Optimal selling price, marketing expenditure and lot size under general demand function

Joint pricing and lot sizing models enable manufacturers in making decision regarding production and pricing. These types of models have been proven to be very popular in the supply chain literature and are collectively known as the joint pricing and lot sizing models (JPLM). These models have been limited to a specialized demand function. In this paper, our proposed model relies on the fact that demand is a general function. We use a new approach to include a marketing effort factor in JPLM to increase profit for the manufacturer. In this approach, marketing effort is described as a separate factor that influences the demand. We obtain optimal solutions for selling price, marketing expenditure, and lot size such that the manufacture’s profit is maximized. The production, setup, and holding costs are also represented in the model. Numerical examples presented in this paper, which include sensitivity analysis of the key parameters, will be used to illustrate our model.     

In-situ laser-fabrication and characterization of TiC-containing Ti–Co composite on pure Ti substrate

This work presents the in-situ fabrication of a layered metal-matrix composite coating on a pure Ti substrate. The coating consists of a matrix of cobalt-titanium intermetallics and the reinforcement phase of titanium carbide. The fabrication process is laser cladding, conducted using a pre-placed powder mixture of elemental titanium, cobalt, and graphite. Several materials characterization methods including microscopy, microhardness and nano-indentation are used to study the coating and coating–substrate interface. The intermetallic phases in the matrix vary from Co-rich phases at the coating surface to Ti-rich compounds near the substrate. The interface is revealed to have a smooth profile, free of any porosity or cracks, with good metallurgical bonding to the substrate. A relatively uniform hardness in the range of 1200–1300 HVN is achieved through a depth of 200 μm into the coating. The hardness then gradually decreases to 480 HVN at the substrate interface, approximately 300 μm from the surface. The hardness evolution, which is predictable using the Rule of Mixtures, is explained by the fraction of the carbide particles and the type of intermetallic compounds in the matrix.     

Pulsatile flow of viscous and viscoelastic fluids in constricted tubes

The unsteady flow of blood through stenosed artery, driven by an oscillatory pressure gradient, is studied. An appropriate shape of the time-dependent stenoses which are overlapped in the realm of the formation of arterial narrowing is constructed mathematically. A msathematical model is developed by treating blood as a non-Newtonian fluid characterized by the Oldroyd-B and Cross models. A numerical scheme has been used to solve the unsteady nonlinear Navier-stokes equations in cylindrical coordinate system governing flow, assuming axial symmetry under laminar flow condition so that the problem effectively becomes two-dimensional. Finite difference technique was used to investigate the effects of parameters such as pulsatility, non-Newtonian properties and the flow time on the velocity components, the rate of flow, and the wall shear stress through their graphical representations quantitatively at the end of the paper in order to validate the applicability of the present improved mathematical model under consideration.     

Enhancement of Biodiesel Production from Chicken Fat Using MgO and MgO@Na2O Nanocatalysts

Biodiesel was produced from chicken fat in the presence of MgO and MgO@Na₂O nanocatalysts via transesterification. The characteristics of MgO and MgO@Na₂O were examined using various analyses, including BET specific surface areas, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy/mapping scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The maximum yields of biodiesel production using MgO and MgO@Na₂O nano‐catalysts were 95.17 and 95.22 %, respectively, which are significant biodiesel yields. ¹H NMR analysis was used to determine the molecular structure of the chicken fat oil and the produced biodiesel. Furthermore, the reusability of the catalysts was examined for up to six steps, showing that both catalysts can be used for up to four steps in biodiesel production.     

Cortactin Is Required for Efficient FAK,Src and Abl Tyrosine Kinase Activation and Phosphorylation of Helicobacter pylori CagA

Cortactin is a well-known regulatory protein of the host actin cytoskeleton and represents an attractive target of microbial pathogens like Helicobacter pylori. H. pylori manipulates cortactin’s phosphorylation status by type-IV secretion-dependent injection of its virulence protein CagA. Multiple host tyrosine kinases, like FAK, Src, and Abl, are activated during infection, but the pathway(s) involved is (are) not yet fully established. Among them, Src and Abl target CagA and stimulate tyrosine phosphorylation of the latter at its EPIYA-motifs. To investigate the role of cortactin in more detail, we generated a CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of cortactin in AGS gastric epithelial cells. Surprisingly, we found that FAK, Src, and Abl kinase activities were dramatically downregulated associated with widely diminished CagA phosphorylation in cortactin knockout cells compared to the parental control. Together, we report here a yet unrecognized cortactin-dependent signaling pathway involving FAK, Src, and Abl activation, and controlling efficient phosphorylation of injected CagA during infection. Thus, the cortactin status could serve as a potential new biomarker of gastric cancer development.     

The Molecular Basis of COVID-19 Pathogenesis,Conventional and Nanomedicine Therapy

In late 2019, a new member of the Coronaviridae family, officially designated as “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2), emerged and spread rapidly. The Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) outbreak was accompanied by a high rate of morbidity and mortality worldwide and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020. Within the Coronaviridae family, SARS-CoV-2 is considered to be the third most highly pathogenic virus that infects humans, following the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Four major mechanisms are thought to be involved in COVID-19 pathogenesis, including the activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) signaling pathway, oxidative stress and cell death, cytokine storm, and endothelial dysfunction. Following virus entry and RAS activation, acute respiratory distress syndrome develops with an oxidative/nitrosative burst. The DNA damage induced by oxidative stress activates poly ADP-ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1), viral macrodomain of non-structural protein 3, poly (ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG), and transient receptor potential melastatin type 2 (TRPM2) channel in a sequential manner which results in cell apoptosis or necrosis. In this review, blockers of angiotensin II receptor and/or PARP, PARG, and TRPM2, including vitamin D3, trehalose, tannins, flufenamic and mefenamic acid, and losartan, have been investigated for inhibiting RAS activation and quenching oxidative burst. Moreover, the application of organic and inorganic nanoparticles, including liposomes, dendrimers, quantum dots, and iron oxides, as therapeutic agents for SARS-CoV-2 were fully reviewed. In the present review, the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are explained by focusing on molecular mechanisms. Potential therapeutic targets, including the RAS signaling pathway, PARP, PARG, and TRPM2, are also discussed in depth.