Complex 3D microfluidic architectures formed by mechanically guided compressive buckling.

Microfluidic technologies have wide-ranging applications in chemical analysis systems, drug delivery platforms, and artificial vascular networks. This latter area is particularly relevant to 3D cell cultures, engineered tissues, and artificial organs, where volumetric capabilities in fluid distribution are essential. Existing schemes for fabricating 3D microfluidic structures are constrained in realizing desired layout designs, producing physiologically relevant microvascular structures, and/or integrating active electronic/optoelectronic/microelectromechanical components for sensing and actuation. This paper presents a guided assembly approach that bypasses these limitations to yield complex 3D microvascular structures from 2D precursors that exploit the full sophistication of 2D fabrication methods. The capabilities extend to feature sizes <5 μm, in extended arrays and with various embedded sensors and actuators, across wide ranges of overall dimensions, in a parallel, high-throughput process. Examples include 3D microvascular networks with sophisticated layouts, deterministically designed and constructed to expand the geometries and operating features of artificial vascular networks

Research Progress of Gliomas in Machine Learning

In the field of gliomas research, the broad availability of genetic and image information originated by computer technologies and the booming of biomedical publications has led to the advent of the big-data era. Machine learning methods were applied as possible approaches to speed up the data mining processes. In this article, we reviewed the present situation and future orientations of machine learning application in gliomas within the context of workflows to integrate analysis for precision cancer care. Publicly available tools or algorithms for key machine learning technologies in the literature mining for glioma clinical research were reviewed and compared. Further, the existing solutions of machine learning methods and their limitations in glioma prediction and diagnostics, such as overfitting and class imbalanced, were critically analyzed

Asymmetries of Cerebellar Lobe in the Genus Homo

The endocast was paid great attention in the study of human brain evolution. However, compared to that of the cerebrum, the cerebellar lobe is poorly studied regarding its morphology, function, and evolutionary changes in the process of human evolution. In this study, we define the major axis and four measurements to inspect possible asymmetric patterns within the genus Homo. Results show that significant asymmetry is only observed for the cerebellar length in modern humans and is absent in Homo erectus and Neanderthals. The influence of occipital petalia is obscure due to the small sample size for H. erectus and Neanderthals, while it has a significant influence over the asymmetries of cerebellar height and horizontal orientation in modern humans. Although the length and height of the Neanderthal cerebellum are comparable to that of modern humans, its sagittal orientation is closer to that of H. erectus, which is wider than that of modern humans. The cerebellar morphological difference between Neanderthals and modern humans is suggested to be related to high cognitive activities, such as social factors and language ability

How does ecological civilization construction affect carbon emission intensity? Evidence from Chinese provinces’ panel data

Ecological civilization construction is a new concept and trend in the era of China's high-quality development. It requires the collaborative propulsion of an ecological economic civilization, ecological social civilization, and ecological environment civilization. Reducing carbon emission intensity is an important issue facing the Chinese government in the backdrop of global warming. Thus, studying the influence of ecological civilization construction on carbon emission intensity from different perspectives has important theoretical and practical significance. In this study, the influences of the three subsystems of an ecological civilization on carbon emission intensity are empirically analyzed using Chinese provincial panel data from 2004 to 2016 and a spatial Durbin model based on the STIRPAT model. First, the Moran's I of carbon emission intensity in Chinese provinces was between 0.425 and 0.473. This indicates positive spatial correlation and illustrates that the carbon emission intensity of China's provinces can influence each other. The reasons behind this correlation include close ties between neighboring provinces and similarities in natural, economic, and social characteristics. Second, the correlation coefficients of ecological economic civilization, ecological social civilization, and ecological environment civilization to carbon emission intensity are −4.743139, 2.865884, and −0.3246447, respectively. This illustrates that an ecological economic civilization and ecological environment civilization can reduce carbon emission intensity, while an ecological social civilization can increase it. To reduce total carbon emission intensity, the three subsystems of ecological civilization should have a negative relationship with carbon emission intensity, so the effect of ecological social civilization on carbon emission intensity should be changed. Third, the spatial spillover effect of ecological social civilization did not pass the significance test. The correlation coefficients of spatial spillover effect to ecological economic civilization and ecological environment civilization are 2.046531 and −3.238323, respectively. Improving the ecological economic civilization can increase the carbon emission intensity of periphery provinces, while improving the ecological environment civilization can reduce it. Thus, it is necessary to enhance cooperation between periphery provinces and establish a trans-provincial cooperation mechanism for reducing carbon emissions

