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Developing simple, efficient, and inexpensive method for trace amount organophosphorus pesticides' (OPs) detection with high sensitivity and specificity is of significant importance for guaranteeing food safety. Herein, an Ag/Au bimetallic nanoparticle-based acetylcholinesterase (AChE) surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) biosensor was constructed for in situ simple and sensitive detection of pesticide residues in food. The principle of this biosensor exploited 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (4-MPBA)-modified Ag/Au bimetallic nanoprobes as SERS signal probe to improve sensitivity and stability. The combination of AChE and choline oxidase (CHO) can hydrolyze acetylcholine (ATCh) to generate H

Direct Ink Writing (DIW) has demonstrated great potential as a versatile method to 3D print multifunctional structures. In this work, we report the implementation of hydrogel meta-structures using DIW at room temperature, which seamlessly integrate large specific surface areas, interconnected porous characteristics, mechanical toughness, biocompatibility, and water absorption and retention capabilities. Robust but hydrophobic polymers and weakly crosslinked nature-origin hydrogels form a balance in the self-supporting ink, allowing us to directly print complex meta-structures without sacrificial materials and heating extrusion. Mechanically, the mixed bending or stretching of symmetrical re-entrant cellular lattices and the unique curvature patterns are combined to provide little lateral expansion and large compressive energy absorbance when external forces are applied on the printed meta-structures. In addition, we have successfully demonstrated ear, aortic valve conduits and hierarchical architectures. We anticipate that the reported 3D meta-structured hydrogel would offer a new strategy to develop functional biomaterials for tissue engineering applications in the future., Graphical abstract In this work, we demonstrate the implementation of hydrogel meta-structures using direct ink writing at room temperature, which seamlessly integrate large specific surface area, interconnected porous characteristics, mechanical toughness, biocompatibility, water sorption and diffusion capability. Robust but hydrophobic polymers and weakly crosslinked nature-origin hydrogels form a balance in the self-supporting ink, allowing us to directly print complex meta-structures without sacrificial materials and heating extrusion. Mechanically, the mixed bending or stretching of symmetrical re-entrant cellular lattices and the unique curvature patterns are combined to provide little lateral expansion and large compressive energy absorbance when external forces are applied on the printed meta-structures. In addition, we have successfully demonstrated ear, aortic valve conduits and hierarchical architectures. We anticipate that the reported 3D meta-structured hydrogel would offer a new strategy to develop functional biomaterials for tissue engineering and bone repair.Image 1, Highlights ⁃ We develop a self-supporting hydrogel ink to seamlessly integrate the mechanical toughness and 3D printability of direct ink writing scaffolds at room temperature, without extra sacrificial materials or UV irradiation curing ⁃ The ink based on nano-composites imparts water sorption and diffusion capability, biocompatibility and mechanical toughness, as well as superior 3D printability ⁃ We successfully print human ear, human aortic valve conduits and hierarchical Gyroid meta-structures with tunable density and infill pattern. ⁃ The printed structures show substantial compressive energy absorbance, excellent water sorption and diffusion capability, and bioactivity ⁃ Our method could be generalized to produce a wide combination of weakly crosslinked nature-origin hydrogel and biomedical thermoplastic polymers

PurposeWhich venture capital is more beneficial in the product innovation of entrepreneurial ventures? The authors study the drawbacks and different effects of corporate venture capital (CVC) and independent venture capital (IVC) on the effectiveness and efficiency of product innovation in entrepreneurial ventures to answer this question.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a panel dataset of 502 high-tech ventures and runs the Heckman model to correct potential endogeneity issues.FindingsThe authors find that CVC increases the product innovation effectiveness of entrepreneurial ventures, but decreases their efficiency. IVC reduces innovation effectiveness and enhances efficiency. However, CVC performs less positively, while IVC performs more positively in terms of innovation effectiveness and efficiency in the B2B market than in the B2C market.Practical implicationsThis study provides insights into how to leverage venture capital to develop new products effectively and efficiently.Originality/valueThis study moves beyond the current understanding of the finance-marketing interface. It delineates the two faces of venture capital and reveals the joint effects of equity stakes and market stakes between different types of venture capital and transaction markets in product innovation.

