bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Corporate social responsibility as the basis of innovative development of enterprises
Authors: Hovsieiev D. D
Published: January 2024

Methods. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is the scientific works of domestic scientists on the problems of corporate social responsibility. The results are obtained through the use of methods: generalization and comparison to formalize the theoretical provisions on the corporate social responsibility; abstract-logical method – for theoretical generalizations and formulation of the conclusions of the study. Results. The main approaches to the concept of corporate social responsibility are analyzed and it is determined that their common goal is to create business practices that will take into account social and environmental requirements, promote sustainable development. The positive and negative aspects of corporate social responsibility are substantiated and it is determined that ensuring a balance between these arguments can lead to a successful combination of economic and social influence of enterprises, contributing to sustainable development and welfare of society. The main factors of formation of corporate social responsibility are analyzed. It is determined that the green economy and corporate social responsibility complement each other, contributing to sustainable development and improvement of the quality of life in society. The key components of the model of social responsibility during the war are analyzed and it is determined that the corporate social responsibility goes beyond the static values and takes into account the need for democratization and socialization of society in the conditions of the country's recovery after the war events. Novelty. The research substantiates that in the context of innovative development, green economy and corporate social responsibility are important components of sustainable development, complementing each other and jointly contributing to the creation of a more sustainable and effective society. The novelty of this approach is that the green economy and corporate social responsibility are not considered as separate areas of activity, but as interrelated components. Such an integrated approach contributes to the creation of integrated solutions aimed at achieving sustainable development and meeting the needs of society. Practical value. It offers guidelines for the successful introduction of socially responsible business, which are aimed at developing a general scheme for the formation of a strategic basis for the innovative development of enterprises in the context of solving current problems of social responsibility and the development of appropriate strategies and programs, taking into account current innovative solutions and approaches.
Scientific-methodical approach to the formation of economic security of an enterprise
Authors: Kalyniuk V. Ye
Published: January 2024

Methods. The research is based on the use of a systemic approach, which is applied in the construction of the conceptual model of the adaptation of economic security management of an enterprise in the conditions of neo-technological reproduction. Results. The article outlines the need for the formation of an analytical base and diagnostic tools for assessing the quality of business processes, taking into account the economic security system of the enterprise, neo-technologies and neo-ideas, which open up opportunities to ensure the successful functioning of the enterprise in the conditions of neo-technological reproduction. The key differences of the adaptive system of economic security of the enterprise are highlighted, namely: its ability to take into account in the general system of enterprise management its branch specifics and the scale of its activity, stages of the life cycle of operation, the presence or absence of international activity, on the one hand, and its resistance to potentially possible threats, maintaining market stability and liquidity at a sufficient level, on the other hand. Novelty. The conceptual model of the adaptation of the management of economic security of the enterprise in the conditions of neo-technological reproduction has been created, which is based on institutional conditions and specifics of its functioning, as well as factors influencing economic security and system-providing components. Practical value of the research lies in the possibility of using its results to create a system of economic security of the enterprise in the conditions of neo-technological reproduction.
Formation of a system for ensuring the quality of services of public transport enterprises
Authors: Simkova T. O , Mishchenko V. O
Published: January 2024

Methods. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is the works of leading domestic and foreign scholars, methodology and system-wide principles of conducting comprehensive scientific research. Among the specific research methods used in the work are: abstract and logical – to study the development of the problems and generalize the conclusions; theoretical generalization – in the process of disclosing the essence of the category «quality of service»; observation, comparative advantages, economic analysis, grouping and comparison – to study indicators, tools and factors of development of transport enterprises; the method of groupings – in deepening the general classification of the system of ensuring the quality of services of public transport enterprises. Results. The key aspects of strategic planning, resource allocation and systematic analysis of the performance of a transport enterprise are identified. The indicators that ensure the improvement of the quality of services and the tools for ensuring the system of management of the transport enterprise performance are identified. The factors and conditions influencing the organisational and economic components of ensuring the quality of services of public transport enterprise have been allocated, as well as the factors of internal and external environments of influence on the studied components have been identified. An organisational and economic model for improving the quality of services of transport enterprise has been formed, which is a set of measures, strategies and approaches aimed at improving the level of passenger service and optimising economic processes in the activities of public transport enterprise. Based on the research, an integrated approach has been determined, which covers a number of measures and strategies aimed at improving passenger service and optimising economic processes to improve the quality of services of a public transport enterprise. Novelty. In the course of forming a system for managing the efficiency of a transport enterprise, an organisational and economic model for improving the quality of services of a transport enterprise has been developed, which is a set of measures, strategies and approaches aimed at improving the level of passenger service and optimising economic processes in the activities of a public transport enterprise. Practical value. The article offers guidelines for effective management of transport activities, which cover key aspects of strategic planning, resource allocation and systematic analysis of efficiency, aimed at improving the quality of services and improving the level of passenger service and optimising economic processes in the activities of public transport enterprises.
Theoretical background of transparency management development of enterprises in the conditions of convergence of investment processes
Authors: Zaitseva A. S
Published: January 2024