Magnetic coupling resonant wireless power transmission system based on variable coil structure

For problem that transmission efficiency of traditional magnetic coupling resonant wireless power transmission system based on single coil structure was limited by transmission distance, a magnetic coupling resonant wireless power transmission system based on variable coil structure was designed. An equivalent circuit model of the system was built, relationship between transmission efficiency and transmission distance were analyzed when the system adopted two-coil and four-coil respectively, and conclusions were gotten as follows: transmission efficiency of the system with two-coil structure decreased with increase of transmission distance, and transmission efficiency of the system with four-coil structure increased first and then decreased with increase of transmission distance. According to above conclusions, a coupling resonant mode using variable coil structure was proposed, which adopted two-coil structure when transmission distance was smaller than coil radius and four-coil structure when transmission distance was larger than coil radius, so as to realize the maximization of transmission efficiency under different transmission distances. The simulation and experimental results verify effectiveness and validity of the system

Can intellectual property protection promote trade credit financing of high-tech enterprises: evidence from the Chinese ‘three-in-one trial’ reform

AbstractWhether the intellectual property protection (IPP) system can improve the financing environment for enterprise innovation is a poorly studied research issue. Taking the Chinese ‘three-in-one trial’ reform of intellectual property rights (IPRs) as a quasi-natural experiment; we investigate the impact of strengthening IPP on trade credit financing of high-tech enterprises. The results show that strengthening IPP can promote their trade credit by about 2%, and the technology market effect, innovation effect and information effect are the underlying mechanisms. Further tests indicate that the promotion effects of IPP are more obvious on high-tech enterprises with lower government support, lower proportion of fixed assets and healthier government–business relationship. Different from the previous literature, which focuses on the relationship between IPP and innovation activities or benefits, this article expands the literature by investigating its impact on innovation financing and fills the research gap of the impact of IPP on capital market information searching

Challenges in internationalization of R&D teams: Impact of foreign technocrats in top management teams on firm innovation

This study explores two reasons for why and when firm innovation may not benefit from the presence of foreign technocrats in top management teams, who represent a ‘minority-in- minority’ status due to their membership of two minority sub-groups (foreigners and technology experts). First, foreign technocrats may face greater social barriers to exert their human capital because their minority-in-minority status brings about twice as much pressure from the majority (the double jeopardy hypothesis). Second, the similarity resulting from the overlap of the two executive groups may render their sub-group peers apprehensive about a loss of self-identity, thus leading to horizontal hostility (the narcissism of minor difference theory). Using a study of 1635 Chinese manufacturing firms to compare the joint effects of similar sub-group peers and CEOs, we find that the overlap of two groups is more likely to play a positive role when these two groups are more heterogeneous

How B2B relationships influence new product development in entrepreneurial firms? The role of psychological tension

Although tension commonly exists in business-to-business (B2B) relationships, past research pays little attention to the potential dark side effects of psychological tensions, especially those between entrepreneurial firms and their client firms, despite their significant impact on these firms’ performance. We address this important research gap by exploring the nature and impact of psychological tensions between entrepreneurial firms and their client firms during the conceptualization and commercialization stages of the new product development (NPD) process. We employ a qualitative approach to conduct semi-structured interviews with 19 entrepreneurial firms operating in the artificial intelligence field in China, and identify two types of psychological tensions at the conceptualization stage (fear of losing the B2B relationship and divergent expectations) and one type of psychological tension at the commercialization stage (attention embeddedness). We also find that fear of losing the B2B relationship and divergent expectations lead to technological decontextualization, while attention embeddedness yields singular learning