Background: Bromodomain-containing protein 7 (BRD7) is identified as a transcriptional regulator and plays an important role in the development and progression of various tumors. Our previous study demonstrated that BRD7 acts as a potential tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the specific molecular mechanism underlying the BRD7-mediated inhibition of HCC progression remains poorly understood. Methods: We performed ChIP-seq analysis to investigate the gene network mediated by BRD7. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to analyze potential associations between the p53 and BRD7 expression and the effect of their overexpression on disease pathogenesis and outcome. In addition, we performed biological function experiments to determine the effect of BRD7 and p53 on these functions that are central to tumorigenesis. Finally, we employed a BALB/c model for execution of xenograft transplants to examine the effect of either overexpressing or under-expressing BRD7 and p53 on tumor growth in mice injected with cells. Results: Our results suggested that BRD7 regulates the p53 pathway. Specifically, BRD7 was demonstrated to upregulate the transcription level of p53 by directly binding to the upstream regulatory region of the p53 transcriptional initiation site, thereby enhancing its promoter activity. Moreover, immunohistochemical analysis showed that wild-type p53 (WTp53) expression is positively associated with BRD7 expression and survival of patients with HCC. Additionally,changes of p53 expression could affect the tumor suppressive role of BRD7 on HCC cell proliferation, migration/invasion, cell-cycle, and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, changes of BRD7 expression in HCC cells significantly altered the expression of p53 signal-related molecules such as p21, Bax, Bcl2, and cyclin D1, indicating that BRD7 may positively regulate activation of the p53 pathway. Conclusions: Collectively, our results indicated that BRD7 exerts anti-tumor effects in HCC through transcriptionally activating p53 pathway. These critical roles of BRD7may provide some promising diagnostic and therapeutic targets for HCC.

A new micromechanically motivated theory is proposed to model dragline silk. A thorough review of the micro-structure of dragline silk is presented. Based on the review, a continuum framework is utilized to develop constitutive equation of dragline silk. Dragline silk is composed of a dominant soft amorphous phase ( α -phase) and a reinforcing hard crystal phase, which is classified as rigid β -sheets and extremely soft β -spirals. These two different β -fillers have completely different effects on the mechanical behaviors of dragline silk. The former results in the Mullins effect while the latter produces plastic deformation. Both these effects result in energy dissipation. In addition to these effects, the damping effect due to finite viscoelasticity is accounted for by using a double network model. Moreover, the highly oriented chains in the amorphous phase are modeled as an anisotropic network model. It is found that the proposed model accurately captures the complex mechanical behavior of dragline silk subjected to cyclic loading with merely 7 “physically-based” material constants.

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate how to improve new product performance in turbulent circumstances of emerging economies.Design/methodology/approachThis paper used regression analysis to examine the performance impact of customer relationship management (CRM) and product development management (PDM) concentration strategy in new product development (NPD). A detailed contingent analysis of the market and institutional environments in emerging economies is also conducted based on a survey of 114 Chinese high-tech manufacturers.FindingsThe research findings show that PDM has a stronger positive effect on new product performance than CRM in emerging economies and that the contingent effects of the market and institutional environment vary. More specifically, technological turbulence and enforcement inefficiency can positively moderate the relationship between CRM and new product performance, whereas the moderating effect of market turbulence on CRM is negative. Meanwhile, enforcement inefficiency negatively moderates the effect of PDM on new product performance, while the moderating effect of market turbulence on PDM is positive.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is limited to a survey of high-tech manufacturing enterprises in China. Further research should continues to explore and document the strategic issue about NPD in emerging economies by longitudinal study.Originality/valueThis paper contributed to theoretical and practical initiatives on the strategic issue of NPD and provided firms a further understanding of how to select the right NPD strategy in emerging economies to improve new product performance.

Background: Prostaglandin I2 synthase (PTGIS) is a crucial gene for the synthesis of prostaglandin I2, which has multiple roles in inflammation and immune modulation. However, studies on the prognostic value of PTGIS and its correlation with tumor-infiltrating immune cells in multiple cancers are still rare. Results: Multiple datasets of the Oncomine database showed that PTGIS was expressed at low levels in lung cancer and ovarian cancer compared to the levels in normal tissues. Kaplan-Meier plotter showed that high PTGIS was associated with poor overall survival and progression-free survival in lung, ovarian, and gastric cancers. Moreover, PTGIS expression was significantly positively correlated with infiltrating levels of macrophages and was strongly associated with a variety of immune markers, especially tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and T-regulatory cells (Tregs). Conclusions: High expression of PTGIS could promote the infiltration of TAMs and Tregs in the tumor microenvironment and deteriorate outcomes of patients with lung, ovarian, and gastric cancers. These findings suggest that PTGIS could be taken as a potential biomarker of prognosis and tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Methods: PTGIS expression was investigated in different datasets of the Oncomine database, and its expression levels in various tumors and corresponding normal tissues were analyzed by the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER). Then, the clinical prognostic value of PTGIS was assessed with online public databases. In addition, we initially explored the correlation between PTGIS and tumor-infiltrating immune cells by TIMER and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA).

