Recent Ventures in Interdisciplinary Arctic Research:The ARCPATH Project

This paper celebrates Professor Yongqi GAO's significant achievement in the field of interdisciplinary studies within the context of his final research project Arctic Climate Predictions: Pathways to Resilient Sustainable Societies-ARCPATH(https://www.svs.is/en/projects/finished-projects/arcpath). The disciplines represented in the project are related to climatology, anthropology, marine biology, economics, and the broad spectrum of social-ecological studies. Team members were drawn from the Nordic countries, Russia, China, the United States, and Canada. The project was transdisciplinary as well as interdisciplinary as it included collaboration with local knowledge holders. ARCPATH made significant contributions to Arctic research through an improved understanding of the mechanisms that drive climate variability in the Arctic. In tandem with this research, a combination of historical investigations and social, economic, and marine biological fieldwork was carried out for the project study areas of Iceland, Greenland, Norway, and the surrounding seas, with a focus on the joint use of ocean and sea-ice data as well as social-ecological drivers. ARCPATH was able to provide an improved framework for predicting the near-term variation of Arctic climate on spatial scales relevant to society, as well as evaluating possible related changes in socioeconomic realms. In summary, through the integration of information from several different disciplines and research approaches, ARCPATH served to create new and valuable knowledge on crucial issues, thus providing new pathways to action for Arctic communities.

Network Structure and Variability of Recurrence Fear in Early-Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer:A Symptom Network Analysis

Background:Lung cancer,one of the most prevalent and deadly malignancies worldwide,not only poses a significant physical burden but also a profound psychological challenge to patients.Among these psychological challenges,the fear of recurrence stands out as a particularly distressing issue.This fear,often rooted in the patients’past experiences with the disease and its treatment,can significantly impact their quality of life,mental health,and even compliance with follow-up care.Moreover,this fear can be exacerbated by the lack of understanding and support from healthcare professionals and family members,further isolating patients and compounding their psychological burden.Therefore,understanding and addressing the fear of recurrence in lung cancer patients is crucial for improving their overall well-being and outcomes.Aims:This study aims to develop a symptom network model for fear of recurrence in early-stage lung cancer patients,analyzing symptom correlations to enhance healthcare providers’understanding and management of these symptoms,thereby improving patient outcomes and quality of life.Design:A cross-sectional study design was used.Method:We employed convenience sampling to recruit 551 lung cancer patients from the Thoracic Surgery Department of a tertiary hospital in Beijing between January 2023 and December 2023.A cross-sectional study was conducted using the General Information Questionnaire,Fear of Disease Progression Scale,and Level of Hope Scale.Network analysis was performed with JASP 0.18.3.0 using the EBICglasso method,and centrality metrics including Betweenness,Closeness,Degree centrality,and Expected influence were calculated.Results:Symptom network analysis identified fear of family impact and future work disruption as central to recurrence fear in these patients.Gender-based analysis revealed‘fear of being unable to continue work’as central in males,while‘fear of affecting family members’was central in females.Among adolescents,concerns about future work,medication side effects,and family impact showed the highest expected influence.In contrast,older patients predominantly feared major treatment implications.One-way ANOVA indicated that older age correlated with reduced recurrence fear,and higher hope levels significantly mitigated this fear.Conclusion:This study broadens understanding of fear of recurrence across demographic variables like gender and age,elucidating symptom interrelations and impacts.Future strategies should focus on patient-specific differences in recurrence fear to formulate targeted interventions.Relevance to Clinical Practice:Through in-depth analysis of the symptom network,healthcare professionals can more comprehensively understand the psychological responses of lung cancer patients when they face the risk of recurrence,and then formulate more precise and personalized treatment plans.At the same time,doctors and nurses can adjust treatment strategies in a timely manner according to the changes in the patient’s symptom network and provide more comprehensive psychological support,thus enhancing the patient’s treatment adherence and outcome.Patient Contribution:People who were invited to participate voluntarily completed a range of questionnaires.

