Determinants of Corporate R&D Investment: An Empirical Study Comparing Korea's IT Industry with Its Non‐IT Industry

In our study, we extracted the market, finance, and government factors determining R&D investment of individual firms in the IT industry in Korea. We collected the financial data of 515 individual firms belonging to IT and non‐IT industries between 1980 and 1999 from the Korea Investors Service's database and investigated the empirical relationship between the factors using an ordinary regression model, a fixed effects model, and a random effects model. The main findings of our study are as follows: i) The Herfindahl Index variable representing the degree of market concentration is statistically insignificant in explaining R&D expenditures in the IT manufacturing industry. ii) Assets, which is used as a proxy variable for firm size, have a positive and statistically significant coefficient. These two results suggest that the Schumpeterian Hypothesis may be only partially applied to the IT manufacturing industry in Korea. iii) The dividend variable has a negative value and is statistically significant, indicating that a tendency of high dividends can restrict the internal cash flow for R&D investment. iv) The sales variable representing growth potential shows a positive coefficient. v) The subsidy as a proxy variable for governmental R&D promotion policies is positively correlated with R&D expenditure. This suggests that government policy has played a significant role in promoting R&D activities of IT firms in Korea since 1980. vi) Using a dummy variable, we verified that firms reduced their R&D investments to secure sufficient liquidity under the restructuring pressure during Korea's 1998 and 1999 economic crisis.     

我国冷轧钢卷包装工艺现状分析

我国钢铁企业逐渐认识到钢卷包装的重要性,钢卷包装的好坏直接影响产品的质量。通过分析手工包装、半自动包装、全自动包装的特点,从我国国情出发提出了钢卷包装现阶段和今后的发展方向。     

Determination of IgG1 and IgG3 SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein and Nucleocapsid Binding—Who Is Binding Who and Why?

The involvement of immunoglobulin (Ig) G3 in the humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection has been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19. The exact molecular mechanism is unknown, but it is thought to involve this IgG subtype’s differential ability to fix, complement and stimulate cytokine release. We examined the binding of convalescent patient antibodies to immobilized nucleocapsids and spike proteins by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization–time of flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry. IgG3 was a major immunoglobulin found in all samples. Differential analysis of the spectral signatures found for the nucleocapsid versus the spike protein demonstrated that the predominant humoral immune response to the nucleocapsid was IgG3, whilst for the spike protein it was IgG1. However, the spike protein displayed a strong affinity for IgG3 itself, as it would bind from control plasma samples, as well as from those previously infected with SARS-CoV-2, similar to the way protein G binds IgG1. Furthermore, detailed spectral analysis indicated that a mass shift consistent with hyper-glycosylation or glycation was a characteristic of the IgG3 captured by the spike protein.     

Identification of Structural and Molecular Signatures Mediating Adaptive Changes in the Mouse Kidney in Response to Pregnancy

Pregnancy is characterized by adaptations in the function of several maternal body systems that ensure the development of the fetus whilst maintaining health of the mother. The renal system is responsible for water and electrolyte balance, as well as waste removal. Thus, it is imperative that structural and functional changes occur in the kidney during pregnancy. However, our knowledge of the precise morphological and molecular mechanisms occurring in the kidney during pregnancy is still very limited. Here, we investigated the changes occurring in the mouse kidney during pregnancy by performing an integrated analysis involving histology, gene and protein expression assays, mass spectrometry profiling and bioinformatics. Data from non-pregnant and pregnant mice were used to identify critical signalling pathways mediating changes in the maternal kidneys. We observed an expansion of renal medulla due to proliferation and infiltration of interstitial cellular constituents, as well as alterations in the activity of key cellular signalling pathways (e.g., AKT, AMPK and MAPKs) and genes involved in cell growth/metabolism (e.g., Cdc6, Foxm1 and Rb1) in the kidneys during pregnancy. We also generated plasma and urine proteomic profiles, identifying unique proteins in pregnancy. These proteins could be used to monitor and study potential mechanisms of renal adaptations during pregnancy and disease.     

Shot-noise limited,supercontinuum-based optical coherence tomography

We present the first demonstration of shot-noise limited supercontinuum-based spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) with an axial resolution of ...     

A novel SON2‐based similarity index and its application for the rationalization of river water quality monitoring network

In this paper, a novel self‐organizing network (SON) based similarity index and its application for the optimization of sampling locations in an existing river water quality monitoring network (WQMN) is presented. A rationalization of the River Danube WQMN on its stretch through Serbia was performed using the proposed SON²‐based similarity index. A high‐dimensional dataset was used, which is composed of 18 water quality parameters that were collected during the period 2002–2010 at 17 monitoring locations. The SON‐based seasonal classification that divides 12 months into the cold, moderate, and warm seasons was employed, whereas its second application on each seasonal class yielded subclasses that were used to compare the monitoring locations. The obtained SON²‐based similarity index can be utilized for analysing seasonal variations, as well as overall similarities among neighbouring sites. Based on the calculated similarities of locations and characteristics of the River Danube basin a rationalized WQMN, which uses 30% less monitoring sites, has been proposed.     

东濮凹陷马厂构造深层混源气藏气源探讨

根据东濮凹陷马厂深层气藏天然气常规组成、C1-C5单体气态烃碳同位素组成以及轻烃色谱指纹3方面微观信息的分析，并与文留气田文23井典型石炭系-二叠系煤成气以及白庙、刘庄、桥口煤成气-油型气混合天然气进行气／气对比，揭示了马厂深部气藏沙三段-沙四段天然气以煤成气为主，渗混入少量Es3-Es4油型气的混源特征，证实了东濮凹陷南部石炭系-二叠系煤系烃源岩具有一定煤成气供烃能力。     

Miniaturized Flexible Electronic Systems with Wireless Power and Near‐Field Communication Capabilities

A class of thin, lightweight, flexible, near‐field communication (NFC) devices with ultraminiaturized format is introduced, and systematic investigations of the mechanics, radio frequency characteristics, and materials aspects associated with their optimized construction are presented. These systems allow advantages in mechanical strength, placement versatility, and minimized interfacial stresses compared to other NFC technologies and wearable electronics. Detailed experimental studies and theoretical modeling of the mechanical and electromagnetic properties of these systems establish understanding of the key design considerations. These concepts can apply to many other types of wireless communication systems including biosensors and electronic implants.