bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Foreign Trade in the People’s Republic of China: Past Performance and Future Challenges
Authors: Zhao Haiying
Published: June 2023

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) mainly exports labor-intensive manufacturing products, especially textile and apparel, which face fierce international competition. The PRC’s trade is also unevenly distributed, which has led to trade frictions with the United States (US). Given this situation, four factors (challenges) are important for the future of the PRC’s trade: membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO); Sino-US trade relations, which will affect the PRC’s access to the US market and conditions for entering WTO; phasing-out of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA); and antidumping, a trade policy instrument that makes the PRC’s exports especially vulnerable because of the use of surrogate countries. In the near future the PRC should still be able to obtain reasonable market access because most countries except the US have already given the PRC unconditional most favored nation (MFN) status. A US withdrawal of the PRC’s MFN status will lead to trade wars and is unlikely to happen under normal circumstances. The PRC will not suffer much from the MFA phasing-out because benefits of the agreement are heavily back loaded and will not materialize until years later. Setting up the PRC’s own antidumping regulations is a good strategic move to deter possible abuse of antidumping by other countries.
Prospects of Institutional and Policy Reform in India: Toward a Model of the Developmental State?
Authors: Ahrens Joachim
Published: June 2023

India’s recently launched economic reforms will only be sustainable if they are accompanied by political reforms, which create the foundations of economic development. Establishing a Weberian-type bureaucracy adequately embedded in society will be useful, but not sufficient to enhance the incentive compatibility of public policies and economic performance. Due to the heterogeneity of the Indian economy and society, this institutional arrangement should be complemented by the concept of Participatory Market-Preserving Federalism, which combines the notion of embedded autonomy with the concept of Market-Preserving Federalism and the principle of subsidiarity. This induces a self-enforcing governance structure that reduces collective action problems, directly involves social groups and subnational governments into political decision making processes, and creates the political foundations of economic growth.
Currency Crisis in Korea: How Was It Aggravated?
Authors: Park Daekeun , Rhee Changyong
Published: June 2023

This paper documents the Korean crisis in 1997. First, we show that it was hard to predict the Korean crisis at least up till the first half of 1997. Our judgment is based on the precrisis behavior of the leading indicators of currency crisis, financial market data such as forward exchange premiums and yield spreads, and cross-country probit analysis a la Frankel and Rose (1996). Second, our chronological study demonstrates that the Korean government unnecessarily aggravated the situation by committing a series of policy mistakes in handling the crisis. The government may not be responsible for not preventing the crisis but it was surely responsible for exacerbating the situation after the crisis started.
Poverty in Emerging Asia: Progress, Setbacks, and Log-jams
Authors: de Haan Arjan , Lipton Michael
Published: June 2023

The financial crisis of 1997-1998 in East and Southeast Asia has raised questions about the sustainability of some hitherto admired modes of poverty reduction. But this paper argues that there remain important lessons to learn from Asia’s great ascent out of poverty since the Second World War. It remains important that well before the setback struck, much of this area had eliminated food poverty. Most recent information suggests that the great improvements in poverty reduction have not been that much affected by the crisis. Instead, a more important problem, which is the focus of this paper, is the growing concentration of poverty on “the hard-core poor” especially among the uneducated in backward regions, and the declining elasticities of poverty to economic growth. Combined with the prospect that growth itself may well be slower, especially in East and Southeast Asia than before 1997, this raises the real question about future Asian poverty: the prospect that many countries, especially the large, poor ones, will not maintain earlier rates of poverty reduction without explicit redistribution.
Linking Community-based Programs and Service Delivery for Improving Maternal and Child Nutrition
Authors: Tontisirin Kraisid , Gillespie Stuart
Published: June 2023

Generic lessons from past experience with community-based nutrition programming relate more to processes adopted than to specific actions implemented—more “how” than “what”—with proactive community participation being a sine qua non for success. Progress has been made where community-based programs are linked operationally to service delivery structures. Government employees at such levels may be oriented to act as facilitators of nutrition-relevant actions that are coordinated by locally elected community-based mobilizers. This mobilizer-facilitator nexus should be supported and managed by a series of organizational structures from the grassroots to national levels. Community-government partnerships need to be forged through broad-based social mobilization and communication strategies. Policymakers should be more open to learning from community-based success so as to know how best to enable and sustain it. This paper describes the ingredients and dynamics of successful community-based nutrition programs including consideration of social mobilization strategies, project planning and design, management structures, implementation mechanisms, issues of monitoring, sustainability, replicability, and the nature of supportive policy.
Hardness Results of Connected Power Domination for Bipartite Graphs and Chordal Graphs
Authors: Goyal Pooja , Panda B. S.
Published: June 2023