Research on the path of effective management of participation in joint-venture railway companies by China railway group

Purpose-Following the regional restructuring,the number of joint-venture railway companies in which the Group participates has significantly increased.This paper aims to explore the challenges faced by China Railway Group in managing participation in joint-venture railway companies.The study seeks to propose specific approaches to ensure the effective management of these companies,thereby maximizing the benefits of the regional restructuring and supporting the development of a strong transportation country and a modern infrastructure system.Design/methodology/approach-Based on the change in the shareholding relationship between China Railway Group and the joint-venture railway companies,and considering the current situation of the regional restructuring of these companies,as well as the insights from existing literature and typical case studies,this paper proposes some specific paths for effective management of joint-stock railway companies which China Railway Group participated in.Findings-The problems in participation management are the unclear dual leadership role of the party committee,the lack of discourse power,the lack of synergy between shareholders,the increasing risk of sustainable operation of the loss-making companies and the role of dispatched personnel is not fully played.Based on the theories,combined with the existing research and practical cases,the paper proposed specific approaches,such as perfecting top-level system design,maintaining the discourse power,carrying out differentiated management,arranging personnel rationally,arranging shareholders synergy,and innovating methods to provide references for China Railway Group’s subsequent management of joint venture railway companies.Originality/value-This paper contributes to the existing literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of the challenges faced by China Railway Group in managing participation in joint-venture railway companies following the regional restructuring.The study offers novel insights and practical recommendations for addressing these challenges.The findings can serve as valuable references for China Railway Group’s subsequent management of joint-venture railway companies which participated in,as well as for other stateowned enterprises facing similar challenges in managing their joint ventures.

Committed to Safe Production China-Indonesia joint venture HBAP strives to ensure safe, stable operations while fulfilling social responsibility

Recently,PT Huadian Bukit Asam Power (HBAP) was awarded the"Zero Accident Award"by the Ministry of Manpower of the Republic of Indonesia.This national-level award for safe production in Indonesia serves to testify to the enterprise's achievements in safe and stable operations from June 1,2018,to December 31,2023.

Venture Capital Syndication under Social Network Theory:Literature Review and Prospect

As an important channel for start-ups to obtain R&D funds and external knowledge and information resources,and as one of the key methods for investment institutions to leverage scale and synergy effects to enhance investment returns,venture capital syndication holds significant research value in the field of venture capital.This paper reviews the literature,summarizing the motivations behind the formation of joint investment networks,the conceptual characteristics of the three core theories of social network theory,and the empirical research on venture capital syndication within the framework of social network theory.It also highlights the existing research results,identifies gaps,and anticipates future research directions.

Evaluation model of venture investment based on fuzzy matter-element method of combined weight

An evaluation model of an international venture investment project on the basis of fuzzy matter-element and combined weight methods is introduced. First, the compound fuzzy matter-element of optimal subordinate degree is constructed on the principle of the bigger-more-optimal or the less-more-optimal depending on the actual evaluation indicators, and combined with standard fuzzy matter-element to form a difference-square fuzzy matter-element. Secondly, a combined weight is calculated by both information entropy and the expert grading method. Finally, the compound fuzzy matter-element of Euclidian approach degree by M(·,+)method is constituted and used to classify venture investment projects. Based on the model above, six venture investment projects in a company are evaluated, and the results show that the projects are all good, which is demonstrated by the good income of the projects. Therefore, the coincidence of evaluation results and actual operation status indicates that the model is of great value in practical application.

Prediction of lymph node metastasis and sentinel node navigation surgery for patients with early-stage gastric cancer

Accurate prediction of lymph node(LN) status is crucially important for appropriate treatment planning in patients with early gastric cancer(EGC). However,consensus on patient and tumor characteristics associated with LN metastasis are yet to be reached. Through systematic search,we identified several independent variables associated with LN metastasis in EGC,which should be included in future research to assess which of these variables remain as significant predictors of LN metastasis. On the other hand,even if we use these promising parameters,we should realize the limitation and the difficulty of predicting LN metastasis accurately. The sentinel LN(SLN) is defined as first possible site to receive cancer cells along the route of lymphatic drainage from the primary tumor. The absence of metastasis in SLN is believed to correlate with the absence of metastasis in downstream LNs. In this review,we have attempted to focus on several independent parameters which have close relationship between tumor and LN metastasis in EGC. In addition,we evaluated the history of sentinel node navigation surgery and the usefulness for EGC.

