High‐Throughput Measurement of Binding Kinetics by mRNA Display and Next‐Generation Sequencing

There is great demand for high‐throughput methods to characterize ligand affinity. By combining mRNA display with next‐generation sequencing, we determined the kinetic on‐ and off‐rates for over twenty thousand ligands without the need for synthesis or purification of individual members. Our results are reproducible and as accurate as those obtained with other methods of affinity measurement.     

Tempered Fractional Stable Motion

Tempered fractional stable motion adds an exponential tempering to the power-law kernel in a linear fractional stable motion, or a shift to the power-law filter in a harmonizable fractional stable motion. Increments from a stationary time series that can exhibit semi-long-range dependence. This paper develops the basic theory of tempered fractional stable processes, including dependence structure, sample path behavior, local times, and local nondeterminism.     

Borate,lithium borate,and borophosphate powders by sol–gel precipitation

Borate, lithium borate and borophosphate powders were synthesized by the sol–gel method. Triethyl borate, lithium methoxide, and orthophosphoric acid were used as precursors for B₂O_3, Li₂O, and P₂O₅, respectively. Powders were characterized by FTIR, DTA, XRD and SEM techniques. Powders from the Li₂O–B₂O₃ system exhibited glassy features while borate and borophosphate powders contained mainly crystalline B₂O₃ according to XRD analysis. However, a 500 °C heat treatment transformed these crystalline powders into glass powders. Conversely, heat treatment of Li₂O–B₂O₃ powders transformed their structure from glassy to crystalline (Li₂B₄O₇). Chemical durability studies conducted in water at 60 °C showed that minor additions of P₂O₅ into borate and lithium borate powders improved their chemical durability significantly. Furthermore, Li₂O and P₂O₅ acted synergistically on the chemical durability when added simultaneously to borate compositions.     

Long-term and penalty contracts in a two-stage supply chain with stochastic demand

Recent applications of game-theoretic analysis to supply chain efficiency have focused on constructs between a buyer (the retailer or manufacturer) and a seller (the supplier) in successive stages of a supply chain. If demand for the final product is stochastic then the supplier has an incentive to keep its capacity relatively low to avoid creating unneeded capacity. The manufacturer, on the other hand, prefers the supplier’s capacity to be high to ensure that the final demand is satisfied. The manufacturer therefore constructs a contract to induce the supplier to increase its production capacity. Most research examines contracting when final demand is realized after the manufacturer places its order to the supplier. However, if final demand is realized before the manufacturer places its order to the supplier, these types of contracts can be ineffective. This paper examines two contracts under the latter timing scenario: long-term contracts in which the business relationship is repeated, and penalty contracts in which the supplier is penalized for too little capacity. Results indicate long-term contracts increase the profit potential of the supply chain. Furthermore, the penalty contracts can ensure that the supplier chooses a capacity level such that the full profit potential is achieved.