on tobacco sales appear to be normative from the perspective of community members; it may be possible to shift norms further by problematizing the ubiquitous presence of cigarettes and drawing connections to other products already subject to restrictions.     

Does anti-malarial drug knowledge predict anti-malarial dispensing practice in drug outlets? A survey of medicine retailers in western Kenya

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Malaria is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Kenya, where it is the fifth leading cause of death in both children and adults. Effectively managing malaria is dependent upon appropriate treatment. In Kenya, between 17 to 83 percent of febrile individuals first seek treatment for febrile illness over the counter from medicine retailers. Understanding medicine retailer knowledge and behaviour in treating suspected malaria and dispensing anti-malarials is crucial. METHODS: To investigate medicine retailer knowledge about anti-malarials and their dispensing practices, a survey was conducted of all retail drug outlets that sell anti-malarial medications and serve residents of the Webuye Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in the Bungoma East District of western Kenya. RESULTS: Most of the medicine retailers surveyed (65%) were able to identify artemether-lumefantrine (AL) as the Kenyan Ministry of Health recommended first-line anti-malarial therapy for uncomplicated malaria. Retailers who correctly identified this treatment were also more likely to recommend AL to adult and paediatric customers. However, the proportion of medicine retailers who recommend the correct treatment is disappointingly low. Only 48% would recommend AL to adults, and 37% would recommend it to children. It was discovered that customer demand has an influence on retailer behaviour. Retailer training and education were found to be correlated with anti-malarial drug knowledge, which in turn is correlated with dispensing practices. Medicine retailer behaviour, including patient referral practice and dispensing practices, are also correlated with knowledge of the first-line anti-malarial medication. The Kenya Ministry of Health guidelines were found to influence retailer drug stocking and dispensing behaviours. CONCLUSION: Most medicine retailers could identify the recommended first-line treatment for uncomplicated malaria, but the percentage that could not is still too high. Furthermore, knowing the MOH recommended anti-malarial medication does not always ensure it is recommended or dispensed to customers. Retailer training and education are both areas that could be improved. Considering the influence that patient demand has on retailer behaviour, future interventions focusing on community education may positively influence appropriate dispensing of anti-malarials.     

Metabolomics should be deployed in the identification and characterization of gene‐edited crops

Gene‐editing techniques are currently revolutionizing biology, allowing far greater precision than previous mutagenic and transgenic approaches. They are becoming applicable to a wide range of plant species and biological processes. Gene editing can rapidly improve a range of crop traits, including disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, yield, nutritional quality and additional consumer traits. Unlike transgenic approaches, however, it is not facile to forensically detect gene‐editing events at the molecular level, as no foreign DNA exists in the elite line. These limitations in molecular detection approaches are likely to focus more attention on the products generated from the technology than on the process in itself. Rapid advances in sequencing and genome assembly increasingly facilitate genome sequencing as a means of characterizing new varieties generated by gene‐editing techniques. Nevertheless, subtle edits such as single base changes or small deletions may be difficult to distinguish from normal variation within a genotype. Given these emerging scenarios, downstream ‘omics’ technologies reflective of edited affects, such as metabolomics, need to be used in a more prominent manner to fully assess compositional changes in novel foodstuffs. To achieve this goal, metabolomics or ‘non‐targeted metabolite analysis’ needs to make significant advances to deliver greater representation across the metabolome. With the emergence of new edited crop varieties, we advocate: (i) concerted efforts in the advancement of ‘omics’ technologies, such as metabolomics, and (ii) an effort to redress the use of the technology in the regulatory assessment for metabolically engineered biotech crops.     

