Inventory competition for newsvendors under the objective of profit satisficing

Inventory competition for newsvendors (NVs) has been studied extensively under the objective of expected profit maximization which is based on risk neutrality. In this paper, we study this classic problem under the objective of profit satisficing which is based on downside-risk aversion. Consistent with prior literature, we consider two possible scenarios. In the first scenario, each NV’s demand depends on the stocking levels of all NVs other than herself. In this scenario, we show that there is a unique Nash equilibrium where all NVs optimally order as if they were independent. In the second scenario, each NV’s demand depends on the stocking levels of all NVs including herself. We prove the existence of Nash equilibrium for both additive and multiplicative forms of demands. As a special case, we also study symmetrical NVs under the proportional allocation model. We show that at equilibrium, if the number of NVs exceeds a threshold, the market becomes highly competitive.     

Study of La0.8Sr0.2Co0.2Cr0.8O3 − δ as a candidate coating material for the positive current collector in Na/S battery

Perovskite La_0.8Sr_0.2Co_0.2Cr_0.8O_3 − δ (LSCC) ceramic synthesized by the conventional ceramic processing technique was studied as a novel coating material for the cathode current collector in Na/S battery. Its structure, electrical conductivity, density and thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) were investigated. The corrosion performance of LSCC was in particular evaluated by electrochemical techniques in combination with long-term dip-immersion tests. The results indicated that LSCC exhibited excellent corrosion resistance in molten sodium tetrasulfide at 350 °C. The corrosion current density i_corr (0.081 mA cm^− 2) was much lower than that of 316 L stainless steel by approximately two orders of magnitude. The corrosion rate of LSCC deduced from immersion test was as low as about 12 μm year^− 1.     

Preparation of carbon supported Pt-P catalysts and its electrocatalytic performance for oxygen reduction

The carbon supported PtP (PtP/C) catalysts were synthesized from Pt(NO₃)₂ and phosphorus yellow at the room temperature. The content of P in the PtP/C catalysts prepared with this method is high and the average size of the PtP particles is decreased with increasing the content of P. The electrocatalytic performances of the PtP/C catalysts prepared with this method for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are better than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst. The promotion action of P for enhancing the electrocatalytic performance of the PtP/C catalyst for ORR is mainly due to that Pt and P form the alloy and then the electron density of Pt is decreased.