ahmedabdelwahed/Medical_papers_title_and_abstract_NLP_dataset huggingface dataset:
Impact of income inequality on CO2 emissions in G20 countries

Over the past three decades, the G20 countries have experienced rapid economic growth but also a widening income disparity and deteriorating environment. We examined whether and how income distribution affects CO2 emissions during economic growth under the extended EKC framework. Using simultaneous quantile regression analysis, we show that, for developing countries, a more equal income distribution favors reductions to the CO2 emissions per capita, whereas, in most developed countries, income inequality hardly affects CO2 emissions. Meanwhile, the EKC hypothesis is valid in G20. Based on the empirical results, we particularly emphasize the importance of reducing income inequality in developing countries and that the entire G20 takes the path of sustainable development.
The analysis and probabilistic health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cereal products

The analysis and probabilistic health risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in cereal products were done by using magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) method and gas chromatography/mass spectrometric (GC/MS). The results of method showed LOQ and LOD of PAHs compounds were 0.105-0.180 and 0.035-0.060 µg/kg, and the recorded values were 4.3-12.1 and 6.1-20.3% for repeatability and reproducibility with an estimated recovery of 94.4-103.4%. In this study, we analyzed kind of bread (Barbari, Sangak, Baguette, Taftoon, Lavash), macaroni, lasagna, and cooked rice that mean of total PAHs were 98.2, 121.7, 134.9, 166.3, 176.3, 176.2, 130.1, and 248.3 μg/kg, respectively. Further, the correlation between the type and amount of 16 PAHs with cereal products samples evaluated with multivariate principal component analysis and heat map visualization. The highest incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) was found in cooked rice (7.80E-6), while the lowest ILCR was found in Lasagna (2.35E-07). In conclusion, the PAHs content in the tested products were in low health risk ranges (1 × 10-6 < ILCR < 1 × 10-4), and all of the cereal products sold in Tehran are considered safe for consumers. Therefore, cereal products should be regularly evaluated and monitored by regulatory agencies to reduce contaminants in these high-consumption products.
Impact of Trade Openness and Human Capital on Economic Growth: A Comparative Investigation of Asian Countries

The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of trade openness and human capital on economic growth in 19 Asian countries from 1985 to 2017. We selected two geographically distributed regions (Western and Southern Asia) based on difference in their GDP per capita. We applied the unit root tests to examine the level of stationarity and found that all variables were integrated at first difference. Kao and Fisher cointegration tests were employed and the results revealed the presence of a long-run relationship. We applied fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) models to check the magnitude of the long-run coefficients among trade openness, human capital and economic growth. To investigate the direction of causality, we used a Dumitrescu and Hurlin (DH) causality test. The results indicated that trade openness and human capital have a significant and positive relationship while labor force participation has a negative effect on economic growth in Southern Asia, and in the case of Western Asia, the impact is positive. Foreign direct investment (FDI) has a negative and significant impact on GDP per capita (GDPPC) in Western Asia while it is positive and significant in Southern Asia; Total population (TPOP) has a negative impact on GDPPC in both regions. Furthermore, human capital has a positive and significant impact on trade openness in both panels. Meanwhile, labor force participation (LFP) has a positive and significant impact on trade openness in Southern Asia and a negative impact in the case of Western Asia. Trade openness and economic growth have bidirectional causality in Western Asia and unidirectional causality in Southern Asia. It also shows that human capital and economic growth have unidirectional causality in both regions.
Environmental sustainable value in agriculture revisited: How does Common Agricultural Policy contribute to eco-efficiency?

The conflict between capital-intensive agriculture, often called industrial agriculture, and sustainable farming is ongoing, and not because of Western European countries, where intensification is increasingly sustainable. It is caused by several million small farms in Central and Eastern Europe that must choose a long-term development path. This is also a dilemma for agricultural policy: Are small farms so environmentally friendly that they should play the role of 'landscape guardians' at the expense of public support and economic vegetation, or should they strive to improve productivity through investments? This study offers a methodological contribution to the value-based sustainability approach by computing indicators of environmental sustainable value (ESV). The authors have attempted to combine the value-oriented approach with frontier benchmarking. They then tested how the European Union Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) schemes contribute to ESV using a long-term panel of regionally representative farms from Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) with regard to factor endowments, for the years 2004-2017. The seminal within-between specification was employed to control the time variant and time invariant space heterogeneity of European regions. The main finding is that higher investment support is beneficial to ESV. Regarding factor endowment influence, there was a positive impact of the capital-labour ratio. Except the cross-sectional impact of environmental subsidies, the payments exert a negative effect on ESV.
How is COVID-19 affecting environmental pollution in US cities? Evidence from asymmetric Fourier causality test

