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Adjuvant therapy (AT) and neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) are standard treatments for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) depending on the status of the disease. However, whether AT improves survival after NAT and radical resection in all TNM stages remains unclear. We utilized the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (2010–2019) for PDAC patients who underwent radical surgery and applied Pearson's chi-square test, multivariate and univariate Cox regression, Kaplan-Meier plot, Log-rank tests, and propensity score matching (PSM) for analysis. Given PSM after enrolling 13,868 PDAC patients, significant differences in survival were identified between AT and neoadjuvant therapy plus adjuvant therapy (NATAT) (p = 0.023) as well as between NAT and NATAT (p < 0.001). According to the AJCC 8th TNM stage, a survival advantage associated with NATAT was exclusively observed in stage III and IV disease, except for T4N0M0. Some stage IV patients receiving NATAT exhibited comparable survival to their counterparts without metastasis. In this retrospective cohort study, we demonstrated that patients harboring tumors in late TNM stages, including N2 resectable PDAC, might have better survival from NATAT, and that certain patients with M1 disease might still benefit from comprehensive systemic therapy and radical resection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is aimed at condition monitoring and fault identification for Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and proposes a multivariate statistical process control scheme. The new method aims to detect sparse mean shifts using spatial rank and an improved adaptive elastic net algorithm, which can monitor the high-dimension data stream collected by IoT devices and pinpoint faulty variables. The new method is also applicable in the presence of a non-normal distribution and insufficient reference samples. Numerical simulations verify that the proposed method has clear advantages over existing methods. The case of wind turbines shows that the method can be applied to real-time monitoring and diagnosis of real IoT devices, which could provide valuable diagnosis of root cause and optimize subsequent maintenance strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the enhancement mechanism of CFRP overwrap in the aluminum-CFRP square hybrid, hybrid tubes with different braided angles were investigated both experimentally and numerically. Hybrid tube of 30 degrees had severe CFRP layers splitting damage in the tube corner. As the braided angle up to 60 degrees, CFRP layers with high transverse resistance force compressed the aluminum tube and caused it to fold inward; This led to the hybrid tube failing in a distinct inward eccentric fold deformation pattern and had an obvious energy absorption improvement in its inner aluminum tube due to its increase in the corner deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial variability of tensile strength, widely existing in concrete gravity dams due to the influence of long construction period and heterogeneous construction quality, has a profound impact on the nonlinear behaviour of structures. In this paper, a method to simulate the random field of the tensile strength of concrete gravity dams based on the random field theory is proposed. A typical non-overflow dam section of the Guandi gravity dam is taken as an example, artificial seismic waves with similar response spectra and natural seismic waves with different magnitudes are selected for the comparative analysis. Based on the concrete damage plasticity (CDP) model and incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) method, the damage characteristics, failure modes, probability density evolution processes, and fragility curves obtained from gravity dams with homogenous and random fields of tensile strength are compared with each other. The differences among waves and realisations of random fields are also investigated. It is seen that the spatial variability of tensile strength aggravates the damage degree, decreases the continuity of local damaged areas, and increased the failure probability of global dams. It reveals that the random characteristics affect the dams' nonlinear behaviour directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small and medium-sized enterprises play important roles in modern business society but face difficulties in debt financing. The literature suggests that family involvement and external auditing can help small firms mitigate agency problems that impede access to loans. Our research examines how family involvement influences the effects of the cost of debt on different external auditing choices and how sending credible signals helps resolve the agency conflict between lenders and borrowers in small business financing. We find that when external auditing is used, family involvement does not significantly reduce the cost of debt for small firms. However, when external auditing is not used, family involvement has a significantly positive influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a two-step iterative method that uses u – P formulation to study a Degasperis-Procesi (DP) equation, with which the DP equation is decomposed into the nonlinear advection equation and the Helmholtz equation. The first-order derivative terms in the advection equation are approximated by an Optimized Compact Reconstruction Weighted Essentially Non-Oscillatory (OCRWENO) scheme that reduces dispersion and dissipation errors and suppresses oscillation near discontinuities. Besides, high-order symplectic Runge-Kutta scheme is used for time marching. A rigorous analysis of the dispersion and dissipation errors are provided for