Complementary or Substitutive? Free-Format Content Production and Knowledge Contribution in Online Knowledge-Sharing Communities

Many online platforms that thrive on user-generated content (UGC) face the under-provision issue. A new strategy that platforms deploy to tackle this problem is to offer extra content curation tools with lower entry barriers. We study one of such features in online knowledge-sharing platforms: An additional content curation tool that allows users to share free-format content apart from the standard question-and-answer (Q&A) knowledge content. By leveraging a natural experiment occurred in a large Chinese online knowledge-sharing platform, we identify the causal effects of users’ adoption of a new low-barrier content tool on their knowledge contribution in a difference-in-differences (DiD) framework. We find that the adoption of such a low-barrier tool complements knowledge contribution. Specifically, users increased their volumes of answers without compromising effort spent on each answer after adoption. We validate this finding by further addressing the selection bias through a two-step Heckman correction approach with instrumental variable and a look-ahead matching method. Our results bear important implications for platform design and intervention to motivate UGC contribution

Genomic value prediction for quantitative traits under the epistatic model

Abstract Background Most quantitative traits are controlled by multiple quantitative trait loci (QTL). The contribution of each locus may be negligible but the collective contribution of all loci is usually significant. Genome selection that uses markers of the entire genome to predict the genomic values of individual plants or animals can be more efficient than selection on phenotypic values and pedigree information alone for genetic improvement. When a quantitative trait is contributed by epistatic effects, using all markers (main effects) and marker pairs (epistatic effects) to predict the genomic values of plants can achieve the maximum efficiency for genetic improvement. Results In this study, we created 126 recombinant inbred lines of soybean and genotyped 80 makers across the genome. We applied the genome selection technique to predict the genomic value of somatic embryo number (a quantitative trait) for each line. Cross validation analysis showed that the squared correlation coefficient between the observed and predicted embryo numbers was 0.33 when only main (additive) effects were used for prediction. When the interaction (epistatic) effects were also included in the model, the squared correlation coefficient reached 0.78. Conclusions This study provided an excellent example for the application of genome selection to plant breeding

Photoinduced ultrafast transition of the local correlated structure in chalcogenide phase-change materials

Revealing the bonding and time-evolving atomic dynamics in functional materials with complex lattice structures can update the fundamental knowledge on rich physics therein, and also help to manipulate the material properties as desired. As the most prototypical chalcogenide phase change material, Ge2Sb2Te5 has been widely used in optical data storage and non-volatile electric memory due to the fast switching speed and the low energy consumption. However, the basic understanding of the structural dynamics on the atomic scale is still not clear. Using femtosecond electron diffraction, structure factor calculation and TDDFT-MD simulation, we reveal the photoinduced ultrafast transition of the local correlated structure in the averaged rock-salt phase of Ge2Sb2Te5. The randomly oriented Peierls distortion among unit cells in the averaged rock-salt phase of Ge2Sb2Te5 is termed as local correlated structures. The ultrafast suppression of the local Peierls distortions in individual unit cell gives rise to a local structure change from the rhombohedral to the cubic geometry within ~ 0.3 ps. In addition, the impact of the carrier relaxation and the large amount of vacancies to the ultrafast structural response is quantified and discussed. Our work provides new microscopic insights into contributions of the local correlated structure to the transient structural and optical responses in phase change materials. Moreover, we stress the significance of femtosecond electron diffraction in revealing the local correlated structure in the subunit cell and the link between the local correlated structure and physical properties in functional materials with complex microstructures

GmGBP1, a homolog of human ski interacting protein in soybean, regulates flowering and stress tolerance in Arabidopsis