This paper aims to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on PM(2.5)emissions in eight selected US cities with populations of more than 1 million. To this end, the study employs an asymmetric Fourier causality test for the period of January 15, 2020 to May 4, 2020. The outcomes indicate that positive shocks in COVID-19 deaths cause negative shocks in PM(2.5)emissions for New York, San Diego, and San Jose. Moreover, in terms of cases, positive shocks in COVID-19 cause negative shocks in PM(2.5)emissions for Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and San Jose. Overall, the findings of the study highlight that the pandemic reduces environmental pressure in the largest cities of the USA. This implies that one of the rare positive effects of the virus is to reduce air pollution. Therefore, for a better environment, US citizens should review the impact of current production and consumption activities on anthropogenic environmental problems.
Causal interactions between trade openness, renewable electricity consumption, and economic growth in Asia-Pacific countries: Fresh evidence from a bootstrap ARDL approach

This paper applies a new bootstrap Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach to examine the nexus between trade openness, renewable electricity consumption, and economic growth for seven countries in the Asia-Pacific region during 1980-2017 period. In fact, there is no evidence of cointegration among real trade openness, electricity consumption, and real GDP per capita in countries, with the exception of Malaysia, where real GDP serves as dependent variable. However, cointegration does manifest in the cases of Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand when trade openness is used as the dependent variable. A similar outcome is observed for Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand when renewable electricity consumption is used as the dependent variable. A short-run analysis reveals mixed results in term of the direction of the causality among different variables for various countries. Such results have implications for trade, energy, and environmental policies. One implication is that any environmental policy aiming to reduce the use of non-renewable energy and carbon dioxide emissions will inevitably lead to greater renewable energy consumption, which in turn may enhance trade openness and ultimately accelerate economic growth.
Use of waste marble dust and recycled glass for sustainable concrete production

Commitments on reducing embodied CO2 emissions and declining available natural resources puts pressure on the concrete sector to produce more sustainable approaches. Waste materials are widely being used in concrete production. Feasibility and practicality of waste materials on concrete properties are mainly associated with fresh and hardened properties. The use of waste materials can be feasible only under the condition of successful satisfaction of environmental and economic sustainability. In this respect, this research aimed to investigate fresh and hardened properties of equal 28 d design strength (45 MPa) concretes made with natural aggregates and 5% and 10% marble dust as a replacement of Portland cement and Portland cement mix containing 20% recycled glass sand as a replacement to natural sand. Then, a further detailed investigation was carried out to assess the environmental and economic sustainability of laboratory mixes. The results showed that the use of waste materials provided similar fresh properties as control mix. The 28 d compressive cube strength decreased by 10%-19% for recycled glass sand and marble dust added mixes. Studies assessing other engineering properties, including sound permeability, thermal conductivity and water permeability showed enhanced performances for waste incorporated mixes. Regarding sustainability performance, marble dust and recycled glass sand mixes had a lower environmental footprint and higher cost compared to conventional concrete. Considering overall performance analysis, marble dust and recycled glass sand showed 17% and 8% improvement, respectively, revealing a promising solution for sustainable concrete production. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
From the COVID-19 pandemic to corrupt practices: a tale of two evils

Emergencies and corruption go hand in hand in times of crisis. We are currently living in a pandemic phase, and corruption is even more damaging during these times of crisis that the world is experiencing with COVID-19. Vaccination is the only survival option that we have. The development of a nation will soon be measured by the criteria of who owns more vaccines. This study has four objectives. The first is to explore the most recent relevant literature. Moreover, we also investigate the unique trilogy of corruption, the environment, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The second is to identify adequate channels for distributing the COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccines should be dispersed based on the categories of age, gender, ethnicity, profession, and health conditions. Third, we explored the factors that are causing corruption in the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines. Our findings show that unequal distribution, theft and black markets, weaponization of vaccines, logistical challenges, and substandard and falsified vaccines are the factors that potentially lead to corruption. The fourth objective is to investigate solutions for mitigating corruption. We revealed that blockchain, awareness, well-planned distribution channels, and prioritization of vulnerable groups are the steps that could effectively reduce corruption.
Medical abortion in primary care

Early medical abortion is a safe, cost effective and acceptable alternative to surgical abortion. It offers privacy and autonomy and can be provided by general practitioners who have completed an online training module. Abortion can be induced with mifepristone and misoprostol up to nine weeks of gestation. Apart from anticoagulation and severe anaemia, there are few contraindications and precautions for medical abortion. Obtaining informed consent requires the provision of information on expected effects, adverse effects and complications. The woman must know when to present to an emergency department. Follow-up must be arranged to ensure the abortion is complete. A serum human chorionic gonadotropin concentration or a low-sensitivity urine pregnancy test is used to confirm completion. Most contraceptive methods can be started immediately following medical abortion. If an intrauterine device is preferred, it should be inserted after confirming the abortion is complete.
Are smart cities more ecologically efficient? Evidence from China