Treatment patterns for adjuvant docetaxel-based chemotherapy in early-stage breast cancer in China：A pooled retrospective analysis of four observational studies

Objective：Adjuvant docetaxel-based chemotherapy is frequently used for operable early breast cancer（EBC）.This study investigated patterns of use of docetaxel（T）in real-life clinical practice in China.Methods：This was a retrospective pooled analysis of the Asia-Pacific Breast Initiatives（APBI）Ⅰ（2006–2008）and Ⅱ（2009–2011）registries,and two Chinese observational studies;BC STATE（2011–2014）and BC Local Registry（2007–2010）.Female Chinese adults（≥18 years）with operable breast cancer treated with docetaxel-based adjuvant chemotherapy were included in the analysis.Patients with metastatic disease were excluded.The primary endpoint was assessment of treatment patterns and patient profiles.A logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with choice of adjuvant chemotherapy regimen.Results：Data from 3,020 patients were included.The most frequently used adjuvant regimen was docetaxel/anthracycline combination[n=1,421（47.1%）;of whom 52.0%received T/epirubicin（E）/cyclophosphamide（C）],followed by docetaxel/other[n=705（23.3%）;of whom 72.8%received TC],docetaxel/anthracycline sequential[n=447（14.8%）;of whom 40.9%and 39.6%received 5-Fu/EC-T and EC-T,respectively],and＂other＂[n=447（14.8%）;of whom 91.5%received T].A significant association was found between adjuvant therapy with docetaxel/anthracycline combination and patient weight,menopausal status and estrogen receptor status.Conclusions：Real-world data revealed that docetaxel/anthracycline combination is the most commonly used category of docetaxel-based adjuvant therapy for patients with operable breast cancer in China;of which TEC is the most frequently used regimen.

Prediction of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma using Onco Scan chromosomal copy number aberration data

AIM To identify chromosomal copy number aberrations(CNAs) in early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) and analyze whether they are correlated with patient prognosis.METHODS One hundred and twenty patients with early-stage HCC were enrolled in our study, with the collection of formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded(FFPE) specimens and clinicopathological data. Tumor areas were marked by certified pathologists on a hematoxylin and eosinstained slide, and cancer and adjacent non-cancerous tissues underwent extraction of DNA, which was analyzed with the Affymetrix Onco Scan platform to assess CNAs and loss of heterozygosity(LOH). Ten individuals with nonmalignant disease were used as the control group. Another cohort consisting of 40 patients with stage Ⅰ/Ⅱ HCC were enrolled to analyze gene expression and to correlate findings with the Onco Scan data.RESULTS Copy number amplifications occurred at chromosomes 1 q21.1-q44 and 8 q12.3-24.3 and deletions were found at 4 q13.1-q35.2, 8 p 23.2-21.1, 16 q23.3-24.3, and 17 p13.3-12, while LOH commonly occurred at 1 p32.3, 3 p21.31, 8 p23.2-21.1, 16 q22.1-24.3, and 17 p 13.3-11 in early-stage HCC. Using Cox regression analysis, we also found that a higher percentage of genome change(≥ 60%) was an independent factor for worse prognosis in early-stage HCC(P = 0.031). Among the 875 genes in the Onco Scan Gene Chip, six were independent predictors of worse disease-free survival, of which three were amplified(MYC, ELAC2, and SYK) and three were deleted(GAK, MECOM, and WRN). Further, patients with HCC who exhibited ≥ 3 CNAs involving these six genes have worse outcomes compared to those who had < 3 CNAs(P < 0.001). Similarly, Asian patients with stage I HCC from The Cancer Genome Atlas harboring CNAs with these genes were also predicted to have poorer outcomes.CONCLUSION Patients with early-stage HCC and increased genome change or CNAs involving MYC, ELAC2, SYK, GAK, MECOM, or WRN are at risk for poorer outcome after resection.

