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This research explores the value of personality information sharing in a two-tier supply chain of innovative products that have a short life cycle and no pollution to the environment. We analyse the behaviour of supply chain participants with one-shot decision theory and present an analysis of wholesale pricing for these products. We introduce the retailer's personality information sharing into our models and show the importance of personality information sharing in the wholesale price contract of the supply chain system. Theoretical analysis gains managerial insights into the strategic selection of the manufacturer when facing retailers with different personalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rhizosphere microenvironment is crucial to plant–soil physiological processes. The differences among microbial communities in the rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere peatland topsoil (0–15 cm) and subsoil (15–30 cm) in five plant communities dominated by Carex schmidtii, Chamaedaphne calyculata, Ledum palustre, Betula fruticosa, and Vaccinium uliginosum, as well as non-rhizosphere soil in discontinuous and continuous permafrost regions, were studied. We found that the bacteria and nifH gene abundances in the C. calyculata rhizosphere soil in the discontinuous permafrost region were higher than those in continuous permafrost region, while the nirK and nifH gene abundances in the non-rhizosphere soil of the discontinuous permafrost region were lower than those in the continuous permafrost region. The ratio of bacteria to fungi decreased and that of nirK to nirS increased significantly from the discontinuous to the continuous permafrost region, indicating that permafrost degradation can change soil microbial community composition. Fungal abundance was higher in the rhizosphere than the non-rhizosphere soils, suggesting that plant roots provide a more suitable environment for fungi. Moreover, the abundances of the topsoil bacteria; the fungi; and the nirK, nirS, and nifH genes were higher than those in the subsoil because of the organic matter from plant litter as a source of nutrients. The microbial abundance in the subsoil was also more affected by nutrient availability. To sum up, the microbial abundance varied among the different types of rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils, and the carbon and nitrogen cycling processes mediated by soil microorganisms may be greatly altered due to permafrost degradation under climate warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in structural biology have provided important mechanistic insights into signaling by the transmembrane core of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs); however, much less is known about intrinsically disordered regions such as the carboxyl terminus (CT), which is highly flexible and not visible in GPCR structures. The β2 adrenergic receptor's (β2AR) 71 amino acid CT is a substrate for GPCR kinases and binds β-arrestins to regulate signaling. Here we show that the β2AR CT directly inhibits basal and agonist-stimulated signaling in cell lines lacking β-arrestins. Combining single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), NMR spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations, we reveal that the negatively charged β2AR-CT serves as an autoinhibitory factor via interacting with the positively charged cytoplasmic surface of the receptor to limit access to G-proteins. The stability of this interaction is influenced by agonists and allosteric modulators, emphasizing that the CT plays important role in allosterically regulating GPCR activation. Intrinsically disordered regions of GPCRs have been understudied for their role in receptor signaling. Here, Jie Heng et al. reveal the dynamic behavior of β2 adrenergic receptor C-terminus and its autoinhibitory function in downstream Gs coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of the dual-credit policy has had a significant impact on the development of new energy vehicles. Considering the background of the dual-credit policy, this paper examines the concept that demand is influenced by price, consumer low-carbon preference, and concerns regarding endurance. First, we study the pricing decisions of a two-level automobile supply chain consisting of two manufacturers and one dealer and discuss the influence of the dual-credit policy on decision making. Two methods are then used to coordinate the supply chain, and the results are verified by numerical analysis. The results show that: (1) the stronger the concerns of consumers regarding a low-carbon preference and endurance, the better the development of new energy vehicles; (2) raising the integral calculation coefficient and the integral price can increase the demand for, and profits from, new energy vehicles, which can expand the market; and (3) the supply chain can be fully coordinated through Nash negotiations. This paper theoretically demonstrates the impact