bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Study on the coupled coordination of financial ecological environment and economic growth in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
Authors: Yuan Yue
Published: May 2023

Based on the background of the economic construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in the new era, this paper selects the panel data of 11 cities from 2008 to 2020 to build a financial ecological environment index system and calculate the comprehensive evaluation index. The coupled coordination model and Moran’I index model are used to conduct quantitative research on the relationship between financial ecological environment and economic growth in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, comprehensively evaluate the financial ecological environment and economic growth status in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and verify the two-way driving relationship between the two. Explore the regional differences and spatial agglomeration phenomenon in the relationship between financial ecological environment and economic growth from the two dimensions of time and space. Finally, it is concluded that the financial ecological environment in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area varies significantly and geographically, and there is indeed a significant two-way promotion relationship between the financial ecological environment and the economic growth. The financial ecological environment will not only promote the economic growth of the region, but also have a spatial spillover effect on the surrounding areas.
Regional Resource Allocation and Regional Intergovernmental Cooperation
Authors: Chen Xiaolu
Published: May 2023

The scarcity of resources and the accelerated process of regional integration have caused complex regional intergovernmental cooperation to receive much attention. In order to effectively produce and supply regional public goods and solve regional public issues in regional economic development, it is necessary to form normal regional governance to ensure timely and effective governance of regional public affairs. To this end, a series of regional cooperation with bilateral and multilateral coordination and cooperation as the basic content has been carried out among local governments in the region. Regional cooperation has effectively promoted regional coordination and cooperation, but there are also inherent shortcomings. This article studies the impact of intergovernmental cooperation on regional resource utilization from the perspective of regional resource allocation.
Research on the Influence of Trade Friction on the Innovation of High-tech Enterprises in China
Authors: Liang Qiuyi
Published: May 2023

This paper empirically examines the impact of trade frictions on R&D innovation in Chinese high-tech firms based on the data of three batches of the list of U.S. tariffs on Chinese exports in 2018 and the data of listed companies from 2007 to 2020, using the event of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods as a quasi-natural experiment. It is found that:trade frictions have a negative impact on high-tech enterprises, mainly through the “cost effect” and “Schumpeter effect” to inhibit innovation.
The influence of land fragmentation on land transfer rent: Evidence from farmers in Guangdong Province
Authors: Lin Huang
Published: May 2023

In order to further study the comprehensive benefits of land fragmentation transfer on agricultural operations and determine whether the current fragmentation problem is the core reason for low land circulation efficiency, this study used the survey data of 11 counties in Guangdong Province to assess the real impact of land fragmentation characteristics on rents under current conditions, and obtained the results through empirical testing. The basic conclusion of this paper is that farmers prefer large plots: the larger the plot area, the higher the rent per mu. At the same time, the implementation of “land ownership confirmation” may solidify the situation of land fragmentation. This result means that the negative effect of fragmentation on land use efficiency is great, and solving the fragmentation problem should be the main research direction of land related problems in the future.
Spatio-temporal Agglomeration and Coupling Effects of Inputs and Outputs in China’s Biomedical Industry
Authors: Gao Yanchao , Qi Sunyun , Chen Siyuan , Gu Hua , Zhang Qifeng , Gao Meiying
Published: May 2023

Biomedical industry is one of the major development industries in the world and academics are interested in the inputs and outputs of biomedical industry. We used the inputs and outputs data of biomedical industry of 31 provinces and municipalities in China from 2009 to 2020 (except 2017). Using the Theil index and Moran’s I, the spatial distribution and agglomeration of the inputs and outputs of the biomedical industry among 31 provinces and municipalities were analyzed. To examine the coupling effects and possible relevant factors for the inputs and outputs of the biomedical industry, the coupling coordination degree (CCD) and spatial lag model (SLR) were used. The overall development of the biomedical industry in China’s 31 provinces and municipalities was found to be relatively balanced, with a high concentration in Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang, and other provinces. Moreover, there is a widening development disparity between provinces. Government investment and enterprise investment have a significant impact on the development of the biomedical industry, with enterprise R&D capital investment being the most influential factor. In the meantime, the development of the biomedical industry has a close relationship with the investment and development levels of neighboring provinces.
Research on consumer personalized customization mode under the scenario of intelligent manufacturing
Authors: Gao Xirong , Gao Jie , Wen Pingchuan
Published: May 2023

