The effect of CEO's compensation in driving corporate ESG greenwashing: Evidence from China.

This study examines the relationship between CEO compensation schemes and ESG greenwashing behavior in Chinese listed firms during the period 2013-2022. We find that a CEO's cash (equity) compensation has a significantly positive (negative) correlation with corporate ESG greenwashing behavior. From mechanism analysis, consistent with the agency problem view, firms engage in more severe ESG greenwashing behavior under a higher proportion of cash in the CEO compensation structure.

The monokaryotic filamentous fungus Ustilago sp. HFJ311 promotes plant growth and reduces Cd accumulation by enhancing Fe transportation and auxin biosynthesis.

Infection with smut fungus like Ustilago maydis decreases crop yield via inducing gall formation. However, the in vitro impact of Ustilago spp. on plant growth and stress tolerance remains elusive.

Potential benefits and risks of solar photovoltaic power plants on arid and semi-arid ecosystems: an assessment of soil microbial and plant communities.

Exponential increase in photovoltaic installations arouses concerns regarding the impacts of large-scale solar power plants on dryland ecosystems. While the effects of photovoltaic panels on soil moisture content and plant biomass in arid ecosystems have been recognized, little is known about their influence on soil microbial communities. Here, we employed a combination of quantitative PCR, high-throughput sequencing, and soil property analysis to investigate the responses of soil microbial communities to solar panel installation.

Gaussian basis expansion phase noise suppression method for CO-OFDM systems.

In this paper, we propose a novel phase noise suppression method based on Gaussian basis expansion (GBE) for CO-OFDM systems. We analyze the basic phase noise suppression principle of GBE and then demonstrate it in optical OFDM transmission systems. Compared with common phase compensation (CPE), orthogonal basis expansion (OBE) and eigenvector basis expansion (EBE) schemes, the proposed GBE scheme has better phase noise fitting ability with similar computation complexity.

Multi scrolls chaotic encryption scheme for CO-OFDM-PON.

In this paper, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel multi scrolls chaotic encryption scheme for CO-OFDM-PON. We analyze the principle of 3-dimension encryption scheme and discuss its encryption complexity. Compared with the previous hyper Chen chaotic encryption scheme, the proposed encryption algorithm can realize dynamic constellation point mapping of QAM signal with lower encryption complexity.

Impact of adding glucose-coated water-soluble silver nanoparticles to the silkworm larval diet on silk protein synthesis and related properties.

Biological modifications of the silk fibroin (silk) material have broad applications in textiles, biomedical materials and other industrial materials. It is economical to incorporate nanoparticles to the biosynthesis of silk fibroin by adding them to silkworm larval diets. This strategy may result in the rapid stable production of modified silk.

Histone acetyltransferase CBP-related H3K23 acetylation contributes to courtship learning in Drosophila.

Background: Histone modifications are critical in regulating neuronal processes. However, the impacts of individual histone modifications on learning and memory are elusive. Here, we investigated the contributions of histone H3 lysine modifications to learning and memory in Drosophila by using histone lysine-to-alanine mutants.

RCCD1 depletion attenuates TGF-β-induced EMT and cell migration by stabilizing cytoskeletal microtubules in NSCLC cells.

Lung cancer is one of the most lethal cancers due to its highly metastatic spreading. The motility of lung cancer cells is regulated by paracrine factors, such as TGF-β, in the tumor microenvironment through the induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The stability of microtubules is reported to be associated with the EMT process and the migration of cancer cells.

Reproductive toxicity and gender differences induced by cadmium telluride quantum dots in an invertebrate model organism.

Sexual glands are key sites affected by nanotoxicity, but there is no sensitive assay for measuring reproductive toxicity in animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the toxic effects of cadmium telluride quantum dots (CdTe-QDs) on gonads in a model organism, Bombyx mori. After dorsal vein injection of 0.

Impact of fluorescent silicon nanoparticles on circulating hemolymph and hematopoiesis in an invertebrate model organism.

Silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) have attractive potential applications in biological and medical fields, and yet their impact on animals is still controversial, and there have been no reports of their effects on hematopoiesis. In this study, the effects of SiNPs on hemocytes and hematopoiesis were investigated by administering SiNPs via a vascular injection into an invertebrate model, the silkworm. Our results show that the ability of SiNPs to enter different types of circulating hemocytes and their impact on those hemocytes differed significantly.

Aperture effect for LINAC-based SRS in small target treatment†.

Purpose: Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) can utilize different techniques. For small target SRS, the selections of the apertures of cone or MLC field influence the treatment significantly. In this study, while the aperture of the MLC and cone field vary, the dosimetric characteristics of the two techniques are compared for SRS of small targets which are in the favor of magnifying the dosimetric effect.

Heterochromatin remodeling by CDK12 contributes to learning in Drosophila.

