Dual Chain Research Articles

Effect of buyback price on channel’s decision parameters for manufacturer-led close loop dual supply chain

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of self and cross channel’s buyback price on demand, optimum selling price and collection rate for different manufacturer-led close loop dual supply chain structures using Stackelberg game approach. This study considers a dual channel made up of an e-tail as well as a conventional retail channel, and both of these channel members are responsible for forward selling and return collecting practices. A linear model is developed for profit maximization under the aim of optimum selling price and collection rate. A backward induction method is used to find out the optimum values of selling price and collection rate as a function of buyback price. Further, a numerical analysis is done to evaluate the effect of self and cross channel’s buyback price on decision parameters (each channel’s demand, optimum selling price and collection rate). The result shows that, the decision parameters are correlated with the buyback price. If a channel member increase the offered buyback price then it will lead to; an increase in demand at self-channel, decline the demand at the cross channel, raise in the optimum selling price at self-channel, and decline in the collection rate at the cross channel. Further, cross channel’s optimum selling price and self-channel’s collection rate is dependent on self-channel’s buyback price, but the change is based on channel structure. In addition, the results help to gauge the effect of buyback on optimum selling price, demand and collection rate. The study assists channel partners to vary the data set values for the prediction of the results and to compare the results without implementation.

Development of dual priming oligonucleotide-polymerase chain reaction (DPO-PCR) for detection of wheat component in foods

This research is aimed to establish a DPO-PCR method for rapid detection of wheat component in foods. A pair of highly specific DPO primers was designed using the wheat housekeeping gene GAG56D as the target gene. By optimizing the PCR reaction system, the DPO-PCR detection method for wheat component in food was established, and the specificity and sensitivity of the method were determined. The established DPO-PCR method was highly specific, and there was no cross-reactivity to 22 control samples. The sensitivity was high, and the minimum detection limit was 1 ng/uL. Tests on commercially available product samples showed that the method can effectively detect wheat component of foods. The DPO-PCR method established in this study is simple and accurate, and provides an effective detection method for wheat component in foods.

Pricing decisions in a dual supply chain of organic and conventional agricultural products

We analyze a dual-channel supply chain comprising two suppliers that offer vertically-differentiated agricultural products; specifically, one offers an organic version of an agricultural product and the other offers a conventionally-grown version of the same product. Each supplier distributes his product through two channels: directly to consumers and via a single retailer who sells both product versions. Consumers are assumed to be heterogeneous in their valuations of the benefits associated with organic products and of the benefits of purchasing from a retailer (reflected, e.g., in extra services). We also assume that the agricultural products can depreciate in value (e.g., due to deterioration and spoilage). We study market competition in the case where all supply chain members (the two suppliers and the retailer) determine their prices simultaneously in order to maximize their respective profits. First, we analytically solve the cases where organic and conventional value depreciations are equal in each channel or where the direct and the retailer value depreciations are equal for each product. Under these assumptions, we show that each supplier sets a wholesale price that is equal to the direct price. Moreover, the price margins set by the retailer for both the organic and conventional versions are identical. The more general case is analyzed numerically; this analysis reveals the relationships between the model parameters, the equilibrium pricing and the profits of the supply chain members. We identify the conditions under which the wholesale prices of each product version are higher than the direct prices.

Maximising manufacturer's profit in a dual-channel supply chain with disruption risk

With the rapid development of the e-commerce, more customer demands are generated through online sales channels. Together with traditional sales channels through retailers, the manufacturers need to implement the dual supply chain management to enhance their performance. However, both of the online and traditional sales channels might face various sources of disruption risks under the globalisation and the high complexity of the supply chain network. Using a theoretical modelling approach, three industrial cases, and sensitivity analysis, we discuss the optimal pricing strategy of manufacturer in the dual channel supply chain with disruption risks. We find that the influential factors of maximising profits of a manufacturer include its pricing strategy, product market share, disruption risk probabilities, and product distribution proportion between the online and offline channels.