The personalized customization production mode for consumers in the intelligent era under 5G intelligent manufacturing scenario was discusses. And the personalized customization system, in terms of technical framework, would include two functional modules of customization and production, as well as four operating systems of product design, recycling improvement, mirror manufacturing and additive manufacturing. The experiments of screening and sorting product color attributes would be carried out systematically to meet the unique demands for product color attributes out of consumers and ultimately to establish the varieties satisfactory to consumers. And then the satisfaction evaluation and disgust point analysis for the optimized pattern obtained from the screening would need to be proceeded in order to circular improve the pattern to the critical limit. Personalized customization would certainly become the basic way of industrial production in the future as it greatly improved the utility of consumers with the cost of mass production.
The Impact of the Digital Finance on the Agglomeration Development of China’s Logistics Industry Based on Empirical Evidence at Provincial Level in China
Authors: Gao Minghui
Published: May 2023

In recent years, the integration of digital technology development and the traditional financial service industry has generated a new financial service model, that is, digital finance, which has exerted a certain impact on various industries. This paper selects the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2020 to explore how digital finance will affect the agglomeration development of the logistics industry. The two-way fixed model is used for empirical analysis and the results show that digital finance has a significant role in promoting the agglomeration development of the logistics industry. From different perspectives, the coverage breadth, depth of use, and digitalization finance greatly promote the logistics industry, while digitalization development has no such impact on the logistics industry. The positive impact of digital finance on logistics industry agglomeration has clear regional heterogeneity. Specifically speaking, the impact of digital finance in central and western regions is significant on logistics industry agglomeration, while that in the eastern region is not. Therefore, in order to further expand the role of digital finance in promoting the agglomeration development of the logistics industry, we should spare no efforts to develop digital finance, strengthen regional cooperation, and improve the coordinated development of digital finance and logistics industry agglomeration.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. retail pharmacy industry: A case of CVS Health
Authors: Zhang Kaiyue
Published: May 2023

Since the new coronavirus swept through the United States in 2020, a wide range of industries have been hit to varying degrees. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a number of implications for the retail pharmacy sector: Politically, the enactment of the stay-at-home Orders and the COVID-19 related acts have reduced the foot traffic in pharmacies; Economically, the pandemic led to a major business shutdown, causing unemployment to peak and GDP to fall into negative growth, which led to a reduction in commercial membership in the health insurance business and an increase in Medicaid numbers for government programs; Socially, the epidemic has made people more aware of insurance and has changed consumption patterns and care patterns; Technologically, telemedicine became the main form of care during the pandemic, with pharmacies such as CVS Health increasing their investment in this area. This paper analyzed the financial indicators of CVS Health and found that the company’s profits generally showed an increasing trend during the pandemic period and were not significantly negatively impacted. By analyzing the strategy of CVS Health, this paper suggested that other pharmacies should be sustainable in the post-pandemic era through efforts to actively transform and diversify their businesses, increase investment in telemedicine and actively develop ESG strategies.
Fire Risk Assessment of Sustainable Fire Protection and Disaster Prevention in Ancient Villages in Central Yunnan-Huangtupo Village, Malong District, Qujing City as an example
Authors: Wu Weiyongzhi , Gao Zhongliang , Wanghe Chenyang , Cao Yufei , Yu Wentian
Published: May 2023

This paper selects the ancient village of Huangtupo as the research object and assesses the risk rate of the ancient village of Huangtupo in The expert scoring method is used to score the influencing factors of the village, and the hierarchical analysis and risk The expert scoring method is used to score the influencing factors of the village, and the hierarchical analysis and risk assessment methods are applied to calculate its riskiness and propose improvement measures. A fire dynamics perspective is used to construct fire prevention ideas, as well as to propose improvement measures in response to the results of the risk analysis.
Governance of hutong parking problems in Beijing: Analysis from a perspective of policy tools
Authors: Rui Yian
Published: May 2023

When managing the parking issue in Beijing’s Old City, finding a fair balance between space planning and parking demand is the most difficult challenge. Numerous policy studies on parking in Beijing’s hutongs have been conducted, with a massive number of studies aiming to develop parking devices utilizing new technologies and methods, proposing parking plans from a holistic perspective, etc. However, there is currently a scarcity of research focusing on a mix of policy tools. This paper investigates the challenging parking situation in Beijing’s hutongs, drawing on the classification proposed by Hood. Specifically, we collected 54 relevant articles from the official websites of Dongcheng and Xicheng Districts. Furthermore, we carefully read the document, extracted the keywords that indicate the four types of instruments, and classified all the policy texts into four categories based on Hood’s classification. Next, we correspond these keywords to the policy documents. Finally, we categorized the policy documents according to keywords hits in titles and counted the articles in each category in two urban areas. In conjunction with the above, this paper tries to determine which combination of policy tools can successfully improve the hutong parking problem during the implementation phase.
The Effects of Dominance-based and Prestige-based Leadership on Employee Well-being: A Moderated Mediation Model
Authors: Wen Shuyu , Ma Jun
Published: May 2023