A set [Formula: see text] of a graph [Formula: see text] is called a connected power dominating set of [Formula: see text] if [Formula: see text], the subgraph induced by [Formula: see text], is connected and every vertex in the graph can be observed from [Formula: see text], following the two observation rules for power system monitoring: Rule [Formula: see text]: if [Formula: see text], then [Formula: see text] can observe itself and all its neighbors, and Rule [Formula: see text]: for an already observed vertex whose all neighbors except one are observed, then the only unobserved neighbor becomes observed as well. Given a graph [Formula: see text], Minimum Connected Power Domination is to find a connected power dominating set of minimum cardinality of [Formula: see text] and Decide Connected Power Domination is the decision version of Minimum Connected Power Domination. Decide Connected Power Domination is known to be NP -complete for general graphs. In this paper, we prove that Decide Connected Power Domination remains NP -complete for star-convex bipartite graphs, perfect elimination bipartite graphs and split graphs. This answers some open problems posed in [B. Brimkov, D. Mikesell and L. Smith, Connected power domination in graphs, J. Comb. Optim. 38(1) (2019) 292–315]. On the positive side, we show that Minimum Connected Power Domination is polynomial-time solvable for chain graphs, a proper subclass of perfect elimination bipartite graph, and for threshold graphs, a proper subclass of split graphs. Further, we show that Minimum Connected Power Domination cannot be approximated within [Formula: see text] for any [Formula: see text] unless [Formula: see text], for bipartite graphs as well as for chordal graphs. Finally, we show that Minimum Connected Power Domination is APX -hard for bounded degree graphs.
Chinese Global Orders: Socialism, Tradition, and Nation in China–Russia Relations
Authors: CALLAHAN WILLIAM A.
Published: June 2023

While many use rational IR theory to explain Chinese foreign policy behavior, this paper follows global IR to employ interpretivist theory to examine how Chinese elites understand their country’s role in the world. In particular, it explores the Chinese global order ideas of socialism, tradition, and nation through a comparative analysis of how they work in China–Russia relations, especially after China’s 20th Communist Party Congress in 2022. The first section presents a critical analysis of the realist understanding of the China–Russia–U.S. strategic triangle. It argues that the socialist concept of “united front work” better explains Chinese (and Russian) policy in terms of short-term “tactical triangles.” To probe China’s long-term global order ideas, the second section explores narratives of tradition to examine the concentric circles model of global order seen in Chinese tianxia and Russian Eurasianism. To understand these competing Russocentric and Sinocentric global orders, the third section explores how each country’s official historiography highlights narratives of the nation and especially how national rejuvenation requires correcting the “national humiliation” of lost territories. Rather than see these narratives in a linear chronological history — i.e., from tradition to socialism to nationalism — this paper considers how they overlap in socialism, tradition, and nation, a non-linear dynamic triad of global order ideas. It concludes first that further research is necessary to examine the interrelation of these three narratives: while nation and tradition are often employed to support the overarching narrative of socialism in recent years, this could certainly change. The conclusion then argues that while these narratives may be coherent theoretically, they have not been very successful in achieving Beijing and Moscow’s foreign policy objectives.
HOW DO THE COMPLEMENTARY ELEMENTS INFLUENCE THE VALUE OF MULTI-HOMING PRODUCTS IN PLATFORM ECOSYSTEM?
Authors: TANG RUIYANG , INOUE YUKI
Published: June 2023

In the field of product development, there is an increased focus on product complementarity. This study explores how the elements of multi-homing complementarity in the platform ecosystem (complementarity type, degree of platform complementarity, and degree of complementarity with other products) affect perceived product value. The data comprise 248 samples of smart-home multi-homing products, collected from the Amazon EC platform. The results indicate that prioritizing the degree of platform complementarity can increase the number of reviews, while prioritizing the degree of complementarity with other products can reduce that number. Focusing on unique complementarity can have a negative impact on ratings. Regarding the interaction term, the interaction of unique complementarity and the degree of complementarity with other products increases the number of reviews. Thus, unique complementarity should be included in the product-development process to ensure product quality and enhance sales.
Block codes on pomset metric
Authors: Shriwastva Atul Kumar , Selvaraj R. S.
Published: June 2023

Given a regular multiset [Formula: see text] on [Formula: see text], a partial order [Formula: see text] on [Formula: see text], and a label map [Formula: see text] defined by [Formula: see text] with [Formula: see text], we define a pomset block metric [Formula: see text] on the direct sum [Formula: see text] of [Formula: see text] based on the pomset [Formula: see text]. The pomset block metric extends the classical pomset metric introduced by Sudha and Selvaraj and generalizes the poset block metric introduced by Alves et al. over [Formula: see text]. The space [Formula: see text] is called the pomset block space and we determine the complete weight distribution of it. Further, [Formula: see text]-perfect pomset block codes for ideals with partial and full counts are described. Then, for block codes with chain pomset, the packing radius and Singleton bound are established. The relation between maximum distance separable (MDS) codes and [Formula: see text]-perfect codes for any ideal [Formula: see text] is investigated. Moreover, the duality theorem for an MDS pomset block code is established when all the blocks have the same size.
Rapid glacial sedimentation and overpressure in oozes causing large craters on the mid-Norwegian margin: integrated interpretation of the Naust, Kai and Brygge formations
Authors: Bellwald Benjamin , Manton Ben , Lebedeva-Ivanova Nina , Zastrozhnov Dmitry , Myklebust Reidun , Planke Sverre , Forsberg Carl Fredrik , Vanneste Maarten , Locat Jacques
Published: June 2023

