Network Effects In Two-Sided Electronic Market: A Cross-Country Empirical Analysis Of Online P2P Lending Market

With a two-sided model, this paper reports an empirical research investigating online Peer-to-Peer lending marketplaces, PPDai.com in China and Prosper.com in US. We observe that the platform’s profit-maximizing pricing strategies for the agents in the online P2P lending marketplaces are mainly related to the network effects between and within the two sides. Agents’ inter-group and intra-group network externalities depend on the demand-supply relationships, which is unlike the assumptions of negative intra-group network externalities and positive inter-group network externalities in the previous theoretical research of electronic commerce. Besides, as assumed in the theoretical model, it demonstrates significant negative price elasticity of demand and supply on both platforms. Based on the theoretical model and empirical results, we analyze the two platforms’ profit-maximizing pricing strategies, and explain the rationality and deficiency of the strategies. The findings enhance our understanding of the two-sided electronic market, which could shed light on how the platforms make price strategies in this kind of electronic market

Profit VS Non-Profit Business Based on P2P Lending: A Cross-Country Multiple Case Study

People-to-People (P2P) lending allows individuals to lend and borrow directly among each other online. Previous research mainly focuses on a single P2P lending marketplace – Prosper.com. This paper uses a multiple-case study approach to explore four P2P lending marketplaces. The study provides in-depth explanations on how different P2P lending marketplaces operate in different business models and in different countries. Our study thus extends current understanding about different operation models of P2P lending marketplaces, and suggests how future research should be done to cover more P2P lending platforms. We also contribute to the literature by indicating the interesting research questions originated from the cross-case analysis

The Roles of Social Capital in Online P2P Lending Markets Under Different Cultures: A Comparison of China and America

Online P2P (People-to-People or Peer-to-Peer) lending has very rapid development since it was appeared in 2005. In order to mitigate asymmetric information between borrowers and lenders, some online P2P market allows members building their social networks (such as Prosper, CommunityLend, PPDai etc). By empirical analyzing the transaction data of Prosper (largest P2P market in US) and PPDai (largest P2P market in China), the paper verifies that the social capital systems have a positive influence on borrower’s loan performance on the markets. However, on both markets, the loan interest rate mainly dependents on borrower’s hard information rather than their social capital. Furthermore, it concludes that borrower’ social network in PPDai is much more useful and effective than in Prosper by comparing the empirical results, which could be helpful for the credit system development of Chinese online P2P lending markets based on the conclusions

Timing of surgery and risk of postoperative thrombotic complications after recovery from Covid-19 in breast cancer patients

Background and purpose: The incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) for patients with breast cancer after surgery is 2.00%-6.40%. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between postoperative DVT complications and surgical timing in breast cancer patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, in order to guide clinical decision-making. Methods: From December 20, 2022 to March 20, 2023, 317 patients with breast cancer diagnosed with COVID-19 and with signs and symptoms of infection turning negative in Shandong Institute of Cancer Prevention and Treatment (Shandong Cancer Hospital), Shandong First Medical University (Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences) were enrolled. The control group included 329 patients with breast cancer who underwent surgery between May 1, 2019 and September 30, 2019 in the same hospital. Patients were grouped according to the interval between the date of COVID-19 infection and the date of surgery, and the interval time and postoperative DVT occurrence were analyzed. Results: Among 317 patients with breast cancer who underwent surgery after COVID-19 infection, 17 (5.36%), 29 (9.15%), 31 (9.78%), 50 (15.78%) and 190 (59.90%) underwent surgery after 0-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 8 weeks, respectively. The incidence of postoperative DVT was 11.76%, 3.45%, 3.23%, 6.00% and 1.58%, respectively. The incidence of postoperative DVT in 329 patients without COVID-19 infection was 1.21%, and the incidence of postoperative DVT in patients receiving operation within 2 weeks of COVID-19 infection was significantly higher (OR=10.556; 95% CI: 1.095-303.313, P=0.03), the incidence of postoperative DVT in patients undergoing operation 3-8 weeks following COVID-19 infection was 4.55%. Multivariate analysis showed that COVID-19 infection interval was an independent predictor of DVT (OR=2.795; 95% CI: 0.692-11.278, P=0.024). All 10 patients with DVT after breast cancer surgery were recovered without serious complications such as pulmonary embolism, and the follow-up adjuvant anti-tumor therapy was not affected after symptomatic treatment. Conclusion: The incidence of DVT after breast cancer surgery within 8 weeks of COVID-19 infection is significantly higher than that of uninfected patients, especially the incidence of DVT in patients undergoing surgery within 2 weeks of COVID-19 infection is as high as 11.76%. Elective surgery for breast cancer within 2 weeks of COVID-19 infection should be avoided. Although the incidence of DVT in patients undergoing surgery 3 weeks after COVID-19 infection is still slightly high, surgical treatment can be recommended considering the urgency of breast cancer treatment, the good prognosis of DVT and the lack of influence on subsequent adjuvant therapy. However, detailed records of COVID-19 infection history of patients, early prevention and close monitoring should be made, and postoperative DVT should be treated

High-Sensitivity Sensing in All-Dielectric Metasurface Driven by Quasi-Bound States in the Continuum