In recent years, the research of employee well-being in the field of organizational behavior and human resource management has received extensive attention. Building on the theory of dominance-based and prestige-based leadership, this paper examined how these two types of leadership influenced employee well-being through psychological empowerment. It investigated the moderating effect of organizational rank in the relationship between leadership and employee well-being. Through an experiment and a correlational study, we showed that prestige-based leadership had a more positive impact on employee well-being than dominance-based leadership, a relationship significantly mediated by psychological empowerment. Moreover, we found that organizational rank only negatively moderated the relationship between dominance-based leadership and well-being but had no effect on the relationship between prestige-based leadership and wellbeing. The findings shed light on the internal mechanism and boundary conditions of how leadership influences employee well-being and can provide better guidance for management practice to effectively improve employee well-being.
Institutional Investors: A Literature Review
Authors: Qian Rui
Published: May 2023

We survey the related theories and burgeoning literature on the consequences of institutional investors’ holdings and shareholder activism campaigns. Agency theory, monitoring theory, and limited attention theory are widely used in institutional investors studies. About the economic consequences of institutional investors’ holdings, we summarize that institutional holdings could improve corporate disclosure quality and frequency, for both mandatory and voluntary information disclosure. Additionally, higher ownership concentration of institutional investors is related to higher performance sensitivity of management compensation and lower compensation level. Furthermore, we propose that investor holdings could also affect dividend policy, firm performance and firm innovation. Lastly, we further discussed about shareholder activism campaign. We find that shareholder activism has both positive effect on firm performance and corporate governance, and negative side on executives and threats of exit.
A Literature Review of Upper Echelons Theory
Authors: Liu Xiaochuan
Published: May 2023

In this paper, I review the literatures about Upper Echelons Theory. Specifically, I focus on the related theories, including agency theory, five-factor model, cognitive theory, and heterogeneity theory, and so on; and the economic influences of Upper Echelons Theory, including the corporate top management (team) and administrative officials. Prior studies show that corporate top management (team) characteristics has effect on corporate governance, information disclosure and tax avoidance, etc. Moreover, background such as education degree and major of administrative officials have significant effect on governance efficiency, and local firm decisions. Overall, this paper contributes to the further exploration of top management team.
ESG and Financial Constraints
Authors: Hu Xinyi
Published: May 2023

Prior evidence that firm’s environment, society and governance (ESG) performance has a positive impact on its investment behavior, leaves unaddressed whether it has the same impact on corporate financing constraints. Drawing on stakeholder theory and Information asymmetry theory, this study analyzes the issue in a more exhaustive way. Use Chinese A-share listed companies samples from 2009 to 2020, the author analyzes the relationship between ESG performance and financing constraints, and finds that firms with better ESG performance, measured by high ESG ratings, face less financing constraints. This study helps to clarify the economic significance of ESG performance, provides empirical basis for listed companies to attach importance to and improve ESG performance, and has implications for government departments to formulate relevant policies to improve the efficiency of capital allocation and promote high-quality economic development.
Government Investment Behavior: Evidence from California Pooled Money
Authors: Zhou Yulin
Published: May 2023

Local governments are playing an increasingly prominent role in the global investment area by holding large publicly-held pools of assets. The incentives for bureaucrats’ engagement in financial investment and their expertise are presumably distinctive from professional investors in the private markets. Therefore, it’s intriguing to study these government-held funds’ investment patterns and performance. To investigate these problems, this paper uses a hand-collected and novel data set that covers the transaction details of the California government pooled money investment account (PMIA) from 2014 to 2020. This paper presents a statistical analysis of the investments in the last 7 years and study the differences and similarities in behavior and performance between government investments and mutual funds. This paper also presents a model to measure the similarity of funds. I construct two relevant funds that require different levels of sophistication in selecting securities and activeness but are similar to the PMIA in other dimensions. Then I compare their performances with PMIA’s performance in the next period. This paper concluded that the government does perform worse and it is not because of their passive strategy but because of a lack of sophisticated skill. This paper provides new evidence of government investment behavior by rigorous statistical methods.
Calculation of GTFP and its influencing factors in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
Authors: Lian Ziqi , Zhong Yuanyuan , Tan Wenkang , Xiao Jiapeng , Luo Lichun
Published: May 2023