Along continental margins with rapid sedimentation, overpressure may build up in porous and compressible sediments. Large-scale release of such overpressure has major implications for fluid migration and slope stability. Here, we study if the widespread crater-mound-shaped structures in the subsurface along the mid-Norwegian continental margin are caused by overpressure that accumulated within high-compressibility oozes sealed by low-permeability glacial muds. We interpret 56 000 km
2
of 3D and 150 000 km
2
of 2D-cubed seismic data in the Norwegian Sea, combining horizon picking, well ties and seismic geomorphological analyses of the crater-mound landforms. Along the mid-Norwegian margin, the base of the glacially influenced sediments abruptly deepens to form 28 craters with typical depths of
c.
100 m, areal extents of up to 5130 km
2
and volumes of up to 820 km
3
. Mounds are observed in the vicinity of the craters at several stratigraphic levels above the craters. We present a new model for the formation of the craters and mounds where the mounds consist of remobilized oozes evacuated from the craters. In our model, repeated and overpressure-driven sediment failure is interpreted to cause the crater-mound structures, as opposed to erosive megaslides. Seismic geomorphological analyses suggest that ooze remobilization occurred as an abrupt energetic and extrusive process. The results also suggest that rapidly deposited, low-permeability and low-porosity glacial sediments seal overpressure that originated from fluids being expelled from the underlying high-permeability and high-compressibility biosiliceous oozes.
Hidden in Plain Sight: Discreet User Interfaces
Authors: Boyd Kyle , Bond Raymond , Mulvenna Maurice , Kirby Karen , Lagdon Susan , Hume Becca
Published: June 2023

The
Interactions
website (interactions.acm.org) hosts a stable of bloggers who share insights and observations on HCI, often challenging current practices. Each issue we'll publish selected posts from some of the leading and emerging voices in the field.
Improving Quality of Service for Users of Leaderless DAG-Based Distributed Ledgers
Authors: Cullen Andrew , Zhao Lianna , Vigneri Luigi , Shorten Robert
Published: June 2023

Usability of distributed ledgers is crucial to their mainstream adoption, especially for enterprise applications in which most users do not wish to operate full-node infrastructure. Some attempts have been made to solve the problem of user-node interaction for blockchains in which leaders assemble users’ transactions into blocks, but in the case of leaderless DAG-based ledgers such as IOTA, many of these solutions cannot be applied due to the absence of a shared mempool and the ability of nodes to issue blocks in parallel. In this work, we propose a user-node interaction mechanism for ledgers of this kind that is designed to balance user traffic across nodes and ensure the risk of a user experiencing a poor quality of service is low. Our mechanism involves users selecting nodes to issue their transactions to the ledger based on quality of service indicators advertised by the nodes. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the efficacy of the proposed policies.
A Review of the F-Measure: Its History, Properties, Criticism, and Alternatives
Authors: Christen Peter , Hand David J. , Kirielle Nishadi
Published: June 2023

Methods to classify objects into two or more classes are at the core of various disciplines. When a set of objects with their true classes is available, a supervised classifier can be trained and employed to decide if, for example, a new patient has cancer or not. The choice of performance measure is critical in deciding which supervised method to use in any particular classification problem. Different measures can lead to very different choices, so the measure should match the objectives. Many performance measures have been developed, and one of them is the F-measure, the harmonic mean of precision and recall. Originally proposed in information retrieval, the F-measure has gained increasing interest in the context of classification. However, the rationale underlying this measure appears weak, and unlike other measures, it does not have a representational meaning. The use of the harmonic mean also has little theoretical justification. The F-measure also stresses one class, which seems inappropriate for general classification problems. We provide a history of the F-measure and its use in computational disciplines, describe its properties, and discuss criticism about the F-Measure. We conclude with alternatives to the F-measure, and recommendations of how to use it effectively.
Using Local Cache Coherence for Disaggregated Memory Systems
Authors: Calciu Irina , Imran M. Talha , Puddu Ivan , Kashyap Sanidhya , Al Maruf Hasan , Mutlu Onur , Kolli Aasheesh
Published: June 2023

Disaggregated memory provides many cost savings and resource provisioning benefits for current datacenters, but software systems enabling disaggregated memory access result in high performance penalties. These systems require intrusive code changes to port applications for disaggregated memory or employ slow virtual memory mechanisms to avoid code changes. Such mechanisms result in high overhead page faults to access remote data and high dirty data amplification when tracking changes to cached data at page-granularity. In this paper, we propose a fundamentally new approach for disaggregated memory systems, based on the observation that we can use local cache coherence to track applications' memory accesses transparently, without code changes, at cache-line granularity. This simple idea (1) eliminates page faults from the application critical path when accessing remote data, and (2) decouples the application memory access tracking from the virtual memory page size, enabling cache-line granularity dirty data tracking and eviction. Using this observation, we implemented a new software runtime for disaggregated memory that improves average memory access time and reduces dirty data amplification1.
Memory Disaggregation: Advances and Open Challenges
Authors: Al Maruf Hasan , Chowdhury Mosharaf
Published: June 2023

Compute and memory are tightly coupled within each server in traditional datacenters. Large-scale datacenter operators have identified this coupling as a root cause behind fleetwide resource underutilization and increasing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). With the advent of ultra-fast networks and cache-coherent interfaces, memory disaggregation has emerged as a potential solution, whereby applications can leverage available memory even outside server boundaries.