Methods. During the research, such general scientific methods are used as: abstraction – when determining the essence of the concept of «transparency management of enterprise development»; analysis and synthesis – when distinguishing the components of the transparency management process of the development of enterprises in the conditions of convergence of investment processes; systematic approach – in the formation of an effective management system for the development of enterprises. Results. The article provides a theoretical basis for managing the transparency of enterprise development in the conditions of convergence of investment processes. According to the results of the conducted research, it was found that the modern enterprise management system of Ukraine demonstrates positive results under the conditions of its constant and continuous improvement, and also has the potential to respond to the challenges of changing conditions of both endogenous and exogenous environments. The factors of negative influence on the development of the enterprise are singled out, attention is focused on the need to create a scientific and practical justification of the system of measures to maintain the level of its value and ensure the adoption of innovative and progressive decisions. Novelty. There is given the author’s definition of the process of managing the transparency of the development of enterprises in the conditions of the convergence of investment processes as a management paradigm with the use of innovative tools and information support for the purpose of producing effective strategic management decisions regarding conceptual modeling and improvement of business processes that strategically determine the competitive advantages of enterprise, while ensuring the transparency of personal business functioning in an institutional environment that takes into account socio-value changes caused by scientific and technical development for the formation and rational use of investment potential. Practical value. The formed theoretical basis for managing the transparency of the development of enterprises in the conditions of convergence of investment processes can become the basis for scientific and practical substantiation of the system of measures to support the level of the value of the enterprise and ensure the adoption of innovative and progressive decisions.
Aseptic process validation of [18F]Sodium Fluoride radiopharmaceutical in-house production
Authors: Atanasova Lazareva Marija , Kolevska Katerina , Chochevska Maja , Velickovska Maja , Jolevski Filip , Ugrinska Ana , Janevik-Ivanovska Emilija
Published: January 2024

Sodium fluoride ([18F]NaF) is a PET radiopharmaceutical for vizualization of the skeletal system and microcalcification. In the originally designed in-house method, [18F]NaF is recovered in aqueous solution after cyclotron irradiation, sterilized by passage through a 0.22 µm sterile filter and dispensed under aseptic conditions. To ensure the microbiological safety of drugs produced under aseptic conditions, validation of aseptic procedures is always recommended. This is essential for radiopharmaceuticals because most of them are released for administration before any sterility test can be completed due to their radioactive nature.
This study reports the validation of the aseptic process applied to the internal production of [18F]NaF carried out in two phases: testing the number of viable microorganisms in radiopharmaceutical product prior to sterilization and process simulation studies (media fill tests). We found that all samples were sterile and the endotoxin concentration was well below the maximum acceptable level reported in the Ph Eur. monograph on [18F]NaF. The results confirmed that the entire production process of [18F]NaF can be carried out under strictly aseptic conditions following the validated procedures preserving the sterility of the final product.

Keywords: [18F]NaF, radiopharmaceutical, validation, aseptic process
Evaluation of measurement uncertainty after optimization of the method for potentiometric titration of glycine
Authors: Trajkovska Bojadjiska Elena , Godzo Hrisanta , Acevska Jelena , Nakov Natalija , Dimitrovska Aneta , Brezovska Katerina
Published: January 2024

Accuracy and repeatability of the results obtained by potentiometric determination mostly depend on the stoichiometric ratio between the quantity of titrant used and the quantity of sample to be examined. During the optimization of the method, care should be taken to adjust the sample amount to provide suitable volume of titrant, in order to avoid the titration error with consumption above 90% of the total burette volume. In this study suitable approach for optimization of method for potentiometric titration of glycine with 0.1 M perchloric acid was demonstrated, followed by evaluation of measurement uncertainty of the results. The results obtained from the method validation study (statistical error as estimate for precision, and proportional systematic error and additional systematic error as estimates of bias) were used for estimation of uncertainty of measurement of the result, using top-down approach. Comparable estimates for combined (0.5%) and expanded uncertainty (1.0%) were also obtained using two different approaches: bottom-up approach and top-down approach using data from participation in proficiency testing studies.

