Business Model Innovation in the Trading Card Grading Industry: Cross-National Insights from Pokémon Trading Card Game and Non-fungible Tokens

This study examines how firms in the Pokémon Trading Card Game (PTCG) grading industry adapt their business models in response to digital disruption. We employ a qualitative multiple-case design, investigating three leading grading companies – PSA (United States), CCIC (China), and SQC (Thailand) – through 30 in-depth interviews and supplemental document analysis. The findings reveal divergent strategies shaped by both dynamic capabilities and institutional contexts. PSA leverages scale and AI technology to enhance efficiency, CCIC focuses on legitimacy and incremental improvements under regulatory constraints, and SQC pursues exploratory digital initiatives (e.g., NFT-linked trials) to co- create value with its community. These patterns highlight the ambidexterity required for business model innovation in a digitizing niche service sector. The study contributes to business model innovation and digital transformation literature by demonstrating how national institutions and customer engagement influence innovation paths. Practical implications include lessons for balancing core business sustainability with transformative innovation in different regulatory environments

Controlled Synthesis of Organic/Inorganic van der Waals Solid for Tunable Light-matter Interactions

Van der Waals (vdW) solids, as a new type of artificial materials that consist of alternating layers bonded by weak interactions, have shed light on fascinating optoelectronic device concepts. As a result, a large variety of vdW devices have been engineered via layer-by-layer stacking of two-dimensional materials, although shadowed by the difficulties of fabrication. Alternatively, direct growth of vdW solids has proven as a scalable and swift way, highlighted by the successful synthesis of graphene/h-BN and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) vertical heterostructures from controlled vapor deposition. Here, we realize high-quality organic and inorganic vdW solids, using methylammonium lead halide (CH3NH3PbI3) as the organic part (organic perovskite) and 2D inorganic monolayers as counterparts. By stacking on various 2D monolayers, the vdW solids behave dramatically different in light emission. Our studies demonstrate that h-BN monolayer is a great complement to organic perovskite for preserving its original optical properties. As a result, organic/h-BN vdW solid arrays are patterned for red light emitting. This work paves the way for designing unprecedented vdW solids with great potential for a wide spectrum of applications in optoelectronics

Strengthening ASEAN-Guangxi Trade Relations: Enhancing Regional Integration and Industrial Collaboration

A complex array of global disruptions—including the COVID-19 pandemic, the US-China trade war, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, retaliatory tariffs, economic stagflation, supply chain breakdowns, and the rise of artificial intelligence technologies—has significantly challenged the foundational structure of regional economic development. This study investigates the key barriers hindering ASEAN–Guangxi trade from achieving sustainable and accelerated economic growth. Trade data from 2019 to 2024 were analyzed, and empirical data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to 200 business practitioners and policymakers across ASEAN member states and Guangxi. The data were processed and validated using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results indicate that enhanced regional integration and the presence of positive spillover effects are pivotal in promoting sustainable trade relations between ASEAN and Guangxi. These findings offer actionable insights for companies operating in the region and serve as a valuable reference for policymakers and future researchers seeking to strengthen regional economic cooperation. This study contributes to the literature by identifying integration and spillovers as critical drivers of resilient regional trade amid contemporary global uncertainties

Rethink left-behind experience: new categories and its relationship with aggression

Left-behind experience refers to the experience of children staying behind in their hometown under the care of only one parent or their relatives while one or both of their parents leave to work in other places. College students with left-behind experience showed higher aggression levels. To further explore the relationship between left-behind experience and aggression, the current study categorized left-behind experience using latent class analysis and explored its relationship with aggression. One thousand twenty-eight Chinese college students with left-behind experience were recruited, and their aggression levels were assessed. The results showed that there were four categories of left-behind experience: “starting from preschool, frequent contact” (35.5%), “less than 10 years in duration, limited contact” (27.0%), “starting from preschool, over 10 years in duration, limited contact” (10.9%), and “starting from school age, frequent contact” (26.6%). Overall, college students who reported frequent contact with their parents during the left-behind period showed lower levels of aggression than others did. Females were less aggressive than males in the “starting from preschool, frequent contact” left-behind situation, while males were less aggressive than females in the “starting from school age, frequent contact” situation. These findings indicate that frequent contact with leaving parents contributes to decreasing aggression of college students with left-behind experience. Meanwhile, gender is an important factor in this relationship

Revealing microbial processes and nutrient limitation in soil through ecoenzymatic stoichiometry and glomalin-related soil proteins in a retreating glacier forefield

