We consider continuous-state branching processes (CB processes) which become extinct almost surely. First, we tackle the problem of describing the stationary measures on $(0,+\infty)$ for such CB processes. We give a representation of the stationary measure in terms of scale functions of related Lévy processes. Then we prove that the stationary measure can be obtained from the vague limit of the potential measure, and, in the critical case, can also be obtained from the vague limit of a normalized transition probability. Next, we prove some limit theorems for the CB process conditioned on extinction in a near future and on extinction at a fixed time. We obtain non-degenerate limit distributions which are of the size-biased type of the stationary measure in the critical case and of the Yaglom distribution in the subcritical case. Finally we explore some further properties of the limit distributions.

The clinical significance and potential targets of miR-150-5p have not been elucidated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The pooled analysis based on 539 NPC samples and 75 non-NPC nasopharyngeal samples demonstrated that the expression of miR-150-5p was down-regulated in NPC, with the area under the curve being 0.89 and the standardized mean difference being −0.66. Subsequently, we further screened the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of 14 datasets, including 312 NPC samples and 70 non-NPC nasopharyngeal samples. After the DEGs were narrowed down with the predicted targets from the miRWalk database, 1316 prospective target genes of miR-150-5p were identified. The enrichment analysis suggested that “pathways in cancer” was the most significant pathway. Finally, six hub genes of “pathways in cancer”, including EGFR, TP53, HRAS, CCND1, CDH1, and FGF2, were screened out through the STRING database. In conclusion, the down-regulation of miR-150-5p modulates the tumorigenesis and progression of NPC.

We study the impact of formal and informal institutions perceived and experienced by firms on their innovation using the 2012 World Bank Enterprise Survey data in China. We propose a framework to identify different innovator types of firms. Our analysis shows that (1) perceived constraints from the governmental system make firms more likely to be innovators than non-innovators; (2) perceived constraints from the legal system make firms more likely to be imitators than innovators; (3) lack of formal finance makes firms more likely to be non-innovators than innovators; (4) prevalence of bribery makes firms more likely to be non-innovators than innovators but less likely to be innovation pretenders than innovators. Our study enriches institutional theory and innovation research by establishing a framework that encompasses multiple dimensions of formal and informal institutions perceived and experienced by firms and the impacts of such perception and experience on firms’ propensity to become certain type of innovator.

Composite materials include various components with different structures, which cooperatively increase their properties and extend their application. In this study, the graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) guest material was assembled into the porous of the SiO2 aerogel, which was prepared during the gel process. By this way, the g-C3N4 could be absolutely encapsulated into the porous of the disordered porous SiO2 aerogel. The prepared g-C3N4/SiO2 composite had a loose porous structure and exhibited the much higher photocatalytic activity to the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light. The disordered porous structure enhanced photocatalytic activity, and the degradation rate reached to 96.42% in 90 min under the irradiation of visible light, which could be attributed to its high surface area and effective electron–hole separation rate. The catalyst had the much higher stability and could be easily recycled utilization. The prepared composites could be applied to degrade organic pollutants in wastewater.

In the theory of spontaneous combustion, identifying the critical value of the Frank-Kamenetskii parameter corresponds to solving a bifurcation point problem. There are two different numerical methods used to solve this problem—the direct and indirect numerical methods. The latter finds the bifurcation point by solving a partial differential equation (PDE) problem. This is a better method to find the bifurcation point for complex geometries. This paper improves the indirect numerical method by combining the grid-domain extension method with the matrix equation computation method. We calculate the critical parameters of the Frank-Kamenetskii equation for some complex geometries using the indirect numerical method. Our results show that both the curve of the outer boundary and the height of the geometries have an effect on the values of the critical Frank-Kamenetskii parameter, however, they have little effect on the critical dimensionless temperature.

A new genus and species, Aclemus patulus n. gen. n. sp., is described based on a new specimen collected from the latest Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation in Inner Mongolia, China. Based on a combination of characters from this fossil, including a homonomous fore- and hindwing, a 3-branched media vein, wings lacking long cilia on their margins; and a cross-vein absent between subcosta and radius, we establish a new genus assigned to the Eolepidopterigidae. In addition, the diagnosis of Longcapitalis excelsus Zhang, Shih, Labandeira and Ren 2013, is emended based on new fossil material.