Under the background of dual carbon target, the manufacturing industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) is facing the pressure of green transformation. This paper takes this as the research basis, collects the production panel data of the manufacturing industry in the GBA in the past decade, calculates the green development level of the GBA and finds out the important influencing factors, so as to provide theoretical suggestions for the green production and green development of the manufacturing industry in the GBA.
Wisdom in Chinese Traditional Culture and Its Application in Modern Management
Authors: Li Shuai
Published: May 2023

With the development of the economic globalization, modern enterprises can absorb the wisdom in Chinese traditional culture and integrate the ideological culture of ancestors into all aspects of management, and consider the basic national conditions of China’s development to further improve the effectiveness of modern management. In the face of the increasingly complex development relations of countries in the world, the effective combination of the wisdom in Chinese traditional culture and modern management ideas from the perspective of modern enterprise management can provide more reference for the innovative development of enterprises. Therefore, this paper, on the basis of understanding the current situation of enterprise development in the new era and according to the rich wisdom in Chinese traditional culture, mainly studies how to apply the wisdom of Chinese traditional culture to modern enterprise management to improve the comprehensive modern enterprise management level.
Research on Rapid Identification of Infringement Risk in Financial Technology Data Transactions
Authors: Liu Sibei
Published: May 2023

Aiming at the problems of low accuracy rate of transaction information mining, high error rate of identification of infringement risk of financial technology data transaction and long identification time in current data transaction infringement risk identification methods, a new rapid identification method of infringement risk in financial technology data transactions is proposed. The entropy of clustering is determined by using coverage density and weighted coverage density to mine the transaction information of financial technology data. The BP algorithm is used to train the T-S fuzzy neural network, and the financial technology data transaction information is input into the trained T-S fuzzy neural network to obtain the quick identification result of the infringement risk of financial technology data transaction. The experimental results show that this method has a high accuracy rate of fintech data transaction information mining, a low error rate of fintech data transaction infringement risk identification, and a short recognition time.
Examining the Effect of Social Media Use on COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in China
Authors: Gong Ziyue
Published: May 2023

Public willingness to vaccinate has become an important public health issue given the vaccine hesitancy observed worldwide in recent decades. And social media is the main way of information dissemination, and will bring a great impact on people in public health events. The present paper analyzes the relationship between vaccinated Chinese people’s vaccine attitudes and social media information networks. This study aims to explore the impact of social media use on vaccine hesitancy by generating a descriptive statistical and structural model analysis of vaccine hesitancy-relevant content. In this study, the influence model between social media use behavior and vaccination willingness was constructed from three perspectives, including contact intensity, social media trust, and social media information satisfaction. Questionnaires were distributed online, and relevant data analysis software was used. In China, public enthusiasm for the covid-19 vaccine is generally high, and news on social media may have an impact on the willingness to receive the vaccine. Additionally, the Chinese government’s COVID-19 control policies make people who are not willing to actively vaccinate will be vaccinated for their daily life and work reasons. All these reflect the low correlation between vaccination and media publicity. Therefore, social media has a certain impact on COVID-19 vaccination behavior, but it is not the main factor affecting public vaccination.
Research on Information Retrieval Service Innovation of University Library
Authors: Xie Jing
Published: May 2023

With the rapid development of modern information technology, library users have higher and higher requirements for the information retrieval service of university library. Therefore, it is imperative to improve the information retrieval service of university library. In order to improve the level of information retrieval service and gradually perfect the system of information retrieval service of university library, this paper aims to develop and innovates the management mode of information retrieval service of university library by centering on the three parts of information retrieval service mode, retrieval mode and user training of university library.
Celiac Disease in Syrian Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Alali Ibrahim , Afandi Bachar
Published: May 2023

Introduction Celiac disease (CD) is highly prevalent in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). However, the rate of CD in Syrian children and adolescents with T1DM is unknown. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of CD in our unprivileged rural community.

Methods Children and adolescents with T1DM who were regularly followed in a private endocrine clinic in Raqqa City, Syria, were evaluated from October 2018 to November 2021. Screening for CD was performed using either anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies, antideaminated gliadin antibodies, or endomysial antibodies. Patients with positive results were referred for duodenal biopsy using Marsh classification whenever possible. The prevalence of CD was calculated for both seropositive and biopsy-proven cases.

Results Ninety-four patients with T1DM, 51 (54.3%) females, were included. The mean age was 11.6 years, and mean hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C) was 9.2%. All patients were screened for CD. Fourteen patients (14.9%) were positive, and seven (7.4%) performed a duodenal biopsy that proved positive for CD in all cases. CD seropositivity was more common in female than male patients (21.6 vs. 7%, respectively, p-value <0.05). Patients with seropositivity for CD had lower hemoglobin levels compared to seronegative patients, with a mean difference of 0.87 (95% confidence interval: 0.2–1.5; p-value <0.05). There was a statistically significant correlation between hypothyroidism and celiac seropositivity (p-value <0.05). There were no differences in age, weight, height, HbA1C, puberty status, or duration of diabetes between patients with and without CD. No correlation was identified between the incidence of hypoglycemia or diabetic ketoacidosis and the presence of CD.

