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Coordinated uterine-embryonic axis formation and decidual remodeling are hallmarks of mammalian post-implantation embryo development. Embryonic-uterine orientation is determined at initial implantation and synchronized with decidual development. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling these events remain elusive despite its discovery a long time ago. In the present study, we found that uterine-specific deletion of Rbpj, the nuclear transducer of Notch signaling, resulted in abnormal embryonic-uterine orientation and decidual patterning at post-implantation stages, leading to substantial embryo loss. We further revealed that prior to embryo attachment, Rbpj confers on-time uterine lumen shape transformation via physically interacting with uterine estrogen receptor (ERα) in a Notch pathway-independent manner, which is essential for the initial establishment of embryo orientation in alignment with uterine axis. While at post-implantation stages, Rbpj directly regulates the expression of uterine matrix metalloproteinase in a Notch pathway-dependent manner, which is required for normal post-implantation decidual remodeling. These results demonstrate that uterine Rbpj is essential for normal embryo development via instructing the initial embryonic-uterine orientation and ensuring normal decidual patterning in a stage-specific manner. Our data also substantiate the concept that normal mammalian embryonic-uterine orientation requires proper guidance from developmentally controlled uterine signaling.

The twenty-first century has seen an increase in stakeholders, highlighting the need to discuss the role of corporate social responsibility in technological innovation. The objective of the current research is to examine the role that corporate social responsibility in technological innovation plays in enhancing the sustainable competitive performance of firms. The idea that digital transformation mediates the relationship between corporate social responsibility in technological innovation and sustainable competitive performance is proposed in this study. Additionally, the mastery climate may act as a boundary condition that strengthens the positive relationship between CSR and digital transformation. The data were collected in Chinese firms through a questionnaire. The results supported the mediation and moderation hypotheses, confirming that digital transformation mediates the relationship between corporate social responsibility in technological innovation and sustainable competitive performance. The mastery climate moderates the relationship between corporate social responsibility in technological innovation and digital transformation. The results have implications for theory and practice. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the influencing factors of public data value of construction projects is conducive to the public data services of government departments. Aiming at the construction pollution supervision process under the platform governance model, the influencing factors of the public data value of construction projects were analyzed. The interpretation structure model of the influencing factors was constructed to reveal the effects of data quality, platform scalability, data production cost, and policy support. The research results show that appropriate fiscal subsidies and policy inclination play a fundamental role; the quality of uploaded data is noteworthy for subsequent data processing and data opening; data production cost and platform scalability directly affect data value, the development of the platform will attract more participants, and reasonable cost control and improving data production efficiency are indispensable. This paper provides theoretical support for the exploration of data value and the path of platform governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the flexural behavior of glass fiber (GFRP) bars and steel bars hybrid reinforced polypropylene fiber concrete (Hybrid-PFRC) beams, one GFRP-PFRC beam, one Steel-PFRC beam, and five Hybrid-PFRC beams were designed and fabricated. The effects of the different area ratio ( A f / A s ) of GFRP to steel bars and polypropylene fiber (PP) volume fraction on the flexural behavior of Hybrid-PFRC beams were investigated through experiments. The research results indicated that the Hybrid-PFRC beams' load–deflection curves exhibited trilinear characteristics with specimen cracking and steel bars yielding as turning points. As A f / A s increased, the flexural bearing capacity of Hybrid-PFRC beams increased, the deflection decreased, the crack spacing and width decreased, and the ductility decreased. The addition of PP did not significantly improve the flexural bearing capacity and cracking moment of Hybrid-PFRC beams, but it greatly enhanced the ductility of the beam. Moreover, PP had good advantages in controlling crack propagation in the beam. The article also used the theoretical model to predict and analyze the flexural behavior of Hybrid-PFRC beams. When predicting the maximum crack width of Hybrid-PFRC beams, when PP is not added to the beam, the bonding coefficient kb should be greater than 1.4; When PP is added to the beam, it is recommended that the bonding coefficient kb should not exceed 1.4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have already made a few outcomes regarding the effect of environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) on employees' workplace behaviors. However, research on how perceived ECSR influences employee innovation remains largely unexplored. Drawing