Globalization and E-Commerce I: Factors Affecting E-Commerce Diffusion in China

China is a large economy with a large absolute gross domestic product (GDP.)However, its huge population brings its GDP and wealth level per capita way below developed countries and in-line with many developing countries. Between 1900 and 2001, China\u27s economy experienced rapid growth (7-8% on average) as did its telecommunications, information technology (IT) and Internet infrastructures (50% - 200% on average). Its large population brings the penetration rates of these infrastructures way below developed countries and a little higher than many developing countries. China\u27s infrastructure is characterized by disparities among geographic areas, demographics, and firm size. Large cities and economically advanced coastal provinces enjoy much better infrastructure and many more Internet users than remote and economically poorer provinces. Large enterprises have bigger IT budgets and better-trained staffs than small- and medium-sized enterprises. A younger population with higher education is more likely to adopt Internet and e-commerce. The infrastructure disparity leads to e-commerce diffusion disparity. Current e-commerce activities are concentrated in large cities, coastal provinces, large enterprises, and among well-educated young people. The legal environment for e-commerce is better in large cities and coastal provinces because they publish local laws regarding e-commerce and IT infrastructure. Barriers to e-commerce diffusion include poor technical infrastructure, lack of security, lack of a system to monitor and guarantee buyer and seller credibility, and an inefficient delivery system. The lack of a credibility monitoring system extends to both vendors and individual consumers. Taxation and privacy, which are vital to e-commerce diffusion in many other countries, do not appear to be serious concerns yet. However, content censorship is among the top concerns. The most significant driving forces are government promotion and private entrepreneurial desire to make profits. Government initiatives include general promotion of the IT industry, an industrial and regulatory policy to foster competition among service providers, encouragement of E-government, and sponsorship of projects to mobilize public awareness, such as the Enterprise Online Project and Home Online Project . The poor infrastructure for e-commerce in China pulled e-commerce back to a base building stage after an initial explosive stage. Significant diffusion can only occur after a solid infrastructure is built up, including the technical and legal infrastructure. Two examples, an E-store for residents in a local living complex and the E-system for college admissions, demonstrate e-commerce models unique in China

Proteins Identified from Saliva and Salivary Glands of the Chinese Gall Aphid Schlechtendalia chinensis

Aphid saliva plays an essential role in the interaction between aphids and their host plants. Several aphid salivary proteins have been identified but none from galling aphids. Here the salivary proteins from the Chinese gall aphid are analyzed, Schlechtendalia chinensis, via an LC-MS/MS analysis. A total of 31 proteins are identified directly from saliva collected via an artificial diet, and 141 proteins are identified from extracts derived from dissected salivary glands. Among these identified proteins, 17 are found in both collected saliva and dissected salivary glands. In comparison with salivary proteins from ten other free-living Hemipterans, the most striking feature of the salivary protein from S. chinensis is the existence of high proportion of proteins with binding activity, including DNA-, protein-, ATP-, and iron-binding proteins. These proteins maybe involved in gall formation. These results provide a framework for future research to elucidate the molecular basis for gall induction by galling aphids

Empagliflozin inhibits coronary microvascular dysfunction and reduces cardiac pericyte loss in db/db mice

BackgroundCoronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is a pathophysiological feature of diabetic heart disease. However, whether sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors protect the cardiovascular system by alleviating CMD is not known.ObjectiveWe observed the protective effects of empagliflozin (EMPA) on diabetic CMD.Materials and methodsThe mice were randomly divided into a db/db group and a db/db + EMPA group, and db/m mice served as controls. At 8 weeks of age, the db/db + EMPA group was given empagliflozin 10 mg/(kg⋅d) by gavage for 8 weeks. Body weight, fasting blood glucose and blood pressure were dynamically observed. Cardiac systolic and diastolic function and coronary flow reserve (CFR) were detected using echocardiography. The coronary microvascular structure and distribution of cardiac pericytes were observed using immunofluorescence staining. Picrosirius red staining was performed to evaluate cardiac fibrosis.ResultsEmpagliflozin lowered the increased fasting blood glucose levels of the db/db group. The left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular fractional shortening, E/A ratio and E/e′ ratio were not significantly different between the three groups. CFR was decreased in the db/db group, but EMPA significantly improved CFR. In contrast to the sparse and abnormal expansion of coronary microvessels observed in the db/db group, the number of coronary microvessels was increased, and the capillary diameter was decreased in the db/db + EMPA group. The number and microvascular coverage of cardiac pericytes were reduced in the db/db mice but were improved by EMPA. The cardiac fibrosis was increased in db/db group and may alleviate by EMPA.ConclusionEmpagliflozin inhibited CMD and reduced cardiac pericyte loss in diabetic mice

Modelling underground coal gasification: What to start with

Underground coal gasification (UCG) is widely regarded as a clean coal technology that holds enormous potential to decarbonize the world's coal industry. It converts coal underground into combustible syngas through a set of complex physiochemical events. Experimental and numerical efforts over the past century have contributed to the development of UCG around the world; however, tapping the world's deep-situated coal resources with UCG requires substantial contributions from numerous high-quality researchers. To facilitate effective engagement, this paper will provide a background on where to start if one wishes to undertake UCG modelling. First, a brief description of the fundamental phenomena involved in UCG is given. Then, a succinct introduction of the widely used modelling software is rendered, followed by a description of UCG studies to provide insight how to tune the various software packages for modelling UCG and where their strengths lie. This paper shall serve as guidance to new UCG modellers

The IPIN 2019 Indoor Localisation Competition—Description and Results

IPIN 2019 Competition, sixth in a series of IPIN competitions, was held at the CNR Research Area of Pisa (IT), integrated into the program of the IPIN 2019 Conference. It included two on-site real-time Tracks and three off-site Tracks. The four Tracks presented in this paper were set in the same environment, made of two buildings close together for a total usable area of 1000 m 2 outdoors and and 6000 m 2 indoors over three floors, with a total path length exceeding 500 m. IPIN competitions, based on the EvAAL framework, have aimed at comparing the accuracy performance of personal positioning systems in fair and realistic conditions: past editions of the competition were carried in big conference settings, university campuses and a shopping mall. Positioning accuracy is computed while the person carrying the system under test walks at normal walking speed, uses lifts and goes up and down stairs or briefly stops at given points. Results presented here are a showcase of state-of-the-art systems tested side by side in real-world settings as part of the on-site real-time competition Tracks. Results for off-site Tracks allow a detailed and reproducible comparison of the most recent positioning and tracking algorithms in the same environment as the on-site Tracks