Eye-tracking women’s preferences for men’s somatotypes

Judging physical attractiveness involves sight, touch, sound and smells. Where visual judgments are concerned, attentional processes may have evolved to prioritize sex-typical traits that reflect cues signaling direct or indirect (i.e. genetic) benefits. Behavioral techniques that measure response times or eye movements provide a powerful test of this assumption by directly assessing how attractiveness influences the deployment of attention. We used eye-tracking to characterize women’s visual attention to men’s back-posed bodies, which varied in overall fat and muscle distribution, while they judged the potential of each model for a short- or long-term relationship. We hypothesized that when judging male bodily attractiveness women would focus more on the upper body musculature of all somatotypes, as it is a signal of metabolic health, immunocompetence and underlying endocrine function. Results showed that mesomorphs (muscular men) received the highest attractiveness ratings, followed by ectomorphs (lean men) and endomorphs (heavily-set men). For eye movements, attention was evenly distributed to the upper and lower back of both ectomorphs and mesomorphs. In contrast, for endomorphs the lower back, including the waist, captured more attention over the viewing period. These patterns in visual attention were evident in the first second of viewing, suggesting that body composition is identified early in viewing and guides attention to body regions that provide salient biological information during judgments of men’s bodily attractiveness.     

Linking the experiential,affective and cognitive domains in biology education: a case study – microscopy

A greater emphasis in school curricula on the technology of science would encourage teachers to engage their students more in practical work. This in turn might be expected to improve students’ attitudes towards science and enhance cognitive outcomes. The paper presents findings from a study on first-year university students’ school experience of, attitudes towards, and knowledge of, microscopy. The findings reinforce the general expectations alluded to above. They also draw attention to the importance of the lower secondary science experience – often a suboptimal one owing to a poor resource base – to the formation of student attitudes and cognitive development with respect to science.     

The research of prediction model on intelligent vehicle based on driver’s perception

In the field of self-driving technology, the stability and comfort of the intelligent vehicle are the focus of attention. The paper applies cognitive psychology theory to the research of driving behavior and analyzes the behavior mechanism about the driver’s operation. Through applying the theory of hierarchical analysis, we take the safety and comfort of intelligent vehicle as the breakthrough point. And then we took the data of human drivers’ perception behavior as the training set and did regression analysis using the method of regression analysis of machine learning according to the charts of the vehicle speed and the visual field, the vehicle speed and the gaze point as well as the vehicle speed and the dynamic vision. At last we established linear and nonlinear regression models (including the logarithmic model) for the training set. The change in thinking is the first novelty of this paper. Last but not least important, we verified the accuracy of the model through the comparison of different regression analysis. Eventually, it turned out that using logarithmic relationship to express the relationship between the vehicle speed and the visual field, the vehicle speed and the gaze point as well as the vehicle speed and the dynamic vision is better than other models. In the aspect of application, we adopted the technology of multi-sensor fusion and transformed the acquired data from radar, navigation and image to log-polar coordinates, which makes us greatly simplify information when dealing with massive data problems from different sensors. This approach can not only reduce the complexity of the server’s processing but also drives the development of intelligent vehicle in information computing. We also make this model applied in the intelligent driver’s cognitive interactive debugging program, which can better explain and understand the intelligent driving behavior and improved the safety of intelligent vehicle to some extent.     

Endocrinologists’ Experiences With Telehealth: A Qualitative Study With Implications for Promoting Sustained Use

ObjectiveEndocrinology is well-suited to telehealth, with high rates of use and known benefits. Clinician attitudes toward telehealth will be critical to ensuring sustained use after the pandemic. We examined endocrinologists’ experiences with synchronous telehealth to identify factors affecting experiences with and acceptance of the technology.MethodsWe conducted qualitative interviews and directed-content analysis with a purposive sample of 26 U.S. endocrinologists. Factors affecting clinicians’ experiences were mapped to the human-organization-technology fit (HOT-fit) framework.ResultsWe found that clinicians’ experiences with synchronous telehealth were influenced by: (1) Clinician factors: Clinicians welcomed telehealth but expressed concerns about patient interest, rapport building, and clinical appropriateness, desiring more data to support its use. Many clinicians feared missing clinical findings on virtual examination, despite no such personal experiences. Effects on professional and personal life contributed to satisfaction, through increased flexibility but also increased workload. (2) Organizational factors: Departmental meetings and trainings supported clinicians’ technical, logistical, and clinical needs, reducing resistance to telehealth use. Shifting staff responsibilities in clinical workflows improved clinicians’ experiences and supported telehealth use, while mixed telehealth and in-person schedules impeded workflow. (3) Technology factors: Most clinicians preferred video visits to telephone. Usability and reliability of telehealth platforms, integration of patient self-monitoring data, and availability of IT support were crucial to a positive experience.ConclusionClinician acceptance of telehealth is influenced by clinician, organizational, and technology factors that can be leveraged to improve buy-in. Organizational leaders’ attention to addressing these factors will be critical to support endocrinologists’ continued provision of telehealth for their patients.     