from the social identity theory (SIT) and stakeholder theory, this research fills this gap by examining: (a) the influence of perceived ECSR on idea generation (IG). (b) the influence of perceived ECSR on idea implementation (II). (c) the moderating effects of psychological capital (PsyCap) on these relationships. Using data on 348 employees from Chinese firms, the results demonstrate that perceived ECSR effectively fosters IG and II, yet when PsyCap is high, the positive influence of perceived ECSR is stronger. Our findings offer new insights for understanding the role of ECSR perception in the employee innovation domain by revealing that perceived ECSR can generate IG and promote II, and delimiting their boundaries from a psychological perspective. In addition, our findings make several practical implications for firms to cultivate their employees' ECSR perception and improve employees' IG and II to achieve sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to compare the diagnostic efficacy of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) to traditional diagnostic methods in patients with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), elucidate the etiological spectrum of these infections, and explore the impact of mNGS on guiding antimicrobial therapy. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 128 patients admitted to the Respiratory Department of Anqing 116 Hospital between July 2022 and July 2023. All patients had undergone both mNGS and conventional microbiological techniques (CMT) for LRTI diagnosis. We assessed the diagnostic performance of these methods and examined the influence of mNGS on antimicrobial decision-making. Results: Overall, mNGS demonstrated superior sensitivity (96.8%) and accuracy (96.8%) compared to CMT. For Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection, the accuracy and sensitivity of mNGS was 88.8% and 77.6%, which was lower than the 94.7% sensitivity of the T-spot test and the 79.6% sensitivity of CMT. In fungal pathogen detection, mNGS showed excellent sensitivity (90.5%), specificity (86.7%), and accuracy (88.0%). Bacteria were the predominant pathogens detected (75.34%), with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (41.74%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (21.74%), and Haemophilus influenzae (16.52%) being most prevalent. Bacterial infections were most common (62.10%), followed by fungal and mixed infections (17.74%). Of the 118 patients whose treatment regimens were adjusted based on mNGS results, 102 (86.5%) improved, 7 (5.9%) did not respond favorably, and follow-up was lost for 9 patients (7.6%). Conclusions: mNGS offers rapid and precise pathogen detection for patients with suspected LRTIs and shows considerable promise in diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis and fungal infections. By broadening the pathogen spectrum and identifying polymicrobial infections, mNGS can significantly inform and refine antibiotic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infectious etiologies of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) by the conventional microbiology tests (CMTs) can be challenging. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has great potential in clinical use for its comprehensiveness in identifying pathogens, particularly those difficult-to-culture organisms. Methods: We analyzed a total of 205 clinical samples from 201 patients with suspected LRTIs using mNGS in parallel with CMTs. mNGS results were used to guide treatment adjustments for patients who had negative CMT results. The efficacy of treatment was subsequently evaluated in these patients. Results: mNGS-detected microorganisms in 91.7% (188/205) of the clinical samples, whereas CMTs demonstrated a lower detection rate, identifying microorganisms in only 37.6% (77/205) of samples. Compared to CMT results, mNGS exhibited a detection sensitivity of 93.5% and 95.4% in all 205 clinical samples and 180 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples, respectively. A total of 114 patients (114/201; 56.7%) showed negative CMT results, among which 92 received treatment adjustments guided by their positive mNGS results. Notably, 67.4% (62/92) of patients demonstrated effective treatment, while 25% (23/92) experienced a stabilized condition. Subgroup analysis of cancer patients revealed that 41.9% (13/31) exhibited an effective response to treatment, and 35.5% (11/31) maintained a stable condition following medication adjustments guided by mNGS. Conclusion: mNGS demonstrated great potential in identifying microorganisms of clinical significance in LRTIs. The rapid turnaround time and reduced susceptibility to the impact of antimicrobial administration make mNGS a valuable supplementary tool for diagnosis and treatment decision-making for suspected LRTIs in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an inevitable part of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, muck has a dreadful environmental impact due its inadequate management by the traditional governance process. This paper therefore focuses on the management of muck generated from C&D waste by utilizing platform governance as an alternative process, which should more effectively contribute to China's circular economy. The study explores the feasibility of providing such a platform governance mode by using Petri net to compare the traditional governance process and platform governance process for the management of muck trucks, and by using Nanjing's muck smart supervision platform as a case study to assess the effectiveness of the platform governance