BACKGROUND: SKIP is a transcription cofactor in many eukaryotes. It can regulate plant stress tolerance in rice and Arabidopsis. But the homolog of SKIP protein in soybean has been not reported up to now. RESULTS: In this study, the expression patterns of soybean GAMYB binding protein gene (GmGBP1) encoding a homolog of SKIP protein were analyzed in soybean under abiotic stresses and different day lengths. The expression of GmGBP1 was induced by polyethyleneglycol 6000, NaCl, gibberellin, abscisic acid and heat stress. GmGBP1 had transcriptional activity in C-terminal. GmGBP1 could interact with R2R3 domain of GmGAMYB1 in SKIP domain to take part in gibberellin flowering pathway. In long-day (16 h-light) condition, transgenic Arabidopsis with the ectopic overexpression of GmGBP1 exhibited earlier flowering and less number of rosette leaves; Suppression of AtSKIP in Arabidopsis resulted in growth arrest, flowering delay and down-regulation of many flowering-related genes (CONSTANS, FLOWERING LOCUS T, LEAFY); Arabidopsis myb33 mutant plants with ectopic overexpression of GmGBP1 showed the same flowering phenotype with wild type. In short-day (8 h-light) condition, transgenic Arabidopsis plants with GmGBP1 flowered later and showed a higher level of FLOWERING LOCUS C compared with wild type. When treated with abiotic stresses, transgenic Arabidopsis with the ectopic overexpression of GmGBP1 enhanced the tolerances to heat and drought stresses but reduced the tolerance to high salinity, and affected the expressions of several stress-related genes. CONCLUSIONS: In Arabidopsis, GmGBP1 might positively regulate the flowering time by affecting CONSTANS, FLOWERING LOCUS T, LEAFY and GAMYB directly or indirectly in photoperiodic and gibberellin pathways in LDs, but GmGBP1 might represse flowering by affecting FLOWERING LOCUS C and SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE in autonomous pathway in SDs. GmGBP1 might regulate the activity of ROS-eliminating to improve the resistance to heat and drought but reduce the high-salinity tolerance

Comparative studies of the anti-thrombotic effects of saffron and HongHua based on network pharmacology

Purpose: To investigate the comparative anti-thrombotic effects of saffron and Honghua, and also to explore possible mechanisms in thrombosis based on network pharmacology. Methods: A network pharmacology model was used for bioactive components, targets and pathways for saffron and HongHua via Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), PharmMapper, Genecard, Uniprot and KEGG databases. In animal experiments, 72 rats were randomly divided into 9 groups: normal control group (NC), model control group (MC), crocetin groups (80, 40, 20 mg/kg), hydroxysafflor yellow A(HSYA) groups (80, 40, 20 mg/kg), and aspirin group (40 mg/kg). Using in vitro thrombosis models and an acute blood stasis model in vivo, the anti-thrombotic effects of these treatments on clotting time, hemorheology parameters, Thromboxane B2 (TXB2), plasmin activator inhibitor (PAI), protein C (PC), protein S (PS), and thrombinantithrombin complex (TAT) were determined and comparisons made for saffron and HongHua. Results: Five potential compounds, 16 anti-thrombotic targets and 27 pathways were predicted for saffron, while 22 compounds, 37 disease targets and 35 pathways were found for HongHua (p < 0.05). Pharmacological experiments revealed that crocetin and HSYA had significant effects on thrombus length, thrombus wet/dry mass, whole blood viscosity (WBV), erythrocyte aggregation index (EAI), clotting time and D-dimer for the high and middle groups. Unlike HSYA, crocetin also had significant and dose-dependent effects on PAI, prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2) and PS and had highly significant effects on TXB2 and TAT. Conclusion: This research provides a systematic, comprehensive and comparative analysis of component, target and anti-thrombotic pathways of saffron and HongHua based on network pharmacology, and also shows that saffron has more significant anti-thrombotic effect than HongHua. Keywords: Saffron; HongHua; Network pharmacology; Anti-thrombosis; Network mode

The therapeutic effect of traditional Chinese medicine on breast cancer through modulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Breast cancer, the most prevalent malignant tumor among women globally, is significantly influenced by the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, which plays a crucial role in its initiation and progression. While conventional chemotherapy, the standard clinical treatment, suffers from significant drawbacks like severe side effects, high toxicity, and limited prognostic efficacy, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) provides a promising alternative. TCM employs a multi-targeted therapeutic approach, which results in fewer side effects and offers a high potential for effective treatment. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the therapeutic impacts of TCM on various subtypes of breast cancer, focusing on its interaction with the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Additionally, it explores the effectiveness of both monomeric and compound forms of TCM in the management of breast cancer. We also discuss the potential of establishing biomarkers for breast cancer treatment based on key proteins within the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Our aim is to offer new insights into the prevention and treatment of breast cancer and to contribute to the standardization of TCM

Identification of the Genomic Region Underlying Seed Weight per Plant in Soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) via High-Throughput Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms and a Genome-Wide Association Study