the OCRWENO scheme. Single smooth soliton solution is investigated to check the accuracy and the order of the proposed method. Peakon, peakon-peakon, peakon-antipeakon and shockpeakon solutions of the DP equation are then predicted. Finally, wave breaking phenomena of smoothed initial condition from the DP equation are addressed. In addition, two conservative quantities associated with the bi-Hamiltonian form of the DP equation are calculated to demonstrate capabilities of the present method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A numerical model of the equivalent time conversion to DC stressing for electromigration failures under various current waveforms is proposed based on the vacancy diffusion and damage healing theory. The Joule heating effect and the intrinsic stress-induced voiding are included in the calculation of interconnect reliability. The simulation results show that the cumulative lifetimes are strongly affected by current frequency and vacancy lifetime and a frequency shift to the right occurs for small vacancy lifetimes under AC stressing. For pulsed-DC stressing, the temperature rise dependent on the current frequency dominates the interconnect reliability. The average temperature rise due to Joule heating is reduced by two times when the frequency is larger than approximately the reciprocal of the thermal time of interconnect structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects and mechanisms of hematopoietic-substrate-1-associated protein X-1 (HAX-1) on liver cancer cells. Information on HAX-1 from liver cancer patients was analyzed by the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) program. Cell migration and invasion abilities were respectively tested by scratch assay and transwell assay. Tube formation assay was applied to detect angiogenesis protein and mRNA was determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. We found that the median month survival of HAX-1 overexpressing liver cancer patients was shorter than that of HAX-1 normal liver cancer patients. HAX-1 was overexpressed in liver cancer tissues and cells, and HAX-1 overexpression promoted the liver cancer cells growth, migration, and invasion, whereas silencing HAX-1 produced the opposite results. Inhibition of Akt by LY294002 reversed the migration and invasion abilities of liver cancer cells, and inhibited the ability of cells growth and angiogenesis. Silencing PIK3CA enhanced the inhibitory effects of HAX-1 silencing on the viability, migration, and invasion of liver cancer cells. HAX-1 affected liver cancer cells metastasis and angiogenesis by affecting Akt phosphorylation and FOXO3A expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of family involvement on firm behaviour is an issue of global interest, yet paradoxically few studies examine the behaviour of family firms in the unique socio-political environment of China. We investigate the cross-institutional generalizability of the behavioural agency model, emphasizing the non-economic goals of controlling families as a driver of unique yet predictable behaviours in Chinese family firms and examine the relationship between family involvement and the R&D expenses reported by these firms. We propose that in a context of weak property rights protection such as China’s, the opportunity for family owners to attain transgenerational control is subject to the additional risk of state predation. We consequently expect economic goals to prevail over family-centred non-economic goals in Chinese family firms and hypothesize that their reported R&D expenses increase with family involvement due to severe Type II agency problems. Moreover, we examine the effect of positive and negative performance feedback on this relationship. Longitudinal data from non-state-owned listed companies in China provide overall support for these contentions. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geometrical structure of splicing chamber has a significant influence on performance of spliced joint with respect to appearance and strength. The air characteristic inside splicing chambers with different structures, namely no groove, 1-mm-width groove, and 2-mm-width groove, were numerically investigated using CFD modeling technology. A spiral ratio of airflow, which is composed by velocity circulation indicating the circumference airflow and average velocity in axial direction, was extracted from the numerical results to describe the role of air flow on the joint forming. The splicing experiments were conducted on the corresponding chambers. The appearance of splicing joint was captured by an optical camera and the splicing strength was evaluated by a yarn strength test machine. The correlation between a spiral ratio of the velocity circulation to the axial average velocity and the performance of spliced joint was verified by analyzing the numerical results and experimental data. With the increase of groove width, the decrease of airflow in axial direction is more obvious than the circumference airflow, leading to larger spiral ratio. As a result, more filaments wrap around the opposite yarn stem and the diameter and strength of spliced joint increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim was to evaluate the effect of transient glare on shape discrimination threshold (SDT) in myopic adults.Methods: A total of 162 myopic subjects were enrolled. Of these, 121 had low to mid myopia (-1.00 D to -6.00 D) and 41 had high myopia (-6.13 D to -10.25 D). All subjects had corrected visual acuity of 6/6 or better, and only data for the right eye were included in the study. SDTs were measured with circular D4 (fourth derivative of Gaussian) radial frequency patterns with a radial frequency of four, peak spatial frequency of three cpds, and mean radius of 1.5 