The impact of decision timing on the suppliers’ interactions: simultaneous moves <Emphasis Type="Italic">versus</Emphasis> sequential moves

The last few decades have witnessed a huge growth of outsourcing in industry where the downstream firm assigns its production tasks to different upstream suppliers. This makes the supply chain structure more complicated and gives rise to some relevant operational questions. This paper focuses on a supply chain structure that consists of one assembler and two suppliers, and both suppliers’ production yields are stochastic. The assembler delegates the quantity decisions to the suppliers, and the two suppliers choose their production quantities either simultaneously or sequentially. We compare the suppliers’ equilibrium production strategies under these two scenarios. Our results show that the decision sequence can exert significant influences on the firm’s and channel’s equilibrium payoffs. At any given wholesale price, both suppliers produce more components under sequential moves than under simultaneous moves, and this results in higher payoffs for the suppliers, the assembler and the entire supply chain. The supplier’s profit increases if he can make the decision later under sequential moves. From the channel’s perspective, it is more beneficial for the supplier with a higher production cost to make the decision first. The assembler is able to extract more surplus by endogenously setting the wholesale price. However, this may make the suppliers worse off under sequential moves than under simultaneous moves.     

An adaptive finite element method in reconstruction of coefficients in Maxwell’s equations from limited observations

We propose an adaptive finite element method for the solution of a coefficient inverse problem of simultaneous reconstruction of the dielectric permittivity and magnetic permeability functions in the Maxwell’s system using limited boundary observations of the electric field in 3D.     

Bringing an important macrocycle into a polyoxometalate matrix: synthesis, crystal structure, spectroscopy and electrochemistry of [Co(III)(transdiene)(Cl)2]2[Mo6O19], [Ni(II)(transdiene)][W6O19]·DMSO·DCM and [Zn(II)(transdsiene)(Cl)]2[W6O19

Three polyoxometalate based ion pair solids (1-3), in which Co(III) (d(6)), Ni(II) (d(8)) and Zn(II) (d(10)) complexes of a tetra-aza macrocycle, Me(6)-trans-[14]-diene act as the cationic moieties, have been reported. The title complexes, formulated as [Co (C(16)H(32)N(4))(Cl)(2)](2)[Mo(6)O(19)] (1), [Ni(C(16)H(32)N(4))][W(6)O(19)]·DMSO·DCM (2) and [Zn(C(16)H(32)N(4))(Cl)](2)[W(6)O(19)] (3) (C(16)H(32)N(4) = Me(6)-trans-[14]-diene), are the first crystallographic paradigms where transition metal complexes of a Schiff condensed tetra-aza macrocycle have been associated with an isopolyanion, [M(6)O(19)](2-) (M = Mo(vi) and W(vi)). Compounds 1-3 have been characterized through routine spectroscopic analyses including elemental analysis and their structures have been unambiguously determined through single crystal X-ray crystallography. The molecules of compound 1 assemble obeying P1 (#2) space symmetry, whereas those of compounds 2 and 3 follow the higher symmetrical ensemble P2(1)/c (#14). The ESR spectral studies of compounds 1-3 have revealed their diamagnetic (low-spin) nature. The last part of this article describes the electrochemical properties of the title compounds.     

Protonation of an Oxo‐Bridged Diiron Unit Gives Two Different Iron Centers: Synthesis and Structure of a New Class of Diiron(III)‐μ‐hydroxo Bisporphyrins and the Control of Spin States by Using Counterions