Analysts’ forecast quality in emerging markets is remarkably low and few influential factors are known. In this study, we use textual analysis to explore the impact of the state’s media – China Cen...

This study investigates the impact of the local political uncertainty (LPU) on one-step-ahead volatility in the Chinese stock market using high-frequency data. The empirical findings indicate that ...

In this paper, a diaphragm-type dielectric elastomer energy transducer is theoretically and numerically investigated by considering the viscoelastic behaviors of the material. The transducer is designed in the shape of a circular membrane. The buckling mode of the membrane is therefore harnessed to transform energy between its mechanical form and electrical form. It is shown that viscous dissipation has a significant impact on the electromechanical instability (EMI) of the transducer when it works as an actuator. It is found that, during the actuation, a smaller modulus ratio is easier to incur EMI. It is expected that there is a critical modulus ratio, beyond which a steady state can be achieved by circumventing the stress relaxation-induced EMI. When the transducer works as an energy harvester, viscous effect affects the efficiency of the energy harvester significantly. It is discovered that the efficiency is a function of both the modulus ratio of the material and the pressure ratio from the environment. For a fixed pressure ratio, the efficiency initially drops and then turns upward as the modulus ratio increases from 0 to 1. It is also shown that for the material state with a relatively small modulus ratio, the efficiency decreases as the pressure ratio increases. While for the material state with a relatively large modulus ratio, the efficiency rises along with the pressure ratio.

The effect of polysaccharidases (agarase and cellulase) on R-phycoerythrin (R-PE) extraction from dry Pyropia yezoensis was investigated and optimized. First, single-factor experiments of agarase dosage, cellulase dosage, temperature, hydrolysis time, and solid/liquid ratio were performed and factors for further optimization were selected based on Pearson’s correlation analysis. Next, response surface methodology (RSM) based on a three-level three-factor Box Behnken Design (BBD) was applied to optimize R-PE extraction conditions including agarase dosage, temperature, and solid/liquid ratio. The experimental data were adequately fitted into the second-order polynomial models. Under the optimized extraction conditions, agarase dosage (104 U g−1 biomass), cellulase dosage (100 U g−1 biomass), temperature (29 °C), hydrolysis time (5 h), and solid/liquid ratio (1/26 w/v), the experimental yield of R-PE was 3.33 times greater than the extraction method lacking enzyme treatment, and 1.85 and 2.82 times, respectively, greater than the yields obtained by freeze-thaw and maceration experiments. The optimized enzyme-assisted extraction method enhanced the purity index 1.95-fold. R-PE extraction from dry P. yezoensis using agarase and cellulase is a promising method to utilize some high-value compounds from P. yezoensis.

Background. Previous research suggested that ETS1 (ETS proto-oncogene 1, transcription factor) could be useful for cancer immunotherapy. The processes underlying its therapeutic potential, on the other hand, have yet to be thoroughly investigated. The purpose of this study was to look into the relationship between ETS1 expression and immunity. Methods. TCGA and GEO provide raw data on 33 different cancers as well as GSE67501, GSE78220, and IMvigor210. In addition, we looked at ETS1's genetic changes, expression patterns, and survival studies. The linkages between ETS1 and TME, as well as its association with immunological processes/elements and the major histocompatibility complex, were explored to effectively understand the role of ETS1 in cancer immunotherapy. Three distinct immunotherapeutic cohorts were employed to examine the relationship between ETS1 and immunotherapeutic response. Results. ETS1 expression was shown to be high in tumor tissue. ETS1 overexpression is linked to a worse clinical outcome in individuals with overall survival. Immune cell infiltration, immunological modulators, and immunotherapeutic signs are all linked to ETS1. Overexpression of ETS1 is linked to immune-related pathways. However, no statistically significant link was found between ETS1 and immunotherapeutic response. Conclusions. ETS1 may be a reliable biomarker for tumor prognosis and a viable prospective therapeutic target for human cancer immunotherapy (e.g., KIRP, MESO, BLCA, KIRC, and THYM).