Ultrafast, universal and visual screening of dual genetically modified elements based on dual super PCR and a lateral flow biosensor

In this study, a cascade screening system has been developed combining Dual Super Polymerase Chain Reaction (DSPCR) with the universal Lateral Flow Biosensor (LFB) for the ultrafast, universal and visual screening of dual GM elements, taking P-35s × T-nos for example. In the design of DSPCR for universal screening, gene-specific forward primers were labelled with biotin and gene-specific reverse primers were tagged with Cy5 and digoxin, respectively. In 2.5-min, DSPCR effectively amplified the dual target fragments through our prototype facility. Then, through specific antigen-antibody binding, a universal lateral flow biosensor exported visually dual-amplified results simultaneously without cross contamination. After optimization, the detection limit allowed 0.05% GM maize, corresponding to nine copies in maize. The entire detection process could be achieved in 10 min without any large-scale instrumentation. This method may be useful for the ultrafast, universal and visual screening of dual GM elements (P-35s × T-nos) in GM crop lines and is expected to be of great promise for rapid GMO screening and point-of-care tests.

Evaluation of the activity levels of rat FVIII and human FVIII delivered by adeno-associated viral vectors both in vitro and in vivo

The development of a novel coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) expression cassette with an enhanced activity for gene therapy of hemophilia A (HA) is essential. The biological properties of several non-human FVIII sequences, such as porcine and canine, have been evaluated. Here, we compared the activity level of rat FVIII (rFVIII) and human FVIII (hFVIII) by using single-chain and dual-chain strategies in 293 T cells and the HA mice. In both in vitro and hydrodynamic injection studies, the activity of rFVIII detected by the activated partial thromboplastin time assay was higher than that of hFVIII both by single-chain (~2.96-fold and ~1.72-fold, respectively) and dual-chain (~7.69-fold and ~2.35-fold, respectively). Moreover, the dual chain exerted a potentially higher delivery efficacy compared with the single chain (~4.96-fold and ~2.99-fold, respectively). The blood loss of HA mice administrated with rFVIII was less than those with hFVIII. AAV-delivered rFVIII and hFVIII also exerted long-term therapeutic effects on HA mice and caused a transient ALT elevation. These data might help to the development of novel, optimized FVIII expression cassettes based on the amino acid difference between rFVIII and hFVIII. These data indicate that the dual-chain strategy would likely enhance the delivery efficiency of the AAV-mediated FVIII gene therapy.

Immunohaematological and rheological parameters in canine visceral leishmaniasis.

The aim of this study was to find correlations between haematological and rheological parameters in canine visceral leishmaniasis (CLV). Enrolled dogs with CVL (n=31) had a confirmed diagnosis using the rapid test Dual Path Platform (TR DPP®) kit and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay. A control group (n=31) comprised healthy dogs with negative results for the TR DPP® kit and PCR assay. Haematological parameters and total protein, albumin, globulin, and antibody were assessed. The rheological properties of the blood samples were also determined. Erythrocytes, haematocrit and platelet values of dogs in the CVL group were found to be lower than those of the control group. The total protein, globulin and IgG concentrations were higher in serum samples from the CVL group. The blood flow curve demonstrated increased shear rates in the CVL group. The viscosity of the blood from the infected animals was lower than in the healthy dogs. A positive correlation was found between erythrocyte numbers and blood viscosity. These data suggest that changes in the flow curve and viscosity of blood as well as the erythrocyte values may be a viable low-cost alternative for the monitoring of dogs with visceral leishmaniasis.

