Consumers' risk perception, market demand, and firm innovation: Evidence from China.

Major product safety incidents often cause widespread concern among consumers, and these product safety incidents will stimulate consumers' psychology, change their risk perception, and affect the demand for products and services of risk consumers. The change in consumer demand will eventually lead to a change in firm innovation decisions. Using Chinese firm-level data, this paper employs the news reporting of the Bawang event as a quasi-natural experiment to study the impact of risk perception changes on innovation. The empirical results of this study show that increasing consumers' risk perception caused by the negative news coverage of defective products motivates firms to increase their innovation. The effects are heterogeneous, where firms with private ownership and in developed regions are more likely to increase innovation activities. This study suggests that the relationship between consumers' risk perception and firm innovation is primarily driven by market demand. Moreover, the positive effects of risk perception on innovation are more prominent for downstream firms and those having a smaller technological distance.

Effects of different removal methods of excess resin adhesive on the microleakage of alumina all-ceramic crowns.

BACKGROUND: Microleakage is a common problem that affects the quality and longevity of all-ceramic crowns. It is influenced by factors such as the resin cement, crown margin design and curing technique. However, few studies focus on the effect of different methods of removing excess resin adhesive on the microleakage of all-ceramic crowns. This study aimed to compare two methods of removing excess resin adhesive (the small brush and sickle methods) on the microleakage of all-ceramic crowns with different marginal clearances. METHODS: Forty extracted third molars were prepared with a 90° shoulder margin and randomly divided into four groups according to their marginal lift (30, 60, 90 or 0 µm). Procera alumina crowns were fabricated using computer-aided design/computer-aided modelling and cemented onto the teeth with 3 M RelyX Unicem (3 M Company, United States) resin cement. Excess resin cement was removed by either the small brush or the sickle scalpel method. The marginal adaptation was observed with a digital microscope. After thermal cycling of the teeth, microleakage was assessed using the dye penetration test under a stereomicroscope. The Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis H test were used to compare the microleakage scores among different groups. RESULTS: The small-brush group showed significantly better marginal adaptation and lower microleakage scores than the sickle group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the microleakage score (grade 0) among different marginal clearances within each group (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The small-brush method was more effective than the sickle scalpel method in reducing the microleakage of all-ceramic crowns with different marginal clearances. This method can improve the marginal adaptation and sealability of all-ceramic crowns, thus preventing secondary caries and other complications.

Stray Light Analysis and Suppression of the Visible to Terahertz Integrated Cloud Detection Optical System.

The wide-spectrum integrated imaging method can simultaneously obtain the spectral information of different spectral bands of the same target, which is conducive to the realization of the high-precision detection of target characteristics, and can simultaneously obtain more comprehensive elements such as the structure, shape, and microphysical parameters of the cloud. However, for stray light, the same surface has different characteristics at different wavelengths, and a wider spectral band means more complex and diverse sources of stray light, which renders the analysis and suppression of stray light more difficult. In this work, according to the characteristics of the visible-to-terahertz integrated optical system design scheme, the influence of material surface treatment on stray light was studied; the stray light analysis and optimization of the whole link of light transmission were carried out. For the sources of stray light in different channels, targeted suppression measures such as front baffle, field stop, special structure baffle, and reflective inner baffle were adopted. The simulation results indicate that when the off-axis field of view was greater than 10°. The point source transmittance (PST) of the terahertz channel is on the order of 10-4, the visible and infrared channels are less than 10-5, and the final terahertz PST was on the order of 10-8, while visible and infrared channels were lower than 10-11. Here, we present a method for stray light suppression based on conventional surface treatments for broadband imaging systems.

Leukoaraiosis severity is related to increased risk of early neurological deterioration in acute ischemic stroke: a retrospective observational study.

OBJECTIVES: The relationship between leukoaraiosis and early neurological deterioration in acute cerebral infarction patients remains controversial. We tried to determine whether an association existed between leukoaraiosis and early neurological deterioration in patients with acute ischemic stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled acute cerebral infarction patients admitted to our our department within 4.5-72.0 h of symptom onset between January 2016 and March 2022. On the basis of the van Swieten scale, leukoaraiosis was evaluated as supratentorial white matter hypoattenuation on admission head CT and graded as 0 (absent), 1 (mild), 2 (moderate) and 3-4 (severe). Early neurological deterioration was defined as an increase in the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score by > = 2 points in the total score, or > = 1 point in motor power within the first seven days after admission. RESULTS: Among 736 patients, 522 (70.9%) patients had leukoaraiosis, and of these, 332 (63.6%) had mild leukoaraiosis, 41 (7.9%) had moderate leukoaraiosis, and 149 (28.5%) had severe leukoaraiosis. 118 (16.0%) patients experienced early neurological deterioration: 20 of the 214 (9.5%) patients without leukoaraiosis and 98 of the 522 (18.8%) patients with leukoaraiosis. In multiple regression analysis, we found van Swieten scale predicted early neurological deterioration independently (OR = 1.570; 95% CI: 1.226-2.012). CONCLUSIONS: Leukoaraiosis is common in acute cerebral infarction patients and leukoaraiosis severity is related to increased risk of early neurological deterioration in the patients.