OBJECTIVE: To explore the possibility and application value of extracranial carotid ultrasound in assessing the progress of MMD. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the extracranial carotid ultrasound and DSA data of 89 cases of 53 patients with MMD (moyamoya group) and 90 cases of 45 control patients (control group). According to the DSA data of the moyamoya group, collateral circulation patterns’ grade and Suzuki stage were performed. We analyzed the correlation between collateral circulation patterns and Suzuki stage, and compared the difference of hemodynamic parameters between different grades of collateral circulation patterns. RESULTS: (1) As the Suzuki stage increased, the grade of the collateral circulation pattern subsequently increased. (2) Compared with the control group, the PSV of ICA in the moyamoya group was lower (P

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are the key factors that cause many diseases in the human body. Polysaccharides from seaweed have been shown to have significant antioxidant activity both in vivo and in vitro. The ameliorative effect of Ulva lactuca polysaccharide extract (UPE) on renal injury induced by oxidative stress was analyzed. As shown by hematoxylin–eosin staining results, UPE can significantly improve the kidney injury induced by D-galactose (D-gal). Additionally, the protective mechanism of UPE on the kidney was explored. The results showed that UPE could decrease the levels of serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum cystatin C (Cys-C), lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation, and DNA oxidative damage (8-OHdG) and improve kidney glutathione content. Moreover, UPE significantly increased the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase and total antioxidant activity in mice. UPE also decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6. Further investigation into the expression of apoptotic protein caspase-3 showed that UPE decreased the expression of apoptotic protein caspase-3. These results indicate that UPE has a potential therapeutic effect on renal injury caused by oxidative stress, providing a new theoretical basis for the treatment of oxidative damage diseases in the future.

Founders are crucial for the start-ups, which in turn makes it very important to study how founders’ behaviour affects the development of the start-ups. Based on the data of the companies listed on Growth Enterprise Market (GEM) and Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) board from 2014 to 2017 in China, this paper explores the impact of founders’ dual roles of R&D and management on enterprises’ innovation performance from the perspective of founders’ R&D network characteristics. The empirical research reveals that the more an enterprise’s founders participate in the R&D activities and the more central they are in the R&D network, the better the enterprise’s technological innovation performance. It is because the high network centrality enables founders the stronger ability of innovation and opportunity identification and draws their attention to innovation. This research further discloses that the promotion effect is restrained when enterprises obtain more government subsidies and founders have more power. Italso finds that founders’ R&D role does not transform the innovation output into enterprises’ value effectively though the role increases the innovation output, instead, it even restrains the transformation.

Jialing Wu,&ast; Kaiyun You,&ast; Xingsheng Qiu,&ast; Ting Shen, Juanjuan Song, Changlong Chen, Yanhui Jiang, Yimin Liu Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yimin Liu; Yanhui JiangDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 107 Yanjiang West Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 18922182513Email liuyimin@mail.sysu.edu.cn; jiangyh26@mail.sysu.edu.cnPurpose: Local failure after endoscopic laryngeal surgery (ELS) for early glottic cancer mounts a challenge to researchers to investigate risk factors of recurrence. The present study was therefore designed to explore the prognostic factors in patients who underwent ELS for early glottic cancer.Patients and Methods: We reviewed 328 patients with T1-2N0 glottic cancer who were treated with either ELS or open surgery between 2007 and 2018 at our institution. Survival, univariate and multivariate analyses were performed in different groups (ELS vs open surgery; < 65 vs ≥ 65 years).Results: Age was discovered to be the independent prognostic factor of DFS for patients treated with ELS (HR = 3.673, p = 0.003), but not for patients who underwent open surgery. Survival analysis performed on young patients (< 65 years) showed that survival outcomes between different surgery modalities were significantly different (ELS vs open surgery: five-year DFS: 72.5 vs 84.7%, p = 0.034). Univariate and multivariate analyses further confirmed the finding, whereas these results did not appear in old patients (≥ 65 years).Conclusion: Young patients (< 65 years) treated with ELS had less favorable oncologic outcomes than those treated with open surgery. Young patients (< 65 years) are advised to consider open surgery over ELS.Keywords: early glottic cancer, age, recurrence, prognostic factor, surgery

Background: This study was designed to assess the prognostic significance of pretreatment albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) in locally advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer (LA-LHC). Materials and Methods: The clinical data of 341 patients with locally advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer diagnosed between March 2007 and December 2018 were retrospectively collected and analyzed. The optimal cut-off value of AAPR for evaluating DFS was determined using the ROC curve, and 0.4912 was selected. Based on pretreatment AAPR values, patients were divided into two groups (low vs. high AAPR). Survival analysis was used to investigate the survival distribution between the groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic value of AAPR. Based on the results of the multivariate analysis, we further developed models of DFS and OS. We assigned low AAPR, N1-3, age ≥65 years, and positive vascular invasion one score, respectively. Results: Survival analysis demonstrated that the survival of patients with low and high AAPR was significantly different (low vs. high AAPR: 5-year DFS, 46.0 vs. 71.9%, p