Quasi-bound states in the continuum (quasi-BIC) in all-dielectric metasurfaces provide a crucial platform for sensing due to its ability to enhance strong matter interactions between light-waves and analytes. In this study, a novel high-sensitivity all-dielectric sensor composed of a periodic array of silicon (Si) plates with square nanoholes in the continuous near-infrared band is theoretically proposed. By adjusting the position of the square nanohole, the symmetry-protected BIC and Friedrich–Wintgen BIC (FW–BIC) can be excited. The torodial dipole (TD) and electric quadruple (EQ) are demonstrated to play a dominating role in the resonant modes by near-field analysis and multipole decomposition. The results show that the sensitivity, the Q-factor, and the corresponding figure of merit (FOM) can simultaneously reach 399 nm/RIU (RIU is refractive index unit), 4959, and 1281, respectively. Compared with other complex nanostructures, the proposed metasurface is more feasible and practical, which may open up an avenue for the development of ultrasensitive sensors

High-Sensitivity Sensing in All-Dielectric Metasurface Driven by Quasi-Bound States in the Continuum

Quasi-bound states in the continuum (quasi-BIC) in all-dielectric metasurfaces provide a crucial platform for sensing due to its ability to enhance strong matter interactions between light-waves and analytes. In this study, a novel high-sensitivity all-dielectric sensor composed of a periodic array of silicon (Si) plates with square nanoholes in the continuous near-infrared band is theoretically proposed. By adjusting the position of the square nanohole, the symmetry-protected BIC and Friedrich–Wintgen BIC (FW–BIC) can be excited. The torodial dipole (TD) and electric quadruple (EQ) are demonstrated to play a dominating role in the resonant modes by near-field analysis and multipole decomposition. The results show that the sensitivity, the Q-factor, and the corresponding figure of merit (FOM) can simultaneously reach 399 nm/RIU (RIU is refractive index unit), 4959, and 1281, respectively. Compared with other complex nanostructures, the proposed metasurface is more feasible and practical, which may open up an avenue for the development of ultrasensitive sensors

Effects of Physical Activity Level on Attentional Networks in Young Adults

Although physical activity is associated with better attentional functioning in elderly populations or in specific clinical populations, the association between physical activity level and attention has been less studied in young adult populations. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether the positive effects of physical activity on attentional networks extend to young adults. In total, 57 college students were recruited and assigned to one of three groups of physical activity levels (high, moderate, and low) based on their self-reported exercise. Each participant completed the Attention Network Test to evaluate the efficiency of three components of attention: alerting, orienting, and executive control. Compared with the low physical activity group, both the high and moderate physical activity groups exhibited better executive control. In addition, the efficiency of the executive control network was positively correlated with physical activity. By contrast, no statistically significant differences were detected among these three groups for the functioning of the alerting or orienting networks. These findings suggested that physical activity had a positive effect on attention in young adults, with the benefit primarily observed for the executive control component rather than for the alerting and orienting components of attention

Symmetry-Breaking Effect on the Electromagnetic Properties of Plasmonic Trimers Composed of Graphene Nanodisks

Plasmonic trimers composed of equal-sized graphene nanodisks are proposed in this paper. The symmetry-breaking effect on the electromagnetic properties of the nanostructure is numerically investigated by studying plasmon energy diagrams and optical scattering spectra in mid-infrared range with a gradient vertex angle. The degenerate plasmonic modes are lifted and new modes appear with increased vertex angle. The energy diagrams are consistent with scattering extinction spectra, about which the dipole moment distribution of the proposed structure is discussed to demonstrate the coupling strength of the collective plasmonic modes of the trimer. More specifically, the frequency tunability of the plasmonic trimer is pointed out by modifying the chemical potential of the graphene nanodisks without varying the geometric configuration. The proposed structure might find applications such as light-matter interaction, single molecule detection, and high-sensitivity chemical sensing

Global Bibliometric Analysis of Research on the Application of Biochar in Forest Soils

Considering the impacts of global climate change, paths for sustainable development are of particular importance. Biochar has multiple advantages, including but not limited to climate change mitigation, waste management, soil fertility improvement, and pollution remediation. Forest soils play a significant role in terrestrial ecosystems. The application of biochar in forest soils (ABFS) is therefore considered an essential tool for improving soil quality, capturing carbon, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Web of Science Core Collection database was utilized for the bibliometric analysis of ABFS publications published between 2002 and 2022. Three bibliometric software were used to analyze bibliometrics, networks, and research directions for ABFS: Bibliometrix, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace. The analysis shows that research on ABFS is always rapidly developing. Research on ABFS is engaged globally in a complex network of collaborations, and the main research has occurred in China and the United States. Collaboration among authors is relatively diffuse. Research on ABFS involves interdisciplinary integration. In the early stages of research, the origin of biochar (history and boreal forests) and its characteristics (dynamics, nitrogen content, and chemical composition) were the focus of attention. As research progressed, more attention was given to ABFS (carbon, organic matter, vegetation, and heavy metals). Our research shows that while ABFS research has a certain history, its development trend has been consistently upward and shows no signs of declining. Thus, future research will likely concentrate on ABFS. Due to the complexity of biochar functions, ample research opportunities exist in ABFS