Adapt or not: A comparison of rural migrant adaptation in two cities in China.

Leading with the principle of 'people-oriented urbanization,' the adaptation of rural migrants in urban China has attracted increasing concerns from policy-makers and scholars. Today, China has proceeded to a new stage of urbanization. Many rural migrants prefer moving to cities near their home villages rather than to large cities, reflecting the changes in migration patterns and expectations of rural migrants. Although migrant adaptation has been repeatedly investigated in academia, researchers tend to address the topic in one host setting, while migrant adaptation in diverse urban settings has rarely been compared. This paper seeks to fill this research gap via a survey conducted in two cities with different urban settings in Jiangsu. The rural migrant adaptation experiences in the two cities are systematically compared. Our statistical results show that economic structure and living costs, on the one hand, and local regulations and socio-cultural environments, on the other hand, determine rural migrant adaptation experiences in different urban settings. Despite abundant employment opportunities in more-developed cities, the high living costs, working pressure, and strict institutional schemes significantly hamper rural migrant adaptation. In less-developed cities, limited employment opportunities and conservative socio-cultural environments hinder rural migrants from adapting in host societies. Our findings suggest that the governments of different cities need to tailor strategies to assist rural migrants in adapting in urban communities.

"Triple-Punch" Strategy Exosome-Mimetic Nanovesicles for Triple Negative Breast Cancer Therapy.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most malignant breast cancer, with high rates of relapse and metastasis. Because of the nonspecific targeting of chemotherapy and insurmountable aggressiveness, TNBC therapy lacks an effective strategy. Exosomes have been reported as an efficient drug delivery system (DDS). CD82 is a tumor metastasis inhibitory molecule that is enriched in exosomes. Aptamer AS1411 specifically targets TNBC cells due to its high expression of nucleolin. We generated a "triple-punch" cell membrane-derived exosome-mimetic nanovesicle system that integrated with CD82 overexpression, AS1411 conjugation, and doxorubicin (DOX) delivery. CD82 enrichment effectively inhibits the migration of TNBC cells. AS1411 conjugation specifically targets TNBC cells. DOX loading effectively inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of TNBC cells. Our results demonstrate a system of exosome-mimetic nanovesicles with "triple-punch" that may facilitate TNBC therapeutics.

A Configurational Analysis of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises' Radical Innovations: The Perspective of Dynamic Capabilities.

Adopting a configurational perspective, this study explored the pathways for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to achieve high levels of radical innovation. On the basis of dynamic capabilities theory, six causal conditions for radical innovation were identified at both external and internal levels-that is, environmental turbulence (i.e., technological and market turbulence) and absorptive capacity (i.e., knowledge base, explorative, transformative, and exploitative learning processes). The results of a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) of 82 Chinese SMEs identified four solutions for high radical innovation. The six causal conditions interacted interdependently and different combinations of these conditions were equally effective pathways for SMEs to achieve radical innovation. Hence, SMEs could generate radical innovation through flexibly allocating resources and capabilities based on the environmental circumstances. By using the fsQCA method, this study contributes to the related literature with an investigation of the complex causal relationship between environmental turbulence, absorptive capacity, and SMEs' radical innovation. The results resolve some prior contradictory findings and provide new insights for future research. Other theoretical contributions, practical implications, and directions for future research are also discussed.

SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody levels are correlated with severity of COVID-19 pneumonia.

The emerging coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a serious global public health threat. With more and more recovered patients, it is urgently needed for evaluation of the neutralizing antibody (NAb) in these patients. In this study, we collected blood samples from 49 patients recently recovered from COVID-19. Serum NAbs were measured using a novel surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT). Factors associated with NAb titers were analyzed using Ordinary Least Squares regression model. The median age of the study participants was 37 years (IQR, 30.0-54.5) and 55.1 % (27/49) of which were male. The median time to blood collection (for NAb analysis) from illness onset, viral clearance and discharge were 43.0 days (IQR, 36.0-50.0), 27.0 days (IQR, 20.5-37) and 17.0 days (IQR, 15.0-33.0), respectively. Patients had a median NAb titer of 1: 40 (IQR, 1:15-1:120). NAbs were not detected in two asymptomatic children who quickly cleared the virus. NAb titers were higher in patients with older age (p = 0.020), symptomatic infection (p = 0.044), more profound lung involvement (p＜0.001), abnormal C-reactive protein level (p＜0.01) and elevated lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.019). Multivariable analysis revealed that severity of pneumonia and having comorbidity positively correlated with NAb titers in recovered patients (p = 0.02), while use of corticosteroids negatively impacted NAb titers (p = 0.01). Our study suggests that some COVID-19 patients may not have detectable NAb after recovery. SARS-CoV-2 NAb titers are positively correlated with severity of COVID-19 pneumonia.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Nanogels Targeting C-Terminal of Angiotensin II for Lowering Blood Pressure of Rats by Oral Perfusion.