Dynamic regulation of chromatin structure is required to modulate the transcription of genes in eukaryotes. However, the factors that contribute to the plasticity of heterochromatin structure are elusive. Here, we report that cyclin-dependent kinase 12 (CDK12), a transcription elongation-associated RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) kinase, antagonizes heterochromatin enrichment in Drosophila chromosomes.

Sequential magnetic resonance imaging of cervical cancer: the predictive value of absolute tumor volume and regression ratio measured before, during, and after radiation therapy.

Background: The objectives of this study were to investigate outcome prediction by measuring absolute tumor volume and regression ratios using serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during radiation therapy (RT) for cervical cancer and to develop algorithms capable of identifying patients at risk of a poor therapeutic outcome.

Methods: Eighty patients with stage IB2 through IVA cervical cancer underwent 4 MRI scans: before RT (MRI1), during RT at 2 to 2.5 weeks (MRI2) at 4 to 5 weeks (MRI3), and 1 to 2 months after RT (MRI4).

Predicting outcomes in cervical cancer: a kinetic model of tumor regression during radiation therapy.

Applications of mathematical modeling can improve outcome predictions of cancer therapy. Here we present a kinetic model incorporating effects of radiosensitivity, tumor repopulation, and dead-cell resolving on the analysis of tumor volume regression data of 80 cervical cancer patients (stages 1B2-IVA) who underwent radiation therapy. Regression rates and derived model parameters correlated significantly with clinical outcome (P < 0.

Longitudinal changes in tumor perfusion pattern during the radiation therapy course and its clinical impact in cervical cancer.

Purpose: To study the temporal changes of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) perfusion patterns during the radiation therapy (RT) course and their influence on local control and survival in cervical cancer.

Methods And Materials: DCE-MRI was performed in 98 patients with Stage IB(2)-IVA cervical cancer before RT (pre-RT) and during early RT (20-25 Gy) and mid-RT (45-50 Gy). Signal intensity (SI) from the DCE-MRI time-SI curve was derived for each tumor voxel.

Stereotactic radiosurgery with or without whole brain radiotherapy for patients with a single radioresistant brain metastasis.

Purpose: To examine the outcomes of patients with a single brain metastasis from radioresistant histologies (renal cell carcinoma and melanoma) treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) with or without whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT).

Methods And Materials: We reviewed the medical records of 27 patients treated at our institution between 2000 and 2007 with a single radioresistant brain metastasis. Patients were treated with Gamma Knife based SRS.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy for oligometastases.

The standard treatment for metastatic cancer is systemic therapy. However, in a subset of patients with limited extracranial metastases or oligometastases, local ablative therapy in combination with systemic therapy may improve treatment outcomes. Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has emerged as a novel approach for local ablation of extracranial oligometastases.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy for nonpulmonary primary tumors.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) represents a novel treatment modality for cancer and has been used to treat various types of primary cancer with curative intent. Data on the use of SBRT for various primary sites are emerging. While the largest body of data is concerned with early-stage lung cancer, there is also a fair amount of experience in the treatment of nonpulmonary primary sites with SBRT.

A constrained tracking algorithm to optimize plug patterns in multiple isocenter gamma knife radiosurgery planning.

We developed a source blocking optimization algorithm for Gamma Knife radiosurgery, which is based on tracking individual source contributions to arbitrarily shaped target and critical structure volumes. A scalar objective function and a direct search algorithm were used to produce near real-time calculation results. The algorithm allows the user to set and vary the total number of plugs for each shot to limit the total beam-on time.

Improving a scissor-action couch for conformal arc radiotherapy and radiosurgery.

We have developed a method to improve the setup accuracy of a Varian Clinac 6/100 couch for delivering conformal arc therapy using a tertiary micro multileaf collimator (MLC) system. Several immobilization devices have been developed to improve the mechanical stability and isocenter alignment of the couch: turn-knob harnesses, double-track alignment plates, and a drop-in rod that attaches the couch to the concrete floor. These add-on components minimize the intercomponent motion of the couch's scissor elevator, which allows consistent treatment setup.

Selective source blocking for Gamma Knife radiosurgery of trigeminal neuralgia based on analytical dose modelling.

We have developed an automatic critical region shielding (ACRS) algorithm for Gamma Knife radiosurgery of trigeminal neuralgia. The algorithm selectively blocks 201 Gamma Knife sources to minimize the dose to the brainstem while irradiating the root entry area of the trigeminal nerve with 70-90 Gy. An independent dose model was developed to implement the algorithm.

Simultaneous minimizing monitor units and number of segments without leaf end abutment for segmental intensity modulated radiation therapy delivery.

Leaf end abutment is seldom studied when delivering segmental intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) fields. We developed an efficient leaf sequencing method to eliminate leaf end abutment for segmental IMRT delivery. Our method uses simple matrix and sorting operations to obtain a solution that simultaneously minimizes total monitor units and number of segments without leaf end abutment between segments.