Conclusion In our community, we revealed a high prevalence of CD in Syrian children and adolescents with T1DM. Our results are alarming and point to the need for establishing a national CD registry to prompt physicians for proper screening and early management in high-risk populations.
Cultural-ecosystem resilience is vital yet under-considered in coastal restoration
Authors: Mehta Jayur Madhusudan , Chamberlain Elizabeth L.
Published: May 2023

As large areas of the Mississippi River Delta (MRD) of the USA disappear into the sea, present-day communities and cultural resources are lost. While the land loss may be readily quantified, describing the impact of cultural losses is less straightforward because cultural elements are frequently less tangible and difficult to map, identify, and categorize. The elision of cultural components of landscapes and ecosystems is evident in restoration practices and policies, although numerous scholars have identified the interlinked processes of culture and ecology as critical to rebuilding healthy and resilient environments. We define and measure cultural-ecosystem resilience (CER) in the Mississippi River Delta through analyses of Indigenous oral histories, mound-building practices and settlement patterns, and the persistence and reuse of archaeological sites. CER describes a system containing resilient properties embedded in human-natural settings including river deltas that may manifest in oral cultural traditions, architecture, and the selection of habitable environments. Our interdisciplinary approach demonstrates the role of human-modified landscapes in generating resilience for past and present coastal communities and highlights the importance of consulting records of historic and modern Indigenous traditions in shaping sustainable landscape-management strategies. Results show that archaeological earthen and shell mounds made by Native American Gulf Coast and MRD communities have been persistent features that endured for centuries and are sited in regions of high multicultural value within the dynamic delta. Yet, we document the rapid 20th-century loss of mounds due to coastal erosion, industry, and other human land-use practices. Present-day and future coastal land loss endangers what remains of these keystone features and thus lowers the resilience of modern Mississippi River Delta communities.
Effects of micronised bamboo powder on growth performance, intestinal development, caecal chyme microflora and metabolic pathway of broilers aged 24–45 days
Authors: Dai Fawen , Lin Tao , Huang Xia , Yang Yaojun , Nong Xiang , Zuo Jianjun , Feng Dingyuan
Published: May 2023

Context Our previous study revealed that micronised bamboo powder (MBP) can promote the growth performance of broilers aged 1–22 days by improving oxidation resistance, balancing intestinal microflora and regulating metabolic pathways. Aims This study evaluates the effects of MBP on growth performance, intestinal development, caecal chyme microflora and metabolic pathways of broilers during the grower period, age 24–45 days. Methods Slow-growing spotted-brown broilers (n = 880, age 24 days) were randomly divided into two groups according to weight and sex and fed either a maize-based diet (control) or a diet with MBP at 1% replacing equivalent maize. Key results No significant difference was observed in growth performance between MBP and control groups. Broilers receiving MBP exhibited significantly higher (P < 0.05) caecal organ index, jejunum villus height and villi:crypt ratio. The relative abundance of Firmicutes was higher, and relative abundance of Bacteroidetes was lower in the MBP group. Addition of MBP also significantly (P < 0.05) upregulated abundance of p_Firmicutes, f_Alicyclobacillaceae, g_Acutalibacter, f_Peptococcaceae, f_Clostridiaceae, f_Bacillaceae, g_Enterococcus and f_Enterococcaceae, while downregulating abundance of p_Bacteroidetes, f_Bacteroidaceae, g_Bacteroides, o_Bacteroidales and c_Bacteroidia. For the metabolic pathways, 66 were observed to differ between dietary groups, including alanine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid metabolism, butyric acid metabolism, arginine synthesis, linoleic acid metabolism and β-alanine metabolism. Correlation analysis revealed that Firmicutes in caecal chyme were significantly positively correlated (P < 0.05) with some fatty acids including syringic, 3-methyl-2-oxovaleric, 3-(2-hydroxyphenyl) propanoic and butyric acids. Bacteroidetes were positively correlated (P < 0.05) with some amino acids including L-alanine, L-threonine, 3-methylthiopropionic acid and L-glutamic acid. Conclusions Replacing maize with MBP at 1% had no negative effect on growth performance of broilers. Feeding MBP improved intestinal development and increased the relative abundance of bacteria that promotes fatty acid metabolism and fibre degradation. Implications MBP provides an alternative to maize and is a beneficial source of fibre; further research is warranted to determine the optimum feeding level.
Influence of Fröhlich Interaction on Intersubband Transitions of InGaAs/InAlAs-Based Quantum Cascade Detector Structures Investigated by Infrared Modulated Photoluminescence
Authors: Zhu Liangqing , Liu Shuman , Shao Jun , Chen Xiren , Liu Fengqi , Hu Zhigao , Chu Junhao
Published: May 2023