Key words: potentiometric titration, measurement uncertainty, bottom-up / top-down approach
The Three B’s of Branding: Applying the Brand Evolution Process in Marketing Classes
Authors: Duber-Smith Darrin , Schofield April , Baker Biff
Published: January 2024

This paper explores the concept of branding and introduces the Brand Evolution Process (BEP) as a comprehensive framework for marketing education. Branding, a pivotal aspect of marketing, has evolved over time and remains critical in today’s dynamic business environment. The BEP consists of three stages: Brand Development, Brand Management, and Brand Optimization. It offers a structured approach to understanding how brands are created, managed, and adapted over time. The study emphasizes the importance of brand evolution in marketing and education. Brand Development involves defining the brand’s identity, attributes, and positioning, while Brand Management focuses on maintaining and leveraging brand equity. Brand Optimization examines strategies like extensions and repositioning. By organizing these concepts into a cohesive framework, the BEP serves as a valuable tool for marketing educators. Future research may measure the effects of incorporating the BEP into the curriculum and its alignment with employer expectations. This paper underscores the holistic nature of branding and its significance in contemporary marketing education, providing a foundation for the development of future brand managers.
Thriving on the Vine: The Growth of Black Entrepreneurs in the American Wine Industry
Authors: Bell Monique
Published: January 2024

Black winemakers and wine entrepreneurs have been largely omitted from the United States wine industry and its history. Despite Black vintners’ presence as early as the country’s antebellum period, the concept of Black wine entrepreneurs has been understudied. Ironically, the death of George Floyd in 2020 and the resulting “Buy Black” movement catalyzed widespread attention on African American-owned businesses, including those in wine production and related categories. As consumer interest and media coverage increased for Black-owned wine businesses, entrants increasingly pursued the industry through diverse business models and offerings. In the current paper, a brief history of Black commercial vintners is introduced, followed by an overview of current producers, as well as pivotal milestones, and concluding with strategies for future entrepreneurial success.
Anomalous ocean currents and European anchovy dispersal in the Iberian ecosystem
Authors: Teles-Machado A , Plecha SM , Peliz A , Garrido S
Published: January 2024

Unlike other upwelling areas where sardine and anchovy species dominate the pelagic ecosystems, the Western Iberian ecosystem has been consistently dominated by European sardine Engraulis encrasicolus, while anchovy had a residual presence from the start of acoustic surveys, in 1989, to 2014. Since 2015, the abundance of anchovy in the Western Iberian margins has sharply increased and continues to show an increasing trend as of 2023. It is unclear if this increase is a result of dispersal from nearby recruitment areas, higher survival rates of early life stages due to favorable environmental conditions, or both. We used a set of different models to simulate the dispersion and survival of anchovy early life stages in the Iberian region for the years preceding the increase in anchovy abundance. An ocean model simulation with the model CROCO provided the fields used as background for Lagrangian simulations coupled to an individual-based model of anchovy eggs and larvae. We simulated the years 2013-2015, and the results show that in 2014 and 2015, anomalous upper-ocean circulation patterns with strong and persistent westward currents transported a large number of eggs and larvae from the Bay of Biscay (BoB) westward along the Northern Iberian margin. The maximum transport occurred in June and July 2015, when 8 and 4%, respectively, of the eggs spawned in the BoB potentially reached the Iberian west coast as larvae. This process might explain the increase in anchovy abundance in the Western Iberian ecosystem. The results of the study show that episodes of anomalous intense ocean currents, when coincident with high presence of eggs, can lead to the colonization of new areas, and connectivity between areas varies dramatically with time.
Assessment of the Guide Course Training Programme and Acquired Competences
Authors: Považajevaitė Gabrielė , Navickienė Regina
Published: January 2024

Relevance. The guide is the organiser and presenter of the excursion process. It is a person who provides tourists with information about the museums, galleries, natural, cultural, scientific exhibitions or other attractions that are visited. The profession of a guide is very important because the professionalism of the guides largely depends on what impression tourists will make about the country or city they visited. Guides must have the necessary talents and knowledge, these competencies are acquired by guides in guide training courses consisting of 9 subjects taught. They apply the competencies acquired in the courses when working with tourists, and practice develops their personal qualities, which, as the guides say, are important.
Keywords: guide courses, guide course training program, competencies.
The Implementation of PDP Framework in Developing Reading Practice Material for the Topic of Tourism and Hospitality
Authors: Norhayati Norhayati , Din Maaz Ud
Published: January 2024

Reading is a complex process of understanding the main messages from a text. Reading is a receptive skill, where learners do not need to produce language to do it. They receive and understand it. These skills are sometimes known as passive skills. Reading skill competency can be improved by doing a lot of practice.  As learners learn in different ways, one theory of learning focuses on the way information is given to learners and refers to visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners. Regarding those theories, so it is believed that in order to support the learners in improving their reading ability, the learners need to use appropriate reading practice materials that are related to their interests. In developing reading practice materials, one of the frameworks that can be applied is PDP (Pre-During-Post). This framework helps ensure students are motivated, engaged, and active before, while, and after in reading a text. This research was focused in developing reading practice materials for students of tourism and hospitality. The research design used in this study is the research and development method. The result of this study is reading practice materials in PDP frameworks that have contents related to tourism and hospitality topics. The learners showed positive improvement in reading ability after they were given some practice with the developed materials.
Hans Sedlmayr’s Borromini
Authors: Verstegen Ian
Published: January 2024

