Research on systemic risk contagion of Chinese financial institutions based on GARCH-VMD-Copula-CoVaR model

With the development of China’s financial market, the risk contagion effect among financial institutions is increasing and becoming more complicated. Few literatures have explored the risk transmission paths of Chinese financial institutions at different frequencies. In order to make up for the gaps in this research field, variable mode decomposition (VMD) technology is introduced in this paper, combined with the Copula-GARCH model to construct the GARCH-VMD-Copula-CoVaR model, which describes the risk contagion paths of major financial institutions in the Chinese financial market at different frequencies (long-term, medium-term and short-term). The research results show that risk dependence and contagion between financial institutions have the characteristics of bidirectionality, asymmetry and time-varying in all frequency studies, and there are differences in different frequencies

Case report: Shingles-associated probable Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis with IgM anti-sulfatide positivity

BackgroundBickerstaff brainstem encephalitis (BBE) is a rare disease considered caused by acute demyelination of the brainstem, most often resulting from secondary autoimmune responses. To our knowledge, this is the first probable case report of shingles-associated BBE with anti-sulfatide IgM positivity.Case presentationWe report the case of an 83-year-old woman with symptoms of progressive limb weakness, difficulty swallowing food, and disturbed consciousness that occurred 4 weeks following herpes zoster infection. Autoimmune anti-sulfatide antibodies were positive and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequences revealed clear high signal intensity in pons and bilateral thalamus. Our patient’s condition improved markedly with glucocorticoid treatment. After 2 months of treatment, our patient was fully recovered. We considered that for her case, BBE is the most appropriate diagnosis.ConclusionsWe emphasize the importance of a careful medical history and assessment of clinical symptoms, performing MRI, testing autoimmune antibodies for rapid diagnosis, and ruling out differential diagnoses. Further studies involving more patients with BBE with IgM anti-sulfatide autoantibodies will increase the understanding of the clinical characteristics and advance the diagnosis and treatment of this syndrome. Meanwhile, it is crucial for dermatologists to know about this severe neurological complication following shingles

Design and Characterization of a Novel Core–Shell Nano Delivery System Based on Zein and Carboxymethylated Short-Chain Amylose for Encapsulation of Curcumin

Curcumin is a naturally occurring hydrophobic polyphenolic compound with a rapid metabolism, poor absorption, and low stability, which severely limits its bioavailability. Here, we employed a starch–protein-based nanoparticle approach to improve the curcumin bioavailability. This study focused on synthesizing nanoparticles with a zein “core” and a carboxymethylated short-chain amylose (CSA) “shell” through anti-solvent precipitation for delivering curcumin. The zein@CSA core–shell nanoparticles were extensively characterized for physicochemical properties, structural integrity, ionic stability, in vitro digestibility, and antioxidant activity. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy indicates nanoparticle formation through hydrogen-bonding, hydrophobic, and electrostatic interactions between zein and CSA. Zein@CSA core–shell nanoparticles exhibited enhanced stability in NaCl solution. At a zein-to-CSA ratio of 1:1.25, only 15.7% curcumin was released after 90 min of gastric digestion, and 66% was released in the intestine after 240 min, demonstrating a notable sustained release effect. Furthermore, these nanoparticles increased the scavenging capacity of the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•) free radical compared to those composed solely of zein and were essentially nontoxic to Caco-2 cells. This research offers valuable insights into curcumin encapsulation and delivery using zein@CSA core–shell nanoparticles.</p

Antioxidants and Antioxidant Capacity in Leafy, Stem, and Fruit Vegetables Including 50 Species

Epidemiological studies have confirmed that high intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with&nbsp;low incidence of many kinds of diseases, which are hypothesized to be owing to antioxidants in fruits and&nbsp;vegetables. In this study, three types (leafy, stem, fruit) vegetables including 50 species were systematically&nbsp;evaluated for their antioxidant capacity (AC) and antioxidants including total phenolic compound (TPC), total&nbsp;flavonoids (TF), and L-ascorbic acid (LAA). Results showed that vegetables types had no significant effects on&nbsp;antioxidants. Vegetables with vivid color like purple cabbage, purple dolichos lablab, purple cowpea, red pepper,&nbsp;yellow pepper, lotus root, and ginger ranked high in their antioxidants (TPC 32.76-117.63 mg gallic acid/g FW,&nbsp;TF 25.78-152.96 mg rutin/100g FW, LAA 69.11-165.44 mg/100g FW) and AC (FRAP 69.38-109.13 μmol&nbsp;Fe2+/100gFW, ABTS 2.19-3.75 μmol Trolox/gFW). Relatively, crown daisy, endive, celery stem, and cucumber&nbsp;had low antioxidants (TPC 2.66-6.29 mg gallic acid/g FW, TF 10.37-37.56 mg rutin/100g FW, LAA&nbsp;14.64-39.44 mg/100g FW) and AC (FRAP 1.99-10.81 μmol Fe2+/100gFW, ABTS 0.39-0.68 μmol Trolox/gFW).&nbsp;TPC and LAA had strong positive correlations with AC regardless of vegetable types, while TF was positively&nbsp;related to AC only in leafy vegetables. The result would be valuable for both epidemiological research and&nbsp;dietary guidelines as these vegetables are affordable and widely available

The Improvement Effects of Different Treatment Methods of Soil Wastewater Washing on Environmental Pollution

