Search depth, knowledge characteristics, and innovation performance

This study takes a contingent perspective regarding the relationships among a firm's technological search depth, the characteristics of its knowledge, and its product innovation performance. While a firm's search patterns directly influence innovative output, their effectiveness is moderated by the internal context of knowledge: knowledge depth, knowledge scope, and related technological opportunities. Findings from the US electrical medical device industry (1990 to 2000) provide general support for these arguments

Self-Regulated Learning: A Study of Feedback Seeking By Integrating Self-Motives and Social Influences in an Online Context

To have an effective online communication, individuals need to be self-regulated and self-initiate online conversations when needed. Feedback seeking is a key strategy of self-regulated learning through which individuals can gain more knowledge and become more adapted. Existing studies on feedback seeking mainly focus on personal motivation rather than social factors. Drawing on the theory of planned behaviour, this study examines how both self-motives and social influence affect individuals’ feedback-seeking behaviour. Moreover, based on the relational communication theory, we also investigate how the perceptions of informational and relational value mediate the relationships between self-motives, social influences and feedback-seeking behaviour. As learning styles can affect individuals’ learning motivation and learning effectiveness, individuals’ learning styles may interact with self-motives and social influence to affect their value perceptions toward feedback. We further examine whether learning styles moderate the effects of personal and social factors on value perceptions. A survey will be undertaken to collect the data and test the proposed hypotheses. This study is expected to inspire researchers and practitioners to pay equal attention to personal and social factors in online learning. The findings also attempt to shed light on the necessity of considering informational and relational value simultaneously in studying feedback seeking behaviour

Effects of thin Covers on the Release of Coal Gangue Contaminants

AbstractThe effects of the different ecological covers on the release of coal gangue contaminants were evaluated by the batch pot of experiments. The tests were carried for 12 weeks on the coal gangue by different approaches, which were the coverings with 1-2cm artificial matrix that contained acid buffer and plant ameliorant(Tr1:thin matrix cover), 1-2cm slurry of artificial matrix (Tr2: thin coating),and control groups(CK),and planted Lolium perenne, Chenopodium ambrosioides L, and sporopollen of Funaria hygrometrica Hedw on the surface layer, respectively. During the pot experiments, the leachates were collected and analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and concentration of Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, SO42-, F- .The results showed that the coal gangue was uninterruptedly oxidized to form acidic when it was exposed to open air, and 3 or 5 weeks later, dissolution of Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn and SO42-, F− in the coal gangue started and increased significantly, and this is a typical acid mine drainage (AMD) formation process. Compared to the CK, thin matrix cover could retard the allotted time of the production of acidity and release of contaminants, but was easily invalid to long-term. The pH of thin coating was at a high value with time, and the concentration of Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, SO42− and F- reduced significantly. The data indicated that the thin coating could effectively stop or retard the production of acidity and the release of contaminants generated by coal gangue. It suggests that thin coating covers on the coal gangue could be a suitable method for pollution abatement and controlling on-site

Fine-tuning Large Language Models for Domain-specific Machine Translation

Large language models (LLMs) have made significant progress in machine translation (MT). However, their potential in domain-specific MT remains under-explored. Current LLM-based MT systems still face several challenges. First, for LLMs with in-context learning, their effectiveness is highly sensitive to input translation examples, and processing them can increase inference costs. They often require extra post-processing due to over-generation. Second, LLMs with fine-tuning on domain-specific data often require high training costs for domain adaptation, and may weaken the zero-shot MT capabilities of LLMs due to over-specialization. The aforementioned methods can struggle to translate rare words in domain transfer scenarios. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a prompt-oriented fine-tuning method, denoted as LlamaIT, to effectively and efficiently fine-tune a general-purpose LLM for domain-specific MT tasks. First, we construct a task-specific mix-domain dataset, which is then used to fine-tune the LLM with LoRA. This can eliminate the need for input translation examples, post-processing, or over-specialization. By zero-shot prompting with instructions, we adapt the MT tasks to the target domain at inference time. To further elicit the MT capability for rare words, we construct new prompts by incorporating domain-specific bilingual vocabulary. We also conduct extensive experiments on both publicly available and self-constructed datasets. The results show that our LlamaIT can significantly enhance the domain-specific MT capabilities of the LLM, meanwhile preserving its zero-shot MT capabilities.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, 6table

HLA-DRB1 May Be Antagonistically Regulated by the Coordinately Evolved Promoter and 3′-UTR under Stabilizing Selection