Hans Sedlmayr's book "Die Architektur Borrominis" was published in 1930 and is considered a model of the methodology of the New Vienna School. The book focuses on the architecture of Francesco Borromini, an Italian Baroque architect. The book is divided into three parts. In the first part, Sedlmayr discusses general principles and theories of architecture. In the second part, he specifically analyzes Borromini's architecture and constructs a theory around it. Finally, in the third part, Sedlmayr treats Borromini's architecture as a "document" and explores the architect's psychology and worldview. Sedlmayr's analysis of Borromini's personality has been controversial and dismissed by some scholars. He believed that Borromini's late works had an unsettling quality that could only be explained through psychological terms. However, this aspect of Sedlmayr's work is a minimal part of its point. The overall point is to provide a structural description of Borromini’s work.
Otto Demus, Byzantine Art and the Spatial Icon
Authors: Verstegen Ian
Published: January 2024

A member of the Vienna School without direct contact with Dvorak or Schlosser was Otto Demus, a student instead of the competing Stzrygowsky institute. Like Johannes Wilde, Demus’ understanding of the structure and function of Byzantine mosaics reveals sympathy with the formally articulated aims of Hans Sedlmayr and Otto Pächt. While Demus did not take his PhD alongside them, he did work with and was influenced by them, and became close with Johannes Wilde in exile. Demus moves beyond Wilde’s embedding of the image in space by considering mosaic in the Byzantine tradition as fundamentally different when the church itself becomes the support within which figures interact. This is his theory of the “spatial icon,” an image that breaks out of its flat confines to commune across real space. This paradigm is important not only for exploring structure and “formative principles,” but those belonging to non-western visualities.
Scientific Temporalities in We Have Been Warned and ‘Beyond This Limit’
Authors: Livingstone Catriona
Published: January 2024

Naomi Mitchison’s interwar writing explores the potential for scientific developments – especially the theory of relativity and the inception of broadcast radio – to produce a new understanding of temporality. In We Have Been Warned, relativity and radio are both initially associated with a masculine scientific realm, but are increasingly important to the imaginative life of the women characters. They thus provide a potential means of connecting dichotomies important to Mitchison’s writing (the masculine and the feminine; the material and the imaginative), while also mapping together the various temporalities of the novel: the present; Scottish history and myth; the possible future represented by the USSR. This chapter ultimately argues that science is crucial to Mitchison’s attempt to imagine a future based on rationalism which also takes into account imaginative and emotional life (especially that of women). It also examines Mitchison’s anomalous position in relation to institutional science, and her involvement in early BBC radio.
Is Shepherd a Bundle Theorist?
Authors: Landy David
Published: January 2024

Shepherd appears to endorse something like the following biconditional regarding qualities and objects: Necessarily, an object exists if and only if some bundle of qualities exists. There is a growing consensus in the secondary literature that she takes the right side of this biconditional to ground the left side – that is, that Shepherd is a bundle theorist who takes an object to be nothing but a mass of qualities or causal powers. I argue here that, despite appearances, this interpretation reverses Shepherd's actual view. I argue that for Shepherd qualities, or causal powers, are grounded in the intrinsic constitutions of objects. In the case of ‘external objects’, these intrinsic constitutions are unknowable to us; in the case of ‘internal objects’, we have direct knowledge of them.
Analogies or Ontologies? On the Unreasonable Effectiveness of ‘Code’ in the Life Sciences
Authors: Goldgaber Deborah
Published: January 2024

How and why, historian of science Lily Kay asks, did the ‘biological problem of DNA-based protein synthesis’ come to be represented ‘as an information code and a writing technology?’ What sort of metaphor was ‘code’ for these bio-geneticists? One whose run-away expansion, Derrida noted in Of Grammatology (1967), urgently required philosophical justification. Yet, 60 years later, there is still fundamental disagreement about its meaning and epistemic status. If the metaphor lacks ontological purchase, what accounts for its effectiveness? If, on the other hand, scriptural metaphors get at the common root of culture and biology, what do we now mean by ‘code’? In this article, I trace several influential accounts of the metaphor’s effectiveness—making explicit the opposing notions of ‘code’ that animate them—and argue that each is too limited. Greater attention to the metaphoricity of ‘code’ yields a more philosophically productive and critical account of the metaphor of code.
The Question of Metaphoricity: French Epistemology in Deconstruction
Authors: Senatore Mauro
Published: January 2024

