Corporate Philanthropic Giving: Active Responsibility Or Passive Ingratiation? Evidence From Chinese Family-Controlled Listed Companies

This paper examines the impact of political connection on family-controlled listed firms’ philanthropic giving activities toward the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake in China, and stock price reactions to such activities. Using the 542 Chinese listed companies controlled by private owners as the sample, it was found that firms with political connection are more likely to donate. Besides, focusing on the 244 donating firms, it was found that there is a positive impact of the donation amount on stock price response. What’s more, the positive stock price reactions toward the donation announcement made by firms with political connection are not as strong as that of firms without such connection.  Regression results indicate that although family-controlled firms with political connection are more likely to donate, their activities can not generate as much positive stock price effect as their no-political connection counterparts. These results reveal that both political interferences and market mechanisms have critical impact on corporate philanthropic behavior in China

Effects of Cooking Methods on Heavy Metal Levels in Crayfish Tail and Cooking Juice

In order to explore the accumulation of heavy metals in crayfish cooking juice and its effect on the level of heavy metals in edible parts (crayfish tail) under different cooking methods. The levels of nine heavy metals As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, and Pb in crayfish tails and cooking juice at different stages were detected by inductively coupled plasma spectrometer (ICP-OES) under three different cooking methods: Boiling, frying and seasoning. The single factor pollution index was used to judge the heavy metal pollution degree of crayfish tails, and the influence of heavy metal accumulation in cooking juice on crayfish tails was explored by correlation analysis. The results showed that high concentrations of Mn and Cu were observed in the crayfish boiling juice, the concentrations of toxic elements As and Cr increased by 88.8% and 80.7% in the crayfish frying oil, respectively. Furthermore, the concentration of Mn in the crayfish seasoning sauce increased by about 5.4 times compared with the control. With the increase of complexity of cooking method, the level of most heavy metals in the cooking juice would accumulate gradually with the processing process. The correlation analysis revealed that there was a significant positive correlation between heavy metals in the cooking juice and certain metals in crayfish tails (P<0.05), and crayfish tails were susceptible to Mn contamination during the boiling and seasoning cooking process

Does minority ownership concentration influence the relationship between board independence and tunneling?

Tunneling is a type of expropriation of resources from the minority shareholders of a company by its largest shareholder. Previous research has found mixed results on the relationship between board independence and tunneling, and on the relationship between minority shareholder concentration and tunneling. We examine whether more independent boards may be better at limiting tunneling when there is greater minority shareholder concentration. Using a sample of 3,084 firm-years of Chinese companies, we find a significant interaction between board independence and minority shareholder concentration in a model of tunneling. These results suggest that more independent boards are more likely to inhibit tunneling when minority shareholdings have greater voting influence over board elections through concentration of shareholding

Long term survival following cryoablation with adjuvant Toripalimab for anorectal malignant melanoma: a case report

BackgroundAnorectal malignant melanoma is a rare subtype of melanoma with a poor prognosis. Despite this, some patients decline Miles’ operation due to the sigmoid colostomies that follow abdominoperineal resections in cases of anorectal malignant melanoma.Case reportWe report the case of an 80-year-old woman diagnosed with anorectal malignant melanoma who underwent cryosurgery accompanied by adjuvant PD-1 therapy to maintain anal sphincter function. The results indicated that we successfully achieved the goal of sphincter preservation and therapeutic efficacy. The patient derived significant benefits from the cryoablation treatment.ConclusionsUltrasound-guided trans-anal cryoablation, when combined with adjuvant PD-1 therapy, offers a novel treatment approach for patients with anorectal malignant melanoma. Our results have confirmed the advantages of this treatment regimen, particularly for those desiring to retain anal sphincter function. Further studies are required to substantiate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided trans-anal cryoablation with adjuvant Toripalimab and to elucidate its underlying mechanisms

Unraveling plant adaptation to nitrogen limitation from enzyme stoichiometry aspect in Karst soils: a case study of Rhododendron Pudingense

Enzyme stoichiometry can reflect the resource limitation of soil microbial metabolism, and research on the relationships between plants and resource limitation in Karst Microhabitats is scarcely investigated. To clarify the extracellular enzyme stoichiometry characteristics in soil across different karst microhabitats and how the Rhododendron pudingense adapts to nutrient restrictions, plot investigation experiments were set up in Zhenning County, Qinglong County, and Wangmo County of Guizhou Province which included total three karst microhabitats, i.e., soil surface (SS), rock gully (RG), and rock surface (RS), by analyzing he rhizosphere soil nutrient, extracellular enzyme activity, and nutrient content of R. pudingense. The findings indicated that all karst microenvironments experienced varying levels of nitrogen (N) limitation, with the order of N limitation being as follows: SS &gt; RG &gt; RS. Notably, there were significant discrepancies in N content among different plant organs (p&lt; 0.05), with the sequence of N content as follows: leaf &gt; stem &gt; root. However, no significant differences were observed in nutrient content within the same organ across different microenvironments (p &gt; 0.05). A noteworthy discovery was the significant allometric growth relationship between C-P in various organs (p&lt; 0.05), while roots and stems exhibited a significant allometric growth relationship between N-P (p&lt; 0.05). The study highlighted the substantial impact of Total Nitrogen (TN) and N-acquiring enzymes (NAE) on nutrient allocation within the components of R. pudingense. Overall, the research demonstrated that N was the primary limiting factor in the study area’s soil, and R. pudingense’s nutrient allocation strategy was closely associated with N limitations in the karst microenvironment. Specifically, the plant prioritized allocating its limited N resources to its leaves, ensuring its survival. This investigation provided valuable insights into how plants adapt to nutrient restrictions and offered a deeper understanding of soil-plant interactions in karst ecosystems