RETRACTED: Research on agricultural supply chain system with double chain architecture based on blockchain technology

Abstract As an underlying support technology, blockchain is a shared ledger system and a computational paradigm, which is decentralized, and it is highly compatible with the distributed economic system. The distributed scheduling model of agricultural business resources based on the public service platform is a comprehensive solution to the current situation of agricultural industry which is ”scattered, small, disorderly and weak”, and plays an important role in integrating decentralized resource and making on-demand scheduling. Aiming at some key problems in the current Chinese public service platform, this paper proposes a public blockchain of agricultural supply chain system based on double chain architecture, mainly studying the dual chain structure and its storage mode, resource rent-seeking and matching mechanism and consensus algorithm. The results show that the chain of agricultural supply chain based on double chain structure can take into account the openness and security of transaction information and the privacy of enterprise information, can self-adaptively complete rent-seeking and matching of resources, and greatly enhance the credibility of the public service platform and the overall efficiency of the system.

Immune monitoring and TCR sequencing of CD4 T cells in a long term responsive patient with metastasized pancreatic ductal carcinoma treated with individualized, neoepitope-derived multipeptide vaccines: a case report

BackgroundCancer vaccines can effectively establish clinically relevant tumor immunity. Novel sequencing approaches rapidly identify the mutational fingerprint of tumors, thus allowing to generate personalized tumor vaccines within a few weeks from diagnosis. Here, we report the case of a 62-year-old patient receiving a four-peptide-vaccine targeting the two sole mutations of his pancreatic tumor, identified via exome sequencing.MethodsVaccination started during chemotherapy in second complete remission and continued monthly thereafter. We tracked IFN-γ+ T cell responses against vaccine peptides in peripheral blood after 12, 17 and 34 vaccinations by analyzing T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire diversity and epitope-binding regions of peptide-reactive T-cell lines and clones. By restricting analysis to sorted IFN-γ-producing T cells we could assure epitope-specificity, functionality, and TH1 polarization.ResultsA peptide-specific T-cell response against three of the four vaccine peptides could be detected sequentially. Molecular TCR analysis revealed a broad vaccine-reactive TCR repertoire with clones of discernible specificity. Four identical or convergent TCR sequences could be identified at more than one time-point, indicating timely persistence of vaccine-reactive T cells. One dominant TCR expressing a dual TCRVα chain could be found in three T-cell clones. The observed T-cell responses possibly contributed to clinical outcome: The patient is alive 6 years after initial diagnosis and in complete remission for 4 years now.ConclusionsTherapeutic vaccination with a neoantigen-derived four-peptide vaccine resulted in a diverse and long-lasting immune response against these targets which was associated with prolonged clinical remission. These data warrant confirmation in a larger proof-of concept clinical trial.

Hitting probabilities for the Greenwood model and relations to near constancy oscillation

We derive some properties of the Greenwood epidemic Galton–Watson branching model. Formulas for the probability $h(i,j)$ that the associated Markov chain $X$ hits state $j$ when started from state $i\ge j$ are obtained. For $j\ge1$, it follows that $h(i,j)$ slightly oscillates with varying $i$ and has infinitely many accumulation points. In particular, $h(i,j)$ does not converge as $i\to\infty$. It is shown that there exists a Markov chain $Y$ which is Siegmund dual to the chain $X$. The hitting probabilities of the dual Markov chain $Y$ are investigated.

Bispecific antibody process development: Assembly and purification of knob and hole bispecific antibodies.

Production of knob and hole dual light chain bispecific antibodies poses several unique challenges for development of a feasible industrial scale manufacturing process. We developed an efficient process for the assembly and purification of knob and hole dual light chain bispecific antibodies. Two distinct half-antibodies targeting two different antigens were expressed separately in Escherichia coli cells and captured independently using Protein A chromatography. When combined, the knob and hole mutations in the CH3 domains promoted heterodimer formation. The hinge region disulfides were reduced and reoxidized to form the disulfide bridge between the two complementary half antibodies. Unreacted half antibodies, noncovalently linked homodimers, covalently linked homodimers, and noncovalently linked heterodimers are impurities closely related to the product of interest and are challenging to remove by standard processes. Characterization of the molecular properties of the half antibodies and high-throughput screening predicted column chromatography performance and allowed for rapid development of downstream purification steps for removal of unique product-related and process-related impurities. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:397-404, 2018.

