The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has lately been utilized in a number of studies to investigate why people reject or adopt new technologies like mobile commerce or e-learning. However, several ...studies have found weaknesses in TAM’s ability to predict consumers’ purchase intention behavior. To compensate for TAM’s weaknesses, this study presents a model that integrates all of TAM’s components with the Value-Based Adoption Model (VAM). The perceived benefits and sacrifices were considered to provide a list of the implications for both researchers and e-learning service providers. Furthermore, the moderating role of e-word of mouth was utilized to examine the relationship between attitude, intention, perceived value, and intention toward e-learning, in order to match the current circumstances with the growing popularity of social networks. This study was conducted with a quantitative analysis by using data collected from survey 417 e-learning consumers. Except for perceived fee, which has a negative effect on perceived value, the results demonstrate that all hypotheses of latent correlations in TAM and VAM were strongly significant. Furthermore, attitude and perceived value have a significant role in determining consumer adoption of e-learning. Consumers’ perceived value will be driven by the high and low levels of the moderating influence of e-word of mouth, influencing their intention toward e-learning. Since e-learning is an effective sustainable education system, the result of this study can provide a good solution to facilitate e-learning in current and future conditions.
Although many surgical and nonsurgical therapeutic options have been well-established, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Therefore, ...the discovery of novel potential therapeutic strategies is still urgently required for improving survival and prognosis of HCC patients. As the most potent antigen-presenting cells in the human immune system, dendritic cells (DCs) play an important role in activating not only innate but also adaptive immune responses to specifically destroy tumor cells. As a result, DC-based vaccines, which are prepared by different tumor-antigen-pulsing strategies or maturation-stimulating reagents, either alone or in combination with various anticancer therapies and/or immune effector cells, have been developed as a promising personalized cancer immunotherapy. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the evidence from clinical trials evaluating the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of DC-based vaccines in treating HCC patients and highlights the data from recent preclinical studies regarding the development of promising strategies for optimizing the efficacy of DC-vaccine-based immunotherapy for HCC.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
In this work, the dependence of effective Young's modulus on the thickness of suspended graphene was confirmed through a drop impingement method. Large area suspended graphene (LSG) layers with a ...diameter of up to 400 μm and a nanometer thickness were prepared through transferring chemical vapor deposition grown graphene from copper substrates. 4, 8, and 12-layer LSG samples were found to be crumpled yet defect-free. The mechanical properties of LSG were first studied by observing its interaction with impinging droplets from an ink-jet nozzle. First, the effective Young's modulus was calculated by fitting the instant deformation captured by high speed photography within microseconds. Next, droplets deposited on LSG caused deformation and generated wrinkles and the effective Young's modulus was calculated from the number of wrinkles. The above methods yielded effective Young's modulus values ranging from 0.3 to 3.4 TPa. The results from these methods all indicated that the effective Young's modulus increases with the decreasing thickness or size of suspended graphene layers. Moreover, the crumpled LSG yields higher effective Young's modulus than ideal flat graphene. These comprehensive results from complementary methodologies with precise LSG thickness control down to the nanometer scale provide good evidence to resolve the debate on the thickness dependence of mechanical strength for LSG.
Effective Young's modulus on the thickness of suspended graphene was measured through a drop impingement method akin to the inkjet printer setup.
•Elastic aerogel is prepared from ice-templating of cellulose nanocrystal.•The aerogel exhibits great mechanical properties and shape retention ability.•Surface modified graphene are coated on the ...aerogel for selective oil absorption.•Excellent oil/water selectivity and oil absorption capacity can be achieved.•The oil absorption and shape retention ability remain unchanged after 100 cycles.
In this work, a simple preparation method is developed to synthesize aerogels with great shape retention for oil absorption application. First, an elastic aerogel is prepared by ice-templating an aqueous suspension of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) with polyethyleneimine (PEI) and epoxy cross-linker. After the lyophilization process, the prepared CNC aerogel shows highly porous structures and allows rapid absorption of solvents, including water, through capillary forces. In particular, the aerogel after compression recovers to its original shape without any deformation. To realize selective oil absorption, chemically modified graphene sheets are attached to the aerogel pore surface via a dip coating process. SEM images show that the graphene sheets form a uniform and dense monolayer on the pore surfaces of the CNC aerogel. This graphene coating improves hydrophobicity without compromising the overall porosity and elasticity of the aerogel. After surface modification, the CNC/graphene aerogel can selectively absorb organic solvents with a weight ratio ranging from 25 to 58 g/g. The CNC/graphene aerogel can be squeezed dried into a compact size, and retains its original shape rapidly in contact with liquids. The absorbed liquids can be collected by mechanical squeezing, and the absorption performance of this aerogel remains unchanged after 100 squeezing-swelling cycles. Several examples are also demonstrated to show the feasibility of applying this aerogel in oil spill control.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
•A chemical milling is developed to produce carbon nanoparticles from waste tires.•An ionic surfactant is used to decorate the nanoparticle and prevent aggregation.•The decorated nanoparticles can be ...converted into valuable water-based inks.•This black ink helps relieve the VOC emission problem in printing process.•The printed patterns show high black index, waterproof and anti-abrasion features.
