Financial development and economic growth in China

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between financial development and economic growth. In particular, the authors examine the impact of financial development on the growth of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in China. Ordinary Least Square (OLS) multiple regressions are applied on a set of data from China for the period 1978 to 2013 to determine the effects of financial development on economic growth, while controlling for other macroeconomic variables, namely labor force, capital growth, inflation rate and export growth. The empirical results show that financial development has a negative effect on economic growth in general, but on the growth of the tertiary industry in particular. By contrast, it is found that financial development has no significant effect on the primary and secondary industries. The findings offer policymakers some useful insights that more attention may need to be paid on developing capital markets and providing more investment choices/opportunities for Chinese households. This paper is different from most of the previous studies as it uses up-to-date data (1978-2013) from China capturing the effects of financial development on economic growth in addition to other macroeconomic factors

Significance of the Genomic Landscape of a De Novo Endocrine-Resistant Metastatic Hormone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer

Endocrine therapy with or without CDK4/6 inhibitors is the most commonly used frontline treatment option for metastatic hormone receptor–positive breast cancer. Approximately, 25% to 30% of women may have resistance to endocrine therapy, especially in the setting of certain genomic mutations in the tumor. This prompts the need to identify those patients who may benefit from frontline chemotherapy over endocrine therapy. Here, we present a case of a patient who presented with a de novo metastatic hormone receptor–positive breast cancer with visceral involvement (including bone marrow) as well as multiple somatic genomic alterations. The patient was treated with upfront chemotherapy, resulting in clinical and radiographic response, but rapidly progressed when she was transitioned to hormonal therapy. This report focuses on the role of upfront chemotherapy in the setting of visceral crisis including bone marrow involvement, the role of genomic alterations in contributing to endocrine resistance, and the need for biomarker-driven treatment options for hormone receptor–positive breast cancer

Performance of three morphotypes of garlic using quantative traits based on bulb characters in Niger Republic

Garlic ( Allium sativum L.) is a bulbous plant from the Alliaceae family, mainly produced in the dry seasons under irrigation in Niger. The objective of this study was to assess garlic morphotypes for their agronomic performance traits. The experiment was conducted at the Universit\ue9 de Zinder in Niger Republic, in a randomised complete block design during the dry seaSOn of 2019-2020. Data were collected on bulb diameter, bulb length, bulb weight, number of cloves per bulb, clove diameter, clove length, clove weight, number of outer clove lets per clove, outer clove lets diameter, outer clove lets length, and outer clove lets weight. There were significant differences for all characters, except bulb weight, clove diameter and number of outer clove lets per clove. The morphotypes Pink and Dark purple revealed good performances and could be useful for a breeding programme.L\u2019ail (Allium sativum L.) est principalement produit en saiSOn s\ue8che SOus irrigation au Niger. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019\ue9valuer les morphotypes d\u2019ail pour leurs caract\ue8res de performance agronomique. L\u2019exp\ue9rience a \ue9t\ue9 men\ue9e dans un bloc complet randomis\ue9 avec trois r\ue9p\ue9titions pendant la saiSOn s\ue8che 2019-2020. Les caract\ue8res suivants ont \ue9t\ue9 \ue9valu\ue9s : diam\ue8tre du bulbe, longueur du bulbe, poids du bulbe, nombre gousses par bulbe, diam\ue8tre des gousses, longueur des gousses, poids des gousses, nombre des ca\uefeux par gousse, diam\ue8tre des ca\uefeux, longueur des ca\uefeux, poids des ca\uefeux. Des diff\ue9rences significatives ont \ue9t\ue9 observ\ue9es pour tous les caract\ue8res, \ue0 l\u2019exception du poids des bulbes, du diam\ue8tre des gousses et du nombre ca\uefeux par gousse. Les morphotypes Rose et Violet fonc\ue9 ont montr\ue9 de bonnes performances et pourraient \ueatre utiles pour un programme de s\ue9lection

