Two-dimensional materials have aroused the attention of many scientists due to its remarkable chemical, magnetic, optical, and electronic characteristics. However, the specific interaction mechanism ...between various amino acids with arsenene surfaces has not been explored. We systematically investigated the interactions of 20 amino acids with arsenene by calculating the adsorption energy, electronic structure, sensitivity, and recovery time using density functional theory with Grimme’s dispersion correction. Moreover, applying biaxial strains can drastically change the adsorption energy. For the first time, it was discovered that the arsenene monolayer has strong adsorption specificity, high sensitivity, and short recovery time for amino acid molecules through van der Waals interactions. Our findings indicate that the arsenene may be used as a sensing medium for amino acids.
•Phospholipid fatty acid profiling analysis was applied to determine the composition of microbial communities.•The relative abundance of anaerobic bacteria and 16:1 ω5c in native broad-leaved forest ...was distinct from converted forests.•Land use change can have a profound impact on soil microbial composition.
Soil microbial communities play vital roles in nutrient cycling and ecosystem functioning but these communities could be affected by land use change. To understand the impacts of land use change on soil microbial communities, we assessed the relative abundance of soil microbial communities and soil physicochemical properties following stand conversion from native broadleaf forests to mixed and bamboo forests in Feng yang Mountain Nature Reserve, China. We used phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiling analysis to determine the composition of microbial communities, quantified soil bulk density, pH, organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations to determine soil physicochemical properties, and assessed species richness and evenness to determine vegetation structure. We found that the abundance of anaerobic bacteria was significantly higher in the bamboo forests than in broad-leaved or mixed forests, while the abundance of 16:1 ω5c was significantly lower in the mixed forests than other forests. The relative abundance of 16:1 ω5c was positively correlated with soil pH, while the abundance of anaerobic bacteria was negatively correlated with soil phosphorus concentration. Among the three different land use types, bamboo forest was characterized by significantly higher soil pH, while the broad-leaved forest had significantly higher nitrogen concentration, and mixed forest had significantly higher soil bulk density. Overall, the composition of microbial communities in native broad-leaved forest was distinct from converted forests in the relative abundance of anaerobic bacteria and 16:1 ω5c, underscoring the fact that land use change can have a profound impact on soil microbial composition.
Saturated hydraulic conductivity (K
) is one of the most important soil properties that determines water flow behavior in terrestrial ecosystems. However, the K
of forest soils is difficult to ...predict due to multiple interactions, such as anthropological and geomorphic processes. In this study, we examined the impacts of vegetation type on K
and associated mechanisms. We found that K
differed with vegetation type and soil depth, and the impact of vegetation type on K
was dependent on soil depth. K
did not differ among vegetation types at soil depths of 0-10 and 20-30 cm, but was significantly lower in managed forest types (mixed evergreen broad-leaved and coniferous forests, bamboo forests, and tea gardens) than native evergreen broadleaf forests at a depth of 10-20 cm. Boosted regression tree analysis indicated that total porosity, non-capillary porosity, and macro water-stable aggregates were the primary factors that influenced K
. Our results suggested that vegetation type was a key factor that influences hydraulic properties in subtropical forest soils through the alteration of soil properties, such as porosity and macro water-stable aggregates.
The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of low-frequency ultrasound combined with RES-loaded ultrasound microbubble contrast agents on the transcriptional and translational ...activities of ovarian cancer cells. After being cultures, ovarian cancer cells (OVCAR-3) and human umbilical cord endothelial cells (HUCEC) were transfected with siRNA, which was followed by RNA extraction and real-time PCR to evaluate transcriptional activity. Translational activity was determined by western blotting, which was followed by RNA interference. Proliferative and invasive activity was measured using cell proliferation, colony formation, and immunofluorescence assays. Lastly, RNA sequencing was performed. Our findings indicated that ultrasound combined with RES microbubbles inhibited cell proliferation and invasion. The expression of ING5 was enhanced, while the expression of EMT was suppressed in ovarian cancer cells. A negative correlation was observed between of the expression of ING5 and cell proliferation/migration, which were enhanced upon inhibition of ING5, suggesting dysregulation of transcriptional and translational cellular processes which could be of diagnostic and therapeutic value in ovarian cancer. Additionally, the dysregulation of lncRNAs can alter cellular homeostasis and promote ovarian cancer progression. A combination of low-frequency and RES-loaded ultrasound microbubbles was found to effectively inhibit the proliferation of OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cells and induce apoptosis. This approach was more effective than low-frequency ultrasound combined with RES alone.