As a new mode of urbanization, smart city both influences the environmental load and economic performance of cities through technology effect, resource allocation effect and industrial structure upgrade effect. So comes the natural question: has smart city construction improved the eco-efficiency of cities In China? How does the impact change over time? Is the impact heterogeneous across cities? Based on Green Solow model, this paper adopts the Super-efficiency SBM model to measure the eco-efficiency of 152 prefecture-level cities in China covering the period 2003-2016, and then DID model is applied to investigate the impact of smart city pilot policy on eco-efficiency. On the whole, the smart city construction significantly improves the eco-efficiency, and the multi-stage DID results reveal that the promotion effect is increasing over time due to the annual superposition. Furthermore, the impact is heterogeneous across cities. Although the promotion effect on medium-sized cities is less than that of large cities, the promotion effect has actually weakened when the urban population size exceeds 5 million. Moreover, the lower the level of city's economic development, the greater the role of smart city construction in promoting eco-efficiency. The research conclusion is of great practical significance for the reform of urban governance model and the realization of high-quality urban development.
Desmoglein-3 induces YAP phosphorylation and inactivation during collective migration of oral carcinoma cells

Alterations of the Hippo-YAP pathway are potential targets for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) therapy, but heterogeneity in this pathway could be responsible for therapeutic resistance. We analysed the Hippo-YAP signatures in a cohort of characterised keratinocyte cell lines derived from the mouth floor and buccal mucosa from different stages of OSCC tumour progression and focused on the specific role of YAP on invasive and metastatic potential. We confirmed heterogeneity in the Hippo-YAP pathway in OSCC lines, including overexpression of YAP1, WWTR1 (often referred to as TAZ) and the major Hippo signalling components, as well as the variations in the genes encoding the intercellular anchoring junctional proteins, which could potentially regulate the Hippo pathway. Specifically, desmoglein-3 (DSG3) exhibited a unique and mutually exclusive regulation of YAP via YAP phosphorylation during the collective migration of OSCC cells. Mechanistically, such regulation was associated with inhibition of phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) (S695/Y1086) and its downstream effectors heat shock protein beta-1 (Hsp27) (S78/S82) and transcription factor AP-1 (c-Jun) (S63), leading to YAP phosphorylation coupled with its cytoplasmic translocation and inactivation. Additionally, OSCC lines displayed distinct phenotypes of YAP dependency or a mixed YAP and TAZ dependency for cell migration and present distinct patterns in YAP abundance and activity, with the latter being associated with YAP nuclear localisation. In conclusion, this study provides evidence for a newly identified paradigm in the Hippo-YAP pathway and suggests a new regulation mechanism involved in the control of collective migration in OSCC cells.
Green Brand of Companies and Greenwashing under Sustainable Development Goals

Implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and increasing environmental issues provokes changes in consumers' and stakeholders' behavior. Thus, stakeholders try to invest in green companies and projects; consumers prefer to buy eco-friendly products instead of traditional ones; and consumers and investors refuse to deal with unfair green companies. In this case, the companies should quickly adapt their strategy corresponding to the new trend of transformation from overconsumption to green consumption. This process leads to increasing the frequency of using greenwashing as an unfair marketing instrument to promote the company's green achievements. Such companies' behavior leads to a decrease in trust in the company's green brand from the green investors. Thus, the aim of the study is to check the impact of greenwashing on companies' green brand. For that purpose, the partial least-squares structural equation modeling (PLS-PM), content analysis and Fishbourne methods were used. The dataset for analysis was obtained from the companies' websites and financial and non-financial reports. The objects of analysis were Ukrainian large industrial companies, which work not only in the local market but also in the international one. The findings proved that a one point increase in greenwashing leads to a 0.56 point decline in the company's green brand with a load factor of 0.78. The most significant variable (loading factor 0.34) influencing greenwashing was the information at official websites masking the company's real economic goals. Thus, a recommendation for companies is to eliminate greenwashing through the publishing of detailed official reports of the companies' green policy and achievements.
The complex web of canonical and non-canonical Hedgehog signaling