How time-inconsistent preferences influence venture capital exit decisions?A new perspective for grandstanding

Considering that the assumption of time consistency does not adequately reveal the mechanisms of exit decisions of venture capital(VC),this study proposes two kinds of time-inconsistent preferences(i.e.,time-flow inconsistency and time-point incon-sistency)to advance research in this field.Time-flow inconsistency is in line with the previous time inconsistency literature,while time-point inconsistency is rooted in the VC fund’s finite lifespan.Based on the assumption about the strategies guiding future behaviors,we consider four types of venture capitalists:time-consistent,time-point-inconsistent,naïve,and sophisticated venture capitalists,of which the latter three are time-inconsistent.We derive and compare the exit thresholds of these four types of venture capitalists.The main results include:(1)time-inconsistent preferences acceler-ate the exits of venture capitalists;(2)the closer the VC funds expiry dates are,t`he more likely time-inconsistent venture capitalists are to accelerate their exits;and(3)future selves caused by time-flow inconsistency weaken the effect of time-point inconsist-ency.Our study provides a behavioral explanation for the empirical fact of young VCs’grandstanding.

Clinicopathological analysis of early-stage breast cancer patients that meet indications for BRCA 1/2 genetic testing

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of early-stage breast cancer patients with indications for breast cancer susceptibility genes 1/2(BRCA1/2)genetic testing in China.Methods:Based on the indication criteria for BRCA genetic testing specified in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network(NCCN)clinical practice guidelines in oncology,genetic/familial high-risk assessment:Breast and ovarian(Version 2.2019),a retrospective analysis was performed on patients with early-stage invasive breast cancer treated at Breast Disease Center,Peking University First Hospital between January 2008 and December 2016.Clinicopathological characteristics of all patients were analyzed,and prognoses were calculated using the KaplanMeier method and a Cox proportionate hazards model.Results:A total of 906 early-stage breast cancer patients who had indications for BRCA genetic testing and had complete clinicopathological data and follow-up information were included in the study group,accounting for34.7%of all breast cancer patients treated in Breast Disease Center,Peking University First Hospital during the study period.Compared with breast cancer patients without indications for BRCA genetic testing,the overall survival(OS)and disease-free survival(DFS)of patients with indications were not significantly different.In the study group,patients with premenopausal status,high T stage,lymph node positive,estrogen receptor(ER)negative,Ki-67>20%and presence of a vascular tumor thrombus had worse prognosis.There were more family histories of gastrointestinal cancer in patients with related indications than in patients without such indications.Conclusions:Single-center data showed that more than 30%of patients with early-stage breast cancer had indications for BRCA genetic testing.There was no prognostic difference in patients with or without indications for BRCA genetic testing.Premenopausal status,high T stage,lymph node positive,ER negative,Ki-67>20%,and presence of a vascular tumor thrombus were associated with poor prognosis.

Differential gene expression profiling of gastric intraepithelial neoplasia and early-stage adenocarcinoma

AIM: To investigate the differentiated whole genome expression profiling of gastric high- and low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia and early-stage adenocarcinoma.

Study of Venture Capitalist Compensation Structure Based on Reputation Model

The development of venture capital has drawn much attention, and many qualitative analysis and discussions have been proposed. A quantitative model is proposed based upon Reputation Model. The present compensation structure of U. S. venture capital limited partnerships is analyzed and a kind of new compensation structure is proposed. The relations between the venture capitalist’ s effort level and the two compensation structures are given . The comparison of analytical results proves that the present compensation structure in U.S. may not be the best choice, and that the proposed one can give a better motivation for venture capitalist’s management action.