We demonstrate the use of an infrared modulated photoluminescence (PL) method based on a step-scan Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer to analyze intersubband transition (ISBT) of InGaAs/InAlAs quantum cascade detector (QCD) structures. By configuring oblique and parallel excitation geometries, high signal-to-noise ratio PL spectra in near-to-far-infrared region are measured. With support from numerical calculations based on the
k
⋅
p
perturbation theory, the spectra is attributed to intraband and interband transitions of InGaAs/InAlAs QCD structures. Temperature evolution results show that the k-dependent transitions caused by longitudinal optical phonon-assisted scattering (Fröhlich interaction) plays an important role in the ISBT. These results suggest that this infrared modulated-PL method has great potential in characterizing QCD devices and conducting performance diagnostics.
Parallel DNA G-Quadruplex Induced and Stabilized by Curaxin CBL0137
Authors: Kong Jing-Wei , Dou Shuo-Xing , Li Wei , Li Hui , Wang Peng-Ye
Published: May 2023

G-quadruplex (G4) is one of the higher-order DNA structures in guanine-rich sequences which are widely distributed across the genome. Due to their presence in oncogenic promoters and telomeres, G4 DNA structures become the novel targets in anticancer drug designs. Curaxin CBL0137, as an important candidate anticancer drug, can effectively inhibit the growth of multiple cancers. Although there is evidence that anticancer activity of curaxin is associated with its ability to bind DNA and to change the DNA topology, its therapeutic target and the underlying anti-cancer mechanism are still unclear. Here we show, for the first time, that curaxin CBL0137 induces G4 folding from anti-parallel to parallel structures, by single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer technique. More importantly, we find that curaxin CBL0137 promotes G4 folding as well as stabilizes the folded G4 structures with long loops, giving a novel insight into effects of curaxin CBL0137 on DNA structures. Our work provides new ideas for the therapeutic mechanism of curaxin CBL0137 and for designs of new G4-targeting anticancer drugs.
Primary microvibration standards down to 10−3 m s−2 at low frequency
Authors: Shimoda Tomofumi , Kokuyama Wataru , Nozato Hideaki
Published: May 2023

The reliability of microvibration measurements is important in some applications, such as infrastructure health monitoring. Thus, it is necessary to develop a vibration standard based on ISO16063-11 for microvibrations. In this study, the low-frequency standard vibration calibration system in the National Metrology Institute of Japan was upgraded to be compatible with small input vibrations down to an amplitude of 10−3 m s−2. A low-noise reference vibration measurement system and a precise signal processing method were integrated to reduce the background noise contribution, which is a dominant uncertainty source in the field of microvibration calibration. The developed system could calibrate the sensitivity of a low-noise accelerometer down to 10−3 m s−2, between 0.1 Hz and 100 Hz. This paper reports the calibration demonstration using a servo accelerometer and the evaluated uncertainty budget. The estimated calibration uncertainty was 0.1% for a normal calibration process with an excitation of 10 m s−2, and it was 2.1% for a microvibration calibration process with an excitation of 10−3 m s−2.
Searching For (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear Boussinesq equation from (1+1)-dimensional nonlinear Boussinesq equation
Authors: Jia Man , Lou S Y
Published: May 2023

A novel (2+1)-dimensional nonlinear Boussinesq equation is derived from a (1+1)-dimensional Boussinesq equation in nonlinear Schrödinger type based on a deformation algorithm. The integrability of the obtained (2+1)-dimensional Boussinesq equation is guaranteed by its Lax pair obtained directly from the Lax pair of the (1+1)-dimensional Boussinesq equation. Because of the effects of the deformation, the (2+1)-dimensional Boussinesq equation admits a special travelling wave solution with a shape that can be deformed to be asymmetric and/or multi-valued.
Attainment of NICE blood pressure targets among older people with newly diagnosed hypertension: nationwide linked electronic health records cohort study
Authors: Todd Oliver , Johnson Oliver , Wilkinson Chris , Hollinghurst Joe , Dondo Tatendashe B , Yadegarfar Mohammad E , Sheppard James P , McManus Richard J , Gale Chris P , Clegg Andrew
Published: May 2023

Background

it is not known if clinical practice reflects guideline recommendations for the management of hypertension in older people and whether guideline adherence varies according to overall health status.

