Being And Becoming Entrepreneurial: A Narrative Study On The Development Of Entrepreneurial Adults In China And The United States

Today’s youth have lives dramatically different from the past and face an unpredictable future and challenging job market, thus being entrepreneurial is increasingly more important to cultivate (Ford, 2015). I aim to understand the state and development of being entrepreneurial and its implications for broadly educating young people, as one approach to better preparing our students for the future (Auerswald, 2012; de Villiers Scheepers et al., 2018).Although the general research interest in entrepreneurship is burgeoning, the developmental perspective has been limited. Additionally, the development of Entrepreneurial individuals across diverse age groups and countries has not been studied extensively and their narratives of being and becoming entrepreneurial have not been heard and studied. Thus, I have used the self-narratives of 24 entrepreneurial individuals in China and the US to explore how they are developing to be entrepreneurial. Specifically, I explored their current state of being entrepreneurial and developmental processes that have contributed to these states. My sample was divided evenly across the Chinese and United States contexts, and also stratified by age groups (from 18 to 39; and 40 and above) and gender (male and female). I sought to understand what factors might have affected the entrepreneurial development in different individuals, according to their own understanding, and explored whether differences exist across countries, gender, and age groups. I placed a particular emphasis on developmental patterns that were revealed in the analytic process. Interviews were analyzed through a coding and interpretive process informed by grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). First, five key themes emerged related to being of entrepreneurial: (1) Learning as a Way of Being; (2) Action!; (3) Staying in the Arena; (4) Connecting Elements, People, Information and Resources; and (5) Disrupting. Secondly, in terms of factors affecting entrepreneurial development, both internal (self-characteristics) and external (environmental) factors were identified from the narrative accounts, and the developmental process was presented as dynamic and complex. Key developmental sources of influence include: (1)Emerging Self Identities and Experiences from Childhood and Teen Years; (2) Early Entrepreneurial Experiences; (3) Family influence; (4) Work-Related Experience; (5) School Impact; and (6) Virtual and Physical entrepreneurial environments. Finally, differences and commonalities across the countries, age groups, and gender emerged and are discussed. Overall, entrepreneurial development can and should be broadly encouraged given the narratives and lessons shared by the participants. Recommendations and implications for supporting students’ “entrepreneurial development” are presented: (1) It is the mindset, not the occupation; (2) Demystifying the entrepreneurial mindset as a way of thinking and being; (3) It takes a village to raise an entrepreneurial child; (4) Developing an entrepreneurial mindset as a way to achieve personal growth and fulfillment. Lastly, the limits and future direction are discussed

Protective Role of Rabbit Nucleotide-Binding Oligomerization Domain-2 (NOD2)-Mediated Signaling Pathway in Resistance to Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Infection

Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 (NOD2), a member of the NOD-like receptors (NLRs) family that is well-known to play a key role in innate immune responses and is involved in innate antibacterial responses. In this study, rabbit NOD2 (rNOD2) was cloned from rabbit kidney (RK) cells. It was distributed in various tissues, and the highest level of rNod2 was detected in spleen. Moreover, the expression of rNod2 was significantly upregulated in the heart, liver, and spleen induced by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). Overexpression of rNOD2 induced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine, including Il1β, Il6, Ifn-γ, and Tnf, as well as defensins, including Defb124, Defb125, and Defb128 through the nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, overexpression of rNOD2 inhibited the growth of EHEC, and knockdown of rNOD2 or inhibition of the NF-κB pathway promoted its replication. In addition, our results suggest that rNOD2 can significantly activate NF-κB signaling and trigger antibacterial defenses to increase the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine and defensins after stimulation by EHEC. These findings are useful to further understanding the innate immune system of rabbits and providing a new perspective for the prevention of bacterial diseases in rabbits

Reservoir Modeling of Braided River Reservoirs Based on Geological Knowledge Database: A Case Study of P1x Formation of the Daniudi Gas Field, Ordos Basin, China

