Exploring Entrepreneurial Roles and Identity in the United Kingdom and China

This paper examines entrepreneurial identity in both the United Kingdom and China through the lenses of identity theory and social identity theory to develop a deeper and more holistic understanding of the concept of entrepreneurial identity. By examining the entrepreneur as both a role and an identity this paper explores how an entrepreneur views the role of the entrepreneur, the counter-roles to the entrepreneur, the ‘self-as-entrepreneur’ understand how entrepreneurs construct their identity as entrepreneur. By looking at the role identity in different social constructs, a more nuanced view of entrepreneurial identity can be uncovered for entrepreneurs in both the UK and China. The study argues that entrepreneurs in the UK use counter-roles to bridge the disconnect between their understanding of the entrepreneur-as-role and the self-as-entrepreneur whereas entrepreneurs in China have less conflict reconciling the two, and use the counter-role as a way to paint entrepreneurship as a ‘calling’, justifying their abandonment of other identities

Multi-objective optimal dispatching of virtual power plants considering source-load uncertainty in V2G mode

To solve the risks brought by the uncertainty of renewable energy output and load demand to the virtual power plant dispatch, a multi-objective information gap decision theory (IGDT) dispatching model for virtual power plants considering source-load uncertainty under vehicle-to-grid (V2G) is proposed. With the lowest system operating cost and carbon emission as the optimization objectives, the multi-objective robust optimization model for virtual power plants is constructed based on the uncertainties of wind output, photovoltaic output and load demand guided by the time of use price. The weights of uncertainties quantify the effects of uncertainty factors. The adaptive reference vector based constrained multi-objective evolutionary algorithm is used to solve it. The weight coefficients, evasion coefficients of uncertainties and the penetration rate of electric vehicles are analyzed for the optimal dispatching of the virtual power plant. The algorithm results show that the method can effectively achieve load-side peak shaving and valley filling and has superiority in terms of economy, environmental benefits, robustness and stability

The progression rate of spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 varies with disease stage

Background: In polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases, the identification of modifiers and the construction of prediction model for progression facilitate genetic counseling, clinical management and therapeutic interventions. Methods: Data were derived from the longest longitudinal study, with 642 examinations by International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) from 82 SCA3 participants. Using different time scales of disease duration, we performed multiple different linear, quadratic and piece-wise linear growth models to fit the relationship between ICARS scores and duration. Models comparison was employed to determine the best-fitting model according to goodness-of-fit tests, and the analysis of variance among nested models. Results: An acceleration was detected after 13 years of duration: ICARS scores progressed 2.445 (SE: 0.185) points/year before and 3.547 (SE: 0.312) points/year after this deadline. Piece-wise growth model fitted better to studied data than other two types of models. The length of expanded CAG repeat (CAGexp) in ATXN3 gene significantly influenced progression. Age at onset of gait ataxia (AOga), a proxy for aging process, was not an independent modifier but affected the correlation between CAGexp and progression. Additionally, gender had no significant effect on progression rate of ICARS. The piece-wise growth models were determined as the predictive models, and ICARS predictions from related models were available. Conclusions: We first confirmed that ICARS progressed as a nonlinear pattern and varied according to different stages in SCA3. In addition to ATXN3 CAGexp, AOga or aging process regulated the progression by interacting with CAGexp

Differences in brain gray matter volume in patients with Crohn’s disease with and without abdominal pain

Increasing evidence indicates that abnormal pain processing is present in the central nervous system of patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). The purposes of this study were to assess changes in gray matter (GM) volumes in CD patients in remission and to correlate structural changes in the brain with abdominal pain. We used a 3.0 T magnetic resonance scanner to examine the GM structures in 21 CD patients with abdominal pain, 26 CD patients without abdominal pain, and 30 healthy control subjects (HCs). Voxel-based morphometric analyses were used to assess the brain GM volumes. Patients with abdominal pain exhibited higher CD activity index and lower inflammatory bowel disease questionnaire scores than those of the patients without abdominal pain. Compare to HCs and to patients without abdominal pain, patients with abdominal pain exhibited lower GM volumes in the insula and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC); whereas compare to HCs and to patients with abdominal pain, the patients without abdominal pain exhibited higher GM volumes in the hippocampal and parahippocampal cortex. The GM volumes in the insula and ACC were significantly negatively correlated with daily pain scores. These results suggest that differences exist in the brain GM volume between CD patients in remission with and without abdominal pain. The negative correlation between the GM volumes in the insula and ACC and the presence and severity of abdominal pain in CD suggests these structures are closely related to visceral pain processing

Difference in regional neural fluctuations and functional connectivity in Crohn’s disease: a resting-state functional MRI study

Patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) are shown to have abnormal changes in brain structures. This study aimed to further investigate whether these patients have abnormal brain activities and network connectivity. Sixty patients with CD and 40 healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and seed-based functional connectivity (FC) were used to assess differences in spontaneous regional brain activity and functional connectivity. Compared to the HCs, patients with CD showed significantly higher ALFF values in hippocampus and parahippocampus (HIPP/paraHIPP), anterior cingulate cortex, insula, superior frontal cortex and precuneus. The ALFF values were significantly lower in secondary somatosensory cortex (S2), precentral gyrus, and medial prefrontal cortex. Functional connectivities between left HIPP and left inferior temporal cortex, and right middle cingulate cortex, HIPP, and fusiform area were significantly lower. The functional connectivities between right HIPP and right inferior orbitofrontal cortex and left HIPP were also significantly lower. Patients with CD showed higher or lower spontaneous activity in multiple brain regions. Altered activities in these brain regions may collectively reflect abnormal function and regulation of visceral pain and sensation, external environmental monitoring, and cognitive processing in these patients. Lower functional connectivity of the hippocampus-limbic system was observed in these patients. These findings may provide more information to elucidate the neurobiological mechanisms of the disease