Aims

to describe the proportion of older people attaining National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline blood pressure targets within 1 year of hypertension diagnosis and determine predictors of target attainment.

Methods

a nationwide cohort study of Welsh primary care data from the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage databank including patients aged ≥65 years newly diagnosed with hypertension between 1st June 2011 and 1st June 2016. The primary outcome was attainment of NICE guideline blood pressure targets as measured by the latest blood pressure recording up to 1 year after diagnosis. Predictors of target attainment were investigated using logistic regression.

Results

there were 26,392 patients (55% women, median age 71 [IQR 68–77] years) included, of which 13,939 (52.8%) attained a target blood pressure within a median follow-up of 9 months. Success in attaining target blood pressure was associated with a history of atrial fibrillation (OR 1.26, 95% CI 1.11, 1.43), heart failure (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.06, 1.49) and myocardial infarction (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.10, 1.32), all compared to no history of each, respectively. Care home residence, the severity of frailty, and increasing co-morbidity were not associated with target attainment following adjustment for confounder variables.

Conclusions

blood pressure remains insufficiently controlled 1 year after diagnosis in nearly half of older people with newly diagnosed hypertension, but target attainment appears unrelated to baseline frailty, multi-morbidity or care home residence.
Traveling Together: A Road Map for Researching Neighborhood Effects on Population Health and Health Inequities
Authors: Gao Xing , Berkowitz Rachel L , Michaels Eli K , Mujahid Mahasin S
Published: May 2023

As evidence of the relationship between place and health mounts, more epidemiologists and clinical science researchers are becoming interested in incorporating place-based measures and analyses into their examination of population health and health inequities. Given the extensive literature on place and health, it can be challenging for researchers new to this area to develop neighborhood-effects research questions and apply the appropriate measures and methods. This paper provides a road map for guiding health researchers through the conceptual and methodological stages of incorporating various dimensions of place into their quantitative health research. Synthesizing across reviews, commentaries, and empirical investigations, the road map consists of 4 broad stages for considering place and health: 1) why?: articulating the motivation for assessing place and health and grounding the motivation in theory; 2) what?: identifying the relevant place-based characteristics and specifying their link to health to build a conceptual framework; 3) how?: determining how to operationalize the conceptual framework by defining, measuring, and assessing place-based characteristics and quantifying their effect on health; and 4) now what?: discussing the implications of neighborhood research findings for future research, policy, and practice. This road map supports efforts to develop conceptually and analytically rigorous neighborhood research projects.
Passive and active parental food allocation in a songbird
Authors: Parejo-Pulido Daniel , Pérez-Rodríguez Lorenzo , Abril-Colón Inmaculada , Potti Jaime , Redondo Tomás
Published: May 2023

Parent–offspring conflict over food allocation can be modeled using two theoretical frameworks: passive (scramble competition) and active choice (signaling) resolution models. However, differentiating between these models empirically can be challenging. One possibility involves investigating details of decision-making by feeding parents. Different nestling traits, related to competitive prowess or signaling cryptic condition, may interact additively or non-additively as predictors of parental feeding responses. To explore this, we experimentally created even-sized, small broods of pied flycatchers and manipulated nestling cryptic quality, independently of size, by vitamin E supplementation. We explored how interactions between nestling cryptic condition, size, signals, and spatial location predicted food allocation and prey-testing by parents. Parents created the potential for spatial scramble competition between nestlings by feeding from and to a narrow range of nest locations. Heavier supplemented nestlings grew faster and were more likely to access profitable nest locations. However, the most profitable locations were not more contested, and nestling turnover did not vary in relation to spatial predictability or food supply. Postural begging was only predicted by nestling hunger and body mass, but parents did not favor heavier nestlings. This suggests that size-mediated and spatial competition in experimental broods was mild. Pied flycatcher fathers allocated food in response to nestling position and begging order, while mothers seemingly followed an active choice mechanism involving assessment of more complex traits, including postural intensity interacting with order, position, and treatment, and perhaps other stimuli when performing prey-testings. Differences in time constraints may underlie sex differences in food allocation rules.
A dissociable functional relevance of theta- and beta-band activities during complex sensorimotor integration
Authors: Böttcher Adriana , Wilken Saskia , Adelhöfer Nico , Raab Markus , Hoffmann Sven , Beste Christian
Published: May 2023