In this study, a chemical milling process is developed to convert carbon residues from pyrolyzed waste tires into valuable water-based inkjet printing inks. The residues after waste tire pyrolysis were first sieved to remove ash components and ground into powder (~80 μm). The resulting waste tire carbon blacks (TCB) processed by regular dry or wet milling with the help of compatible solvent can only produce particle sizes around 250 nm. To further reduce particle size under the same mechanical energy, aqueous potassium hydroxide was used in the milling process to leach silica in TCB to create loose and vulnerable structure. Moreover, an ionic surfactant, poly (sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), was used to decorate the TCB surface and to inhibit particle aggregation. After chemical milling, the PSS/TCB had a primary particle size around 50 nm and a hydraulic diameter around 110 nm. The PSS/TCB suspension possessed a high zeta potential of −73 mV to stably disperse in water for more than 30 days. To help adhesion of the ink on substrates, the PSS/TCB particles were further mixed with waterborne polyurethane (WPU). The WPU/PSS/TCB ink could be inkjet printed into various black patterns, which showed a higher blackness (jetness value = 342.83) than commercial black inks. Moreover, the printed patterns were water-proof and had a pencil scratch hardness of 4H. In summary, this study provides a guideline to convert waste carbon materials into useful printing supplies, and offers a potential application for waste tire recycling.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The sulfate deterioration of cement-based materials has become severe durability problems for the offshore structures. Considering the various service conditions such as splash and tidal zone ...with/without sulfate attack, the behavior of mortar samples under full immersion and dry-wetting cycles with 0% and 5% Na2SO4 solution, i.e., four exposure conditions, was investigated in this research. Compressive strength, elastic modulus, permeability (water permeability coefficient), expansion behavior and SEM images were tested and analyzed. The results showed that the behavior of mortar evolved in two stages, initial improvement followed by later degradation, determined by two competitive effects under each condition. Different deterioration mechanisms worked in the different exposure conditions. We proposed binomial formulas to describe the evolutions of the compressive strength and water permeability, and we further applied them in other researches well. Meanwhile, there was a linear relationship between elastic modulus and square root of compressive strength. Furthermore, the relation between water permeability and compressive strength was highly dependent on exposure types and time. Study showed that compressive strength and water permeability coefficient can be selected as controlling parameters in in-situ tests, and a possible approach to evaluate the sulfate deterioration level of concrete structures in-situ was represented.
•The effect of dry-wetting cycles, sulfate immersion and both of them on the mortar behavior was studied.•Binomial formulas were proposed to describe the compressive strength and water permeability coefficient of deteriorated-mortar.•The relation between water permeability and compressive strength of mortar was highly dependent on exposure types and time.•A possible approach to evaluate the sulfate deterioration level in-situ for concrete structures was represented.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) has been implicated in the progression of esophageal cancer (EC). However, the specific mechanism of the involvement of MEG3 in EC ...development in relation to the regulation of immune escape remains uncertain. Thus, the aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of MEG3 on EC via microRNA-149-3p (miR-149-3p).
Gain- and loss-of-function experiments were initially performed in EC cells in addition to the establishment of a 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide-induced EC mouse model aimed at evaluating the respective roles of forkhead box P3 (FOXP3), MEG3, miR-149-3p, mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2) and p53 in T cell differentiation and immune escape observed in EC.
EC tissues were found to exhibit upregulated FOXP3 and MDM2 while MEG3, p53 and miR-149-3p were all downregulated. FOXP3 was confirmed to be a target gene of miR-149-3p with our data suggesting it reduced p53 ubiquitination and degradation by means of inhibiting MDM2. P53 was enriched in the promoter of miR-149-3p to upregulate miR-149-3p. The overexpression of MEG3, p53 or miR-149-3p or silencing FOXP3 was associated with a decline in CD25
FOXP3
CD4
T cells, IL-10
CD4
T cells and IL-4
CD4
T cells in spleen tissues, IL-4, and IL-10 levels as well as C-myc, N-myc and Ki-67 expression in EC mice.
Collectively, MEG3 decreased FOXP3 expression and resulted in repressed regulatory T cell differentiation and immune escape in EC mice by upregulating miR-149-3p via MDM2-mediated p53.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Although entrepreneurial intention has been regarded as one of the most important drivers of creativity, innovation, and performance in firms, a comprehensive framework that integrates the relevant ...influential factors has yet to be developed. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior and the social cognitive career theory, this study investigates the critical antecedents, mediators, and moderators of entrepreneurial intention. A meta-analytic approach is employed to validate the proposed hypotheses, and 89 primary studies with a total sample size of 51,919 are analyzed. The results indicate the existence of differences in the manner in which entrepreneurial knowledge influences cognitive antecedents in the individuals who participate in new ventures. Furthermore, personal attitude and self-efficacy play a vital role in predicting entrepreneurial intention. Demographic characteristics (such as age, gender, and education background) significantly moderate the relationship between cognitive antecedents and entrepreneurial intention, indicating that men tend to adopt more entrepreneurial behaviors than women, that older individuals with more positive attitudes have a higher propensity to start ventures than younger ones, and that those with higher education attainment tend to have lower self-employment. These findings offer several recommendations. They could provide valuable references for further academic work, which should aim to extend and validate them. The findings are also very beneficial for professional experts tasked with the design of effective programs for enhancing entrepreneurial behavior.
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CEKLJ, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Linked ContentThis article is linked to Zheng et al and Liu et al papers. To view these articles visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.14929 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.15048.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The role of human capital as a source of competitive advantage has long been recognized; however, there has been little research into the competencies required in the supply chain management system. ...This paper strengthens the ties between supply chain and human resource management by examining the competencies inherent in successful supply chain management systems. Using structural equation modeling we assess the linkages between individual, network and inter-organizational competencies, investment in strategic partnership and firm performance. The findings reveal that both organizational awareness (competency at the individual level) and supply network competency (competency at the organizational level) have significant and positive effects on collaborative awareness. The importance of inter-organizational competencies is supported by the significant positive effect that collaborative awareness has on investment in strategic planning. Implications for human resource managers and supply chain managers are also provided.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
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