In a transitional economy such as China's, when resources are unevenly distributed across different sectors, the disadvantaged sector may seek a growth path that bypasses resource constraints. We investigated this phenomenon in the context of the Chinese real estate industry. By comparing the post–merger and acquisition (M&A) performance of acquiring firms between state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and privately-owned enterprises (POEs), we attempted to show that POEs are better performers in the market should they be granted equitable resources, and the superior performance is strengthened by market-oriented institutional environment. We used M&A events data of publicly listed real estate firms in China from 2004 to 2012, in conjunction with firm characteristics and province-level market environment data. We found the results to be consistent with our hypotheses. In particular, compared to SOEs, privately-owned acquiring firms tend to have better post-M&A performance when both the regions of the acquirer and the target have high level of marketization. The results suggest that the private sector in China's transitional economy is potentially more efficient than the state-owned sector, as long as the market environment is favorable.

We propose a two-urn model of Pólya type as follows. There are two urns, urn A and urn B. At the beginning, urn A contains rA red and wA white balls and urn B contains rB red and wB white balls. We first draw m balls from urn A and note their colors, say i red and m - i white balls. The balls are returned to urn A and bi red and b(m - i) white balls are added to urn B. Next, we draw ℓ balls from urn B and note their colors, say j red and ℓ - j white balls. The balls are returned to urn B and aj red and a(ℓ - j) white balls are added to urn A. Repeat the above action n times and let Xn be the fraction of red balls in urn A and Yn the fraction of red balls in urn B. We first show that the expectations of Xn and Yn have the same limit, and then use martingale theory to show that Xn and Yn converge almost surely to the same limit.

In this article we study the parabolic system of equations which is closely related to a multitype branching Brownian motion. Particular attention is paid to the monotone traveling wave solutions of this system. Provided with some moment conditions, we show the existence, uniqueness, and asymptotic behaviors of such waves with speed greater than or equal to a critical value c̲ and nonexistence of such waves with speed smaller than c̲.

Sb-rich Si-Sb-Te phase change materials with different Si contents were proposed and fabricated, and the role of Si and Sb in the Si-Sb-Te alloys was discussed. The resistance-temperature and retention properties of the Sb-rich Si-Sb-Te alloys were studied. Devices based on the Sb-rich Si-Sb-Te alloys were fabricated by a 0.18 μm CMOS technology and device properties were studied by pulsed mode resistance-voltage (R-V) measurements. Experimental results show that the crystallization temperature and data retention ability of the Sb-rich Si-Sb-Te alloys were obviously improved with increasing Si content, but the electrical properties degenerate if too much Si was added. Sb is helpful to promote the crystallization process, but excessive Sb decreases the thermal stability. So, in order to obtain practicable Sb-rich Si-Sb-Te phase change materials, suitable Si and Sb contents are required to balance the device performances between electrical switching property and thermal stability or data retention ability.

AlN codoped ZnO films were deposited on sapphire substrates at low temperature using a cosputter system under various N2/(N2 + Ar) flow ratios. To investigate the nitrogen function, the ratio of nitrogen ambient was varied during cosputtering. AlN codoped ZnO films with various crystallographic structures and bonding configurations were measured. With an adequate nitrogen atmosphere deposition condition and postannealing temperature at 450 °C, the p-type conductive behaviors of AlN codoped ZnO films were achieved due to the formation of Zn–N bonds. According to the low-temperature photoluminescence spectra, the binding energy (EA) of 0.16 eV for N acceptors can be calculated. Using time-resolved photoluminescence measurement, the carrier lifetime in AlN codoped ZnO films increases due to the reduction of oxygen vacancies caused by the occupation of adequate nitrogen atoms.

A co-sputtering system was used to deposit silicon nanoclusters embedded in zinc oxide matrix (Si:ZnO) at low temperature without post-annealing. By adjusting the radio frequency power of the Si target during co-sputtering, Si:ZnO films with various crystallographic structures can be obtained. Silicon nanoclusters embedded in the zinc oxide matrix were examined using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope, x-ray diffractometer, and Fourier transformation infrared spectrometry. By comparing with photoluminescence spectra, we can clearly identify quantum confinement effect of silicon nanoclusters embedded in the ZnO matrix.