UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF COMMITMENTS IN EXPLAINING CROWDFUNDING INVESTING WILLINGNESS: ANTECEDENTS AND CONSEQUENCES

Crowdfunding is a new financing channel for small- and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups to raise funds for innovation projects online. Despite its rapid development, few empirical research has been performed to identify individuals’ motivations to continuously invest in crowdfunding. The high practical significance and lack of research indicate the importance of the present study. This study aims to apply Meyer & Allen’s three-component model of commitment to construct a research model, incorporating context-specific antecedents. The results of our survey of 186 actual funders of the crowdfunding platforms in China indicated that affective and calculative commitment are the main drivers of funders’ continuous investments in crowdfunding. Calculative commitment was proved to have a positive influence on affective commitment. Further, perceived self-worth and trust performed well as antecedents of both affective and calculative commitment, though trust played a negative role in the latter, which differed from the three other paths. And also, perceived critical mass was significantly associated with calculative commitment. The results of this research provided theoretical implications for future research and practical implications for the success of crowdfunding platforms

PtoMYB031, the R2R3 MYB transcription factor involved in secondary cell wall biosynthesis in poplar

IntroductionThe biosynthesis of the secondary cell wall (SCW) is orchestrated by an intricate hierarchical transcriptional regulatory network. This network is initiated by first-layer master switches, SCW-NAC transcription factors, which in turn activate the second-layer master switches MYBs. These switches play a crucial role in regulating xylem specification and differentiation during SCW formation. However, the roles of most MYBs in woody plants are yet to be fully understood.MethodsIn this study, we identified and isolated the R2R3-MYB transcription factor, PtoMYB031, from Populus tomentosa. We explored its expression, mainly in xylem tissues, and its role as a transcriptional repressor in the nucleus. We used overexpression and RNA interference techniques in poplar, along with Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays, to analyze the regulatory effects of PtoMYB031.ResultsOverexpression of PtoMYB031 in poplar significantly reduced lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose content, and inhibited vascular development in stems, resulting in decreased SCW thickness in xylem tissues. Gene expression analysis showed that structural genes involved in SCW biosynthesis were downregulated in PtoMYB031-OE lines. Conversely, RNA interference of PtoMYB031 increased these compounds. Additionally, PtoMYB031 was found to recruit the repressor PtoZAT11, forming a transcriptional inhibition complex.DiscussionOur findings provide new insights into how PtoMYB031, through its interaction with PtoZAT11, forms a complex that can suppress the expression of key regulatory genes, PtoWND1A and PtoWND2B, in SCW biosynthesis. This study enhances our understanding of the transcriptional regulation involved in SCW formation in poplar, highlighting the significant role of PtoMYB031

Mapping current trends and hotspots in myasthenia gravis from 2003 to 2022: a bibliometric analysis

IntroductionResearch on myasthenia gravis (MG) has undergone rapid development in recent years. This article aimed to elucidate the characteristics of MG publications over the past 20 years and analyze emerging trends using bibliometric methods.MethodsInformation on MG articles was obtained from the Web of Science Core Collection and stored in Excel for quantitative analyses. Bibliometric analyses were performed using CiteSpace and VOSviewer to visualize publications according to countries/regions, institutions, journals, and authors.ResultsA total of 3,610 publications were included in the analysis. The USA had the highest number of publications (NP) and H-index. Among the institutions, the University of Oxford had the highest NP, followed by the University of Toronto and Duke University. Close cooperation was observed among countries and institutions. The most productive author was Renato Mantegazza, followed by Jan J. Verschuuren, and Amelia Evoli. Muscle & Nerve published the most articles on MG, followed by the Journal of Neuroimmunology and Neuromuscular Disorders. The keyword with the highest strength is “neuromuscular transmission,” followed by “safety” and “rituximab.” Co-citation analysis includes 103 publications cited at least 65 times, categorized into four clusters. Additionally, 123 keywords cited more than 40 times were analyzed and divided into five clusters.ConclusionThis bibliometric analysis shows the framework of research over the past 20 years by mapping the scholarly contributions of various countries or regions, institutions, journals, and authors in MG. The analysis also explores future trends and prospective directions, emphasizing individualized treatment based on subtypes, novel immunotherapeutic approaches, and thymectomy

Research progress in superoleophobic surface

Superoleophobic refers to the phenomenon that the contact angle (CA) of the oil droplet with low surface tension on the solid surface is greater than 150° as well as the sliding angle (SA) is less than 10°. However, due to the low surface tension of organic liquids, the construction of superoleophobic surfaces was relatively difficult. Inspired by springtail, re-entrant structure has become a breakthrough to solve this problem.Together with surface chemical composition modification and surface roughness, it has been introduced into the design and manufacturing system of superoleophobic surface. Several classical wetting models such as Young model, Wenzel model, Cassie-Baxter model were introduced, the design methods of superoleophobic surfaces were elaborated from the structural structure and chemical composition, and the research progress of superoleophobic surface preparation technologies such as electrospinning, sol-gel method, deposition method, etching method and laser processing was discussed, the oleophobic properties of various surfaces under test liquids with different surface tension were summarized. Finally, the research direction of superoleophobic surface was prospected, that is, low cost, simple operation, environmental friendly and excellent physical and chemical properties of the obtained surfaces. The preparation technology of superoleophobic surfaces would be further explored