of factors such as car endurance on corporate decision making, guiding car companies to make pricing decisions based on market conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a dynamic, uncertain environment, increased supply chain resilience can improve business quality. Predicting changes in enterprise supply chain resilience can help enterprises adjust their operational strategy timeously and reduce the risk of supply and demand interruption. First, a comprehensive resilience assessment framework for manufacturing enterprises was constructed from the perspective of the supply chain, and an improved technique for order of preference by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) method was used to quantify the resilience level. Considering that the resilience index is easily affected by uncertain factors, and this produces large fluctuations, the buffer operator and metabolism idea are introduced to improve the grey prediction model. This improvement can realize dynamic tracking of the enterprise resilience index and evaluate changes in the enterprise resilience level. Finally, through the analysis of the supply chain data of a famous electronic manufacturing enterprise in China over a two-and-a-half-year period, the results show that the improved TOPSIS method and the improved grey prediction model are effective in improving the supply chain resilience of manufacturing enterprises. This study provides a reference method for manufacturing enterprises to improve their supply chain resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate warming affects the carbon cycle of northern peatlands through temperature rises and a changing carbon availability. To clarify the effects of elevated temperature and labile carbon addition on SOC mineralization, as well as their microbial driving mechanisms, topsoil (0–10 cm) and subsoil (10–20 cm) were collected from a peatland in the Great Hing'an Mountains and incubated with or without 13C-glucose at 10 °C and 15 °C for 42 days. The results showed that 5 °C warming significantly stimulated SOC mineralization along with NH4+-N and NO3−-N content increases, as well as a decrease in invertase and urease activities. Glucose addition triggered a positive priming effect (PE) in the early stage of the incubation but changed to a negative PE in the late stage of the incubation. Glucose likely regulates carbon dynamics by altering fungi: bacteria, soil invertase, and β-glucodase activities, and MBC, DOC, NH4+-N contents. Glucose addition increased fungal abundance in 0–10 cm at 10 °C and 15 °C, and 10–20 cm at 10 °C, respectively, but significantly decreased fungal abundance in 10–20 cm at 15 °C. Glucose addition decreased bacterial abundance in 0–10 cm at 10 °C but increased bacterial abundance in 10–20 cm soil at 10 °C, and in 0–10 and 10–20 cm soils at 15 °C, respectively. Glucose addition significantly decreased the fungi: bacteria ratio in 0–20 cm soils at 15 °C. In addition, Q10 was significantly positively correlated with the changes in soil DOC, NH4+-N contents, invertase, and β-glucosidase activities, while negatively correlated with fungi: bacteria and urease activities after 5 °C of warming, and glucose addition significantly increased the Q10. Labile carbon may decrease carbon losses in northern peatlands that inhibit warming-induced carbon emission increase, thus partially buffering soil carbon content against change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permafrost thaw will likely change plant communities and their relationship with soil microbial communities in northern peatlands under climate change. Understanding the linkage response of plant communities and soil microbial communities in boreal peatlands to permafrost thaw is needed to better forecast future functioning of permafrost peatlands. Here, we investigated soil microbial abundance and bacterial community diversity and determined their relationship with soil carbon and nitrogen contents in five typical peatlands with different dominant plant species. The dominant plant species were Eriophorum vaginatum (E. vaginatum), Betula fruticosa (B. fruticosa), Ledum palustre (L. palustre), Betula fruticosa–Vaccinium uliginosum (B. fruticosa + V. uliginosum) and Betula platyphylla (B. platyphylla), respectively. Results showed that soil methanogen and methanotroph abundance were higher in B. fruticosa, E. vaginatum, and L. palustre dominant peatlands than in B. platyphylla and B. fruticosa + V. uliginosum dominant peatlands. NirS-type denitrifying bacteria abundance in the superficial layer of the soil (0–15 cm) was lower in B. fruticosa + V. uliginosum dominant plants than in other sites. Plant species richness index was positively correlated with methanogen and methanotroph abundances in the superficial layer of the soil. Plant species diversity index was significantly positively correlated with total bacteria and methanotroph abundance in subsoil (15–30 cm). Soil bacterial diversity was positively related to soil pH. The bacterial