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BackgroundENN Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd. (ENN Fusion Technology R&D Center) is upgrading its compact fusion research facility EXL-50 to EXL-50U. Both devices are the conventional conductor tokamak, on which the magnet power supply system is composed by 1 TF (Toroidal Field) power supply, 1 CS (Center Solenoid) power supply and 10 PF (Poloidal Field) power supplies PF1-10. All 12 sets of power supply system are powered by 2 AC pulse generators and output DC current through thyristor-based converters.PurposeThis study aims to design EXL-50U magnet power supply for satisfying high parameter requirements of EXL-50U.MethodsPower supply capacity was the first concern for upgrading and the corresponding protection strategies under high parameter conditions was taken into account as well. The configuration of AC pulse generator was introduced at the beginning. Then transformers and converters were listed and designed in scheme. Control system and protection process were implemented respectively, followed by detail power supply system illustration and commissioning waveforms display for each power supply.ResultsThe reliability and controllability of developed power supply system are verified by the waveforms that forms plasma current under the condition of CS breakdown.ConclusionIt is proved that this power supply system can work stably, and output waveforms can be repeated no matter it works alone or under complex condition of joint debugging.

Problem definition: We study a robust screening problem where a seller attempts to sell a product to a buyer knowing only the moment and support information of the buyer's valuation distribution. The objective is to maximize the competitive ratio relative to an optimal hindsight policy equipped with full valuation information. Methodology/results: We formulate the robust screening problem as a linear programming problem, which can be solved efficiently if the support of the buyer's valuation is finite. When the support of the buyer's valuation is continuous and the seller knows the mean and the upper and lower bounds of the support for the buyer's valuation, we show that the optimal payment is a piecewise polynomial function of the valuation with a degree of at most two. Moreover, we derive the closed-form competitive ratio corresponding to the optimal mechanism. The optimal mechanism can be implemented by a randomized pricing mechanism whose price density function is a piecewise inverse function adjusted by a constant. When the mean and variance are known to the seller, we propose a feasible piecewise polynomial approximation of the optimal payment function with a degree of at most three. We also demonstrate that the optimal competitive ratio exhibits a logarithmic decay with respect to the coefficient of variation of the buyer's valuation distribution. Managerial implications: Our general framework provides an approach to investigating the value of moment information in the robust screening problem. We establish that even a loose upper bound of support or a large variance can guarantee a good competitive ratio. Funding: The research of S. Wang is partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 72394395]. The research of S. Liu is partly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant NSFC-72072117]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2023.0072. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Circulating cytokines have been associated with colorectal cancer (CRC). However, their causal correlation remains undetermined. This investigation uses genetic data to evaluate the mechanism that links circulating cytokines and CRC via Mendelian Randomization (MR). Methods: A two-sample MR evaluation was carried out to investigate the mechanism associating circulating cytokines and CRC in individuals of European ancestry. The Genome-wide association studies statistics, which are publically accessible, were used. Eligible instrumental SNPs that were significantly related to the circulating cytokines were selected. Multiple MR analysis approaches were carried out, including Simple Mode, inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, Weighted Mode, Weighted Median, and MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) methods. Results: The evidence supporting the association of genetically predicted circulating levels with the increased risk of CRC was revealed; these included vascular endothelial growth factor (OR = 1.352, 95% CI: 1.019–1.315, P = 0.024), interleukin-12p70 (OR = 1.273, 95% CI: 1.133–1.430, P = 4.68×10−5), interleukin-13 (OR = 1.149, 95% CI: 1.012–1.299, P = 0.028), interleukin-10 (OR = 1.230, 95% CI: 1.013–1.493, P = 0.037), and interleukin-7 (OR = 1.191, 95% CI: 1.023–1.386 P = 0.024). Additionally, MR analysis negative causal association between macrophage colony stimulating factor and CRC (OR = 0.854, 95% CI: 0.764–0.955, P = 0.005). The data from Simple Mode, Weighted Median, MR-Egger, and Weighted Mode analyses were consistent with the IVW estimates. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis indicated that the presence of no horizontal pleiotropy to bias the causal estimates. Conclusion: This investigation identified a causal association between circulating cytokines levels risk of CRC and may provide a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of CRC, as well as offer promising leads for the development of novel therapeutic targets for CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In manufacturing and services, random problems arise that disrupt normal operations. Organizations must resolve these problems in a timely and cost-efficient manner—which can be a daunting task. A typical management response is assigning escalation routes whereby the lowest tier initially owns a problem that may later be escalated to higher tiers. To minimize the costs associated with these problems, we consider a management policy that specifies a time limit beyond which problems must move up a tier; the setting is formulated as a stochastic dynamic program. For scenarios involving a single problem type, we find that optimal time limits can exist when the problem service times are generally distributed or correlated and when the marginal delay cost increases with time; we also characterize the single–problem type, multi-tier optimal solution when the marginal delay cost is constant. When multiple types of problems are pooled together, we show that a time-limit–based approach is robust to various probability distributions of service times and performs reasonably well even when the problem type is unidentified ex ante. Finally, we derive comparative statics on how parameter values, problem characteristics, and the composition of problems each affect the optimal time limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Esketamine has higher potency, stronger receptor affinity, a stronger analgesic effect, a higher in vivo clearance rate, and a lower incidence of adverse reactions when compared to ketamine. However, there have been few ketamine studies to assess patient-centered, overall recovery outcomes from the perspective of patients with colorectal cancer. Methods: This was a prospective, randomized controlled trial. Ninety-two patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of colorectal cancer were randomly assigned to either the esketamine (K group) or non-eskatamine (C group) group. After anesthesia induction, a loading dose of 0.25 mg/kg was administered, followed by continuous infusion at a rate of 0.12 mg.kg-1.h-1 until closure of surgical incisions in the K group. In the C group, an equivalent volume of normal saline was infused. The primary outcome was quality of recovery at 24 h after surgery, as measured by the Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) scale. The QoR-15 was evaluated at three timepoints: before (Tbefore), 24 h (T24h) and 72 h (T72h) after surgery. Main results: A total of 88 patients completed this study. The total QoR-15 scores in K group (n = 45) were higher than in the C group (n = 43) at 24 h: 112.33 ± 8.79 vs. 103.93 ± 9.03 (P = 0.000) and at 72 h: 118.73 ± 7.82 vs. 114.79 ± 7.98 (P = 0.022). However, the differences between the two groups only had clinical significance at 24 h after surgery. Among the five dimensions of the QoR-15, physical comfort (P = 0.003), emotional state (P = 0.000), and physical independence (P = 0.000) were significantly higher at 24 h in the K group, and physical comfort (P = 0.048) was higher at 72 h in the K group. Conclusions: This study found that intraoperative intravenous low-dose esketamine could improve the early postoperative quality of recovery in patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of colorectal cancer from the perspective of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the impact of supply reliability on a retail firm's performance under joint marketing and inventory decisions. The firm sells a product in a single selling season and [...]

This paper studies a decentralized assembly system with two types of independent component suppliers: one type, so-called commanding suppliers, has strong market power and sets the component price in a push contract offered to the assembler; the other type, subordinate suppliers, has weak market power and accepts a pull contract with the component price set by the assembler. We analyze how direct supply base reduction of component suppliers through supplier clustering can affect the profitability of the assembler and the component suppliers, and we show that direct supply base reduction through clustering of commanding suppliers is generally beneficial to the assembler. Direct supply base reduction through clustering of subordinate suppliers also benefits the assembler, except when the clustering would add another commanding supplier to the system. In that case, our numerical results show that such clustering would likely improve the assembler's profitability when a product's profit margin is low and when clustering yields a reduction in the assembler's coordination costs. We also give sufficient conditions under which direct supply base reduction through supplier clustering benefits also the suppliers involved in the clustering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]