Reported herein is a hitherto unknown family of diiron(III)‐μ‐hydroxo bisporphyrins in which two different spin states of Fe are stabilized in a single molecular framework, although both cores have identical molecular structures. Protonation of the oxo‐bridged dimer ( 2 ) by using strong Brønsted acids, such as HI, HBF₄, and HClO₄, produce red μ‐hydroxo complexes with I₃^? ( 3 ), BF₄^? ( 4 ), and ClO₄^? ( 5 ) counterions, respectively. The X‐ray structure of the molecule reveals that the Fe? O bond length increases on going from the μ‐oxo to the hydroxo complex, whereas the Fe‐O(H)‐Fe unit becomes more bent, which results in the smallest known Fe‐O(H)‐Fe angles of 142.5(2) and 141.2(1)° for 3 and 5 , respectively. In contrast, the Fe‐O(H)‐Fe angle remains unaltered in 4 from the corresponding μ‐oxo complex. The close approach of two rings in a molecule results in unequal core deformations in 3 and 4 , whereas the cores are deformed almost equally but to a lesser extent in 5 . Although 3 was found to have nearly high‐spin and admixed intermediate Fe spin states in cores I and II, respectively, two admixed intermediate spin states were observed in 4 . Even though the cores have identical chemical structures, crucial bond parameters, such as the Fe? N_p, Fe? O, and Fe???Ct_p bond lengths and the ring deformations, are all different between the two Fe^III centers in 3 and 4 , which leads to an eventual stabilization of two different spin states of Fe in each molecule. In contrast, the two Fe centers in 5 are equivalent and assigned to high and intermediate spin states in the solid and solution states, respectively. The spin states are thus found to be dependent on the counterions and can also be reversibly interconverted. Upon protonation, the strong antiferromagnetic coupling in the μ‐oxo dimer (J, ?126.6 cm^?1) is attenuated to almost zero in the μ‐hydroxo complex with the I₃^? counterion, whereas the values of J are ?36 and ?42 cm^?1, respectively, for complexes with BF₄^? and ClO₄^? counterions.     

Competitive CE-UV binding tests for selective recognition of bisphenol A by molecularly imprinted polymer particles

Capillary electrophoresis with ultraviolet detection (CE-UV) was used to perform competitive binding tests to demonstrate the selective recognition of bisphenol A (BPA) by molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) particles. Cross-linking polymerization of methacrylic acid (MAA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) in the presence of BPA yielded MIP particles with an average diameter of 164 ± 15 nm. Their ability to recognize BPA in the presence of nonionic, anionic, and cationic water contaminants was investigated. Binding efficiency was rapidly determined, after sequential injection of particles first and compounds next into the fused-silica capillary provided a short overlapping time during their electrophoretic migrations. The MIP particles exhibited high-binding efficiency (99 ± 1%) for BPA. Neither diclofenac nor metformin affected BPA binding, and 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone was even displaced from the particles by BPA. These results verified the high selectivity of MIP toward its target compound.     

Alkali‐Metal Pyrazolate Complexes with Unusual Pyrazolate Coordination Modes and Pseudocubane Motifs

The dimeric complex [Li(Ph₂pz)(OEt₂)]₂ ( 1 ) and tetrameric cluster [Na(Ph₂pz)(thf)]₄ ( 2 ) were prepared by treatment of alkali‐metal reagents (nBuLi and Na{N(SiMe₃)₂}, respectively) with 3,5‐diphenylpyrazole (Ph₂pzH) in Et₂O ( 1 ) or THF ( 2 ). The polymer [Na(tBu₂pz)]_n ( 3 ) was obtained from reaction at elevated temperature in a sealed tube between Na metal and 3,5‐di‐tert‐butylpyrazole (tBu₂pzH). The complex [Na₄(tBu₂pz)₂(thf)₃(obds)]₂ ( 4 ; obds=(OSiMe₂)₂O) was obtained as a minor product from prolonged treatment of tBu₂pzH with elemental sodium in a silicone‐greased flask. All four alkali‐metal pyrazolato complexes were characterized by IR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy and X‐ray crystallography.The Li dimer 1 displays μ‐η²:η¹ lithium–pyrazolato binding, in which both lithium atoms are four‐coordinate. Room‐ and variable‐temperature NMR studies (¹H, ¹³C, and ⁷Li) of 1 suggest similar behavior in solution, with peaks coalescing at low temperatures. Complexes 2 and 4 display distorted cubane structures. In 2 , all the sodium atoms are five‐coordinate, whereas 4 contains two sodium/pyrazolate/thf clusters (4:2:3 ratio) bridged by two obds^2? units, as well as two four‐coordinate and two five‐coordinate sodium atoms. Compound 3 is composed of two independent chains with the unusual coordination modes μ₃‐η⁵:η²:η², μ₃‐η⁵:η²:η¹, and μ₃‐η⁴:η²:η¹, with five‐, six‐, and seven‐coordinate sodium atoms. Two oxo‐centered M₈ cage complexes [(tBu₂pz)₆Li₈O] ( 5 ) and [(tBu₂pz)₆Na₈O] ( 6 ) were obtained as by‐products from attempted preparation of [Li(tBu₂pz)] and [Na(tBu₂pz)], respectively, and their structures were determined.     