In his recently published 1975–76 seminar on Life Death (§3), Jacques Derrida offers a severe critique of French epistemologists and philosophers of life. On Derrida’s view, they do not seem to be concerned with the question of the metaphoricity of metaphor but, rather, by taking the epistemological cut between (inadequate) metaphors and (adequate) concepts for granted, they explain the scientific process as a movement of critical rectification of metaphors by concepts. Moreover, they do not engage with Nietzsche seriously. Here I build on this last point to examine the project of accounting for the very condition of the scientific process that Derrida puts forward in ‘White Mythology’ (1971) and Life Death. My reading hypothesis is that this project rests on Derrida’s original interpretation of Nietzsche’s Darwinian-type genesis of thinking, according to which selective reproduction consists in the metaphoricity of metaphor.
Origins of power actors in historical China: How war made some regions produce more political elites than others
Authors: Chen Zhiwu , Wang Wanda , Zhang Xiaoyang
Published: January 2024

Political elites can affect state-building, but the reasons for the geographical clustering of political elites have not been thoroughly explored. By focusing on historical China and utilizing a unique dataset covering the period from 618 to 1911, we have discovered that the regional disparity in producing political elites can be attributed to past exposure to war. Specifically, wars with external regimes were more likely to provide officials with military experience. Our research reveals that war has played a crucial role in the rise of political elites through three channels: bolstering the state's investment in administrative and defensive capacity, providing access to the bureaucratic system, and stimulating the formation of social capital that is beneficial for education. By examining the impact of wars on the bureaucracy, our study expands the discussions surrounding the concept of "war made the states" and provides a paradigm of "war-and-power redistribution" within a strong autocratic state.
Describing the dynamics of recruits and juvenile scleractinian corals using 3d models: a case study from Cayo Mero reef, Morrocoy National Park, Venezuela
Authors: Mariño-Briceño Gloria , Cappelletto José , Ascanio Alfredo , Agudo-Adriani Esteban , Cróquer Aldo
Published: January 2024

Understanding the dynamics of coral recruitment and post-settlement is fundamental to a better comprehension of coral reef dynamics and recovery. We studied the abundance and survivorship of coral recruits and juveniles together with benthic dynamics at a scale of months and centimeters in Playa Mero reef, a disturbed reef in Morrocoy National Park. For this, we used photogrammetry to monitor eight permanent 50x50 cm quadrats haphazardly deployed every 3–4 months over 18 months. Juveniles and recruits of Agaricia spp. were at least four times more abundant than reef builders such as Orbicella spp. A distance-based linear model showed that rugosity, macroalgae, coral cover, and sand were the most important benthic variables and predicted up to 46% of the spatial and temporal variation of recruit and juvenile corals. The mortality of juvenile corals was higher than net recruitment rates, and only a limited number of genera such as Agariciids, Colpophyllia, Porites, and Scolymia were observed as recruits. Using a logit model, we also found a positive relationship between the mean growth rate and survivorship of juvenile corals (Nagelkerke R2= 0.67). We concluded the lack of recruitment of large reef builders, and the rapid mortality of a limited number of juvenile species, might be a sign of a coral community's failure to increase coral cover.
Preliminary checklist of mollusks associated with the rocky littoral of Malecón de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Authors: Álvarez-Abreu Oniel , Mateo Sara
Published: January 2024

A preliminary checklist of the mollusks associated with the rocky littoral of Malecón de Santo Domingo is presented. The sampling consisted of an intensive search by niches in two localities selected on the basis of their heterogeneity and access. We preliminarily report 25 species, 19 genera and 14 families of mollusks, with gastropods being the most representative group in species. It is expected that future intensive and diverse sampling methodologies in the studied areas, and other locations, will increase the diversity reported in this note.
Complementing Hi-C information for 3D chromatin reconstruction by ChromStruct
Authors: Caudai Claudia , Salerno Emanuele
Published: January 2024

A multiscale method proposed elsewhere for reconstructing plausible 3D configurations of the chromatin in cell nuclei is recalled, based on the integration of contact data from Hi-C experiments and additional information coming from ChIP-seq, RNA-seq and ChIA-PET experiments. Provided that the additional data come from independent experiments, this kind of approach is supposed to leverage them to complement possibly noisy, biased or missing Hi-C records. When the different data sources are mutually concurrent, the resulting solutions are corroborated; otherwise, their validity would be weakened. Here, a problem of reliability arises, entailing an appropriate choice of the relative weights to be assigned to the different informational contributions. A series of experiments is presented that help to quantify the advantages and the limitations offered by this strategy. Whereas the advantages in accuracy are not always significant, the case of missing Hi-C data demonstrates the effectiveness of additional information in reconstructing the highly packed segments of the structure.
Aminothiolation of alkenes with azoles and Bunte salts
Authors: Ouyang Bingqing , Chai Xing , Li Zhe , Zhang Chunling , Liu Xingmei
Published: January 2024