AbstractThe sandy braided river depositional system developed in the Lower Shihezi Formation of the Daniudi gas field, Ordos Basin. It has the characteristics of frequent migration and oscillation of braided channels and large well spacing, making it challenging to portray the braided river sand body in this area, bringing uncertainty to the 3D geological modeling of the reservoir. This study takes the primary gas reservoir H1 member as an example. It establishes a quantitative geological knowledge database for the reservoir by statistically fitting the correlation equations between the braided channel and channel bar in the planes and profiles to reduce the uncertainty of reservoir modeling. This study combines the multisource and multiscale information from modern sedimentation, field outcrops, and tank simulation experiments of the braided river. From the data, the distribution intervals for the thickness and width of the braided channel sand body in the H1 member are 1–22 m and 7–320 m, respectively, and the thickness, width, and length distribution intervals of the sand body in the channel bar are 3–30 m, 80–1500 m, and 240–4200 m, respectively. A 3D training image is established using the object-based simulation method based on the H1 member’s well data and combining the quantitative parameters of various microfacies in the geological knowledge database. The multiple-point geostatistical modeling method is applied to establish a sedimentary microfacies model. The model’s uncertainty is reduced through multi-information fusion constraint modeling, providing a reliable basis for guiding the prediction of the remaining gas in the Daniudi gas field

Low-mass dark matter search results from full exposure of PandaX-I experiment

We report the results of a weakly-interacting massive particle (WIMP) dark matter search using the full 80.1\;live-day exposure of the first stage of the PandaX experiment (PandaX-I) located in the China Jin-Ping Underground Laboratory. The PandaX-I detector has been optimized for detecting low-mass WIMPs, achieving a photon detection efficiency of 9.6\%. With a fiducial liquid xenon target mass of 54.0\,kg, no significant excess event were found above the expected background. A profile likelihood analysis confirms our earlier finding that the PandaX-I data disfavor all positive low-mass WIMP signals reported in the literature under standard assumptions. A stringent bound on the low mass WIMP is set at WIMP mass below 10\,GeV/c$^2$, demonstrating that liquid xenon detectors can be competitive for low-mass WIMP searches.Comment: v3 as accepted by PRD. Minor update in the text in response to referee comments. Separating Fig. 11(a) and (b) into Fig. 11 and Fig. 12. Legend tweak in Fig. 9(b) and 9(c) as suggested by referee, as well as a missing legend for CRESST-II legend in Fig. 12 (now Fig. 13). Same version as submitted to PR

Improving product quality and productivity of an antibody-based biotherapeutic using inverted frustoconical shaking bioreactors

The Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells serve as a common choice in biopharmaceutical production, traditionally cultivated in stirred tank bioreactors (STRs). Nevertheless, the pursuit of improved protein quality and production output for commercial purposes demand exploration into new bioreactor types. In this context, inverted frustoconical shaking bioreactors (IFSB) present unique physical properties distinct from STRs. This study aims to compare the production processes of an antibody-based biotherapeutic in both bioreactor types, to enhance production flexibility. The findings indicate that, when compared to STRs, IFSB demonstrates the capability to produce an antibody-based biotherapeutic with either comparable or enhanced bioprocess performance and product quality. IFSB reduces shear damage to cells, enhances viable cell density (VCD), and improves cell state at a 5-L scale. Consequently, this leads to increased protein expression (3.70 g/L vs 2.56 g/L) and improved protein quality, as evidenced by a reduction in acidic variants from 27.0% to 21.5%. Scaling up the culture utilizing the Froude constant and superficial gas velocity ensures stable operation, effective mixing, and gas transfer. The IFSB maintains a high VCD and cell viability at both 50-L and 500-L scales. Product expression levels range from 3.0 to 3.6 g/L, accompanied by an improved acidic variants attribute of 20.6%–22.7%. The IFSB exhibits superior productivity and product quality, underscoring its potential for incorporation into the manufacturing process for antibody-based biotherapeutics. These results establish the foundation for IFSB to become a viable option in producing antibody-based biotherapeutics for clinical and manufacturing applications