A distal pocket Leu residue inhibits the binding of O2 and NO at the distal heme site of cytochrome c'

Cytochromes c' are pentacoordinate heme proteins with sterically hindered distal sites that bind NO and CO but do not form stable complexes with O(2). Removal of distal pocket steric hindrance via a Leu→Ala mutation yields favorable O(2) binding (K(d) ~49 nM) without apparent H-bond stabilization of the Fe-O(2) moiety, as well as an extremely high distal heme-NO affinity (K(d) ~70 fM). The native Leu residue inhibits distal coordination of diatomic ligands by decreasing k(on) as well as increasing k(off). The connection between distal steric constraints, k(off) values, and distal to proximal heme-NO conversion is discussed.     

Challenges of sulfur SAD phasing as a routine method in macromolecular crystallography

The sulfur SAD phasing method allows the determination of protein structures de novo without reference to derivatives such as Se‐methionine. The feasibility for routine automated sulfur SAD phasing using a number of current protein crystallography beamlines at several synchrotrons was examined using crystals of trimeric Achromobacter cycloclastes nitrite reductase (AcNiR), which contains a near average proportion of sulfur‐containing residues and two Cu atoms per subunit. Experiments using X‐ray wavelengths in the range 1.9–2.4 Å show that we are not yet at the level where sulfur SAD is routinely successful for automated structure solution and model building using existing beamlines and current software tools. On the other hand, experiments using the shortest X‐ray wavelengths available on existing beamlines could be routinely exploited to solve and produce unbiased structural models using the similarly weak anomalous scattering signals from the intrinsic metal atoms in proteins. The comparison of long‐wavelength phasing (the Bijvoet ratio for nine S atoms and two Cu atoms is ～1.25% at ～2 Å) and copper phasing (the Bijvoet ratio for two Cu atoms is 0.81% at ～0.75 Å) for AcNiR suggests that lower data multiplicity than is currently required for success should in general be possible for sulfur phasing if appropriate improvements to beamlines and data collection strategies can be implemented.     

On‐line optical and X‐ray spectroscopies with crystallography: an integrated approach for determining metalloprotein structures in functionally well defined states

X‐ray‐induced redox changes can lead to incorrect assignments of the functional states of metals in metalloprotein crystals. The need for on‐line monitoring of the status of metal ions (and other chromophores) during protein crystallography experiments is of growing importance with the use of intense synchrotron X‐ray beams. Significant efforts are therefore being made worldwide to combine different spectroscopies in parallel with X‐ray crystallographic data collection. Here the implementation and utilization of optical and X‐ray absorption spectroscopies on the modern macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamline 10, at the SRS, Daresbury Laboratory, is described. This beamline is equipped with a dedicated monolithic energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence detector, allowing X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements to be made in situ on the same crystal used to record the diffraction data. In addition, an optical microspectrophotometer has been incorporated on the beamline, thus facilitating combined MX, XAS and optical spectroscopic measurements. By uniting these techniques it is also possible to monitor the status of optically active and optically silent metal centres present in a crystal at the same time. This unique capability has been applied to observe the results of crystallographic data collection on crystals of nitrite reductase from Alcaligenes xylosoxidans, which contains both type‐1 and type‐2 Cu centres. It is found that the type‐1 Cu centre photoreduces quickly, resulting in the loss of the 595 nm peak in the optical spectrum, while the type‐2 Cu centre remains in the oxidized state over a much longer time period, for which independent confirmation is provided by XAS data as this centre has an optical spectrum which is barely detectable using microspectrophotometry. This example clearly demonstrates the importance of using two on‐line methods, spectroscopy and XAS, for identifying well defined redox states of metalloproteins during crystallographic data collection.