Videogames now enable players to spend virtual fortunes on exotic virtual goods and even create and sell virtual artefacts. Online consumers may also browse endlessly through virtual marketplaces and create and display virtual goods. These virtual commodities are desired and enjoyed as if they were real, but are not actually bought, or owned in a material sense – often resulting in frustration ...

OBJECTIVE Exposure to anoxia has been reported to activate ATP-sensitive potassium (K+(ATP)) channels in isolated ventricular myocytes. We aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the anoxia-induced activation of K+(ATP) channels. METHODS Guinea pig ventricular myocytes were isolated using collagenase digestion. Action potentials and membrane currents were recorded in the whole-cell mod...

Cannabidiol (CBD), a major nonpsychotropic cannabinoid found in Cannabis plant, has been shown to influence cardiovascular functions under various physiological and pathological conditions. In the present study, the effects of CBD on contractility and electrophysiological properties of rat ventricular myocytes were investigated. Video edge detection was used to measure myocyte shortening. Intra...

I identify here important changes in how retailing functions are performed due to the penetration of the digital economy. First, in the distribution of goods for final consumption the same functions as before are performed independently of stores and their location. Second, in the distribution of inputs for household production of services the core products that consumers pay for explicitly are...

The progressive nature of atrial fibrillation (AF) has been attributed to alteration in the electrophysiological properties of the atrial myocardium. As a net effect, a shortening in the refractory period contributes to the substrate, allowing ectopic complex arising and re-entry [1]. Transmembrane ion channel activity determines atrial action potential (AP) shape. Whereas Na and Ca channels ar...

To examine the effect of the variance of consumer ratings on product pricing and sales we develop a model which considers goods that are characterized by two types of attributes: experience attributes and experience attributes that were transformed in search attributes by consumer ratings that we call informed search attributes. For pure informed search goods, we find that with increasing varia...

W develop a framework for the optimal bundling problem of a multiproduct monopolist, who provides goods to consumers with private valuations that are random draws from a distribution with heavy tails. We show that in the Vickrey auction setting, the buyers prefer separate provision of the goods to any bundles. We also provide a complete characterization of the optimal bundling strategies for a ...

Diversity is a key issue in the provision of critical publicly provided goods such as clean drinking water and education. To develop institutions that address this issue, it is critical that we understand the mechanisms through which diversity and public goods are related. A simple model of public good provision is developed to demonstrate that there are potentially measurable differences betwe...