degrees. SDTs were measured under two conditions, with and without the presence of transient glare while the stimulus was displayed (duration = 500 ms).Results: Without transient glare, SDTs were not different between the low-mid (23.84 ± 6.02 arcsec) and high myopia groups (25.17 ± 5.98 arcsec, p = 0.16, Mann-Whitney test). With transient glare, SDTs in all subjects became significantly higher (p < 0.001, Wilcoxon signed-rank test). SDTs in the high myopia group (55.53 ± 18.59 arcsec) became significantly higher than those in the low to mid myopia group (47.55 ± 15.06 arcsec, p = 0.014, Mann-Whitney test). The increments were significantly higher in the high myopia group (28.94 arcsec versus 20.88 arcsec, p = 0.031, Mann-Whitney test). Multiple regression showed that SDTs with glare were significantly associated with SDTs without glare (p < 0.001) and the presence of high myopia (p = 0.015).Conclusions: Transient glare significantly increased SDTs in all myopic subjects, with the increment in subjects with high myopia being significantly larger than those in subjects with low to mid myopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CdS quantum dots (QDs) and N719/QDs cosensitized solar cells based on ZnO nanorod arrays as photoanodes were successfully constructed. The influence of deposition times for CdS QDs on photovoltaic performance of ZnO/CdS photoanodes has been studied. The optimized photovoltaic performance was obtained from the device of the ZnO/CdS(10) electrode, with aVOCof 0.52 V, aJSCof 5.07 mA cm−2, aFFof 18.36, and an η of 0.48%. The cosensitized solar cell exhibited 35% enhancement in power conversion efficiency compared with the device sensitized by CdS QDs only. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study reviews family business in mainland China from 1872 to 1949 and provides evidence of its early development and its origins in 1872 when the first modern manufacturing firm was founded. We analyse the social, economic, and political environment in which family firms in mainland China were embedded to improve our understanding of how this unique organisational form was established and developed. Our analyses cover the late Qing Dynasty and the period from 1912 to 1949 during which the Republic of China (ROC) ruled mainland China. Implications for current family business theory and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to understand if a change in accounting standards offers new avenues for helping entrepreneurial firms, especially those family-controlled ones, to obtain debt financing from foreign banks. We find that amid the global wave of adopting International Accounting Standards ( IAS), family-controlled firms tend not to voluntarily switch from local generally accepted accounting principles to IAS. After self-selection issues are taken into account, furthermore, entrepreneurial firms adopting IAS experience less difficulty accessing loans from international banks. However, IAS adoption differentially influences private firms, family owned versus nonfamily controlled, in terms of their access to debt capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the economy is recovering from the recent financial crisis, we explore the appropriateness of a corporate monitoring organ, which is a component separate from the board of directors, to enhance firm-specific information disclosure. Findings of this study, rooted in the evidence from China's stock markets, confirm that having a separate and effective monitoring organ results in a higher level of idiosyncratic risk, as long as the legal environment is sufficiently strong and the functionality of this separate monitoring organ is clearly defined. Effects of regulatory changes and ownership characteristics are addressed to help better understand the corporate governance–idiosyncratic risk relationship. Moreover, this study sheds light on timely global issues about information transparency and supervision, the lack of which becomes one of the major causes of the ongoing financial crisis, and presents an important challenge before corporate governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of imipenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumanni isolated from surgical wards in a university hospital, China. A total of 143 non-duplicate A. baumannii were isolated from 517 inpatients in surgery intensive care units (ICUs), burn wards, and general surgery wards. Of these, 102 isolates of A. baumannii (71.3%) were resistant to imipenem. Among imipenem-resistant isolates, all isolates were resistant to almost all antimicrobial agents except polymyxin E, all isolates were positive for blaOXA-23 and bla OXA-51 in addition to IS Aba1, 52 (51%) were positive for blaOXA-58 , 8 (7.8%) contained blaVIM-2 , which co-harbored with blaOXA-58 . Molecular typing revealed the presence of three clones among imipenem-resistant isolates. This study confirmed that A. baumannii strains harboring OXA or VIM type β-lactamases are widely distributed throughout the surgery wards. The data demonstrate that there was a high prevalence of imipenem-resistant A. baumannii infection in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses articles in the issue on topics including classroom use of clickers; impact of international trips on students to gain cross-cultural intelligence; and globalization.