Investigation of bioaccumulation and human health risk assessment of heavy metals in crayfish (procambarus clarkii) farming with a rice-crayfish-based coculture breeding modes

Due to the rapid development of the crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) industry in Chinese catering, people are paying more attention to the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in crayfish. To evaluate the health risks associated with the consumption of crayfish, nine types of heavy metals in both crayfish and abdominal muscles of crayfish were investigated. Crayfish samples were collected from rice-crayfish-based coculture breeding modes from different areas located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The average concentrations of heavy metals in the whole crayfish were much higher than the abdominal muscle of crayfish. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of heavy metals in the abdomen of crayfish was calculated to assess the noncarcinogenic risk and the overall noncarcinogenic risk including the target hazard quotient (THQ), the hazard index (HI) and carcinogenic risk (CR). The results of the present study showed that the consumption of crayfish may not present an obvious health risk to humans associated with heavy metals. However, the THQ values of As in the abdominal muscles of crayfish for adults in EnShi (ES) and children in JiaYu (JY) should be of concern due to the higher contribution to the potential health risks of crayfish compared to other metals. Through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) detection of heavy metal As, it was found that As in the crayfish culture environment mainly exists in the form of As3+.Therefore, the quality and quantity of crayfish consumption should be moderated to prevent the bioaccumulation of As. The results indicate that crayfish cultured in different areas may have similar pollution levels and/or emissions from the same pollution sources

Whole-genome sequencing and comparative genome analysis of Xanthomonas fragariae YM2 causing angular leaf spot disease in strawberry

BackgroundAngular leaf spot disease caused by plant pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas fragariae seriously threatens strawberry crop production globally.MethodsIn this study, we sequenced the whole genome of X. fragariae YM2, isolated from Yunnan Province, China. In addition, we performed a comparative genome analysis of X. fragariae YM2 with two existing strains of X. fragariae YL19 and SHQP01 isolated from Liaoning and Shanghai, respectively.ResultsThe results of Nanopore sequencing showed that X. fragariae YM2 comprises one single chromosome with a contig size of 4,263,697 bp, one plasmid contig size of 0.39 Mb, a GC content ratio of 62.27%, and 3,958 predicted coding genes. The genome of YM2 comprises gum, hrp, rpf, and xps gene clusters and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which are typical virulence factors in Xanthomonas species. By performing a comparative genomic analysis between X. fragariae strains YM2, YL19, and SHQP01, we found that strain YM2 is similar to YL19 and SHQP01 regarding genome size and GC contents. However, there are minor differences in the composition of major virulence factors and homologous gene clusters. Furthermore, the results of collinearity analysis demonstrated that YM2 has lower similarity and longer evolutionary distance with YL19 and SHQP01, but YL19 is more closely related to SHQP01.ConclusionsThe availability of this high-quality genetic resource will serve as a basic tool for investigating the biology, molecular pathogenesis, and virulence of X. fragariae YM2. In addition, unraveling the potential vulnerabilities in its genetic makeup will aid in developing more effective disease suppression control measures

Restoration of Corneal Stiffness in Rabbits Following Withdrawal of Travoprost.

PurposeTo evaluate if the effect of travoprost on corneal material stiffness could be restored after drug withdrawal.MethodsSeventy-two rabbits were randomly allocated into three groups: medicine (M), medicine withdrawal (MW), and blank (B). Within the M and MW groups, treatment with travoprost was administered to the right eyes (MT and MWT) over a period of 12 weeks. Subsequently, the M group was killed, but the MW group underwent an additional 12-week period for treatment withdrawal. No treatment was given to the contralateral eyes (MC and MWC) in the M and MW groups. A separate blank control (BC) group remained untreated for the entire 24-week duration. In each group, corneas from 18 rabbits were tested mechanically under inflation conditions to estimate their tangent modulus (Et). The corneas of the remaining six rabbits underwent electron microscopy analysis, which focused on fibril diameter and interfibrillar spacing.ResultsCentral corneal thickness (CCT) of the treated eyes (MT and MWT groups) decreased with 12 weeks of travoprost treatment (P 0.05).ConclusionsTravoprost treatment appears to soften corneal tissue, decrease tissue thickness, and reduce the density of stromal collagen fibers by increasing the interfibrillar spacing. These changes were partially reversed after treatment cessation. Travoprost could further inhibit corneal growth, so its use in childhood and adolescence should be carefully considered. Additionally, the effect of travoprost in reducing corneal stiffness may lead to underestimations of intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement and hence overestimations in the effect of treatment in lowering IOP