This paper summarizes the growing research landscape of memory disaggregation from a software perspective and introduces the challenges toward making it practical under current and future hardware trends. We also reflect on our seven-year journey in the SymbioticLab to build a comprehensive disaggregated memory system over ultra-fast networks. We conclude with some open challenges toward building next-generation memory disaggregation systems leveraging emerging cache-coherent interconnects.
Energy Storage Performance of KNN-Based Dielectric Ceramic through the Component Design
Authors: Li Yuesong , Yang Ya , Deng Jizhong , Zhao Ping , Wang Yuanyu
Published: June 2023

In this work, (1−x)K0.5Na0.5NbO3–xBiMg0.5Sn0.5O3 [(1−x)KNN–xBMS] ceramics were prepared by the conventional solid-reaction method and the microstructure and electrical properties were investigated. The results suggest that the BMS accounts for the R(Rhombohedral)-C(Cubic) relaxor phase transition due to an out-plane deformation as well as nearly unchanged c. Such phase transition is demonstrated by the temperature-dependent dielectric constants and accordingly calculated dispersion degree. The oxygen vacancy migration is dominating polarization in the ceramics, which is confirmed by complex impedance. Also, such migration gives birth to the hysteretic dielectric response with the increase of x. However, the energy storage performance is enhanced compared to KNN, indicating that the addition of Mg and Sn according to their energy band structures is an efficient way to induce the relaxor phase transition and associated good energy storage performance.
Breaking Boundaries in LED Technology: Exploring the Revolutionary Diode Characteristics of Screen Printed (TiO2)1−x (CuO)x Thick Films
Authors: Zargar R. A. , Chackrabarti Santosh , Mearaj Tuiba , Ashraf I. M. , Hafiz A. K.
Published: June 2023

A thick TiO2-CuO composite film is deposited on a Si substrate by a low-cost screen printing method. Both anatase and CuO-doped TiO2 are characterized for diode applications. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) confirms that the composite film exists as an anatase phase of TiO2 and a monoclinic phase of CuO with a maximum diffraction of (101) plane. SEM images depict the less severe agglomeration of particles for the doped TiO2 as compared to the anatase TiO2. The UV–visible spectra reveal a direct band gap shift of 3.35 eV (pure TiO2) to 3.26 eV (doped TiO2). From the PL study, the blue shaded emission is perfectly derived for anatase TiO2 while the color is seen to change to the white zone supporting TiO2-CuO composite formation as depicted by the CIE diagram. The diode parameters such as ideality factor (n) and barrier height (Φb) are calculated with the help of I–V characteristics. This only reported novel effort on screen-printed TiO2-CuO thick film may help in manufacturing possible LEDs for optoelectronic applications.
The role of postprandial thermogenesis in the development of impaired glucose tolerance and type II diabetes
Authors: Penhaligan Jack , Sequeira-Bisson Ivana R. , Miles-Chan Jennifer L.
Published: June 2023

Accounting for 5%–15% of total daily energy expenditure, postprandial thermogenesis (PPT) refers to an acute increase in resting metabolic rate (RMR) in the hours after eating. This is largely explained by the energy costs of processing the macronutrients of a meal. Most individuals spend the majority of the day in the postprandial state, thus over one’s lifetime even minor differences in PPT may possess true clinical significance. In contrast to RMR, research indicates that PPT may be reduced in the development of both prediabetes and type II diabetes (T2D). The present analysis of existing literature has found that this impairment may be exaggerated in hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp studies compared with food and beverage consumption studies. Nonetheless, it is estimated that daily PPT following carbohydrate consumption alone is approximately 150 kJ lower among individuals with T2D. This estimate fails to consider protein intake, which is notably more thermogenic than carbohydrate intake (20%–30% vs. 5%–8%, respectively). Putatively, dysglycemic individuals may lack the insulin sensitivity required to divert glucose toward storage—a more energy-taxing pathway. Accordingly, the majority of findings has associated an impaired PPT with a reduced “obligatory” energy output (i.e., the energy costs associated with nutrient processing). More recently, it has been reported that “facultative” thermogenesis [e.g., the energy costs associated with sympathetic nervous system (SNS) stimulation] may also contribute to any impairment in PPT among individuals with prediabetes and T2D. Further longitudinal research is required to truly ascertain whether meaningful changes in PPT manifest in the prediabetic state, before the development of T2D.
Carnosol Alleviates Collagen‐Induced Arthritis by Inhibiting Th17‐Mediated Immunity and Favoring Suppressive Activity of Regulatory T Cells
Authors: Chen Jun , Sun Nianzhe , Li Fuhan , Li Haolin , Tian Jiale , Zheng Songguo , Zhang Li , Wang Haidong , Luo Yang
Published: June 2023

Current approaches are incurable for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Regulatory T (Treg) cells and T helper cells (Th1 and Th17) are crucial in controlling the process of RA, which is characterized by inflammatory cell infiltration and bone destruction. Carnosol is an orthodiphenolic diterpene that has been extensively applied in traditional medicine for the treatment of multiple autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Herein, we indicate that administration of carnosol dramatically alleviated the severity of collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA) model with a decreased clinical score and inflammation reduction. Cellular mechanistically, carnosol inhibits the Th17 cell differentiation and maintains Treg cell suppressive function in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, it also restrains Treg cells from transdifferentiation into Th17 cells under inflammatory milieu. Furthermore, carnosol modulates the function of Th17 and Treg cells possibly via limiting IL‐6R (CD126) expression. Collectively, our results suggest that carnosol can alleviate the severity of CIA via hiding Th17 cell differentiation and maintain the stability of Treg cells. Administration of carnosol can be applied as a potential therapy for patients with RA.
Intraoperative Anesthesia Handoff Does Not Affect Patient Outcomes after Cardiac Surgery: A Single-Center Experience
Authors: Bloom Jordan P. , Paneitz Dane C. , Wolfe Stanley B. , Convissar David L. , Sundt Thoralf M. , D’Alessandro David A. , Dalia Adam A.
Published: June 2023