Using unique data and a new powerful Monte Carlo-based statistical tool, we examine the effects of concentrated ownership and owner–management (CO-OM) on the creditor–shareholder agency conflicts in small firms. A significant CO-OM effect from the small business owner's view, but insignificant from the commercial lenders' perspective, is found. Special features of informational asymmetry problems in small firms with CO-OM are also highlighted. Theoretical and empirical contributions are made to the small business management and corporate governance literature. Findings obtained from this research have important implications for small business practitioners as well as researchers, and this study can serve as a reference for policymakers and institutional lenders to assist small firms in successfully raising money through debt financing. In addition, a new powerful methodology is introduced to deal with various potential statistical biases and can be further applied to this line of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two functional polyurethanes (P1 and P2) bearing a large π electron conjugated chromophoric pendant were synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, 1H-NMR and UV-Vis absorption spectra. Their optical limiting properties were evaluated. The results show that P1 and P2 show novel optical limiting properties, which are assigned to a long π electron conjugated chromophoric pendant. It was found that their optical limiting properties were affected simultaneously by solution concentration and P2 displays a better optical limiting property than P1 at the same solution transmittance, although that P1 has larger χ(3) (4.28×10-11 esu) than P2 (0.87×10-11 esu), and their optical limiting mechanism is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract\nHIGHLIGHTSCFRP laminates are commonly used in aircraft structures due to their high structural efficiency. The phenomenon-based failures of CFRP laminates have poor predictability for the complex failure process with buckling and matrix fractures. This work carried out seven shear tests of CFRP laminates. It also attempts to reveal its failure characteristic points by directly modeling the measured strain data based on the relative deformation distribution catastrophe. The failure characteristic points are revealed by constructing the stressing state modes/parameters and applying the clustering analysis criterion, whose accuracy can be verified by comparing the shear failure characteristic points of nondestructive/impacted CFRP laminates.Conduct 7 nondestructive/impacted CFRP laminates shear tests.Construct the modes and characteristic parameters characterizing the shear-stressing state of CFRP laminates.Applying clustering analysis criterion to reveal the characteristic loads of CFRP laminates.Verify the accuracy and robustness of the characteristic loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the number of patients increases, physicians are dealing with more and more cases of degenerative spine pathologies on a daily basis. To reduce the workload of healthcare professionals, we propose a modified Swin-UNet network model. Firstly, the Swin Transformer Blocks are improved using a residual post-normalization and scaling cosine attention mechanism, which makes the training process of the model more stable and improves the accuracy. Secondly, we use the log-space continuous position biasing method instead of the bicubic interpolation position biasing method. This method solves the problem of performance loss caused by the large difference between the resolution of the pretraining image and the resolution of the spine image. Finally, we introduce a segmentation smooth module (SSM) at the decoder stage. The SSM effectively reduces redundancy, and enhances the segmentation edge processing to improve the model’s segmentation accuracy. To validate the proposed method, we conducted experiments on a real dataset provided by hospitals. The average segmentation accuracy is no less than 95%. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method over the original model and other models of the same type in segmenting the spinous processes of the vertebrae and the posterior arch of the spine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study adopts a family life course perspective to explore the health implications of intrafamilial transmission of COVID-19, asking whether the positive diagnosis of specific core family members (i.e., spouse, parents, children) exacerbates COVID-19 patients' illness severity and whether this impact varies by patients' age or life-course stage. We draw on patient-level administrative data from the cities of Jinan and Shenzhen in China, where all COVID-19 patients were immediately hospitalized upon diagnosis. Using survival modeling, we found that having a spouse who is also infected with COVID-19 is predictive of significantly extended hospital stay, an effect that is stronger for older patients than for younger ones. Additionally, having an infected parent—although not child—is also associated with lengthened hospital stay, and younger patients experience significantly worse outcomes from parental-child tie infection. These results are congruent with the existing literature that expects negative consequences of family members' illness on one's own health. They also call for more theorizing on the evolving relationship between various forms of family connectedness and health over life-course processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The highly contagious coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that began in late 2019 has greatly affected education globally, especially for learning skills that require human contact and constant practice in order to achieve competency. Similar to the rest of the world, the closure of theaters and suspension of school activities in Singapore have particularly impacted the dance and performing arts academies. As economies around the world gradually open up, performance-based colleges must find ways to provide a safe and sustainable environment while adhering to public health guidelines during a pandemic. Implementing safety protocols in the campus and studio can minimize