This paper focus on how to treat the wastewater after soil washing since water pollution is a severe threat to the water security of China. Ca (OH)2 and two kinds of biochars (biochar and ZnCl2 modified biochar) were tested to treat the waste FeCl3 washing effluent. Two kinds of biochars (biochar and ZnCl2-modified biochar) were prepared from maize straws. Soil samples were collected near a smelter for adsorption experiments. ICP-OES was used to determine the concentration of metal ions in the samples, as well as calculating their adsorption capacity and removal rate. As to Ca(OH)2 treatment, the maximum removal rates of Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn could exceed 99%, and the concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn in solution could reduce to 0.08, 0.018, 0.15, 0.44 mg/dm3, respectively. However, both of the two biochars had relatively low removal rates compared with Ca (OH)2 treatment. The wastewater shows significantly lower environmental implications after the two treatments, and the lime precipitation method has better effects than biochar adsorption. The activated carbon adsorption method discussed can significantly improve the environmental pollution caused by soil washing wastewater, which is suitable for environmental treatment projects

The Construction of Sodium Alginate/Carboxymethyl Chitosan Microcapsules as the Physical Barrier to Reduce Corn Starch Digestion

To enhance the resistant starch (RS) content of corn starch, in this work, carboxymethyl chitosan/corn starch/sodium alginate microcapsules (CMCS/CS/SA) with varying concentrations of SA in a citric acid (CA) solution were designed. As the SA concentration increased from 0.5% to 2%, the swelling of the CMCS/CS/SA microcapsule decreased from 15.28 ± 0.21 g/g to 3.76 ± 0.66 g/g at 95 °C. Comparatively, the onset, peak, and conclusion temperatures (To, Tp, and Tc) of CMCS/CS/SA microcapsules were higher than those of unencapsulated CS, indicating that the dense network structure of microcapsules reduced the contact area between starch granules and water, thereby improving thermal stability. With increasing SA concentration, the intact and dense network of CMCS/CS/SA microcapsules remained less damaged after 120 min of digestion, suggesting that the microcapsules with a high SA concentration provided better protection to starch, thereby reducing amylase digestibility. Moreover, as the SA concentration increased from 0.5% to 2%, the RS content of the microcapsules during in vitro digestion rose from 42.37 ± 0.07% to 57.65 ± 0.45%, attributed to the blocking effect of the microcapsule shell on amylase activity. This study offers innovative insights and strategies to develop functional starch with glycemic control properties, holding significant scientific and practical value in preventing diseases associated with abnormal glucose metabolism.</p

The Construction of Sodium Alginate/Carboxymethyl Chitosan Microcapsules as the Physical Barrier to Reduce Corn Starch Digestion

To enhance the resistant starch (RS) content of corn starch, in this work, carboxymethyl chitosan/corn starch/sodium alginate microcapsules (CMCS/CS/SA) with varying concentrations of SA in a citric acid (CA) solution were designed. As the SA concentration increased from 0.5% to 2%, the swelling of the CMCS/CS/SA microcapsule decreased from 15.28 ± 0.21 g/g to 3.76 ± 0.66 g/g at 95 °C. Comparatively, the onset, peak, and conclusion temperatures (To, Tp, and Tc) of CMCS/CS/SA microcapsules were higher than those of unencapsulated CS, indicating that the dense network structure of microcapsules reduced the contact area between starch granules and water, thereby improving thermal stability. With increasing SA concentration, the intact and dense network of CMCS/CS/SA microcapsules remained less damaged after 120 min of digestion, suggesting that the microcapsules with a high SA concentration provided better protection to starch, thereby reducing amylase digestibility. Moreover, as the SA concentration increased from 0.5% to 2%, the RS content of the microcapsules during in vitro digestion rose from 42.37 ± 0.07% to 57.65 ± 0.45%, attributed to the blocking effect of the microcapsule shell on amylase activity. This study offers innovative insights and strategies to develop functional starch with glycemic control properties, holding significant scientific and practical value in preventing diseases associated with abnormal glucose metabolism.</p

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of Long Noncoding RNAs of Brown to White Adipose Tissue Transformation in Goats

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in the thermogenesis and energy storage of brown adipose tissue (BAT). However, knowledge of the cellular transition from BAT to white adipose tissue (WAT) and the potential role of lncRNAs in goat adipose tissue remains largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed the transformation from BAT to WAT using histological and uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) gene analyses. Brown adipose tissue mainly existed within the goat perirenal fat at 1 day and there was obviously a transition from BAT to WAT from 1 day to 1 year. The RNA libraries constructed from the perirenal adipose tissues of 1 day, 30 days, and 1 year goats were sequenced. A total number of 21,232 lncRNAs from perirenal fat were identified, including 5393 intronic-lncRNAs and 3546 antisense-lncRNAs. Furthermore, a total of 548 differentially expressed lncRNAs were detected across three stages (fold change &ge; 2.0, false discovery rate (FDR) &lt; 0.05), and six lncRNAs were validated by qPCR. Furthermore, trans analysis found lncRNAs that were transcribed close to 890 protein-coding genes. Additionally, a coexpression network suggested that 4519 lncRNAs and 5212 mRNAs were potentially in trans-regulatory relationships (r &gt; 0.95 or r &lt; &minus;0.95). In addition, Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses showed that the targeted genes were involved in the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acid elongation and metabolism, the citrate cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, the mitochondrial respiratory chain complex, and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathways. The present study provides a comprehensive catalog of lncRNAs involved in the transformation from BAT to WAT and provides insight into understanding the role of lncRNAs in goat brown adipogenesis