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is a widely studied signaling pathway because of its critical roles during development and in cell homeostasis. Vertebrate canonical and non-canonical Hh signaling are typically assumed to be distinct and occur in different cellular compartments. While research has primarily focused on the canonical form of Hh signaling and its dependency on primary cilia - microtubule-based signaling hubs - an extensive list of crucial functions mediated by non-canonical Hh signaling has emerged. Moreover, amounting evidence indicates that canonical and non-canonical modes of Hh signaling are interlinked, and that they can overlap spatially, and in many cases interact functionally. Here, we discuss some of the many cellular effects of non-canonical signaling and discuss new evidence indicating inter-relationships with canonical signaling. We discuss how Smoothened (Smo), a key component of the Hh pathway, might coordinate such diverse downstream effects. Collectively, pursuit of questions such as those proposed here will aid in elucidating the full extent of Smo function in development and advance its use as a target for cancer therapeutics.
Struvite pyrolysate cycling technology assisted by thermal hydrolysis pretreatment to recover ammonium nitrogen from composting leachate

Composting leachate containing high concentrations of nitrogen imposes a significant burden on aquatic environment. Struvite crystallization to recover ammonium nitrogen from composting leachate is limited by the inefficient capture of organic nitrogen and excessive magnesium and phosphate input. To cope with these challenges, struvite pyrolysate cycling technology coupled with a thermal hydrolysis pretreatment was investigated to recover ammonium nitrogen from composting leachate. Struvite and its pyrolysate were characterized by SEM-EDX, FTIR, and particle size analyzer. The optimal conversion rate of nitrogen in composting leachate with thermal hydrolysis-assisted was obtained at 180 degrees C for 75 min, achieving an NH4+-N to total nitrogen proportion of 82.2%. The optimal parameters for struvite pyrolysate generation were found to be: molar ratio of hydroxyl to NH4+-N of 1:1, heating temperature of 110 degrees C, and holding time of 3 h. SEM-EDX analysis revealed that the principal struvite pyrolysate was MgNa-PO4 center dot 7H(2)O. When the struvite pyrolysate was reprocessed as novel magnesium and phosphate sources, the removal efficiency of NH4+-N decreased from 98.3 +/- 1.3% in the first cycle to 78.1 +/- 1.0% in the fifth cycle. FTIR analysis indicated the increase in the impurities content of struvite pyrolysate and the decrease in active phosphorus and magnesium sources. Particle size analysis suggested ammonium precipitation was restricted by the crystal growth size. An economic analysis demonstrated that 59.0% of processing costs could be saved by cycling struvite pyrolysate compared with a non-cycling process. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Functional CDKN2A assay identifies frequent deleterious alleles misclassified as variants of uncertain significance

Pathogenic germline CDKN2A variants are associated with an increased risk of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). CDKN2A variants of uncertain significance (VUSs) are reported in up to 4.3% of patients with PDAC and result in significant uncertainty for patients and their family members as an unknown fraction are functionally deleterious, and therefore, likely pathogenic. Functional characterization of CDKN2A VUSs is needed to reclassify variants and inform clinical management. Twenty-nine germline CDKN2A VUSs previously reported in patients with PDAC or in ClinVar were evaluated using a validated in vitro cell proliferation assay. Twelve of the 29 CDKN2A VUSs were functionally deleterious (11 VUSs) or potentially functionally deleterious (1 VUS) and were reclassified as likely pathogenic variants. Thus, over 40% of CDKN2A VUSs identified in patients with PDAC are functionally deleterious and likely pathogenic. When incorporating VUSs found to be functionally deleterious, and reclassified as likely pathogenic, the prevalence of pathogenic/likely pathogenic CDKN2A in patients with PDAC reported in the published literature is increased to up to 4.1% of patients, depending on family history. Therefore, CDKN2A VUSs may play a significant, unappreciated role in risk of pancreatic cancer. These findings have significant implications for the counselling and care of patients and their relatives.
Satisfaction of Basic Psychological Needs and Adherence to Responsible Gambling Practices: The Mediating Role of Flourishing

Responsible gambling (RG) is a practical approach to contain potential gambling-associated harms to an acceptable level. However, few studies have proposed a theoretical framework to account for significant individual differences in RG adherence, which hinders an effective RG promotion in public. To address this missing link, the current study aims to identify psychological need factors associated with adherence to RG practices. We applied the self-determination theory (SDT) to explore the association between the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (i.e., relatedness, competency, and autonomy) and RG adherence in a probability Chinese community adult sample (N = 1002; 55.7% women and M age = 44.28 years), acquired from a telephone survey conducted in the 2018 fall with a two-stage cluster random sampling method. We found that the three types of basic needs satisfaction were significantly and positively related to RG adherence via a full mediation of flourishing. The findings provide practical insights to understanding individual differences in RG adherence and designing corresponding SDT-based interventions for gambling communities globally.