Background. Intraoperative team turnover is necessary given the duration of many cardiac surgical procedures, despite being an established risk factor for harm. We sought to determine if there was an association between intraoperative anesthesia handoff (AH) and patient morbidity and/or mortality after cardiac surgery. Methods. All adult cardiac surgery procedures from November 2016 through November 2021 were retrospectively interrogated for AH. These results were merged with postoperative patient outcomes data and analyzed for morbidity and mortality. Results. A single AH occurred in 1,087/5,937 (18.3%) procedures, and two or more AHs occurred in 224 (3.8%) procedures. Baseline characteristics show that AH is more frequently associated with higher complexity patients and operations. The primary outcome of operative mortality occurred in 113 (2.4%), 54 (5.0%), and 7 (3.1%) patients in the no AH, single AH, and multiple AH cohorts. After multivariable adjustment, the odds ratio for mortality was 1.15 (95% CI 0.79–1.67 and

P
=
0.46

) for a single AH and 0.83 (95% CI 0.36–1.90 and

P
=
0.66

) for multiple AH. There were no significant differences in readmission, length of stay, or a composite complication outcome between the cohorts after adjustment. Conclusions. In a large single-center experience, intraoperative anesthesia handoffs were not associated with adverse outcomes after cardiac surgery.
Anti‐Inflammatory and Antimicrobial Effects of Eucalyptus spp. Essential Oils: A Potential Valuable Use for an Industry Byproduct
Authors: Salvatori Emilly S. , Morgan Letícia V. , Ferrarini Samara , Zilli Gabriela A. L. , Rosina Adriano , Almeida Manuelle O. P. , Hackbart Helen C. S. , Rezende Renan S. , Albeny-Simões Daniel , Oliveira J. Vladimir , Gasparetto Adriana , Müller Liz G. , Dal Magro Jacir
Published: June 2023

In Brazil, the use of Eucalyptus is focused on the production of wood or pulp for the paper industry but without any general recovery of waste, with leaves and branches being left on the ground. One possibility is to use these residues as raw materials in the production of industrially relevant and value‐added compounds such as essential oil. The aim of the present study was to investigate the chemical composition, yield, anti‐inflammatory/antinociceptive activities, and acute toxicity in mice, as well as the antimicrobial effects of essential oils from the leaves of 7 varieties of Eucalyptus and hybrids against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. The extraction of oils was carried out using hydrodistillation, and they were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Urocam and Grancam were the plants that obtained the highest oil yield, with yields of 3.32 and 2.30%, respectively. The main chemical components identified in these plants were 1.8 cineole and α‐pinene. The antinociceptive effect of the 7 oils (50 mg/kg, p.o.) was initially assessed in the acetic acid‐induced writhing test. In this assay, a significant (p < 0.05) antinociceptive/anti‐inflammatory effect was observed from 4 tested essential oils (E. benthamii, E. saligna, and the hybrids Urocam and Grancam) when compared to the vehicle‐treated group. This effect was then confirmed in the formalin‐induced paw licking test. No toxicological effects or alterations were observed in motor coordination after the administration of the studied oils to the animals. In the antimicrobial evaluation, the seven essential oils inhibited the growth of S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans at different concentrations. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the essential oil from the leaves and branches of Eucalyptus species and varieties present potential biomedical applications and represent a source of antimicrobial and/or anti‐inflammatory compounds.
Optimization of Hormonal Compositions of Media in In Vitro Propagation of Orange Cultivars from Shoot Tip Nodal Segments
Authors: Abdi Fuad , Yusuf Zekeria , Petros Yohannes , Desta Mulugeta
Published: June 2023

Orange is one of the most horticulturally important and widely cultivated Citrus species. Citrus cultivar improvement via conventional breeding strategies is normally impeded by factors related to its reproductive biology. The present study was undertaken to investigate the optimization of growth regulators’ composition of media in in vitro propagation of orange cultivar from nodal segment explants. The nodal segment explants were collected from sweet orange cultivars. The MS medium supplemented with sucrose and different concentrations of growth regulators were used for shoot proliferation and root induction. The optimum compositions of growth regulators in MS medium were assessed. The result indicated that the highest shoot response was recorded for Washington naval orange with maximum shoot proliferation rate (99.75%), shoot number per explant (3.10), shoot length (10.70 cm), leaf number per explants (12.50) after three weeks of culture. In all experiments, no growth was observed for the basal MS medium. Phytohormones combinations of indole-3-acetic acid, IAA (1.2 mg/L), and kinetin (2.0 mg/L) were found to be the best for shoot proliferation. Among the cultivars, significantly, the highest rooting rate (81.25%), root number (4.95), and root length (2.95 cm) were recorded for Washington naval orange cultivar. The least rooting rate (48.45%), root number (3.55), and root length (2.26 cm) were observed from the Valencia cultivar. Significantly, the highest rooting rate (84.90%), root number per microshoot (5.20), and root length (3.05 cm) for MS medium supplemented with 1.5 mg/L 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). The comparison of different concentrations of IAA and NAA on root induction of microshoots from nodal segments of sweet orange cultivars demonstrated NAA as the more effective hormone than IAA.
Rapid Determination of Three Organic Acids in Polygonum Vivipari Rhizoma via One Marker by HPLC-UV at Equal Absorption Wavelength and Effervescence-Assisted Matrix Solid-Phase Dispersion
Authors: Qian Zhengming , Huang Dingqiang , He Zhuobin , He Qinghui , Tan Guoying , Huang Qi , Sun Yikuo , Li Wenqing
Published: June 2023