The glacial retreat is observed and predicted to increase in intensity especially in high-elevation areas as a result of global warming, which leaves behind a primary succession along soil chronosequences. Although soil microbes have been recognized as main drivers of ecological and evolutionary processes, our understanding of their effects on nutrient biogeochemistry during primary succession remains limited. In this study, we investigated changes in the microbial community structure, ecoenzymatic stoichiometry, and glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) accumulation in the Hailuogou Glacier Chronosequence, located on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. We wanted to reveal the effects of nutrient limitation on soil microbes and the relative contributions of edaphic and biotic factors. The results showed that with an increasing soil age, there was a steady increase in the microbial biomass and a shift from a bacterial to fungal dominated pattern. Soil enzyme stoichiometry and analyses on threshold elemental ratios revealed that microbial activities are limited by carbon and nitrogen during the early successional stage (3-52 years), while phosphorus was the main limiting factor during later stages (80-120 years). Moreover, the redundancy analysis and structural equation modeling suggested that during early stages edaphic factors had a greater impact on microbial processes, while the vegetation factors were most influential during the last two stages. Overall, these results highlighted the importance of integrating knowledge of the microbial community structure, soil enzyme activities and GRSP to gain a holistic view of soil-plant microbe interactions during ecosystem successions.Peer reviewe

A Facile Synthesis and Optical Properties of Bundle-Shaped TbPO 4

Bundle-shaped TbPO4·H2O nanorods have been prepared by a facile hydrothermal technique and characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrum (DRS), photoluminescence (PL) spectrum, and lifetime. The results indicate that the obtained sample has hexagonal structure of TbPO4·H2O and is composed of nanorods bundles which is assembled from many single crystalline nanorods with the diameter of around 45 nm and the length of 2.3 μm. The growth of the single crystalline nanorod is along the (001) plane direction. Under the UV light irradiation, TbPO4·H2O nanorods bundles exhibit bright green emission corresponding to the D54→F7J (J=6,5,4,3) transitions of the Tb3+ ions, and the lifetime is determined to be about 0.24 ms

A network‐based variable selection approach for identification of modules and biomarker genes associated with end‐stage kidney disease

AimsIntervention for end‐stage kidney disease (ESKD), which is associated with adverse prognoses and major economic burdens, is challenging due to its complex pathogenesis. The study was performed to identify biomarker genes and molecular mechanisms for ESKD by bioinformatics approach.MethodsUsing the Gene Expression Omnibus dataset GSE37171, this study identified pathways and genomic biomarkers associated with ESKD via a multi‐stage knowledge discovery process, including identification of modules of genes by weighted gene co‐expression network analysis, discovery of important involved pathways by Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses, selection of differentially expressed genes by the empirical Bayes method, and screening biomarker genes by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) logistic regression. The results were validated using GSE70528, an independent testing dataset.ResultsThree clinically important gene modules associated with ESKD, were identified by weighted gene co‐expression network analysis. Within these modules, Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses revealed important biological pathways involved in ESKD, including transforming growth factor‐β and Wnt signalling, RNA‐splicing, autophagy and chromatin and histone modification. Furthermore, Lasso logistic regression was conducted to identify five final genes, namely, CNOT8, MST4, PPP2CB, PCSK7 and RBBP4 that are differentially expressed and associated with ESKD. The accuracy of the final model in distinguishing the ESKD cases and controls was 96.8% and 91.7% in the training and validation datasets, respectively.ConclusionNetwork‐based variable selection approaches can identify biological pathways and biomarker genes associated with ESKD. The findings may inform more in‐depth follow‐up research and effective therapy.SUMMARY AT A GLANCEThis gene–gene network analysis to identify genes associated with end‐stage renal disease is an important step, albeit early, towards the discovery of biomarkers using peripheral blood cells. The findings also provide insight on disease pathophysiology at the molecular level, and hence therapeutic targets for future research.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/162799/2/nep13655.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/162799/1/nep13655_am.pd

Failure test and strength model of high-porous low-cementitious waste backfilling material

In order to alleviate the shortage of underground aggregate sources and time cost of vibration and compaction during backfilling, a new type of high-porous low-cementitious waste backfilling material (HPLCM), which was composed of self-compacting slurry and loose packing waste with high porosity, was developed to achieve the purpose of low cementitious backfilling. Uniaxial compression tests were carried out on HPLCM in the laboratory, using orthogonal strength variables of cement slurry and waste aggregate, to study their failure strength characteristics and statistical laws. Considering the combined impact of solid waste and slurry strength, a generalized strength model of shear fracture was established based on the fracture statistical results. The coupled strength utilization ratio of solid waste aggregate and self-compacted slurry was defined, and the optimal ratio and cost of mix proportion of HPLCM were analyzed. The results indicate that the uniaxial compressive strength and failure mode of HPLCM are jointly controlled by the component strength of self-compacting cementitious slurry and solid waste aggregate. The strength of both components has a positive correlation with the strength of HPLCM, which is limited by the weaker component, and when one component grows stronger, the failure mode will be dominated by the other component. The uniaxial compressive test of HPLCM presents shear failure modes, including shear planes in single oblique and cross oblique patterns with an average angle of 55.4°. The density of loose packing aggregates can be reduced from 85% to 58% by using the proposed backfilling material, and the strength of cementitious slurry can be optimized within the optimal mixing range to maximize the utilization of filling material strength when the strength of in-situ solid waste aggregates is obtained. Thus, the compaction time of solid filling and the amount of single gangue can be reduced