Psychological constraint on unethical behavior in team-based competition.

A growing body of research contributes to our knowledge about unethical behavior. However, very little is known about how group-based competition shape members' unethical behavior. Building on social learning theory, we conducted three studies to reveal how group-based competition may affect individual's unethical behavior for their team. Study 1 and 2 are laboratory experiments in which participants were randomly assigned into groups of three members and engaged in group-based competition (or engaged in individual-based competition in an individual context) with monetary incentives. Different from individual-based competition where mean number of unethical behaviors for the self in the losing condition was larger than that in the winning condition, in group-based competition mean number of unethical behaviors in favor of group between the winning and the losing condition was not significantly different. Both studies also showed that there are less unethical behaviors in the group-based competition than in the individual-based competition. Study 2 further revealed that collective efficacy negatively associated with mean number of unethical behaviors in group-based competition. Study 3 was a field study with employees from bank subsidiaries working as teams, and results from their self-reported data confirm the relationship between collective efficacy and unethical behaviors observed in Study 2. Together, these results suggest that collective efficacy has the effect of curbing unethical behavior in group-based competition, thus contributing to the understanding of group-based experience on unethical behaviors.

Survival analysis and nomogram for pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma: an SEER analysis and external validation.

OBJECTIVE: Uncommon and particularly deadly, pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (PSC) is an aggressive type of lung cancer. This research aimed to create a risk categorisation and nomogram to forecast the overall survival (OS) of patients with PSC. METHODS: To develop the model, 899 patients with PSC were taken from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from the USA. We also used an exterior verification sample of 34 individuals with PSC from Fujian Provincial Hospital in China. The Cox regression hazards model and stepwise regression analysis were done to screen factors in developing a nomogram. The nomogram's ability to discriminate was measured employing the area under a time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), the concordance index (C-index) and the calibration curve. Decision curve analysis (DCA) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were used to evaluate the nomogram to the tumour-node-metastasis categorisation developed by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC-TNM), eighth edition, and an additional sample confirmed the nomogram's accuracy. We further developed a risk assessment system based on nomogram scores. RESULTS: Six independent variables, age, sex, primary tumour site, pathological group, tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) clinical stage and therapeutic technique, were chosen to form the nomogram's basis. The nomogram indicated good discriminative ability with the C-index (0.763 in the training cohort and 0.746 in the external validation cohort) and time-dependent AUC. Calibration plots demonstrated high congruence between the prediction model and real-world evidence in both the validation and training cohorts. Nomogram outperformed the AJCC-TNM eighth edition classification in both DCA and IDI. Patients were classified into subgroups according to their risk ratings, and significant differences in OS were observed between them (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: We conducted a survival analysis and nomogram for PSC. This developed nomogram holds potential to serve as an efficient tool for clinicians in prognostic modelling.

Multiomics Integrative Analysis Identifying EPC1 as a Prognostic Biomarker in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Biomarker research in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is constantly revealing promising findings. An enhancer of polycomb homolog 1 (EPC1) was found to play a procancer role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), but its role in HNSCC with strong heterogeneity is still unclear. Herein, we investigated the prognostic significance and related mechanisms of EPC1 in HNSCC. Methods: The Kaplan-Meier plotter was used to evaluate the prognostic significance of EPC1. Based on a range of published public databases, the multiomics expression of EPC1 in HNSCC was explored to investigate the mechanisms affecting prognosis. Results: According to the clinical data, high EPC1 expression in HNSCC was a predictor of patient prognosis (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.64; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49-0.83; P < 0.01). EPC1 expression varied among clinical subtypes and was related to key factors, such as TP53 and human papillomavirus (HPV) (P < 0.05). At the genetic level, EPC1 expression level may be associated with protein phosphorylation, cell adhesion, cancer-related pathways, etc. For the noncoding region, a competing endogenous RNA network was constructed, and 6 microRNAs and 12 long noncoding RNAs were identified. At the protein level, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network related to EPC1 expression was constructed and found to be involved in HPV infection, endocrine resistance, and multiple cancer pathways. At the immune level, EPC1 expression was correlated with a variety of immune cells and immune molecules, which together constituted the immune microenvironments of tumors. Conclusion: High EPC1 expression may predict a better prognosis in HNSCC, as it is more frequently found in HNSCC with HPV infection. EPC1 may participate in the genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and immunomics of HNSCC, and the results can provide a reference for the development of targeted drugs and evaluation of patient prognosis.

Femtosecond Pulsed Fiber Laser by an Optical Device Based on NaOH-LPE Prepared WSe2 Saturable Absorber.

We report on all-optical devices prepared from WSe2 combined with drawn tapered fibers as saturable absorbers to achieve ultrashort pulse output. The saturable absorber with a high damage threshold and high saturable absorption characteristics is prepared for application in erbium-doped fiber lasers by the liquid phase exfoliation method for WSe2, and the all-optical device exhibited strong saturable absorption characteristics with a modulation depth of 15% and a saturation intensity of 100.58 W. The net dispersion of the erbium-doped fiber laser cavity is ~-0.1 ps2, and a femtosecond pulse output with a bandwidth of 11.4 nm, a pulse width of 390 fs, and a single-pulse capability of 42 pJ is obtained. Results indicate that the proposed WSe2 saturable absorbers are efficient, photonic devices to realize stable fiber lasers. The results demonstrate that the WSe2 saturable absorber is an effective photonic device for realizing stable fiber lasers, which have a certain significance for the development of potential photonic devices.