A rapid HPLC-UV method for the determination of three organic acids (neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, and cryptochlorogenic acid) in Polygoni Vivipari Rhizoma (PVR) by one marker was developed. The sample was prepared by effervescence-assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion (EA-MSPD). The separation of compounds was performed on a Poroshell column. The equal absorption wavelength was set as follows: 292 nm (0∼7 min) and 324 nm (7∼10 min). The analytical time including sample extraction and HPLC separation time was 12 min. The analytical method validation such as accuracy (recoveries 99.85%–106.29% and RSD < 2.9%), precision (RSD < 1.3%), reproducibility (RSD < 1.7%), and stability tests (RSD < 0.7% in 24 h) proved that the established HPLC method was suitable for determination of three organic acids in PVR. The contents of three analytes obtained by the external standard method with three markers and the equal absorption wavelength method with one marker were similar (RSD ≤ 2.0%). The developed method, which is rapid and reference compound saving, is an improved quality evaluation method of PVR.
Spotlight on NLRP6 and Tumor Research Situation: A Potential Cancer Participant
Authors: Chang Liangzheng , Tian Yuying , Xu Lei , Hao Qiuyao , Song Lingyu , Lu Yinying , Zhen Yunhuan
Published: June 2023

NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 6 (NLRP6) is a new pattern recognition receptor in the mammalian innate immune system. Both the liver and the gut exhibit substantial levels of cytoplasmic expression. It can speed up cell response to endogenous danger signals or exogenous pathogen infection. NLRP6 can function in various ways as an inflammasome or a noninflammasome. The understanding of NLRP6 is steadily increasing thanks to ongoing investigations, but due to discrepancies in how those studies have described their link with tumors, the significance of NLRP6 in the emergence of cancer is still debatable as of this writing. This article will use the structure and function of NLRP6 as the pivotal point and thoroughly explain the present interactions between NLRP6 and tumors and any possible clinical benefits.
A New Robust Adaptive Control Method for Complex Nontriangular Nonlinear Systems
Authors: Xue Lingrong , Liu Zhen-Guo
Published: June 2023

The existing research studies on adaptive control frequently introduce many parameter estimations and lead to a complicated controller. This paper investigates the robust regulation issue for high-order system and plants to raise a new approach for adaptive control. Specifically, the considered system has odd system power, nontriangular form, and external disturbance. By introducing the transformations of a parameter estimation, the studied system is transformed into a new dynamic system. By employing fuzzy systems and some inequality skills, the appropriate bounds of nonlinear terms are established. Based on the adaptive method and homogeneous control, a recursive control design algorithm is provided to construct a new adaptive controller, which dominates those uncertain bounds and guarantees that the closed-loop system is semiglobally uniformly ultimately bounded (SUUB). The constructed controller employs only one adaptive law and has a much simpler form. Simulation examples verify the validness of the presented method.
Reservoir Sensitivity Analysis of Tight Sandstone and Its Controlling Factors: A Case Study from Chang 4+5 to Chang 6 Reservoirs in N 212 Well Block of Nanniwan Oilfield, Ordos Basin
Authors: Fan Pingtian , Liu Yuetian , Li Ping , Guo Yanqin , Yu Weichu , Li Baiqiang
Published: June 2023

Reservoir sensitivity can lead to the physical or chemical reactions to block the pore throat. It is helpful for reducing the damage on tight sandstone reservoir to study the reservoir sensitivity and its controlling factors. This paper mainly focuses on the tight sandstone of the Chang 4+5 and Chang 6 reservoirs of the Yanchang Formation in the Nanniwan Oilfield, Ordos Basin. The reservoir sensitivity characteristics were evaluated through the core sensitivity experiment after the petrological and petrophysical analysis and pore structure study. The influencing factors on tight sandstone reservoir sensitivity were discussed from several aspects, such as clay mineral composition, porosity, permeability, and pore structure. The results show that the rock type of the Chang 4+5 and Chang 6 reservoirs in the N 212 well block of the Nanniwan Oilfield is mainly arkose, with the mean porosity of 11.2% and 8.45% and the mean permeability of

0.35
×

10

−
3

 μm2 and

0.44
×

10

−
3

 μm2, respectively. The clay mineral components mainly include chlorite and illite/smectite. Both the two reservoirs are characterized by moderate to weak velocity sensitivity, moderate to weak water sensitivity, moderate to strong salt sensitivity, weak acid sensitivity, and moderate to weak alkali sensitivity. In specific, the Chang 4+5 reservoir is stronger in velocity and salt sensitivities, while it is weaker in water, acid, and alkali sensitivities than those of the Chang 6. The major controlling factors on reservoir sensitivity are clay mineral component, petrophysical property, and pore structure. Among these, the velocity sensitivity displays the positive correlation with pore structure, porosity, and permeability. The water sensitivity will become strong with the increase of the volume content of illite/smectite, but weak with the getting better of pore structure. The acid sensitivity is positively correlated with the volume content of chlorite but is negatively correlated with pore structure. With the getting better of pore structure, the salt sensitivity and alkali sensitivity will become strong and weak, respectively. The research results can be as the guidance for the tight sandstone reservoir protection in the study area and the adjustment and optimization of the regional reservoir development scheme.
Effects of Pyrrhotite on the Combustion Behavior and the Kinetic Mechanism of Pyrite-Pyrrhotite Mixture Powders in the Air
Authors: Tian Changshun , Rao Yunzhang , Su Gang , Huang Tao
Published: June 2023