Sensorimotor integration processes play a central role in daily life and require that different sources of sensory information become integrated: i.e. the information related to the object being under control of the agent (i.e. indicator) and the information about the goal of acting. Yet, how this is accomplished on a neurophysiological level is contentious. We focus on the role of theta- and beta-band activities and examine which neuroanatomical structures are involved. Healthy participants (n = 41) performed 3 consecutive pursuit-tracking EEG experiments in which the source of visual information available for tracking was varied (i.e. that of the indicator and the goal of acting). The initial specification of indicator dynamics is determined through beta-band activity in parietal cortices. When information about the goal was not accessible, but operating the indicator was required nevertheless, this incurred increased theta-band activity in the superior frontal cortex, signaling a higher need for control. Later, theta- and beta-band activities encode distinct information within the ventral processing stream: Theta-band activity is affected by the indicator information, while beta-band activity is affected by the information about the action goal. Complex sensorimotor integration is realized through a cascade of theta- and beta-band activities in a ventral-stream-parieto-frontal network.
High-Dose Influenza Vaccine Is Associated With Reduced Mortality Among Older Adults With Breakthrough Influenza Even When There Is Poor Vaccine-Strain Match
Authors: Chaves Sandra S , Naeger Sarah , Lounaci Kahina , Zuo Yue , Loiacono Matthew M , Pilard Quentin , Nealon Joshua , Genin Marie , Mahe Cedric
Published: May 2023

Background

High-dose (HD) influenza vaccine offers improved protection from influenza virus infection among older adults compared with standard-dose (SD) vaccine. Here, we explored whether HD vaccine attenuates disease severity among older adults with breakthrough influenza.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of US claims data for influenza seasons 2016–2017, 2017–2018, and 2018–2019, defined as 1 October through 30 April, among adults aged ≥65 years. After adjusting the different cohorts for the probability of vaccination conditional on patients’ characteristics, we compared 30-day mortality rate post-influenza among older adults who experienced breakthrough infection after receipt of HD or SD influenza vaccines and among those not vaccinated (NV).

Results

We evaluated 44 456 influenza cases: 23 109 (52%) were unvaccinated, 15 037 (33.8%) received HD vaccine, and 6310 (14.2%) received SD vaccine. Significant reductions in mortality rates among breakthrough cases were observed across all 3 seasons for HD vs NV, ranging from 17% to 29% reductions. A significant mortality reduction of 25% was associated with SD vaccination vs NV in the 2016–2017 season when there was a good match between circulating influenza viruses and selected vaccine strains. When comparing HD vs SD cohorts, mortality reductions were higher among those who received HD in the last 2 seasons when mismatch between vaccine strains and circulating H3N2 viruses was documented, albeit not significant.

Conclusions

HD vaccination was associated with lower post-influenza mortality among older adults with breakthrough influenza, even during seasons when antigenically drifted H3N2 circulated. Improved understanding of the impact of different vaccines on attenuating disease severity is warranted when assessing vaccine policy recommendations.
Feather corticosterone reveals that urban great tits experience lower corticosterone exposure than forest individuals during dominance-rank establishment
Authors: Brodin Anders , Watson Hannah
Published: May 2023

Although the consequences of urbanization for the physiological health of animals are the focus of much active research, an overlooked aspect is how physiology could be indirectly modulated by the urban environment via changes in intraspecific behavioural interactions, particularly among gregarious species. Both urbanization and the establishment, as well as maintenance, of hierarchical rank position are processes that could incur physiological stress. Measurements of glucocorticoids (GCs) in relation to urbanization, however, have yielded inconsistent results. In most cases, GCs have been measured in blood, offering only a ‘snapshot’ of an animal’s current physiological state. Because circulating GCs are incorporated into growing feathers or hair, measurements of feather/hair GCs offer a longer term measure of stress exposure reflecting the whole period of feather/hair growth. During two calendar years, we collected tail feathers from 188 urban and forest great tits (P. major) across multiple sampling sites and analysed corticosterone (CORT—the main GC in birds) levels, reflecting CORT exposure during the extended period in late summer and early autumn when great tits moult and winter flocks are formed. Urban individuals exhibited consistently lower feather CORT (fCORT) levels than forest birds indicating lower overall exposure to CORT during this period. The lower fCORT levels in urban individuals could represent an adaptation to cope with the more challenging urban environment, physiological constraints on stress axis function or a trade-off between the ability to respond to stressors and predation risk during moult. Despite the expectation that CORT responses to urbanization are highly context-dependent, the spatial consistency of our results and agreement with a multi-population study of fCORT in European blackbirds (Turdus merula) suggests a generalization of the effect of urbanization on CORT exposure during post-breeding moult (i.e. not site- or species-specific).