Gastrodin Alleviates Cognitive Dysfunction and Depressive-Like Behaviors by Inhibiting ER Stress and NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation in db/db Mice

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) suffer more risks from diabetic encephalopathy such as cognitive dysfunction and depressive-like behaviors. Numerous studies show that ER (endoplasmic reticulum) stress and inflammation play important roles in the development of diabetic encephalopathy. Gastrodin (Gas), one major component of Gastrodia elata, is traditionally used in central nervous system disorders and is believed to possess anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and other neuroprotective effects. This present study aims to explore the protective effects of Gas on diabetic encephalopathy. Gas was administrated daily (70 and 140 mg/Kg) for 12 weeks. Meanwhile, the fasting blood glucose and body weight of db/db mice were measured every two weeks. After Gas treatment, the Morris water maze (MWM) test and novel object recognition (NOR) test were performed to assess the learning and memory functions of db/db mice, and the forced swim test was performed to evaluate depressive-like behaviors of db/db mice. Additionally, the expression of ER stress and Nucleotide binding and oligomerization domain-like (Nod) receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome related proteins were evaluated by using Western blot. Our study suggested that Gas attenuated blood glucose levels and dyslipidemia of db/db mice. It has been shown that Gas could improve learning and memory function and depressive-like behaviors of db/db mice. Moreover, Gas inhibited ER stress and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in the hippocampus. Taken together, this study demonstrates that Gas attenuates the diabetic encephalopathy by inhibiting ER stress and NLRP3 inflammasome activation

Signal peptidase 21 suppresses cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via the PTEN-PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in lung adenocarcinoma

Background In a previous study, a total of 568 differentially expressed proteins including the signal peptidase SPC21 were identified from lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and paired normal lung tissues. In this study, the role of SPC21 in LUAD progression was investigated. Methods The relationships and protein-protein interaction network of proteins differentially expressed between paired LUAD samples and adjacent normal tissues samples were identified via the String and Pajek software, respectively. The expression levels of the hub protein SPC21 were analyzed in 84 LUAD-normal paired tissues via immunohistochemistry. The prognostic value of SPC21 mRNA was investigated in 478 LUAD patients from TCGA and GTEx datasets. siRNAs were used in A549 and NCI-H1299 cells to knockdown SPC21. The SPC21 biological function was evaluated using the CCK-8, EdU, plate colony formation, transwell, wound healing, and adhesion assays. Results Patients with lower SPC21 mRNA levels tended to have worse prognosis (overall survival) than those with higher mRNA levels. SPC21 expression was significantly downregulated in LUAD tumor tissues compared with that in paired normal tissues (P < 0.001). Functionally, SPC21 knockdown promoted cell growth, migration, and invasion. Further analyses showed that SPC21 inactivated Akt signaling, and the Akt inhibitor MK-2206 blocked the tumor-promoting effects of SPC21 knockdown. Conclusions SPC21 plays a tumor suppressor role in LUAD cells by targeting the PTEN-PI3K/Akt axis and might be used as a prognostic indicator and therapeutic target in LUAD patients

Elevated N-telopeptide as a potential diagnostic marker for bone metastasis in lung cancer: A meta-analysis.

Growing evidence indicates that the cross-linked N-telopeptide of type I collagen (NTx) is likely to be involved in the development of bone metastasis among lung cancer patients. We perform a meta-analysis to disclose the correlation between bone metastasis and NTx and also to evaluate its value in diagnosis of bone metastasis (BM) in lung cancer.Electronic databases were searched and calculated the weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) to assess the expression difference of NTx between BM+ and BM- lung cancer patients. Moreover, we conducted a sensitivity and specificity test and drew a summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC) to assess the diagnostic value of NTx in discerning bone metastasis.A total of eleven studies with 1108 individuals were included in this analysis. The results showed an increased NTx was correlated with the incidence of lung cancer (P < 0.001). The overall sensitivity and specificity of serum NTx (sNTx) for discerning bone metastasis was 0.74 (95% CI = 0.67 to 0.79) and 0.85 (95% CI = 0.80 to 0.89), respectively. As for urine NTx (uNTx) the pooled sensitivity and specificity was 0.77(95% CI = 0.67 to 0.86) and 0.81(95% CI = 0.76 to 0.86). The area under the SROC curve was 0.8889(SE = 0.0255) and 0.8655(SE = 0.0254) for sNTx and uNTx respectively.The elevation of NTx in lung cancer was positively related with the development and progression of bone metastasis. A higher specificity over sensitivity of NTx suggested that it is a more accurate biomarker to distinguish patients without bone metastasis. Regarding SROC curve, sNTx may be a better choice

Research on current-mode damping impedance interface model based on adaptive impedance matching

With the development and progress of new energy electricity generation technology, a detailed study and test is required on new energy power generation equipment and micro-network system. As of the advantage of both numerical simulation and physical simulation, power connection type digital physical mixed simulation system could accomplish such research and tests. The simulation interface is the key to realise hybrid simulation. This paper proposes a current-mode damping impedance interface model based on adaptive impedance matching. The model is analysed from the interface stability, the accuracy and the dynamic response ability according to the structure of the interface model. Both theoretical analysis and simulation results show that current-mode damping impedance interface model based on adaptive impedance has high stability and accuracy, and also good dynamic response capability