We have developed an intermolecular aminothiolation of simple olefins using Bunte salt as a thiolating agent. This protocol produces thiyl free radicals under PIDA oxidation conditions, eliminating the need for transition-metal catalysts. The method has a wide range of substrate applicability and is suitable for large-scale preparation and late-stage modification of drug molecules.
Transformation of (allo)securinine to (allo)norsecurinine via a molecular editing strategy
Authors: Kim Seoyoung , Lee Hee-Seung , Han Sunkyu
Published: January 2024

Securinega alkaloids have intrigued chemists since the isolation of securinine in 1956. This family of natural products comprises a securinane subfamily with a piperidine substructure and norsecurinane alkaloids featuring a pyrrolidine core. From a biosynthetic perspective, the piperidine moiety in securinane alkaloids derives from lysine, whereas the pyrrolidine moiety in norsecurinane natural products originates from ornithine, marking an early biogenetic divergence. Herein, we introduce a single-atom deletion strategy that enables the late-stage conversion of securinane to norsecurinane alkaloids. Notably, for the first time, this method enabled the transformation of piperidine-based (allo)securinine into pyrrolidine-based (allo)norsecurinine. Straightforward access to norsecurinine from securinine, which can be readily extracted from the plant Flueggea suffruticosa, abundant across the Korean peninsula, holds promise for synthetic studies of norsecurinine-based oligomeric securinega alkaloids.
The primary controlling factors of the occurrence state of deep high-rank coalbed methane in eastern Ordos Basin
Authors: Shi Yujiang , He Yufei , Wan Jinbin , Sun Jianmeng , Zeng Jingbo , Cui Ruikang
Published: January 2024

Introduction: This study investigates the key controlling factors of the occurrence state of deep coalbed methane (CBM). CBM is an abundant energy resource in China, particularly in deep coal seams. However, the exploration and development of deep CBM face numerous challenges, and the understanding of the controlling factors of its occurrence state is still limited.

Methods: The study reveals that deep CBM primarily exists in the form of adsorbed gas and free gas within the pore-fracture system of coal. Factors such as formation temperature, formation pressure, pore structure, and water saturation collectively influence the occurrence state of deep CBM. By employing the Simplified Local Density (SLD) model and molecular simulation methods.

Results and discussion: This study examines the impact of two external geological control factors (formation temperature, formation pressure) and three internal geological control factors (pore size, water saturation, Specific surface area) on deep CBM and establishes a theoretical model for gas content. Finally, the relationship between the adsorbed gas, free gas, total gas content, and burial depth is calculated using the model, uncovering the primary factors controlling the occurrence state of deep CBM. This research is of significant importance in providing key parameters for gas content in deep coal and optimizing deep CBM exploration.
Case report: Successful extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation despite severe metabolic acidosis after refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest
Authors: Kavaliukaite Loreta , Diaconescu Anca-Isabela , Eis Doris , Slankamenac Ksenija
Published: January 2024

Current guidelines suggest considering extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) in refractory cardiac arrest and provide some guidance for favorable prognostic factors. However, inclusion and exclusion criteria are not strictly defined. We describe a 60-year-old male who underwent extracorporeal life support (ECLS) following refractory out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and made a full neurological recovery despite severe metabolic derangements, including a pH of 6.6 and lactate of 29 mmol/l. The aim is to present a favorable neurological outcome after ECPR despite severe significant physiologic derangements and put relative contraindications for ECPR into perspective.
Associations between maternal urinary kisspeptin in late pregnancy and decreased fetal growth: a pregnancy-birth cohort study
Authors: Chen Jiaxian , Yang Lan , Chen Yafei , Yuan Wei , Chen Yao , Liang Hong , Miao Maohua , He Gengsheng , Wang Ziliang
Published: January 2024

Background

Kisspeptin has been indicated to be a biomarker of fetal growth. Although some evidence suggested that maternal kisspeptin concentrations in early pregnancy were associated with increased fetal growth, studies are still limited and the effect of kisspeptin in late pregnancy remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the associations between maternal kisspeptin in late pregnancy and fetal growth.

Methods

Based on the Shanghai-Minhang Birth Cohort study, 724 mother-neonate pairs were included in this study. We measured maternal kisspeptin concentrations in the urine samples collected in late pregnancy and neonatal anthropometric indices at birth. The associations between maternal kisspeptin and neonatal anthropometry were investigated using multiple linear regression models.

Results

Higher maternal urinary kisspeptin concentrations were associated with lower neonatal birth weight, head circumference, upper arm circumference, abdominal skinfold thickness, triceps skinfold thickness, and back skinfold thickness. The inverse associations were more pronounced for the highest kisspeptin levels versus the lowest. These patterns were consistent in analyses stratified by neonatal sex, with notably stable associations between maternal kisspeptin concentrations and skinfold thickness.