HLA-DRB1 is the most polymorphic MHC (major histocompatibility complex) class II gene in human, and plays a crucial role in the development and function of the immune system. Extensive polymorphisms exist in the promoter and 3′-UTR of HLA-DRB1, especially a LTR (Long terminal repeat) element in the promoter, which may be involved in the expression regulation. However, it remains unknown how the polymorphisms in the whole promoter region and 3′-UTR to regulate the gene expression. In this study, we investigated the extensive polymorphisms in the HLA-DRB1 promoter and 3′-UTR, and how these polymorphisms affect the gene expression in both independent and jointly manners. It was observed that most of the haplotypes in the DRB1 promoter and 3′-UTR were clustered into 4 conserved lineages (H1, H2, H3 and H4), and showed high linkage disequilibrium. Compared with H1 and H2 lineage, a LTR element in the promoter of H3 and H4 lineage significantly suppressed the promoter activity, whereas the activity of the linked 3′-UTR increased, leading to no apparent difference in the final expression product between H1/H2 and H3/H4 lineage. Nevertheless, compared with the plasmid with a promoter and 3′-UTR from the same lineage, the recombinant plasmid with a promoter from H2 and a 3′-UTR from H3 showed about double fold increased luciferase activity, Conversely, the recombinant plasmid with a promoter from H3 and a 3′-UTR from H2 resulted in about 2-fold decreased luciferase activity. These results indicate that the promoter and 3′-UTR of HLA-DRB1 may antagonistically regulate the gene expression, which may be subjected to stabilizing selection. These findings may provide a novel insight into the mechanisms of the diseases associated with HLA-DRB1 genes

Aberrant hippocampal subregion networks associated with the classifications of aMCI subjects: a longitudinal resting-state study

Background: Altered hippocampal structure and function is a valuable indicator of possible conversion from amnestic type mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, little is known about the disrupted functional connectivity of hippocampus subregional networks in aMCI subjects. Methodology/Principal Findings: aMCI group-1 (n = 26) and controls group-1 (n = 18) underwent baseline and after approximately 20 months follow up resting-state fMRI scans. Integrity of distributed functional connectivity networks incorporating six hippocampal subregions (i.e. cornu ammonis, dentate gyrus and subicular complex, bilaterally) was then explored over time and comparisons made between groups. The ability of these extent longitudinal changes to separate unrelated groups of 30 subjects (aMCI-converters, n = 6; aMCI group-2, n = 12; controls group-2, n = 12) were further assessed. Six longitudinal hippocampus subregional functional connectivity networks showed similar changes in aMCI subjects over time, which were mainly associated with medial frontal gyrus, lateral temporal cortex, insula, posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and cerebellum. However, the disconnection of hippocampal subregions and PCC may be a key factor of impaired episodic memory in aMCI, and the functional index of these longitudinal changes allowed well classifying independent samples of aMCI converters from non-converters (sensitivity was 83.3%, specificity was 83.3%) and controls (sensitivity was 83.3%, specificity was 91.7%). Conclusions/Significance: It demonstrated that the functional changes in resting-state hippocampus subregional networks could be an important and early indicator for dysfunction that may be particularly relevant to early stage changes and progression of aMCI subjects

Amygdala Atrophy and Its Functional Disconnection with the Cortico-Striatal-Pallidal-Thalamic Circuit in Major Depressive Disorder in Females

Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is approximately twice as common in females than males. Furthermore, female patients with MDD tend to manifest comorbid anxiety. Few studies have explored the potential anatomical and functional brain changes associated with MDD in females. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the anatomical and functional changes underlying MDD in females, especially within the context of comorbid anxiety. Methods In this study, we recruited antidepressant-free females with MDD (N = 35) and healthy female controls (HC; N = 23). The severity of depression and anxiety were evaluated by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), respectively. Structural and resting-state functional images were acquired on a Siemens 3.0 Tesla scanner. We compared the structural volumetric differences between patients and HC with voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analyses. Seed-based voxel-wise correlative analyses were used to identify abnormal functional connectivity. Regions with structural deficits showed a significant correlation between gray matter (GM) volume and clinical variables that were selected as seeds. Furthermore, voxel-wise functional connectivity analyses were applied to identify the abnormal connectivity relevant to seed in the MDD group. Results Decreased GM volume in patients was observed in the insula, putamen, amygdala, lingual gyrus, and cerebellum. The right amygdala was selected as a seed to perform connectivity analyses, since its GM volume exhibited a significant correlation with the clinical anxiety scores. We detected regions with disrupted connectivity relevant to seed primarily within the cortico-striatal-pallidal-thalamic circuit. Conclusions Amygdaloid atrophy, as well as decreased functional connectivity between the amygdala and the cortico-striatal-pallidal-thalamic circuit, appears to play a role in female MDD, especially in relation to comorbid anxiety