In this study, we performed a comparative analysis of the combustion behavior of pyrite, pyrrhotite, and pyrite-pyrrhotite mixture (mixed mineral) powders in an air atmosphere. To study the influence of the pyrrhotite content in mixed mineral powders on the combustion behavior in the air, thermogravimetric mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction analysis, and scanning electron microscopy were employed. The results indicated that pyrrhotite lead to a weight gain in the mixed minerals during the combustion process. Pyrrhotite particles are more easily adsorbed on the surface of pyrite particles during mixed mineral combustion due to their strong ability to absorb oxygen, which accelerates pyrite combustion. The weight loss of mixed minerals decreased during the combustion process with increasing pyrrhotite content, resulting from pyrite encapsulation by agglomerated and sintered pyrrhotite during combustion. The calculated kinetic parameters and phase analysis results suggested that pyrite combustion is consistent with the shrinking core mechanism, and in the combustion process, the irregular pyrite particle shrank into a spherical particle; the combustion products of pyrrhotite grew in a layer-by-layer manner. Pyrrhotite combustion corresponded to the three-dimensional diffusion mechanism, and mixed mineral combustion was dominated by the shrinking core mechanism and supplemented by the three-dimensional diffusion mechanism. SO2, as the main combustion product, was continuously generated and volatilized in the reaction, signifying that the combustion reaction of pyrite is a two-phase reaction involving gas and solid.
CD25high Effector Regulatory T Cells Hamper Responses to PD-1 Blockade in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Fattori Stéphane , Le Roy Aude , Houacine Jemila , Robert Lucie , Abes Riad , Gorvel Laurent , Granjeaud Samuel , Rouvière Marie-Sarah , Ben Amara Amira , Boucherit Nicolas , Tarpin Carole , Pakradouni Jihane , Charafe-Jauffret Emmanuelle , Houvenaeghel Gilles , Lambaudie Eric , Bertucci François , Rochigneux Philippe , Gonçalves Anthony , Foussat Arnaud , Chrétien Anne-Sophie , Olive Daniel
Published: June 2023

Regulatory T cells (Treg) impede effective antitumor immunity. However, the role of Tregs in the clinical outcomes of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remains controversial. Here, we found that an immunosuppressive TNBC microenvironment is marked by an imbalance between effector αβCD8+ T cells and Tregs harboring hallmarks of highly suppressive effector Tregs (eTreg). Intratumoral eTregs strongly expressed PD-1 and persisted in patients with TNBC resistant to PD-1 blockade. Importantly, CD25 was the most selective surface marker of eTregs in primary TNBC and metastases compared with other candidate targets for eTreg depletion currently being evaluated in trials for patients with advanced TNBC. In a syngeneic TNBC model, the use of Fc-optimized, IL2 sparing, anti-CD25 antibodies synergized with PD-1 blockade to promote systemic antitumor immunity and durable tumor growth control by increasing effector αβCD8+ T-cell/Treg ratios in tumors and in the periphery. Together, this study provides the rationale for the clinical translation of anti-CD25 therapy to improve PD-1 blockade responses in patients with TNBC.

Significance:

An imbalance between effector CD8+ T cells and CD25high effector Tregs marks immunosuppressive microenvironments in αPD-1–resistant TNBC and can be reversed through effector Treg depletion to increase αPD-1 efficacy.
Dual Inhibition of KRASG12D and Pan-ERBB Is Synergistic in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Gulay Kevin Christian Montecillo , Zhang Xinlian , Pantazopoulou Vasiliki , Patel Jay , Esparza Edgar , Pran Babu Deepa Sheik , Ogawa Satoshi , Weitz Jonathan , Ng Isabella , Mose Evangeline S. , Pu Minya , Engle Dannielle D. , Lowy Andrew M. , Tiriac Hervé
Published: June 2023

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal cancer with a low survival rate. Recently, new drugs that target KRASG12D, a common mutation in PDAC, have been developed. We studied one of these compounds, MRTX1133, and found it was specific and effective at low nanomolar concentrations in patient-derived organoid models and cell lines harboring KRASG12D mutations. Treatment with MRTX1133 upregulated the expression and phosphorylation of EGFR and HER2, indicating that inhibition of ERBB signaling may potentiate MRTX1133 antitumor activity. Indeed, the irreversible pan-ERBB inhibitor, afatinib, potently synergized with MRTX1133 in vitro, and cancer cells with acquired resistance to MRTX1133 in vitro remained sensitive to this combination therapy. Finally, the combination of MRTX1133 and afatinib led to tumor regression and longer survival in orthotopic PDAC mouse models. These results suggest that dual inhibition of ERBB and KRAS signaling may be synergistic and circumvent the rapid development of acquired resistance in patients with KRAS mutant pancreatic cancer.