Conclusion

The present study suggested that maternal kisspeptin concentrations in late pregnancy might be inversely associated with fetal growth. The physiological mechanisms of maternal kisspeptin might differ from those in early pregnancy. Further studies are required to assess associations between maternal kisspeptin and energy homeostasis and explore the physiological roles of kisspeptin in late pregnancy.
Unraveling the epigenetic fabric of type 2 diabetes mellitus: pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic implications
Authors: Jazieh Cham , Arabi Tarek Ziad , Asim Zohaib , Sabbah Belal Nedal , Alsaud Aljohara Waleed , Alkattan Khaled , Yaqinuddin Ahmed
Published: January 2024

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a rapidly escalating global health concern, with its prevalence projected to increase significantly in the near future. This review delves into the intricate role of epigenetic modifications - including DNA methylation, histone acetylation, and micro-ribonucleic acid (miRNA) expression - in the pathogenesis and progression of T2DM. We critically examine how these epigenetic changes contribute to the onset and exacerbation of T2DM by influencing key pathogenic processes such as obesity, insulin resistance, β-cell dysfunction, cellular senescence, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, we explore the involvement of epigenetic dysregulation in T2DM-associated complications, including diabetic retinopathy, atherosclerosis, neuropathy, and cardiomyopathy. This review highlights recent studies that underscore the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of targeting epigenetic modifications in T2DM. We also provide an overview of the impact of lifestyle factors such as exercise and diet on the epigenetic landscape of T2DM, underscoring their relevance in disease management. Our synthesis of the current literature aims to illuminate the complex epigenetic underpinnings of T2DM, offering insights into novel preventative and therapeutic strategies that could revolutionize its management.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced isolated adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency: a systematic review
Authors: Wang Fen , Shi Xiaoli , Yu Xuefeng , Yang Yan
Published: January 2024

Background

Immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced isolated adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency (IAD) is a rare but potentially fatal disease.

Methods

We comprehensively searched the PubMed database and made a systematic review of immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced isolated adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency. If the status of other anterior pituitary hormones was not mentioned, the case was excluded.

Results

We identified 123 cases diagnosed as immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced IAD, consisting of 44 female and 79 male patients. The average age of these patients was 64.3 ± 12.6 years old, and 67.5% were 60 years old or above. The majority (78.9%) of these patients received anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (anti-PD-1) antibodies or anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (anti-PD-L1) antibodies or both, and 19.5% received combined therapy, sequential therapy, or both. A total of 26 patients received anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 antibodies (anti-CTLA-4). The median ICI treatment cycle before the diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency was 8 (6, 12), and the median ICI treatment duration before the diagnosis of adrenal insufficiency was 6 (4, 8) months. Eleven cases developed IAD 1 to 11 months after discontinuation of ICIs. Fatigue and appetite loss were the most common symptoms, and surprisingly, there were two asymptomatic cases of IAD. Most patients (88 cases) had normal pituitary magnetic resonance imaging, only 14 cases reported mild atrophy or swelling pituitary gland, and 21 cases reported no imaging results. Most diagnoses were made by basal hormone levels, and pituitary stimulation tests were performed in only a part of the cases. No cases had been reported of discontinuation of ICI use due to IAD nor had there been any deaths due to IAD.

Conclusion

IAD was predominant in elderly male patients mainly receiving anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1 antibodies. It was sometimes difficult to recognize IAD at first glance since non-specific symptoms were common and asymptomatic cases of IAD were also reported. Although IAD can be deadly, it usually does not affect the continued use of ICIs.
Research on geophysical response analysis and prediction technology of geostress in the shale gas area of the southern Sichuan Basin
Authors: Wang Chang , Yin Cheng , Shi Xuewen , Zhang Dongjun , Liao Maojie , Zhang Ruhua
Published: January 2024

The exploration and development potential of shale gas reservoirs in the Sichuan Basin is enormous; however, it also faces difficulties such as complex structures, strong heterogeneity, and unclear geophysical response characteristics. Fine prediction of geostress is an important part of shale gas exploration and development, which directly affects the implementation effect of reservoir evaluation, well trajectory design, and fracture reconstruction. The existing geostress prediction techniques lack high-precision seismic data constraints, making it difficult to accurately reflect the planar distribution characteristics of geostress in the block with rapid changes in complex tectonic zones. At the same time, the geophysical response characteristics of geostress in the Sichuan Basin are unknown, and the geostress seismic prediction technology lacks theoretical basis. This paper combines numerical simulation and physical experiments and defines the characteristics of the geophysical response of shale gas reservoirs in the Sichuan Basin changing with the stress field, and technical countermeasures for geostress seismic prediction have been established to provide technical means for accurate prediction of the geostress field in the shale gas block. Based on the geostress sensitive parameters obtained from prestack seismic inversion, the geostress field prediction of a shale gas work area in the Sichuan Basin is realized.
Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the C2H2-zinc finger transcription factor gene family and screening of candidate genes involved in floral development in Coptis teeta Wall. (Ranunculaceae)
Authors: Duan Shao-Feng , Zhao Yan , Yu Ji-Chen , Xiang Gui-Sheng , Xiao Lin , Cui Rui , Hu Qian-Qian , Baldwin Timothy Charles , Lu Ying-Chun , Liang Yan-Li
Published: January 2024