disease transmission. This article presents measures and guidelines to help minimize the risk of viral spread, including using a blended model of virtual home-based and face-to-face training with faculty, in order to ensure continued adequate pre-professional dance education. The challenges of providing a blended model of education are also addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel multi-objective reliability-based design optimization (MORBDO) method considering the maximum allowable deviation range of design variables is proposed for the reducer housing of electric vehicles. First, the numerical model of the reducer housing is established by ABAQUS and verified by experiments. A radial basis function (RBF) neural network model is used to construct the approximate finite element model. The structural parameters of the RBF are optimized using the heuristic global optimization ability of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. Sequential quadratic programming (SQP) and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA II) are used to perform the MORBDO. Finally, the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution, a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method, is used to select the ideal design in multi-objective Pareto points. The optimization method generated a set of Pareto non-dominated solutions with three objectives, which can be selected for a more feasible scheme using MCDM. The proposed method comprehensively measures the requirements of manufacturing and performance criteria, and the optimization results provide a variety of optimization design schemes for the reducer housing of electric vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Just as in other service industries in developed economies, in the higher education sector also, internationalization is the inevitable path to gaining competitive advantages in the global economy. A common strategy is flying out university faculty to the international campus for a fixed amount of time in an effort to faithfully recreate the home campus culture at the branch campus (Healey [5]). On the one hand, teaching online can encourage higher participation of home campus faculty in transnational education programs and allow students on the international branch campus to interact with more faculty and staff in the home country. [Extracted from the article]

The available amount of input data for uncertain parameters of composite laminated plates can vary, and the uncertain parameters can be decomposed into strong statistical variables, sparse variables and interval variables. Therefore, a new reliability optimization design methodology for composite laminated plate considering these uncertainty types simultaneously is proposed. The uncertainty types of elastic material parameters are identified, and the corresponding distribution parameters are calculated based on the Akaike information criterion. The reliability indices considering three uncertainty types are calculated based on linear approximation models of first-ply failure functions. A two-level reliability optimization algorithm is proposed to calculate the optimum stacking sequence for composite laminated plate, which can satisfy the lightweight requirement and reliability constraints. Comparisons with the optimization results of the Monte Carlo simulation method in two examples of composite laminated plates demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm in conditions with multiple uncertain parameters due to insufficient input data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 120 years since the discovery of the oracle bones, great strides have been made in the efforts for their periodization, accompanied by the establishment of standards and theories of periodization. In particular, since the turn of the new century, the shift from the grouping based on diviners to the classification according to the script styles has further refined the classification as well the periodization of the oracle bone inscriptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel adaptive spectral-spatial kernel-based low-rank approximation method for spectral-spatial hyperspectral image (HSI) classification. In the first of three steps of the proposed method, superpixel and image patch are used together to calculate the weights in the homogeneous region. Second, an adaptive spectral-spatial kernel is defined to capture the spectral and spatial feature of HSIs. In the final step, an adaptive spectral-spatial kernel and low-rank approximation are integrated into a decision model to perform HSI classification. Extensive experimental results on Indian Pines and Pavia University demonstrate the superiority of the proposed classifier when compared with other competing classifiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Levels of oncostatin M (OSM) and the composition of gut microbiota predict responses to anti-TNF agents used for IBD therapy. Here, the aim was to investigate the effects of Roseburia intestinalis, a gut microbiota, on OSM and on intestinal barrier in colitis. Methods: In the murine model of 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis, we tested disease activity index (DAI), colon length, histological score and expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins (ZO-1, occludin and claudin-1), OSM, TNF-α and TLR5. In addition, a cellular model was used to examine the role of R. intestinalis during secretion of OSM by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) isolated from wild-type (WT) and TLR5 knockout (TLR5 KO) mice. Furthermore, we evaluated the impact of OSM on expressions of TJ proteins by Caco-2 cells. Results:R. intestinalis in DSS-induced colitis decreased DAI score (p <.001), colon length shortening (6.46 ± 0.36 cm vs 5.65 ± 0.47 cm, p =.022), histological score (2.667 ± 1.15 vs 5.33 ± 1.14, p =.018) and increased expression of TJ proteins (p <.05). In addition, R. intestinalis reduced expression of OSM (p <.05) and TNF-α (p <.05), while increasing expression of TLR5 (p <.05). Furthermore, R. intestinalis reduced secretion of OSM (p <.05) by LPS-induced BMDMs isolated from WT and TLR5 KO mice. Moreover, OSM downregulated expression of TJ proteins (p <.05) by Caco-2 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Conclusions: These results indicate that R. intestinalis attenuates inflammation in IBD by decreasing secretion of OSM and by promoting intestinal barrier function. Taken together, the data provide insight into the role of the gut microbiota in patients with IBD who are resistant to anti-TNF therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are women less likely to ask for help financing their businesses? This study investigates whether gender is a factor that impacts the propensity to ask for financing among nascent entrepreneurs. We also investigate if start-up helpers, who do not have an ownership share, have an impact on the likelihood of asking for financing, specifically between men and women. Our findings suggest that being female significantly decreases the probability of asking for financing and the presence of start-up helpers significantly increases the incidence of asking for financing in the nascent stage. In addition, among those who created new firms or were still in the start-up process, the number of start-up helpers exponentially increased the incidence of asking for financing among female founders. We use the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics II data, the largest, nationally representative, and longitudinal database on nascent entrepreneurs for the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Interleukin-30 (IL-30), or IL-27p28, is the α subunit of IL-27 constructed by Epstein–Barr virus-induced gene 3 (EBI3) and IL-27p28 binding via noncovalent bonds. IL-30 can be independently secreted and function independently of IL-27. Recent studies demonstrated IL-30 could concurrently antagonize T helper 1 (Th1) and Th17 responses and might have therapeutic implications for controlling autoimmune diseases. However, no reports have stated an efficient method to generate a relatively large quantity of IL-30. In this study, an Escherichia coli expression system for the rapid expression of the mouse IL-30 is developed. For the first time, IL-30 was expressed in a form of soluble fusion protein and purified using a method of simple affinity chromatography. In order to avoid the impact of minor codons on expressing eukaryotic protein in E. coli and to improve the expression quantity, the nucleotide sequence of IL-30 was optimized. The optimized gene sequence was then subcloned into the pET-44a(+) vector, which allowed expression of IL-30 with a fusion tag, NusA. The vector was transformed into E. coli and the expressed fusion protein, NusA-IL-30, was purified by Ni chromatography. Then the fusion tag was removed by cleavage with thrombin. The purity of purified IL-30 was identified using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) as well as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the purity was up to about 92%. The yield of IL-30 was 8.95 mg from 1 L of bacterial culture. Western blot confirmed the identity of the purified protein. The recombinant IL-30 showed its biological activity by inhibiting Th17 differentiating from naive CD4+ T cells. Therefore, this method of express and purifying IL-30 provides novel procedures to facilitate structural and functions studies of IL-30. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s, popular cultural products have criss-crossed the national borders of East Asian countries, enabling a discursive construction of an 'East Asian Popular Culture' as an object of analysis. The present essay is a preliminary attempt to provide some conceptual and analytic shape to this object, delineated by its three constitutive elements of production, distribution and consumption. Each East Asian location participates in different and unequal levels in each of these component processes. Production can either be located entirely in a single geographic location or, alternatively, each of the necessary constituent sub-processes can be executed from different locations; preference for either arrangement tends to reflect the relative dominance of the production location in exporting its finished products. Consumption and thus consumers are geographically located within cultural spaces in which they are embedded. Meanings and viewing pleasures are generated within the local cultures of specific audience. Conceptually, among the several possible consumption positions, the one in which an audience watches an imported programme is most intriguing. In this viewing position, differences between the cultures of the location of consumption and that of the production location become most apparent. The audience member has to bring his or her own cultural context to bear on the content of the imported product and read it accordingly. In this sense, the cultural product may be said to have crossed a 'cultural' boundary, beyond the simple fact of its having been exported/imported into a different location as an economic activity. Such an audience position requires the consumer to transcend his or her grounded nationality to forge abstract identification with the foreign characters on screen, a foreignness that is, in turn, potentially reabsorbed into an idea of (East) 'Asia'; a potential 'East Asian identity', emerging from consumption of popular cultural products, is thus imaginable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]