Seed weight per plant (SWPP) of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), a complicated quantitative trait controlled by multiple genes, was positively associated with soybean seed yields. In the present study, a natural soybean population containing 185 diverse accessions primarily from China was used to analyze the genetic basis of SWPP via genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) based on high-throughput single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) generated by the Specific Locus Amplified Fragment Sequencing (SLAF-seq) method. A total of 33,149 SNPs were finally identified with minor allele frequencies (MAF) > 5% which were present in 97% of all the genotypes. Twenty association signals associated with SWPP were detected via GWAS. Among these signals, eight SNPs were novel loci, and the other twelve SNPs were overlapped or located in the linked genomic regions of the reported QTL from SoyBase database. Several genes belonging to the categories of hormone pathways, RNA regulation of transcription in plant development, ubiquitin, transporting systems, and other metabolisms were considered as candidate genes associated with SWPP. Furthermore, nine genes from the flanking region of Gm07:19488264, Gm08:15768591, Gm08:15768603, or Gm18:23052511 were significantly associated with SWPP and were stable among multiple environments. Nine out of 18 haplotypes from nine genes showed the effect of increasing SWPP. The identified loci along with the beneficial alleles and candidate genes could be of great value for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying SWPP and for improving the potential seed yield of soybean in the future

Exploring the application and challenges of fNIRS technology in early detection of Parkinson’s disease

BackgroundParkinson’s disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder that significantly benefits from early diagnosis for effective disease management and intervention. Despite advancements in medical technology, there remains a critical gap in the early and non-invasive detection of PD. Current diagnostic methods are often invasive, expensive, or late in identifying the disease, leading to missed opportunities for early intervention.ObjectiveThe goal of this study is to explore the efficiency and accuracy of combining fNIRS technology with machine learning algorithms in diagnosing early-stage PD patients and to evaluate the feasibility of this approach in clinical practice.MethodsUsing an ETG-4000 type near-infrared brain function imaging instrument, data was collected from 120 PD patients and 60 healthy controls. This cross-sectional study employed a multi-channel mode to monitor cerebral blood oxygen changes. The collected data were processed using a general linear model and β values were extracted. Subsequently, four types of machine learning models were developed for analysis: Support vector machine (SVM), K-nearest neighbors (K-NN), random forest (RF), and logistic regression (LR). Additionally, SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) technology was applied to enhance model interpretability.ResultsThe SVM model demonstrated higher accuracy in differentiating between PD patients and control group (accuracy of 85%, f1 score of 0.85, and an area under the ROC curve of 0.95). SHAP analysis identified the four most contributory channels (CH) as CH01, CH04, CH05, and CH08.ConclusionThe model based on the SVM algorithm exhibited good diagnostic performance in the early detection of PD patients. Future early diagnosis of PD should focus on the Frontopolar Cortex (FPC) region

Neoadjuvant Toripalimab Combined With Gemcitabine and Cisplatin in Resectable Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (NeoTGP01): An Open Label, Single-Arm, Phase Ib Clinical Trial

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) inhibitors have drawn increasing attention in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In this study, we investigated the safety and efficacy of gemcitabine and cisplatin (GP), combined with a PD-1 inhibitor, in patients with locally advanced HNSCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 23 eligible patients were administered two cycles of toripalimab and GP followed by surgical resection. The primary endpoints were safety, treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs), and non-operation delay rates. The secondary endpoints consisted of pathological complete response (pCR) rate, major pathological response (MPR) rate, objective response rate (ORR), and R0 resection rate. RESULTS: The incidence of TRAEs from grades 1 to 4 was 43.5%, 34.8%, 13.0%, and 8.7%, respectively. Grade 3/4 TRAEs included neutropenia, fatigue, hyperglycemia, nausea and vomiting, decreased appetite, rash, and diarrhea. No treatment-related surgical delay was observed. The radiographic response rates were 5.0% (CR), 40.0% (PR), and 55.0% (SD). The ORR reached 45.0%. Eighteen patients underwent successful surgical resection. The R0 resection rate was 100%. The pathological response rates were 16.7% (pCR), 27.8% (MPR, two of five near-pCR), 16.7% (PPR), and 38.8% (NPR). CD4, CD8, CD20, and CD38 expression in the tumors significantly increased after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The increase in CD20 levels after neoadjuvant treatment in patients with pCR/MPR was significantly higher than in patients with PPR/NPR. CONCLUSION: Triweekly neoadjuvant toripalimab-GP is feasible and achieves promising pCR and MPR rates in patients with resectable locally advanced HNSCC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese clinical trial registry, ChiCTR2100043743, Registered 27 Febrary 2021- Retrospectively registered, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=120570