Significance:

KRAS-mutant pancreatic cancer models, including KRAS inhibitor–resistant models, show exquisite sensitivity to combined pan-ERBB and KRAS targeting, which provides the rationale for testing this drug combination in clinical trials.
Supplementary Fig. 1 from MEK Inhibition Sensitizes Pancreatic Cancer to STING Agonism by Tumor Cell–intrinsic Amplification of Type I IFN Signaling
Authors: Ghukasyan Razmik , Liang Keke , Chau Kevin , Li Luyi , Chan Charlotte , Abt Evan R. , Le Thuc , Park Joon Y. , Wu Nanping , Premji Alykhan , Damoiseaux Robert , Luu Tony , Labora Amanda , Rashid Khalid , Link Jason M. , Radu Caius G. , Donahue Timothy R.
Published: June 2023

Supplementary Fig. 1 STING agonist diABZI synergizes with MAPK inhibition in PDAC by enhancing apoptosis.
Data from A multiparameter molecular classifier to predict response to neoadjuvant lapatinib plus trastuzumab without chemotherapy in HER2+ breast cancer
Authors: Veeraraghavan Jamunarani , Gutierrez Carolina , De Angelis Carmine , Davis Robert , Wang Tao , Pascual Tomas , Selenica Pier , Sanchez Katherine , Nitta Hiroaki , Kapadia Monesh , Pavlick Anne C. , Galván Patricia , Rexer Brent , Forero-Torres Andres , Nanda Rita , Storniolo Anna M. , Krop Ian E. , Goetz Matthew P. , Nangia Julie R. , Wolff Antonio C. , Weigelt Britta , Reis-Filho Jorge S. , Hilsenbeck Susan G. , Prat Aleix , Osborne C. Kent , Schiff Rachel , Rimawi Mothaffar F.
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Background: Clinical trials reported 25-30% pathologic complete response (pCR) rates in HER2+ breast cancer (BC) patients treated with anti-HER2 therapies without chemotherapy. We hypothesize that a multiparameter classifier can identify patients with HER2 “addicted” tumors who may benefit from a chemotherapy-sparing strategy. Patients and Methods: Baseline HER2+ BC specimens from TBCRC023 and PAMELA trials of neoadjuvant lapatinib+trastuzumab (plus endocrine therapy in ER+ tumors) were used. HER2 protein and gene amplification (ratio), HER2-enriched (HER2-E), and PIK3CA mutation status were assessed by dual gene protein assay (GPA), research-based PAM50, and targeted DNA-sequencing. GPA cutoffs and classifier of response were constructed in TBCRC023 using a decision tree algorithm, then validated in PAMELA. Results: In TBCRC023, 72 BCs had GPA, PAM50, and sequencing data, of which 15 had pCR. Recursive partitioning identified cutoffs of HER2 ratio≥4.6 and %3+ IHC-staining≥97.5%. With PAM50 and sequencing data, the model added HER2-E and PIK3CA wild-type (wt). For clinical implementation, the classifier was locked as HER2 ratio≥4.5 and %3+ IHC-staining≥90% and PIK3CA-wt and HER2-E, yielding 55% and 94% positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values, respectively. Independent validation using 44 PAMELA cases with all three biomarkers yielded 47% PPV and 82% NPV. Importantly, our classifier’s high NPV signifies its strength in accurately identifying patients who may not be good candidates for treatment de-escalation. Conclusions: Our multiparameter classifier differentially identifies patients who may benefit from HER2-targeted therapy alone from those who need chemotherapy and predicts pCR to anti-HER2 therapy alone comparable to chemotherapy plus dual anti-HER2 therapy in unselected patients.
Data from MEK inhibition sensitizes pancreatic cancer to STING agonism by tumor-cell intrinsic amplification of type I interferon signaling
Authors: Ghukasyan Razmik , Liang Keke , Chau Kevin , Li Luyi , Chan Charlotte , Abt Evan R. , Le Thuc , Park Joon Y. , Wu Nanping , Premji Alykhan , Damoiseaux Robert , Luu Tony , Labora Amanda , Rashid Khalid , Link Jason M. , Radu Caius G. , Donahue Timothy R.
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Purpose: STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) agonists are currently in development for treatment of solid tumors, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Response rates to STING agonists alone have been promising yet modest and combination therapies will likely be required to elicit their full potency. We sought to identify combination therapies and mechanisms that augment the tumor-cell intrinsic effect of therapeutically relevant STING agonists apart from their known effects on tumor immunity. Experimental Design: We screened 430 kinase inhibitors to identify synergistic effectors of tumor cell death with diABZI, an intravenously administered and systemically available STING agonist. We deciphered the mechanisms of synergy with STING agonism that cause tumor cell death in vitro and tumor regression in vivo. Results: We found that MEK inhibitors caused the greatest synergy with diABZI and that this effect was most pronounced in cells with high STING expression. MEK inhibition enhanced the ability of STING agonism to induce Type I interferon-dependent cell death in vitro and tumor regression in vivo. We parsed NF-κB-dependent and independent mechanisms that mediate STING-driven Type I interferon production and show that MEK signaling inhibits this effect by suppressing NF-κB activation. Conclusions: Our results highlight the cytotoxic effects of STING agonism on PDAC cells that are independent of tumor immunity, and that these therapeutic benefits of STING agonism can be synergistically enhanced by MEK inhibition.