community differences in the soil depths of 0–15 and 15–30 cm were driven by different main factors. Our findings verify that plant community diversity is linked to the soil microbial functional group involved by soil carbon and nitrogen nutrient and pH in permafrost peatlands. This study is critical to better understanding the biodiversity maintenance mechanism in permafrost peatland under climate warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microorganisms play critical roles in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles. However, our understanding of the distribution of C‐ and N‐cycling microbial communities along the permafrost peatland profile was limited. We characterized changes in the abundances of bacteria, fungi, archaea, methanogen, methanotroph, ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria, and denitrifying bacteria along a soil profile in the permafrost peatland of the Great Hing'an Mountains, China. Maximum values of bacteria, fungi, archaea, methanotroph, and nirK‐type denitrifying bacteria abundances were found for the 0–40 cm layer and minimum values for the 100–150 cm layer. Bacteria, fungi, archaea, methanotroph, and nirK‐type denitrifying bacteria gradually decreased in terms of abundance with increasing soil depths. Methanogen, ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria, and nirS‐type denitrifying bacteria all showed the highest abundances in the 40–80 cm layer. Abundances of bacteria, fungi, archaea, methanogen, methanotroph, and nirK‐type denitrifying bacteria were all significantly negatively correlated with pH and C:N values, but significantly positively correlated with TC, TN, and TP levels. In the context of climate change, microbial distribution characteristics in the active, transition, and frozen layers in permafrost peatlands will change, and then affect C and N cycles. Results in this study highlighted the importance of sampling deeper soil depths in the study of microbial distribution and C/N cycles in peatland ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peatlands are significant carbon dioxide (CO2) sinks and methane (CH4) sources. In this study, we investigated changes in CO2 and CH4 emissions from topsoil (0–20 cm) to subsoil (20–40 cm) in a permafrost peatland, and the related soil microbial abundance in response to increasing temperature and soil water content by using an incubation experiment. Our results indicated that CO2 and CH4 emissions from the permafrost peatland are highly sensitive to temperature and soil water content. CO2 emissions from topsoil and subsoil at 15°C were 3.36 and 2.74 times larger, respectively, compared to those at 5°C under the field moisture condition, and were 1.70 times larger under the waterlogged treatment in both topsoil and subsoil. CH4 emissions from 0–20 to 20–40 cm soils at 15°C were 34 and 83 times larger, respectively, than those at 5°C under the original state and 17 and 32 times larger under the waterlogged treatment. These results indicated that CH4 emissions are more sensitive than CO2 emissions, and waterlogged conditions could decrease temperature sensitivity of CO2 and CH4 emissions. Microbial analyses showed that the cumulative emissions amount of CO2 positively correlated with bacterial, fungal, and methanotroph abundances. Positive relationships were observed between CH4 emissions and abundances of bacteria, fungi, and archaea. These findings suggested that changes in temperature and water content alter CO2 and CH4 emissions from permafrost peatlands through controlling abundances of soil bacteria, fungi, archaea, and methanotrophs. These variables bear importance in accurately estimating C emissions from permafrost peatlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to study the effects of compound microbe-based beads on changes in the intestinal microbiota and alleviation of high-fat (HF) diet–induced inflammatory responses. Forty-eight mice were fed base chow or a high-fat diet for 4 weeks and then randomly separated into six groups: normal diet (group A), high-fat diet (group B), high-fat positive control (fed with high-fat chow plus Tetrahydrolipstatin, group C), high-fat chow plus B. breve beads (group D), high-fat chow plus L. plantarum-L. fermentum beads (group E), and high-fat chow plus L. plantarum-L. fermentum-B. breve beads (group F). The body weights were measured. The serum cytokine and lipid levels were determined by ELISA, and high-throughput sequence analysis of the fecal microbiota was conducted. Beads with cell encapsulation rates higher than 99% decreased the body weight from 50.97 ± 3.44 g in group B to 42.64 ± 2.63 g in group F at the end of the experiment (p = 0.00019). The total cholesterol content in group F was 80.14 ± 9.37 mmol/L, which was significantly lower than that in group A (96.13 ± 24.07 mmol/L) (p = 0.02765), group B (102.52 ± 12.20 mmol/L) (p = 0.00196), and group C (98.99 ± 11.32 mmol/L) (p = 0.00804). In addition, the serum IL-6 level showed no significant difference between group F