Selective intraarterial hypothermia combined with mechanical thrombectomy for acute cerebral infarction based on microcatheter technology: A single-center, randomized, single-blind controlled study.

Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of selective intraarterial hypothermia combined with mechanical thrombectomy in the treatment of acute cerebral infarction based on microcatheter technology. Methods: A total of 142 patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion were randomly assigned to the hypothermic treatment group (test group) and the conventional treatment group (control group). National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, postoperative infarct volume, the 90-day good prognosis rate (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score ≤ 2 points), and the mortality rate of the two groups were compared and analyzed. Blood specimens were collected from patients before and after treatment. Serum levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, and RNA-binding motif protein 3 (RBM3) were measured. Results: The 7-day postoperative cerebral infarct volume [(63.7 ± 22.1) ml vs. (88.5 ± 20.8) ml] and NIHSS scores at postoperative Days 1, 7, and 14 [(6.8 ± 3.8) points vs. (8.2 ± 3.5) points; (2.6 ± 1.6) points vs. (4.0 ± 1.8) points; (2.0 ± 1.2) points vs. (3.5 ± 2.1) points] in the test group were significantly lower than those in the control group. The good prognosis rate at 90 days postoperatively (54.9 vs. 35.2%, P = 0.018) was significantly higher in the test group than in the control group. The 90-day mortality rate was not statistically significant (7.0 vs. 8.5%, P = 0.754). Immediately after surgery and 1 day after surgery, SOD, IL-10, and RBM3 levels in the test group were relatively higher than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant. Immediately after surgery and 1 day after surgery, MDA and IL-6 levels in the test group were relatively reduced compared with those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05). In the test group, RBM3 was positively correlated with SOD and IL-10. Conclusion: Mechanical thrombectomy combined with intraarterial cold saline perfusion is a safe and effective measure for the treatment of acute cerebral infarction. Postoperative NIHSS scores and infarct volumes were significantly improved with this strategy compared with simple mechanical thrombectomy, and the 90-day good prognosis rate was improved. The mechanism by which this treatment exerts its cerebral protective effect may be by inhibiting the transformation of the ischaemic penumbra of the infarct core area, scavenging some oxygen free radicals, reducing inflammatory injury to cells after acute infarction and ischaemia-reperfusion, and promoting RBM3 production in cells.

The Impact of Environmental Regulation on Firm Performance: Evidence from the Pulp and Paper Industry in China.

In areas with serious pollution problems, the government designates a special emission limit (SEL) for pollution control and environmental protection in China. This paper examines the effects of chemical oxygen demand (COD) SEL on firms' production activity and market performance in the pulp and paper industry in the Lake Tai area in China. Using firm-level data, we employ a difference-in-differences strategy and find that SEL has a negative impact on the production scale, profitability, and market size of the regulated firms, while showing no significant impact on firm exports. The heterogeneity tests suggest that the impact of SEL on production and market performance varies with firm ownership, firm size, and target market. The reallocation effect of production shifts extra production from exited firms to existing firms, which explains the expansion of production scale and market size for SOEs and large-sized regulated firms. Compared with the decline of production scale, the inventory alleviation effect reduces the negative impact of stricter environmental regulation on firm performance.

Construction of bismuth-based porous carbon models by 3D printing technology for light-enhanced removal of chloride ions in wastewater.

The bismuth oxide (Bi2O3) based chloride (Cl-) removal method is one of the chemical precipitation methods possessing good selectivity and high removal efficiency of Cl- ions, but Bi2O3 often appears in the powder form, which is difficult to be recovered for regeneration. In this work, the combination of 3D printing technology and the Bi2O3 method was explored to construct the resin model including the Bi-precursors. In the optimum carbonization process at 400 °C for 30 min, the Bi3+ ions of the Bi-precursor were reduced into the metallic Bi0 nanoparticles, whose surfaces were covered by the thin Bi2O3 layers to form the heterostructured Bi0/Bi2O3 core/shell nanoparticles with an average size of 43 nm. These Bi0/Bi2O3 nanoparticles were tightly adhered to the internal and external surfaces of the hierarchical porous carbon model (Bi-PCM), which greatly facilitated their regeneration and ensured the stable Cl- removal performance. After five cycles of Cl- removal, the chloride removal efficiency over the multiple Bi-PCMs in the dark and pH 1 conditions maintained at about 26%, which then largely increased to 63.6% with UV light irradiation. The light-enhanced mechanism was related to the improved release rate of Bi3+ ions caused by photocorrosion and the Cl• radicals produced from the holes and the •OH and O2•- radicals, which quickly reacted with Bi2O3 to form BiOCl. The construction of Bi-PCMs by using 3D printing technology provides a very promising strategy for the removal of Cl- ions from wastewater.