Study on Cold Chain Technology Investment Decision of Dual Channel Aquatic Supply Chain Under the Background of Hayes Road

The Maritime Silk Road strategy brings more market opportunities to Zhanjiang's aquatic export trade, and further challenges to the quality and safety of aquatic products. As an effective technology to solve the problem of aquatic products safety in export trade, cold chain technology is designed to solve the problem of decision-making on cold chain technology in aquaculture enterprises. In this paper, a dual channel fishery supply chain is taken as the object. The investment model method is used to analyze the situation of the producer / retailer joint investment or non investment cold chain technology, and the influence of cold chain technology on the dual channel aquaculture supply chain investment and the problem of the coordination of the dual channel supply chain under the multiparty joint investment are studied. The research shows that the increase of the electronic commerce channel and the increase of food safety risk increases the sales price of electronic commerce channels and traditional retail channels, while the increase of the traditional retail channels of aquatic products corruption and food safety risks only increases the sale price of their own channels, and it will affect the sale of electronic commerce channels. If the cost of cold chain technology is lower than the cost of aquatic product corruption or food safety, cold chain technology can reduce the price of traditional retail channels and electronic commerce channels and increase the total market demand. This paper provides a new perspective for the application of cold chain technology, and also has a certain guiding significance for practice.

Dual chain extension effect and antibacterial properties of biomolecules interleaved within LDH dispersed into PBS by in situ polymerization.

Nanocomposites based on poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) and hydrotalcite-type anionic clays (HTs) organo-modified with biomolecules characterized by antibacterial and/or antioxidant activities, such as l-ascorbic acid (ASA), phloretic acid (HPP), l-tyrosine (TYR) and l-tryptophan (TRP), have been prepared by in situ polymerization. From XRD analysis and rheology experiments in a molten polymer state, intercalated HT hybrid platelets acting here as a hybrid filler are found to be well dispersed into polymers while providing a chain extension effect on PBS. Moreover, the molecules, when hosted within a HT interlayer gap, do preserve their pristine antibacterial activity, both in HT and in the resulting PBS composites. In particular, under the experimental conditions tested, HT/ASA and HT/TYR present the best combination of both properties (chain extension effect and antibacterial), especially versus E. coli as high as 90 and 97% of inhibition, respectively, using 2.5 wt% hybrid filler only. These findings open future applications for PBS associated with the hybrid HT filler as multifunctional materials in active packaging applications.

Dual Competing Photovoltaic Supply Chains: A Social Welfare Maximization Perspective.

In the past decades, the inappropriate subsidy policies in many nations have caused problems such as serious oversupply, fierce competition and subpar social welfare in the photovoltaic (PV) industry in many nations. There is a clear shortage in the PV industry literature regarding how dual supply chains compete and the key decision issues regarding the competition between dual PV supply chains. It is critical to develop effective subsidy policies for the competing PV supply chains to achieve social welfare maximization. This study has explored the dual PV supply chain competition under the Bertrand competition assumption by three game-theoretical modeling scenarios (or supply chain strategies) considering either the public subsidy or no subsidy from a social welfare maximization perspective. A numerical analysis complemented by two sensitivity analyses provides a better understanding of the pricing and quantity decision dynamics in the dual supply chains under three different supply chain strategies and the corresponding outcomes regarding the total supply chain profits, the social welfare and the required total subsidies. The key findings disclose that if there are public subsidies, the dual PV supply chains have the strongest intention to pursue the decentralized strategy to achieve their maximal returns rather than the centralized strategy that would achieve the maximal social welfare; however, the government would need to pay for the maximal subsidy budget. Thus, the best option for the government would be to encourage the dual PV supply chains to adopt a centralized strategy since this will not only maximize the social welfare but also, at the same time, minimize the public subsidy. With a smart subsidy policy, the PV industry can make the best use of the subsidy budget and grow in a sustainable way to support the highly demanded solar power generation in many countries trying very hard to increase the proportion of their clean energy to combat the global warming effect. Several subsidy policies such as shared solar energy arrangements and performance-based incentive (PBI) are proposed to integrate the market users and the PV supply chains. This study serves as a pioneering study into the dual PV supply chain research which is very limited in the PV management and policy study literature. The findings and several untended issues provide a foundation for the future PV supply chain studies.

