A neural networks approach for forecasting the supplier’s bid prices in supplier selection negotiation process

Supplier selection negotiation is a sophisticated and challenged job due to the diversity of intellectual backgrounds of the negotiating parties, the many variables involved in supply–demand relationship, the complex interactions and the inadequate negotiation knowledge of project participants. To do the job well, it is necessary to develop an intelligent system for negotiation support in supplier selection process. Therefore, an artificial neural network-based predictive model with application for forecasting the supplier’s bid prices in supplier selection negotiation process (SSNP) is developed in this paper. By means of the model, demander can foresee the relationship between its alternative bids and corresponding supplier’s next bid prices in advance. The purpose of this paper is applying the model’s forecast ability to provide negotiation supports or recommendations for demander in deciding the better current bid price to decrease meaningless negotiation times, reduce procurement cost, improve negotiation efficiency or shorten supplier selection lead-time in SSNP.     

New V-groove double-diffused m.o.s. (v.d.m.o.s.)

A new V-groove double-diffused m.o.s. (v.d.m.o s.) is proposed which combines the V-groove technology and the double-diffused m.o.s. (d.m.o.s.) technology. The fabrication processes arc qualitatively described. The gate is located on the vertical V-shaped surface, and the effective channel length is controlled by the vertical-diffusion process of the double-diffusion step. The v.d.m.o.s. is expected to have a faster speed and higher production yield than the ordinary d.m.o.s.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Organic Dyes Containing Various Donors and Acceptors

New organic dyes comprising carbazole, iminodibenzyl, or phenothiazine moieties, respectively, as the electron donors, and cyanoacetic acid or acrylic acid moieties as the electron acceptors/anchoring groups were synthesized and characterized. The influence of heteroatoms on carbazole, iminodibenzyl and phenothiazine donors, and cyano-substitution on the acid acceptor is evidenced by spectral, electrochemical, photovoltaic experiments, and density functional theory calculations. The phenothiazine dyes show solar-energy-to-electricity conversion efficiency (η) of 3.46–5.53%, whereas carbazole and iminodibenzyl dyes show η of 2.43% and 3.49%, respectively.     

Parameter extraction of resistive thermal microsensors by ACelectrical method

Obtaining device parameters of thermal microsensors is essential for evaluating their performances and simulation modeling. We report an AC electrical method for extracting these parameters experimentally with relatively simple instrumentation. The basic parameters of resistive microsensors, the resistance, temperature coefficient of resistance, thermal capacitance, and conductance, are derivable from the second harmonic signal of the output voltage induced by a sinusoidal driving current. The results are compared with other methods     

Diversity of cDNAs encoding phospholipase A2 from Agkistrodon halys pallas venom, and its expression in E. coli

As a step toward understanding the structure and function of phospholipase A2(PLA2), we isolated several novel cDNAs encoding Agkistrodon halys Pallas PLA2 isoenzymes including B-PLA2, Asn49-PLA2, A-PLA2, A'-PLA2 and BA1-PLA2 by polymerase chain reaction with oligonucleotide primers corresponding to the N- and C-terminus of these enzymes. The amino acid sequences of A-PLA2 deduced from cDNA are consistent with that isolated from venom except for four residues. Asn49-PLA2 and B-PLA2 are highly similar (> 95%), but the critical residue Asp49 in the active centre of B-PLA2 is replaced by Asn49 in Asn49-PLA2. The N-terminal residues (1-24) of BA1-PLA2 shows high similarity to that of B-PLA2 which has strong ability to hemolyze erythrocytes, while its C-terminal residues (72-125) are the same as that of A-PLA2 which can inhibit platelet aggregation. The successful cloning of these isoenzymes not only provide excellent native material to study the structure-function relationship of PLA2s, but also to disclose the genesis of structural diversity of PLA2s, namely DNA modification and gene rearrangement. The cloned cDNA for A-PLA2 has been expressed in E. coli. By Q-Sepharose column chromatography, denaturation-renaturation and FPLC, we obtained the active recombinant protein with the initiator Met. This is the first report of the production of an active recombinant PLA2 with the initiator Met.