mode. Results from Petri net simulation modeling reveal that the platform governance mode is more effective than the traditional mode, and from the case study it is found that the success of Nanjing's muck waste management can be attributed to the platform governance mode. The platform management approach can therefore contribute to the sustainability of muck waste governance, and is suitable as an integrated and effective management mode for current practices of muck waste management and resource recovery in China. The main finding from the study is that the platform governance mode significantly improves the efficiency of muck waste management as compared with the traditional governance mode and can therefore provide greater economic and environmental benefits as part of a circular economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is regarded as the driving factor of innovation. However, corporate technological innovation social responsibility's (CTISR) role and effect mechanism in leveraging radical technological innovation (RTI) has been limited. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between CTISR and RTI and the moderating effect of intellectual capital and institutional support on CTISR and RTI. Design/methodology/approach: Grounded in resource-based view, a research model including CTISR, intellectual capital, institutional support and RTI is proposed Content analysis is performed on the CSR reports of Chinese companies that have been publicly listed published from 2008 to 2022, to measure each company's CTISR. A regression analysis was then applied to relate CTISR, intellectual capital and institutional support to firm-specific variables to determine their relevance and influence on RTI. Findings: Results indicate that CTISR is positively related to RTI. The results also indicate that human capital, structural capital and institutional support strengthen this positive relationship. Furthermore, institutional support strengthens the positive interaction effect of human capital with CTISR and structural capital with CTISR, respectively. Originality/value: This research explores the relationships among CTISR, intellectual capital, institutional support and RTI in a comprehensive model, which is the first known study to highlight that CTISR can enhance RTI and gives managers implications on how to align corporate technological innovation while pursuing RTI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To explore the pharmacological treatment of vascular depression (VaDep) and whether the blood levels of neurotransmitters can reflect the VaDep severity. Methods: VaDep patients with somatic symptoms were enrolled and randomly received venlafaxine + tandospirone (Combined Group) or venlafaxine (Monotherapy Group). The treatment efficacy was assessed by Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and Patient Health Questionnaire‐15 (PHQ‐15). The levels of blood monoamine neurotransmitters were measured by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Both groups reported a progressive decrease in HAMD, HAMA, and PHQ‐15 scores to below the baseline after the respective treatment. Compared with the Monotherapy Group, the Combined Group reported a significant decrease in HAMD score at week 2 and markedly lower HAMA and PHQ‐15 scores at weeks 1, 2, 4, and 8. Both groups showed a decrease in the levels of blood monoamine neurotransmitters at weeks 4 and 8 when compared with the baseline. A strong positive association was evident between the plasma 5‐HT levels and the HAMD score. Conclusion: The combined therapy rapidly acts on VaDep comorbid with anxiety and somatic symptoms and significantly alleviates the anxiety and somatic symptoms. The plasma levels of 5‐HT may serve as potential objective candidates in evaluating VaDep severity and the efficacy of the undertaken treatment regimen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the effects of environmental corporate social responsibility on the two dimensions of firms' technological innovation: process innovation and product innovation. This study also investigates whether such an impact depends on green intellectual capital and green entrepreneurial orientation. Relying on dynamic capability theory and resource dependence theory, we hypothesize the mediating role of green entrepreneurial orientation and the moderating role of green intellectual capital in the indirect relationships between environmental corporate social responsibility and process and product innovations. Based on a sample of 241 Chinese firms, the results reveal that environmental corporate social responsibility positively affects process and product innovations, and that these relationships are mediated by green entrepreneurial orientation. Additionally, green intellectual capital positively moderates the mediating effects of green entrepreneurial orientation. The findings provide a better theoretical understanding of the role of environmental corporate social responsibility in the technological innovation domain by indicating that environmental corporate social responsibility can promote process and product innovations through green entrepreneurial orientation. Theoretically, the findings also shed new light on the boundaries of environmental corporate social responsibility from the perspective of intellectual capital. Additionally, the findings provide important practical implications for managing firms' environmental behaviors to promote green entrepreneurial orientation and foster technological innovation to gain sustainable competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]