Biotechnology and the UK 2000-05: Globalization and innovation

This paper discusses some selected topics seen as being most important in currently affecting the development of biotechnology in the UK. The importance of demand side factors such as the role of professional experts, regulatory bodies, retailers, public opinion and political activity in stimulating or discouraging innovation in biotechnology is discussed. Supply side factors are then analysed, particularly the major changes in the organizations which generate biotechnology innovations - especially collaborative alliances and network firms, and the restructuring of the chemical, pharmaceutical and agro-food industries which use biotechnology, via merger, acquisition, demerger and divestment. Two important aspects of the infrastructure for innovation, which are rapidly changing and generating debate and concern, are then considered. These are intellectual property regimes on the one hand, and corporate governance and the sources of finance for investment on the other. The issue of globalization of innovative activity in biotechnology and in the industries which use it is addressed next, and it is concluded that collaborative alliances are the main mechanism by which overseas sourcing of technology is taking place. Finally, future trends and some policy implications are considered.     

A relatively cheap photographic film eye-piece grid

A ‘signaller’ (for example, a prey) can avoid detection by a ‘receiver’ (for example, a predator) if its visual signals are difficult to separate from the background. There are two ways by which signallers match the coloration of their background— ‘crypsis’ and ‘masquerade’. We draw attention to the relationships between these two phenomena and how they differ from Batesian mimicry, another adaptation against detection.     

Small extracellular vesicles (exosomes) and their cargo in pancreatic cancer: Key roles in the hallmarks of cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a devastating disease, offering poor mortality rates for patients. The current challenge being faced is the inability to diagnose patients in a timely manner, where potentially curative resection provides the best chance of survival. Recently, small/nanosized extracellular vesicles (sEVs), including exosomes, have gained significant preclinical and clinical attention due to their emerging roles in cancer progression and diagnosis. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) possess endogenous properties that offer stability and facilitate crossing of biological barriers for delivery of molecular cargo to cells, acting as a form of intercellular communication to regulate function and phenotype of recipient cells. This review provides an overview of the role of EVs, their subtypes and their oncogenic cargo (as characterised by targeted studies as well as agnostic ‘-omics’ analyses) in the pathobiology of pancreatic cancer. The discussion covers the progress of ‘omics technology’ that has enabled elucidation of the molecular mechanisms that mediate the role of EVs and their cargo in pancreatic cancer progression.     

基于深度学习的作物基因组学和遗传改良

随着世界人口的不断增长、食物需求量的不断增加,以及气候的不断变化,如何提高农作物产量已成为人类面临的一个巨大挑战。传统设计育种耗时长、效率低,已经不能满足新时代的育种需求。随着基因型和表型数据成本的不断降低,以及各种组学数据的爆炸式增长,人工智能技术作为能够在大数据中高效率挖掘信息的工具,在生物学领域受到了广泛关注。人工智能指导的设计育种将大大加快育种的效率,给育种带来革命性的变化。介绍了人工智能特别是深度学习在作物基因组学和遗传改良中的应用,并进行了总结与展望,以期为智能设计育种提供新的思路。     

Neural network modelling of the influence of channelopathies on reflex visual attention

This paper introduces a model of Emergent Visual Attention in presence of calcium channelopathy (EVAC). By modelling channelopathy, EVAC constitutes an effort towards identifying the possible causes of autism. The network structure embodies the dual pathways model of cortical processing of visual input, with reflex attention as an emergent property of neural interactions. EVAC extends existing work by introducing attention shift in a larger-scale network and applying a phenomenological model of channelopathy. In presence of a distractor, the channelopathic network’s rate of failure to shift attention is lower than the control network’s, but overall, the control network exhibits a lower classification error rate. The simulation results also show differences in task-relative reaction times between control and channelopathic networks. The attention shift timings inferred from the model are consistent with studies of attention shift in autistic children.