Background: C2H2-zinc finger transcription factors comprise one of the largest and most diverse gene superfamilies and are involved in the transcriptional regulation of flowering. Although a large number of C2H2 zinc-finger proteins (C2H2-ZFPs) have been well characterized in a number of model plant species, little is known about their expression and function in Coptis teeta. C. teeta displays two floral phenotypes (herkogamy phenotypes). It has been proposed that the C2H2-zinc finger transcription factor family may play a crucial role in the formation of floral development and herkogamy observed in C. teeta. As such, we performed a genome-wide analysis of the C2H2-ZFP gene family in C. teeta.

Results: The complexity and diversity of C. teeta C2H2 zinc finger proteins were established by evaluation of their physicochemical properties, phylogenetic relationships, exon-intron structure, and conserved motifs. Chromosome localization showed that 95 members of the C2H2 zinc-finger genes were unevenly distributed across the nine chromosomes of C. teeta, and that these genes were replicated in tandem and segmentally and had undergone purifying selection. Analysis of cis-acting regulatory elements revealed a possible involvement of C2H2 zinc-finger proteins in the regulation of phytohormones. Transcriptome data was then used to compare the expression levels of these genes during the growth and development of the two floral phenotypes (F-type and M-type). These data demonstrate that in groups A and B, the expression levels of 23 genes were higher in F-type flowers, while 15 genes showed higher expressions in M-type flowers. qRT-PCR analysis further revealed that the relative expression was highly consistent with the transcriptome data.

Conclusion: These data provide a solid basis for further in-depth studies of the C2H2 zinc finger transcription factor gene family in this species and provide preliminary information on which to base further research into the role of the C2H2 ZFPs gene family in floral development in C. teeta.
Improved overall survival in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer is associated with CD16a+ immunologic neighborhoods containing NK cells, T cells and macrophages
Authors: Nersesian Sarah , Arseneau Riley J. , Mejia Jorge P. , Lee Stacey N. , Westhaver Lauren P. , Griffiths Nigel W. , Grantham Stephanie R. , Meunier Liliane , Communal Laudine , Mukherjee Avik , Mes-Masson Anne-Marie , Arnason Thomas , Nelson Brad H. , Boudreau Jeanette E.
Published: January 2024

Background

For patients with high grade serous carcinoma of the ovary (HGSC), survival rates have remained static for the last half century. Despite the presence of tumor mutations and infiltration of immune cells, existing immunotherapies have achieved little success against HGSC. These observations highlight a gap in the understanding of how the immune system functions and interacts within HGSC tumors.

Methods

We analyzed duplicate core samples from 939 patients with HGSC to understand patterns of immune cell infiltration, localization, and associations with clinical features. We used high-parameter immunohistochemical/Opal multiplex, digital pathology, computational biology, and multivariate analysis to identify immune cell subsets and their associations with HGSC tumors.

Results

We defined six patterns of cellular infiltration by spatially restricted unsupervised clustering of cell subsets. Each pattern was represented to some extent in most patient samples, but their specific distributions differed. Overall (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) corresponded with higher infiltration of CD16a+ cells, and their co-localization with macrophages, T cells, NK cells, in one of six cellular neighborhoods that we defined with our spatial assessment.

Conclusions

Immune cell neighborhoods containing CD16a+ cells are associated with improved OS and PFS for patients with HGSC. Patterns of immunologic neighborhoods differentiate patient outcomes, and could inform future, more precise approaches to treatment.
EBF1, PAX5, and MYC: regulation on B cell development and association with hematologic neoplasms
Authors: Li Li , Zhang Daiquan , Cao Xinmei
Published: January 2024

During lymphocyte development, a diverse repertoire of lymphocyte antigen receptors is produced to battle against pathogens, which is the basis of adaptive immunity. The diversity of the lymphocyte antigen receptors arises primarily from recombination-activated gene (RAG) protein-mediated V(D)J rearrangement in early lymphocytes. Furthermore, transcription factors (TFs), such as early B cell factor 1 (EBF1), paired box gene 5 (PAX5), and proto-oncogene myelocytomatosis oncogene (MYC), play critical roles in regulating recombination and maintaining normal B cell development. Therefore, the aberrant expression of these TFs may lead to hematologic neoplasms.