and the base chow control group. The microbial cell-loaded bead intervention led to increased abundances of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in mouse feces. Oral administration of three strain-based beads led to alleviation of inflammatory reactions in high-fat diet–fed mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationship between intestinal flora and obesity has aroused great interest. The probiotic effects of Lactobacillus plantarum ( LP) and Lactobacillus fermentum ( LF) have been documented extensively. This study aimed to explore the effects of LP and LF alone or in combination on lipid-lowering effects of the high-fat diet rat via intestinal flora modulation and systemic immunity. The rats in high-fat diet plus LP ( LP 108 cfu day−1) showed significantly lower IL-6 and endotoxin ( ET) content, increased the number of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus and decreased the liver steatosis and fat vehicle sizes. The Lactobacillus LP and LF in combination can regulate intestinal flora and systemic immune function in rats with high-fat diet. It provides the foundation for the further development and application of multiple Lactobacillus strain in controlling obesity-related syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salvia miltiorrhiza is one of the most popular traditional medicinal herbs in Asian nations. Its dried root contains a number of tanshinones, protocatechuic aldehyde, salvianolic acid B and rosmarinic, and is used for the treatment of various diseases. The finding of microRNAs (miRNAs) and their target genes will help understand their biological role on the biosynthesis of tanshinones in S. miltiorrhiza. In the present study, a total of 452 known miRNAs corresponding to 589 precursor miRNAs (pre-miRNAs), and 40 novel miRNAs corresponding to 24 pre-miRNAs were identified in different tissues of S. miltiorrhiza by high-throughput sequencing, respectively. Among them, 62 miRNAs express only in root, 95 miRNAs express only in stem, 19 miRNAs express only in leaf, and 71 miRNAs express only in flower, respectively. By the degradome analysis, 69 targets potentially cleaved by 25 miRNAs were identified. Among them, acetyl-CoA C-acetyltransferase was cleaved by miR5072, and involved in the biosynthesis of tanshinones. This study provided valuable information for understanding the tissue-specific expression patterns of miRNAs in S. miltiorrhiza, and offered a foundation for future studies of the miRNA-mediated biosynthesis of tanshinones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a manufacturer who produces and sells a kind of innovative product in the monopoly market environment. Because the life cycle of an innovative product is usually shorter than its procurement lead time, one unique demand quantity (scenario) will occur in the selling season; thus, there is only one chance for the manufacturer to determine both optimal production quantity and optimal sale price. Considering this one-time feature of such a decision problem, a price-setting newsvendor model for innovative products is proposed. Different to the existing price-setting newsvendor models, the proposed models determine the optimal production quantity and sale price based on some specific state (scenario) which is most applicable for the manufacturer. The theoretical analysis provides managerial insights into the manufacturers' behaviors in a monopoly market of an innovative product, and several phenomena in the luxury goods market are well explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming is likely to influence the soil microorganisms and enzyme activity and alter the carbon and nitrogen balance of peatland ecosystems. To investigate the difference in sensitivities of carbon and nitrogen cycling microorganisms and enzyme activity to warming, we conducted three-year warming experiments in a boreal peatland. Our findings demonstrated that both mcrA and nirS gene abundance in shallow soil and deep soil exhibited insensitivity to warming, while shallow soil archaea 16S rRNA gene and amoA gene abundance in both shallow soil and deep soil increased under warming. Soil pmoA gene abundance of both layers, bacterial 16S rRNA gene abundance in shallow soil, and nirK gene abundance in deep soil decreased due to warming. The decreases of these gene abundances would be a result of losing labile substrates because of the competitive interactions between aboveground plants and underground soil microorganisms. Experimental warming inhibited β-glucosidase activity in two soil layers and invertase activity in deep soil, while it stimulated acid phosphatase activity in shallow soil. Both temperature and labile substrates regulate the responses of soil microbial abundances and enzyme activities to warming and affect the coupling relationships of carbon and nitrogen. This study provides a potential microbial mechanism controlling carbon and nitrogen cycling in peatland under climate warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]