Brake or Step On the Gas? Empirical Analyses of Credit Effects on Individual Consumption

Understanding the effects of credit on consumption is crucial for guiding users’ consumption behavior, designing financial marketing strategies, and identifying credit\u27s value in stimulating the economy. Whereas several studies have endeavored on this issue, most simply utilize observations of a single credit channel and/or focus on an overall effect without considering the potentially heterogeneous short-term and long-term consumption changes. This study, leveraging a quasi-experimental design with high-resolution transaction data, examines how people respond to credit in both short- and long-term periods. Results show that credit users’ consumption amount significantly expand by 51.74% after getting access to credit in the short term. However, they ultimately cut their consumption by 4.02% to cope with financial constraints in the long term. We also reveal and quantify the spillover effects of credit on consumption with savings channels. We draw on regulatory focus theory to rationalize the changes on consumers’ consumption behavior after credit activation

Striking a Balance: Harnessing Both the Business and Informational Value of Online Reviews through Resource-matching

A majority of consumers now are getting used to consulting reviews before making any purchase decisions. Although we have witnessed fruitful studies in this stream of literature, there lacks sufficient knowledge regarding whether and how we can realize the information and business values simultaneously. We undertook to bridge this gap. Drawn from the cognitive tuning theory and resource-matching theory, we posit that review sentiment would intertwine with the information richness of a review to affect consumers’ judgment of review helpfulness and purchase decision. Our empirical results demonstrate that the information richness of a review, overall, moderates the U-shaped relationship between review sentiment and review helpfulness, as well as the inverted U-shaped relationship between review sentiment and consumer purchase likelihood. These findings unravel certain conditions under which increasing both purchases and review helpfulness could be achieved, which, therefore, offer non-trivial insights into business practice about review-featuring designs

Structure optimization design of gasket test rig based on response surface model

In order to enhance the temperature regulation response speed of the gasket test rig and reduce the hysteresis of the temperature control system, structural optimization is implemented in the hardware part of the test rig. Firstly, a multi-physical field coupling method is employed for comprehensive performance testing of high-temperature and high-pressure gaskets, establishing a heat-fluid-solid coupling simulation and analysis model based on ANSYS. Then, internal temperature distribution of the gasket test device is calculated considering initial and boundary conditions. Next, data is collected using Latin hypercube sampling method, and optimal structural parameter combinations are determined through a multi-objective optimization approach utilizing response surface method and improved genetic algorithm. Finally, collected data is further utilized with response surface method and improved genetic algorithm multi-objective optimization technique to obtain optimal structural parameter combinations for the gasket test device which are verified by heat-fluid-solid coupling simulation. The temperatures tested before and after optimization are analyzed for comparison purposes. The results demonstrate that optimized gasket test rig significantly enhances its temperature control performance

Adult-type rhabdomyoma of the thyroid: A case report

Adult-type rhabdomyoma (AR) is a benign myogenous neoplasm. It is rarely located in the thyroid. We present a case of a 61-year-old man, presenting with complaints of a mass found in his left neck for three years. Ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a mass in the left lobe of the thyroid. Subsequently, a fine-needle aspiration biopsy showed that the lesion was suspected to be an oncocytic neoplasm, and the patient underwent surgery. Finally, the lesion was confirmed to be an AR of the thyroid by postoperative pathological diagnosis. In conclusion, AR that occurs in the thyroid is remarkably rare. No case reports to date have described in detail the imaging findings of AR in the thyroid. This study demonstrates the imaging characteristics of a patient with AR of the thyroid, in order to provide more extensive insights to consider the differential diagnosis of thyroid lesions

A nomogram based on ultrasonographic features and clinical indicators for differentiating mass-forming intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and liver metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma

ObjectiveThis study aimed to develop and validate a nomogram based on ultrasonographic features and clinical indicators to differentiate mass-forming intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (MF-ICC) from hepatic metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma.Materials and methodsA total of 343 patients with pathologically confirmed MF-ICC or metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma were enrolled between October 2018 and July 2022. Patients were randomly assigned to training and validation sets at a ratio of 7:3. Preoperative ultrasound features and clinical indicators were retrieved. Univariate logistic regression analysis was employed to select relevant features. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to establish a predictive model, which was presented as a nomogram in training sets. The model’s performance was assessed in terms of discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness.ResultsThe study included 169 patients with MF-ICC and 174 with liver metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma, assigned to training (n=238) and validation (n=105) cohorts. The nomogram incorporated ultrasound features (tumor size, lesion number, echogenicity, tumor necrosis, and rim arterial phase hyperenhancement) and clinical information (serum levels of CEA, CA19-9, CA125). The nomogram demonstrated promising performance in differentiating these two entities in both training and validation sets, with an AUC value of 0.937 (95%CI: 0.907,0.969) and 0.916 (95%CI: 0.863,0.968), respectively. The Hosmer–Lemeshow test and calibration curves confirmed good consistency between predictions and observations. Additionally, decision curve analysis confirmed the nomogram’s high clinical practicability.ConclusionThe nomogram based on ultrasound features and clinical indicators demonstrated good discrimination performance in differentiating MF-ICC from metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma, which may enhance clinical decision-making process in managing these challenging diagnostic scenarios

Spontaneous Browning of White Adipose Tissue Improves Angiogenesis and Reduces Macrophage Infiltration After Fat Grafting in Mice

Background: Fat grafting is a frequently used technique; however, its survival/ regeneration mechanism is not fully understood. The browning of white adipocytes, a process initiated in response to external stimuli, is the conversion of white to beige adipocytes. The physiologic significance of the browning of adipocytes following transplantation is unclear.Methods: C57BL/6 mice received 150 mg grafts of inguinal adipose tissue, and then the transplanted fat was harvested and analyzed at different time points to assess the browning process. To verify the role of browning of adipocytes in fat grafting, the recipient mice were allocated to three groups, which were administered CL316243 or SR59230A to stimulate or suppress browning, respectively, or a control group after transplantation.Results: Browning of the grafts was present in the center of each as early as 7 days post-transplantation. The number of beige cells peaked at day 14 and then decreased gradually until they were almost absent at day 90. The activation of browning resulted in superior angiogenesis, higher expression of the pro-angiogenic molecules vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), fewer macrophages, and ultimately better graft survival (Upregulation, 59.17% ± 6.64% vs. Control, 40.33% ± 4.03%, *p < 0.05), whereas the inhibition of browning led to poor angiogenesis, lower expression of VEGF-A, increased inflammatory macrophages, and poor transplant retention at week 10 (Downregulation, 20.67% ± 3.69% vs. Control, 40.33% ± 4.03%, *p < 0.05).Conclusion: The browning of WAT following transplantation improves the survival of fat grafts by the promotion of angiogenesis and reducing macrophage

3D inkjet-printed UV-curable inks for multi-functional electromagnetic applications

Inkjet printing of multiple materials is usually processed in multiple steps due to various jetting and curing/sintering conditions. In this paper we report on the development of all inkjet-printed UV-curable electromagnetic responsive inks in a single process, and the electromagnetic characterization of the developed structure. The ink consists of iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (nominal particle size 50–100 nm) suspended within a UV curable matrix resin. The viscosity and surface tension of the inks were tuned to sit within the inkjet printability range. Multiple layers of the electromagnetic active ink were printed alongside passive UV-curable ink in a single manufacturing process to form a multi-material waffle shape. The real permittivity of the cured passive ink, active ink and waffle structure at a frequency of 8–12 GHz were 2.25, 2.73 and 2.65 F/m, respectively. This shows the potential of additive manufacturing (AM) to form multi-material structures with tunable electromagnetic properties