Evaluation of dual target-specific real-time PCR for the detection of Kingella kingae in a Danish paediatric population

Background: We aimed to evaluate the relevance of dual target real-time polymerase chain (PCR) assays targeting the rtxA and cpn60 genes of the paediatric pathogen Kingella kingae. We also studied for the first time the clinical and epidemiological features of K. kingae infections in a Danish population.Method: Children with K. kingae-positive cultures were identified from 11,477 children and 86 children younger than 16 years old from whom blood cultures and joint fluid cultures were obtained between January 2010 and November 2016. Results were then compared to microbiological results obtained from 29 joint fluids (28 children) tested by dual target K. kingae real-time PCR from September 2014 to November 2016. Epidemiological data of all children with microbiologically confirmed K. kingae infections were collected.Results: From 2010 to 2016, we diagnosed 17 children with microbiological-proven K. kingae infections. During this period, blood cultures from five children and joint fluid cultures from a single child yielded K. kingae. Dual target K. kingae real-time PCR allowed us to increase the diagnostic yield of K. kingae infections by detecting the organism in 12 of 29 (41.4%) specimens. Notably, the 12 real-time PCR-positive specimens were rtxA-positive whereas only 10 (83.3%) were cpn60-positive. PCR-positive children were significantly younger than PCR-negative children (p-value: .01). A significant seasonal variation was found for patients with proven K. kingae infection (p-value: <.001), with a peak in autumn.Conclusion: Dual target-specific real-time PCR markedly improved the detection of K. kingae in clinical specimens when compared to culture methods.

SIEGMUND DUALITY FOR MARKOV CHAINS ON PARTIALLY ORDERED STATE SPACES

For a Markov chain on a finite partially ordered state space, we show that its Siegmund dual exists if and only if the chain is Möbius monotone. This is an extension of Siegmund's result for totally ordered state spaces, in which case the existence of the dual is equivalent to the usual stochastic monotonicity. Exploiting the relation between the stationary distribution of an ergodic chain and the absorption probabilities of its Siegmund dual, we present three applications: calculating the absorption probabilities of a chain with two absorbing states knowing the stationary distribution of the other chain; calculating the stationary distribution of an ergodic chain knowing the absorption probabilities of the other chain; and providing a stable simulation scheme for the stationary distribution of a chain provided we can simulate its Siegmund dual. These are accompanied by concrete examples: the gambler's ruin problem with arbitrary winning/losing probabilities; a non-symmetric game; an extension of a birth and death chain; a chain corresponding to the Fisher–Wright model; a non-standard tandem network of two servers, and the Ising model on a circle. We also show that one can construct a strong stationary dual chain by taking the appropriate Doob transform of the Siegmund dual of the time-reversed chain.

Detection of HLA-B*13:01 gene by dual allele-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction in patients with trichlorethylene-induced dermatitis

Objective: To investigate the detection of a human leukocyte antigen-B (HLA-B) allele HLA-B*13:01 by dual allele-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in patients with trichlorethylene-induced dermatitis. Methods: A total of 20 patients with trichlorethylene-induced dermatitis who were admitted and treated from January 2014 to October 2016 were enrolled as case group, and 20 persons who underwent physical examination from January to October, 2016 were enrolled as control group. Peripheral cubital venous blood samples were collected from all subjects, and dual allele-specific real-time PCR was used to detect the HLA-B*13:01 gene. The two groups were compared in terms of the proportion of subjects carrying HLA-B*13:01 gene. Results: There were no significant differences between the case group and the control group in median age (25.0 years vs 27.0 years, Z=0.30, P>0.05) and the proportion of male subjects (60.0% vs 70.0%, χ(2)=0.44, P>0.05) . The mean time of exposure to trichloroethylene was 30.8 days in the case group, while the subjects in the control group were not exposed to trichloroethylene. The case group had a significantly higher frequency of HLA-B*13:01 gene than the control group (80.0% vs 20.0%, χ(2)=14.40, P<0.01) with an odds ratio of 16.00. Conclusion: Dual allele-specific real-time PCR can be used for detection of the HLA-B*13:01 gene in patients with trichlorethylene-induced dermatitis.