Motivated by the practice of indicative bidding, which is commonly used in sales of complex and valuable assets, this paper develops a theory of two-stage auctions based on the assumption that ...learning valuation is costly. In various cases that characterize what can be learned in the due diligence stage, we show that no symmetric increasing equilibrium exists and hence efficient entry cannot be guaranteed under the current design of indicative bidding. However, by introducing auctions of entry rights with binding first-round bids, we show that efficient entry can be induced under certain conditions. We also show that optimal auctions are typically characterized by a limited number of final bidders, which justifies the general practice of conducting two-stage auctions in environments with costly entry.
In many retail markets, prices rise faster than they fall. We develop a model of search with learning to explain this phenomenon of asymmetric price adjustments. By extending our static game analysis ...to the dynamic setting, we demonstrate that asymmetric price adjustments arise naturally. When a positive cost shock occurs, all the searchers immediately learn the true state; the search intensity, and hence the prices, fully adjust in the next period. When a negative cost shock occurs, it takes longer for nonsearchers to learn the true state, and the search intensity increases gradually, leading to slow falling of prices.
This paper analyzes the load unbalance problem and voltage fluctuation problem in a 3-wire DC distribution system.It also analyzes a solution to these problems;a positive Buck-Boost voltage balancer ...is proposed and explored in order to fulfill the requirements of high quality power supply for the loads on its load side.Compared with the conventional balancer,a positive Buck-Boost converter is added to solve the voltage fluctuation problem,and the theories and methods of the voltage balancer are extended to analyze the working principle,derive the design equations,explore the stability,and calculate the efficiency.Both simulations and small power experiments are carried out to verify the validity of the working principle,the topology,and the control strategy.
In auctions with private information acquisition costs, we completely characterize (socially) efficient and (revenue) optimal two-stage mechanisms, with the first stage being an entry right ...allocation mechanism and the second stage being a traditional private good provision mechanism. Both efficiency and revenue optimality require that the second-stage selling mechanism be ex post efficient and the number of entry slots be endogenously determined. We show that both efficient and optimal entry can be truthfully implemented in dominant strategies, and can also be implemented via all-pay, though not uniform-price or discriminatory-price, auctions.
We consider consumer entry in the canonical monopolistic nonlinear pricing model ( Mussa and Rosen 1978) wherein consumers learn their preference 'types' after incurring privately known entry costs. ...We show that by taking into account consumer entry, the nature of optimal nonlinear pricing contracts changes significantly: compared to the benchmark without costly entry, in our model both quality distortion and market exclusion are reduced, sorting is more likely, and whenever bunching occurs, the bunching interval is necessarily smaller. Additionally, under certain conditions the monopoly solution may even achieve the first best (i.e., production efficiency). We also demonstrate that the optimal monopoly solutions can be ranked according to inverse hazard rate functions of the entry cost, which suggests an interesting dynamic for monopolistic nonlinear pricing with consumer entry.
Collusion through Coordination of Announcements Harrington, Joseph E.; Ye, Lixin
The Journal of industrial economics,
June 2019, 2019-06-00, 20190601, Letnik:
67, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
A theory is developed to explain how sellers can effectively collude by coordinating on list prices (or surcharges), while leaving sellers to set their final prices. List prices are interpreted to be ...cheap talk announcements about cost information unknown to buyers. Buyers use those announcements to decide whom to invite to their procurement auction and the reserve price to set. By coordinating on a high list price to signal high cost, sellers produce supracompetitive prices by inducing buyers to be less aggressive, as reflected in a higher reserve price. We show that collusion can raise social welfare.
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