Advances in the Management of Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer with both inter- and intratumor heterogeneity, thought to result in a more aggressive course and worse outcomes. Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) has become the preferred treatment modality of early-stage TNBC as it allows for the downstaging of tumors in the breast and axilla, monitoring early treatment response, and most importantly, provides important prognostic information that is essential to determining post-surgical therapies to improve outcomes. It focuses on combinations of systemic drugs to optimize pathologic complete response (pCR). Excellent response to NAT has allowed surgical de-escalation in ideal candidates. Further, treatment algorithms guide the systemic management of patients based on their pCR status following surgery. The expanding knowledge of molecular pathways, genomic sequencing, and the immunological profile of TNBC has led to the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors and targeted agents, including PARP inhibitors, further revolutionizing the therapeutic landscape of this clinical entity. However, subgroups most likely to benefit from these novel approaches in TNBC remain elusive and are being extensively studied. In this review, we describe current practices and promising therapeutic options on the horizon for TNBC, surgical advances, and future trends in molecular determinants of response to therapy in early-stage TNBC

Exogenously applied proline enhances Morph-Physiological responses and yield of Drought-Stressed maize plants grown under different irrigation systems

The exogenous application of osmoprotectants [e.g., proline (Pro)] is an important approach for alleviating the adverse effects of abiotic stresses on plants. Field trials were conducted during the summers of 2017 and 2018 to determine the effects of deficit irrigation and exogenous application of Pro on the productivity, morph-physiological responses, and yield of maize grown under two irrigation systems [surface irrigation (SI) and drip irrigation (DI)]. Three deficit irrigation levels (I100, I85, and I70, representing 100, 85, and 70% of crop evapotranspiration, respectively) and two concentrations of Pro (Pro1 = 2 mM and Pro2 = 4 mM) were used in this study. The plants exposed to drought stress showed a significant reduction in plant height, dry matter, leaf area, chlorophyll content [soil plant analysis development (SPAD)], quantum efficiency of photosystem II [Fv/Fm, Fv/F0, and performance index (PI)], water status [membrane stability index (MSI) and relative water content (RWC)], and grain yield. The DI system increased crop growth and yield and reduced the irrigation water input by 30% compared with the SI system. The growth, water status, and yield of plants significantly decreased with an increase in the water stress levels under the SI system. Under the irrigation systems tested in this study, Pro1 and Pro2 increased plant height by 16 and 18%, RWC by 7 and 10%, MSI by 6 and 12%, PI by 6 and 19%, chlorophyll fluorescence by 7 and 11%, relative chlorophyll content by 9 and 14%, and grain yield by 10 and 14%, respectively, compared with Pro0 control treatment (no Pro). The interaction of Pro2 at I100 irrigation level in DI resulted in the highest grain yield (8.42 t ha–1). However, under the DI or SI system, exogenously applied Pro2 at I85 irrigation level may be effective in achieving higher water productivity and yield without exerting any harmful effects on the growth or yield of maize under limited water conditions. Our results demonstrated the importance of the application of Pro as a tolerance inducer of drought stress in maize

Corporate governance disclosure index-executive pay nexus: the moderating effect of governance mechanisms

This paper first employs principal component analysis technique to develop and introduce an alternative UK corporate governance disclosure index to the US‐centric ones. Second, we then investigate whether this new corporate governance disclosure index can determine the level of executive pay (including CEOs, CFOs, and all executive directors) in UK listed firms, and consequently ascertain whether the governance mechanisms can moderate the pay‐for‐performance sensitivity. Employing data on corporate governance, executive pay and performance from 2008 to 2013, we find that, on average, better‐governed firms tend to pay their executives lower compared with their poorly‐governed counterparts. Additionally, our findings suggest that the pay‐for‐performance sensitivity is generally positive, but improves in firms with high corporate governance quality, implying that the pay‐for‐performance sensitivity is contingent on the quality of internal governance structures. We interpret our findings within the predictions of optimal contracting theory and managerial power hypothesis