Specifically Progressive Deficits of Brain Functional Marker in Amnestic Type Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background: Deficits of the default mode network (DMN) have been demonstrated in subjects with amnestic type mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) who have a high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, no longitudinal study of this network has been reported in aMCI. Identifying links between development of DMN and aMCI progression would be of considerable value in understanding brain changes underpinning aMCI and determining risk of conversion to AD. Methodology/Principal Findings: Resting-state fMRI was acquired in aMCI subjects (n = 26) and controls (n = 18) at baseline and after approximately 20 months follow up. Independent component analysis was used to isolate the DMN in each participant. Differences in DMN between aMCI and controls were examined at baseline, and subsequent changes between baseline and follow-up were also assessed in the groups. Posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus (PCC/PCu) hyper-functional connectivity was observed at baseline in aMCI subjects, while a substantial decrement of these connections was evident at follow-up in aMCI subjects, compared to matched controls. Specifically, PCC/PCu dysfunction was positively related to the impairments of episodic memory from baseline to follow up in aMCI group. Conclusions/Significance: The patterns of longitudinal deficits of DMN may assist investigators to identify and monitor the development of aMCI

Heavy metal characteristics of vegetables and their soils in Foshan City

Investigation of the vegetable garden soil in Foshan City 4 kinds of heavy metals Cu, Pb, Zn and Cd in the total and different forms of content, while also investigating a variety of vegetables and edible part of the Cd content. The results show that, Foshan City, the heavy metal content in vegetable field exceed the national and the background value of Guangdong Province, the pollution index to the maximum Cd, Cu, followed by, Cd elements of the highest validity coefficients. Foshan City, edible part of vegetables found excessive Cd, leafy soil Cd content and Cd the full amount of exchangeable manganese content and the amount of state showed a significant positive correlation. The state of heavy metal content of vegetable soil in Foshan city was investigated. The total content and available content of 4 heavy metal elements (Cd, Pb, Zn, and Cu) were analyzed and measured. The result indicated that the heavy metal content of vegetable soil in Foshan city was greater than the average in other areas throughout Guangdong Province or even the whole country. The valid coefficient of Cd element was the greatest. The content of Cd in vegetables was greater than the state vegetable sanitation standard. In different kinds of vegetables, the content of Cd in leaf-vegetable had very significant correlation with the content of different sort Cd in soil. which indicated that the content of Cd in vegetables was affected by the content of Cd in soil

Exploring molecular complexity by N-heterocyclic carbene organocatalysis: new activation and reaction diversity

The development of catalytic synthetic approaches towards molecular complexity from simple materials continues to be an ultimate goal in synthetic chemistry. Over the past decades, N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) organocatalysis has been extensively investigated to provide opportunities for a vast number of novel chemical transformations. Various activation modes and reactive intermediates enabled by NHC small-molecule catalysts, such as Breslow intermediates, (homo)enolates, acyl azoliums and their derived unsaturated azoliums exhibit great potential in the construction of complicated skeletons. This personal account will summarize our group's recent work in the exploration of new activation modes of NHC catalysis towards molecular complexity with a focus on the development and applications of NHC to achieve diversity and enantioselectivity in the preparation of functional molecules.Ministry of Education (MOE)Nanyang Technological UniversityNational Research Foundation (NRF)We acknowledge financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21772029, 21801051, 21961006, 22001173), National Natural Science Fund for Excellent Young Scientists Fund Program (Overseas), The 10 Talent Plan (Shicengci) of Guizhou Province ([2016]5649), the Science and Technology Department of Guizhou Province ([2019]1020, Qianke‐hejichu‐ZK[2021]Key033), the starting grant of Guizhou University [(2022)47)], Frontiers Science Center for Asymmetric Synthesis and Medicinal Molecules, Department of Education, Guizhou Province [Qianjiaohe KY (2020)004], the Basic and Applied Research Foundation of Guangdong Province (2019A1515110906), the Guizhou Province First‐Class Disci‐plines Project [(Yiliu Xueke Jianshe Xiangmu)‐GNYL(2017)008], Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Guizhou University (China). Singapore National Research Foundation under its NRF Investigatorship (NRF‐NRFI2016‐06) and Competitive Research Program (NRF‐CRP22‐2019‐0002); the Ministry of Education, Singapore, under its MOE AcRF Tier 1 Award (RG7/20, RG5/19), MOE AcRF Tier 2 (MOE2019‐T2‐2‐117), MOE AcRF Tier 3 Award (MOE2018‐T3‐1‐003); Nanyang Research Award Grant, Chair Professorship Grant, Nanyang Technological University