CEO turnover and corporate innovation: What can we learn from Chinese listed companies.

Using data of China's listed companies from 2000 to 2016, we employ a staggered difference-in-difference (DID) approach to identify the causal effects of CEO turnover on corporate innovation. First, we find that listed companies with CEO turnover experienced an average increase of 9.5% in the quantity of innovation and 8.9% in innovation quality after the change. The dynamic effect test supports the parallel trend condition, and the placebo test rules out the nonrandom selection issue. Second, the heterogeneity tests show that CEO turnover plays a more prominent role in promoting innovation for listed firms with CEO duality, high financial constraints, and in high-tech industries. Third, CEO turnover affects corporate innovation by driving top management team reorganization and promoting R&D input. This paper has important implications for the understanding of the role of CEO turnover in companies' innovation, as well as for strategy formulation and implementation.

Meta-Analysis of Predictive Role of Early Neurological Deterioration after Intravenous Thrombolysis.

With the popularization of intravenous thrombolysis, more and more people use intravenous thrombolysis to treat related diseases, but problems also arise. There are still a considerable number of patients with early disease after thrombolytic therapy not only not significantly improving, but also progressing, that is, early neurological deterioration (END). In view of this problem, the prediction of END after intravenous thrombolysis becomes very important. With the development of medical technology, research on the prediction of END after intravenous thrombolysis has gradually been carried out. Effective prediction is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of END after intravenous thrombolysis. This article aimed to carry out a meta-analysis of the predictive role of END after intravenous thrombolysis. Through an informed analysis of all studies of this type in this field, this article determines a method for predicting END after intravenous thrombolysis. The actual effect of its role is revealed in this paper, and its purpose is to promote the development of this field. This article addresses the same type of study on the predictive role of neurological deterioration after intravenous thrombolysis. The article performs test and meta-analysis of its role by conditionally searching for literature studies. It is explained using the relevant theoretical formulas. The analysis results show that the prediction of END after intravenous thrombolysis in this paper can effectively help make a preliminary judgment on the possible later neurological deterioration. Although there is an error between the predicted curve and the actual curve, the difference between the two is between 1% and 5%. It can basically effectively predict the occurrence of END. Therefore, the prediction of END after intravenous thrombolysis has a very large preventive effect on the END after intravenous thrombolysis.

Study on the bio-oil characterization and heavy metals distribution during the aqueous phase recycling in the hydrothermal liquefaction of As-enriched Pteris vittata L.

The hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of As enriched Pteris vittata L. (PVL, hyper-accumulator biomass) was performed with the recycled aqueous phase as reaction medium, aiming to dispose the biomass with high water content and produce high-quality bio-oil. After three times of aqueous phase recycling at 275 °C, 30 min, the bio-oil yield increased to 30.32% from 21.54% and the higher heating value (HHV, 28.51 MJ/kg) of the bio-oil was higher than that of the bio-oil from HTL with pure water (26.80 MJ/kg). The main compounds detected in bio-oils were phenols, ketones, hydrocarbons, and aldehydes. Acetic acid (17.21-24.77 mg/mL) was dominant in the aqueous phases, resulting in the low pH (4.31-4.89). The heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd) mainly remained in bio-char whereas As was transferred to aqueous phase. Thus, HTL by aqueous phase recycling could be a promising way for PVL treatment to obtain high-quality bio-oil and arsenic recovery.

Pore Architectures and Mechanical Properties of Porous α-SiAlON Ceramics Fabricated via Unidirectional Freeze Casting Based on Camphene-Templating.

Porous α-SiAlON ceramics were fabricated using the camphene-based unidirectional freeze casting method, in which a gradient porous structure was formed as a result of the decreased solidification velocity in the freezing direction. Microstructure, porosity and pore size distribution of different parts of as-prepared samples were examined and compared, and correlated with their mechanical properties. For a given solid loading, the overall pore size and porosity of the top part were greater than those of the bottom part. Interestingly, despite its higher porosity, the flexural strength and fracture toughness of the top part were both higher than those of the bottom part, suggesting that apart from porosity, pore morphology and size affected mechanical properties of as-prepared porous α-SiAlON ceramics.

Understanding the Growth Mechanism of GaN Epitaxial Layers on Mechanically Exfoliated Graphite.