Is the Equity Transfer Agreement of a Chinese-Foreign Contractual Joint Venture Valid? A Case Comment on Xianyuan v.Zhongxin

Under Chinese law, when parties have signed an equity transfer agreement of the Chinese-Foreign contractual joint venture, they need to report to the examination and approval authority for approval. However, due to imperfection of and conflicts among laws and regulations as well as misunderstanding of the above system, it is always difficult for judges to determine the validity of such equity transfer agreement under the administrative approval system. Among the three categories of FIEs provided in Chinese law 1, scholars have had a comprehensive discussion over equity transfer agreement involving Sino-Foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprises, but this case is concerned with the equity transfer agreement of a Chinese-Foreign contractual joint venture. In this case, the People's Supreme Court holds that the equity transfer agreement that has not undergone the approval procedures are not valid but not void. Furthermore, the parties that are bound to submit the agreement to the approval authority shall perform their duties of this kind.

Analysis of China's venture capital

Analyzes the necessity and possibility of developing venture capital in China, puts forward a train of thoughts as to how to develop China′s venture capital.

Venture Capital是风险投资还是创业投资?

风险投资(VentureCapital,简称VC),是一种风靡全球的投资方式。中国政府上世纪90年代末进行广泛推动,其间引起了中国政府部门、实务界、企业界、研究界登的关注,但关于VentureCapital的译名的问题在大陆始终有所争议。事实上,VentureCapital的五个阶段的种子期、初创期、成长期、扩张期、成熟期无不涉及到较高的风险,具体表现有项目的筛选、尽职调查、后期监控、知识产权、选择技术、公共政策、信息高度不对称、道德品质、管理团队、商业伙伴、财务监管、环境、税收、政治、沟通平台、上市推荐等。VentureCapital的投资区别于其他类别的投资就在于其的“高风险”性,“创业投资”仅仅代表了“风险投资”过程中的一部分。“创业投资”、“创新投资”是“子集”,“风险投资”是“总集”。因此,将VC翻译成风险投资是可以真正地、最好地、完整地体现出普及、警示和发展等方面的作用的。

Steerable microcatheters for complex percutaneous coronary interventions in octogenarians: from Venture to Swift Ninja

0ctogenarians represent the fastest growing group of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI),now constituting more than one in five patients treated with PCI in real-world practice.[1,2]Comparing coronary lesion characteristics of patients aged<≥80 years to those≥80 years undergoing PCI,the octogenarians have a higher prevalence of calcified and ostial lesions,tortuous coronary anatomy,multi-vessel disease and left main stem(LMS)stenosis.⑶Furthermore,they often have greater ischemic burden than their younger counterparts,suggesting an even greater benefit following revascularization.

Prediction of fibril formation by early-stage amyloid peptide aggregation

Amyloid fibrils are found in systemic amyloidosis diseases such as Alzheimer's disease,Parkinson's disease,and type II diabetes.Currently,these diseases are diagnosed by observation of fibrils or plaques,which is an ineffective method for early diagnosis and treatment of disease.The goal of this study was to develop a simple and quick method to predict the possibility and speed of fibril formation before its occurrence.Oligomers generated from seven representative peptide segments were first isolated and detected by ion-mobility mass spectrometry(IM-MS).Then,their assemblies were disrupted using formic acid(FA).Interestingly,oligomers that showed small ion intensity changes upon FA addition had rapid fibril formation.By contrast,oligomers that had large ion intensity changes generated fibrils slowly.Two control peptides(aggregation/no fibrils and no aggregation/no fibrils)did not show changes in their ion intensities,which confirmed the ability of this method to predict amyloid formation.In summary,the developed method correlated MS intensity ratio changes of peptide oligomers on FA addition with their amyloid propensities.This method will be useful for monitoring peptide/protein aggregation behavior and essential for their mechanism studies.

Incentive Contracts for Venture Capital Syndication

Aiming at the incentive problems of venture capital syndication at the second and later stages, an game model is set up by principal agent and incentive theory, given that the lead venture capitalist has already some knowledge of the project quality from his initial funding of the project. Under symmetric and asymmetric information, the model analyzes how the optimal syndication contracts induce venture capitalists to truthfully reveal their information to each other, and vary with the level of venture capitalists＇ expertise and information in evaluating projects.

Sino-Japan Joint Venture for Producing High

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