miR-134-5p promotes inflammation and apoptosis of trophoblast cells via regulating FOXP2 transcription in gestational diabetes mellitus.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a prevalent and risky pregnant complication which warrants targeted therapy for restriction the inflammation and apoptosis of trophoblast cells. This study sought to analyze the aberrant expression and regulatory mechanism of microRNA (miR)-134-5p in GDM. The miR-134-5p expression in the serum of GDM patients and normal participants was detected via qRT-PCR, followed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. In vitro GDM cell model was established in the HTR-8/SVneo cells using 25 mmol/L glucose, followed by transfection with miR-134-5p inhibitor and si-Forkhead box p2(FOXP2). The miR-134-5p and FOXP2 expressions, TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-10 levels, cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis were determined by a combination of qRT-PCR, western blot, ELISA, and cell counting Kit-8, Transwell assay, and flow cytometry. The binding relationship between miR-134-5p and FOXP2 was predicted and verified. Our results revealed that miR-134-5p was increased in the serum of GDM patients and could serve as a critical diagnostic marker for GDM. Moreover, miR-134-5p was upregulated in the high glucose (HG)-induced HTR-8/SVneo cells. The miR-134-5p inhibition suppressed the inflammation and apoptosis of HG-induced HTR-8/SVneo cells. miR-134-5p inhibited FOXP2 expression. FOXP2 expression was decreased in GDM. FOXP2 inhibition attenuated the function of miR-134-5p in HG-induced HTR-8/SVneo cells. Overall, miR-134-5p inhibited the FOXP2 expression to facilitate the inflammation and apoptosis of trophoblast cells, thereby exacerbating GDM.

Effect of tumor and normal lung volumes on the lung volume-dose parameters of IMRT in non-small-cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effect of tumor and normal lung volumes on lung volume-dose parameters in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had undergone intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). METHODS: The clinical data of 208 patients with NSCLC who underwent radical IMRT between June 2014 and June 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. A regression model curve was used to evaluate the effect of tumor and normal lung volumes on normal lung relative volumes receiving greater than 5 and 20 Gy (V5, V20), on mean lung dose (MLD), and on absolute volumes spared from greater than 5 and 20 Gy (AVS5, AVS20). RESULTS: The V5, V20, and MLD of the bilateral lung were fitted to a quadratic equation curve with the change in tumor volume, which increased initially and then decreased when the tumor volume increased. The V5, V20, and MLD of the lung reached their apex when the tumor volumes were 288.07, 341.69, and 326.83 cm3, respectively. AVS5 and AVS20 decreased in a logarithmic curve with an increase in tumor volume. The V5, V20, and MLD of the small normal lung volume group were all significantly higher than those of the large normal lung volume group (p<0.001, p=0.004, p=0.002). However, the AVS5 and AVS20 of the small normal lung volume group were all significantly lower than those of the large normal lung volume group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The effects of tumor volume and normal lung volume on dose-volume parameters should be considered. AVS5 is an important supplementary dose limitation parameter for patients whose tumor volume exceeds a certain boundary value (approximately 300 cm3).

Conductance-stable liquid metal sheath-core microfibers for stretchy smart fabrics and self-powered sensing.

Highly conductive and stretchy fibers are crucial components for smart fabrics and wearable electronics. However, most of the existing fiber conductors are strain sensitive with deteriorated conductance upon stretching, and thus, a compromised strategy via introducing merely geometric distortion of conductive path is often used for stable conductance. Here, we report a coaxial wet-spinning process for continuously fabricating intrinsically stretchable, highly conductive yet conductance-stable, liquid metal sheath-core microfibers. The microfiber can be stretched up to 1170%, and upon fully activating the conductive path, a very high conductivity of 4.35 × 104 S/m and resistance change of only 4% at 200% strain are realized, arising from both stretch-induced channel opening and stretching out of tortuous serpentine conductive path of the percolating liquid metal network. Moreover, the microfibers can be easily woven into an everyday glove or fabric, acting as excellent joule heaters, electrothermochromic displays, and self-powered wearable sensors to monitor human activities.

Effect of tumor and normal lung volumes on the lung volume-dose parameters of IMRT in non-small-cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effect of tumor and normal lung volumes on lung volume-dose parameters in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who had undergone intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). METHODS: The clinical data of 208 patients with NSCLC who underwent radical IMRT between June 2014 and June 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. A regression model curve was used to evaluate the effect of tumor and normal lung volumes on normal lung relative volumes receiving greater than 5 and 20 Gy (V5, V20), on mean lung dose (MLD), and on absolute volumes spared from greater than 5 and 20 Gy (AVS5, AVS20). RESULTS: The V5, V20, and MLD of the bilateral lung were fitted to a quadratic equation curve with the change in tumor volume, which increased initially and then decreased when the tumor volume increased. The V5, V20, and MLD of the lung reached their apex when the tumor volumes were 288.07, 341.69, and 326.83 cm3, respectively. AVS5 and AVS20 decreased in a logarithmic curve with an increase in tumor volume. The V5, V20, and MLD of the small normal lung volume group were all significantly higher than those of the large normal lung volume group (p<0.001, p=0.004, p=0.002). However, the AVS5 and AVS20 of the small normal lung volume group were all significantly lower than those of the large normal lung volume group (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The effects of tumor volume and normal lung volume on dose-volume parameters should be considered. AVS5 is an important supplementary dose limitation parameter for patients whose tumor volume exceeds a certain boundary value (approximately 300 cm3).