The growth mechanism of GaN epitaxial layers on mechanically exfoliated graphite is explained in detail based on classic nucleation theory. The number of defects on the graphite surface can be increased via O-plasma treatment, leading to increased nucleation density on the graphite surface. The addition of elemental Al can effectively improve the nucleation rate, which can promote the formation of dense nucleation layers and the lateral growth of GaN epitaxial layers. The surface morphologies of the nucleation layers, annealed layers and epitaxial layers were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, where the evolution of the surface morphology coincided with a 3D-to-2D growth mechanism. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy was used to characterize the microstructure of GaN. Fast Fourier transform diffraction patterns showed that cubic phase (zinc-blend structure) GaN grains were obtained using conventional GaN nucleation layers, while the hexagonal phase (wurtzite structure) GaN films were formed using AlGaN nucleation layers. Our work opens new avenues for using highly oriented pyrolytic graphite as a substrate to fabricate transferable optoelectronic devices.

[Clinical Application of Immune-related Response Criteria in Evaluating Chinese Medical Treatme for Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the applicability of immune-related response criteria (irRC) in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: Totally 97 stage III a-IV NSCLC patients were predominantly treated with comprehensive CM. Curative effects were evaluated by three methods such as Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST), Oncologic Curative Effect Evaluation Criteria of Chinese Medicine in Solid Tumor (draft, abbreviated as CM criteria), and irRC. The correspondency and consistency between irRC, RECIST and CM criteria were analyzed and compared. The objectivity of irRC in evaluating curative effect of Chinese medical treatment for NSCLC was assessed. RESULTS: The correspondency rate of irRC to RECIST was 59. 79% with Kappa value of 0. 379 (U test, P <0. 01). The two criteria had certain correspondence, but with an unsatisfactory consistency. The correspondency rate of irRC to CM criteria rate was 83. 51% with Kappa value of 0.751 (U test, P <0. 01). The two criteria had good correspondence and consistency. CONCLUSIONS: CM criteria had good consistency with CM criteria in evaluating curative effect for Chinese medical treatment of advanced NSCLC. Its results could objectively reflect features and advantages of CM for treating advanced NSCLC.

The Evaluation of Antioxidant Interactions among 4 Common Vegetables using Isobolographic Analysis.

Isobolographic analysis was used to assess the antioxidant interactions (synergism, addition, and antagonism) of 4 common vegetables (tomato [T], carrot [C], eggplant [E], and purple potato [P]). The lipophilic (L) extracts of T and C (main carotenoids), the hydrophilic (H) extracts of E and P (main phenolics) were mixed by the certain ratios (1:9, 3:7, 1:1, 7:3, 9:1, w/w) and their antioxidant activities were investigated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-Azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS) radical scavenging assays, respectively. Most of the binary mixtures (LC-HE, LC-HP, HE-HP, LT-HE, and LT-HP combinations) showed the synergistic antioxidant effects. In DPPH assay, the greatest antioxidant activity of vegetable combinations was 1:9 LT-HP (EC50 : 2.45 ± 0.13 mg/mL), followed by 9:1 HE-HP (EC50 : 3.62 ± 0.12 mg/mL) and 1:9 LC-HE (EC50 : 3.74 ± 0.47 mg/mL). In ABTS assay, the greatest antioxidant activity of vegetable combinations was 9:1 HE-HP (EC50 : 4.20 ± 0.10 mg/mL), followed by 7:3 HE-HP (EC50 : 4.41 ± 0.63 mg/mL) and 1:1 HE-HP (EC50 : 5.35 ± 0.85 mg/mL). Among these combinations, 1:1 LC-HE combination showed the highest synergistic antioxidant effects in DPPH assay (synergistic rate: 87.4%), and 7:3 LC-HE combination showed the highest synergistic antioxidant effects in ABTS assay (synergistic rate: 87.0%). The mixtures of phenolics and carotenoids with suitable ratios in vegetables effectively enhanced the synergistic antioxidant effects.

[Integrative medical research thinking on the Constitution-subhealth-disease relation developing axis].

In order to explore the objective rule and the key factors in the development of diseases, the process from quantitative change to qualitative change, and from health through sub-health to disease, a new thinking of research, enitled by "Constitution-Subhealth-Disease Relation Developing Axis" is offered by the author. This axis took the CM theory on body constitution as a core, with the coordinates composed of physiological and pathological indices concerning the quantitative changes of illness accumulated under sub-health state. Meanwhile, the key factors for advancing the access and inducing qualitative change of illness were denoted. The orientation of the research is starting from two aspects, horizontally on the crowd possessing the same body constitution, and longitudinally on the same person in different conditions. The research sum-up the general rule of disease occurrence through individually studying the process in persons with different body constitutions, then the commonness of diseases developed from the bottom was explored by applying the outcomes of the foregoing global study on the sorted researches of different constitutions.