Sustainable thermoplastic elastomers derived from cellulose, fatty acid and furfural via ATRP and click chemistry

Cellulose-based thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) have attracted considerable attention because of their rigid backbone, good mechanical properties, renewable nature and abundance. In the present study, sustainable TPEs based on ethyl cellulose (EC), fatty acid and furfural were generated by the combination of ATRP and “click chemistry”. To fabricate sustainable TPEs with higher toughness, a range of polymers, including mono random-copolymer poly(tetrahydrofurfuryl methacrylate-co-lauryl methacrylate) (P(THFMA-co-LMA), dual polymer side chains PTHFMA and PLMA, and mono-block copolymer PTHFMA-b-PLMA, were designed as side chains to fabricate EC brush copolymers with random, dual or block side chain architectures using the “grafting from” and “grafting onto” methods. The multi-armed structures, chemical compositions and phase separation of these EC brush copolymers were confirmed by FT-IR, 1H NMR, GPC, DSC, TEM and SEM. Overall, three types of EC brush copolymers all exhibited the desired mechanical properties of TPEs. In addition, the EC brush copolymers with dual/block side chain architectures showed higher tensile strength than that of the random polymers with similar compositions.

Xeno-free culture of human pluripotent stem cells on oligopeptide-grafted hydrogels with various molecular designs

Establishing cultures of human embryonic (ES) and induced pluripotent (iPS) stem cells in xeno-free conditions is essential for producing clinical-grade cells. Development of cell culture biomaterials for human ES and iPS cells is critical for this purpose. We designed several structures of oligopeptide-grafted poly (vinyl alcohol-co-itaconic acid) hydrogels with optimal elasticity, and prepared them in formations of single chain, single chain with joint segment, dual chain with joint segment, and branched-type chain. Oligopeptide sequences were selected from integrin- and glycosaminoglycan-binding domains of the extracellular matrix. The hydrogels grafted with vitronectin-derived oligopeptides having a joint segment or a dual chain, which has a storage modulus of 25 kPa, supported the long-term culture of human ES and iPS cells for over 10 passages. The dual chain and/or joint segment with cell adhesion molecules on the hydrogels facilitated the proliferation and pluripotency of human ES and iPS cells.

Research on multi-variation coupling effect of heart-shaped dual phase Hy-Vo silent chain system

Based on the theory of transmission that the Hy-Vo silent chain meshes with the sprocket, the meshing design system of the dual phase Hy-Vo silent chain link-sprocket-tool and the dynamics model of the dual phase Hy-Vo silent chain transmission system based on heart-shaped hole are built. The main design parameters of chain link, benchmark apothem and positioning offset angle, are designed and the harmonic relationship between them and the dual phase transmission system fluctuations is analyzed. The simulation analysis results show that the fluctuations of the dual phase transmission system are less than those of the single phase transmission system obviously no matter how the benchmark apothem and the positioning offset angle vary. Compared to the single phase transmission system, the angular velocity variation of the dual phase transmission system is smaller and the frequency is lower. In addition, the influence on fluctuation of Hy-Vo silent chain that the benchmark apothem and the positioning offset angle have is not a simple superposition, but the result of interaction. The research results of this paper will provide the support for parameter optimization of dual phase transmission Hy-Vo silent chain, and also provide some scientific basis for multi-variation coupling effect of the dual phase Hy-Vo silent chain system.