Different brain responses to electro-acupuncture and moxibustion treatment in patients with Crohn's disease

This study aimed to investigate changes in resting state brain activity in remissive Crohn's Disease (CD) patients after electro-acupuncture or moxibustion treatment. Fifty-two CD patients and 36 healthy subjects were enrolled, and 36 patients were equally and randomly assigned to receive either electro-acupuncture or moxibustion treatment for twelve weeks. We used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess Regional Homogeneity (ReHo) levels, and Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) scores to evaluate disease severity and quality of life. The results show that (i) The ReHo levels in CD patients were significantly increased in cortical but decreased in subcortical areas, and the coupling between them was declined. (ii) Both treatments decreased CDAI, increased IBDQ scores, and normalized the ReHo values of the cortical and subcortical regions. (iii) ReHo changes in multiple cortical regions were significantly correlated with CDAI score decreases. ReHo changes in several subcortical regions in the electro-acupuncture group, and those of several cortical regions in the moxibustion group, were correlated with reduced CDAI. These findings suggest that both treatments improved cortex-subcortical coupling in remissive CD patients, but electro-acupuncture regulated homeostatic afferent processing network, while moxibustion mainly regulated the default mode network of the brain

Identifying SYNE1 Ataxia With Novel Mutations in a Chinese Population

Objective: Variants in SYNE1 have been widely reported in ataxia patients in Europe, with highly variable clinical phenotype. Until now, no mutation of SYNE1 ataxia has been reported among the Chinese population. Our aim was to screen for SYNE1 ataxia patients in China and extend the clinicogenetic spectrum.Methods: Variants in SYNE1 were detected by high-throughput sequencing on a cohort of 126 unrelated index patients with unexplained autosomal recessive or sporadic ataxia. Pathogenicity assessments of SYNE1 variants were interpreted according to the ACMG guidelines. Potential pathogenic variants were confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Clinical assessments were conducted by two experienced neurologists.Results: Two Chinese families with variable ataxia syndrome were identified (accounting for 1.6%; 2/126), separately caused by the novel homozygous SYNE1 mutation (NM_033071.3: c.21568C>T, p.Arg7190Ter), and compound heterozygous SYNE1 mutation (NM_033071.3: c.18684G>A, p.Trp6228Ter; c.17944C>T, p.Arg5982Ter), characterized by motor neuron impairment, mental retardation and arthrogryposis.Conclusions:SYNE1 ataxia exists in the Chinese population, as a rare form of autosomal recessive ataxia, with a complex phenotype. Our findings expanded the ethnic, phenotypic and genetic diversity of SYNE1 ataxia

Genetically engineered magnetic nanocages for cancer magneto-catalytic theranostics

磁热疗法是一种利用磁热敏剂在磁场中把磁能转换为热能以杀死肿瘤的新型癌症治疗方法，并已成功应用于临床。但是，目前临床所用磁热敏剂的磁-热转换效率低而使得治疗剂量过大，从而给病人带来潜在的副作用，因此大大限制了磁热疗法的广泛应用。该研究利用基因工程和仿生矿化技术制备出具有优异磁-热转化能力及纳米酶催化性能的磁性蛋白纳米笼（eMIONs），成功克服了临床磁热疗法中磁热敏剂低效的瓶颈，为新一代磁热敏剂的研发提供新的思路。该研究工作在刘刚教授指导下完成，博士生张阳为文章第一作者。【Abstract】The clinical applications of magnetic hyperthermia therapy (MHT) have been largely hindered by the poor magnetic-to-thermal conversion efficiency of MHT agents. Herein, we develop a facile and efficient strategy for engineering encapsulin-produced magnetic iron oxide nanocomposites (eMIONs) via a green biomineralization procedure. We demonstrate that eMIONs have excellent magnetic saturation and remnant magnetization properties, featuring superior magnetic-to-thermal conversion efficiency with an ultrahigh specific absorption rate of 2390 W/g to overcome the critical issues of MHT. We also show that eMIONs act as a nanozyme and have enhanced catalase-like activity in the presence of an alternative magnetic field, leading to tumor angiogenesis inhibition with a corresponding sharp decrease in the expression of HIF-1α. The inherent excellent magnetic-heat capability, coupled with catalysis-triggered tumor suppression, allows eMIONs to provide an MRI-guided magneto-catalytic combination therapy, which may open up a new avenue for bench-to-bed translational research of MHT.This work was supported by the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (2017YFA0205201), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81925019, 81422023, 81603015, 81871404, and U1705281), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (20720190088 and 20720200019), and the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University, China (NCET-13-0502). We acknowledge Jingru Huang and Baoying Xie from Central Laboratory in School of Medicine, Xiamen University, for assistance with inductively coupled plasma experiments and data analysis. 研究工作得到了科技部重大专项课题、973课题、国家自然科学基金委杰出青年基金等项目的支持