Over-expression of angiotensin II (Ang II) in bodies causes vasoconstriction and a subsequent increase in blood pressure. The present work proposes a novel technique of using an artificial receptor to reduce circulation of the excess Ang II in rats' bodies and subsequently lowering blood pressure of the rats by oral perfusion. A molecularly imprinted polymer nanogels (MIPNGs) receptor was prepared with the C-terminal pentapeptide of Ang II as the template in aqueous media, which served as a selective recognition element for Ang II. The resulting MIPNGs had good monodispersity, as measured by dynamic light scattering and further confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The saturated adsorption capacity for angiotensin II of the MIPNGs reached 149.8 mg/g, and the yielding imprinting factor was 4.6. The MIPNGs displayed negligible toxicity and excellent cytocompatibility. The spontaneously hypertensive rats absorbed MIPNGs via oral perfusion at gradient producing a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure. Coupled with their biocompatibility and nontoxic characteristics, the MIPNGs offer the potential for neutralizing a wide range of biomacromolecules in vivo.

Effect of 1-methylcyclopropene treatment on chilling injury, fatty acid and cell wall polysaccharide composition in loquat fruit.

Loquat fruit was treated with 2.32 nmol L(-1) 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) for 24 h at 20 degrees C, and then stored at 1 degrees C for 35 days to investigate the effect of 1-MCP treatment on chilling injury (CI) and fatty acid and cell wall polysaccharide composition. Loquat fruit developed CI, manifested as increased fruit firmness, internal browning and decreased extractable juice. These CI symptoms were reduced by 1-MCP treatment. 1-MCP-treated fruit exhibited higher levels of linoleic and linolenic acid and a higher unsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio than control fruit during storage. The treatment also markedly delayed increase in alcohol insoluble residue, i.e. hemicellulose and cellulose. Meanwhile, the level of water- and CDTA-soluble pectins in treated fruit was higher than that in control. Our result suggested modifications of fatty acid and cell wall polysaccharide composition are associated with CI develpoment in loquat and 1-MCP treatment modulates the changes that seem to regulate the strength of cell wall and so to alleviate CI.

Improved control of anthracnose rot in loquat fruit by a combination treatment of Pichia membranifaciens with CaCl(2).

The beneficial effect of 2% CaCl(2) (w/v) on the antagonistic yeast Pichia membranifaciens for control of anthracnose rot caused by Colletotrichum acutatum in postharvest loquat fruit (Eriobotrya japonica L.) and the possible mechanisms involved were investigated. The results showed that treatment with P. membranifaciens at 1x10(8) CFU ml(-1) or 2% CaCl(2) alone both resulted in significantly smaller lesion diameter and lower disease incidence of anthracnose rot on loquat fruit wounds compared with the controls. The biocontrol activity of P. membranifaciens on the disease was enhanced by the addition of 2% CaCl(2), the combined treatment of P. membranifaciens with CaCl(2) resulted in a remarkably improved control of the disease in comparison with the treatment of P. membranifaciens or CaCl(2) alone. P. membranifaciens in combination with CaCl(2) induced higher activities of two defense-related enzymes chitinase and beta-1,3-glucanase in loquat fruit than applying the yeast or CaCl(2) alone. The in vitro experiment showed that the addition of 2% CaCl(2) in the suspensions of P. membranifaciens significantly inhibited spore germination and germ tube elongation of C. acutatum than the yeast or CaCl(2) alone. However, adding CaCl(2) did not significantly influence the population of P. membranifaciens in NYDB medium or fruit wounds. These results suggest that CaCl(2) could improve the biocontrol activity of P. membranifaciens on anthracnose rot in loquat fruit. It is postulated that the improved control of the disease is directly because of the higher inhibitory effect on pathogen growth and indirectly because of the enhanced disease resistance in loquat fruit by the combination treatment.