AGILE ADOPTION IN INVESTMENT BANKS

Many companies and organizations, regardless of industries, countries, size, and cultures, are in the process of transiting from traditional project management methods to Agile. When it comes to financial industry, today’s investment banks, face more unstable market conditions, faster changes of worldwide politics, economies and technologies, stricter regulations, and greater pressure to meet customers’ requirements and sustain revenue growth. Investment banks are usually full-service global financial institutions, which provide advisory and financing banking services, as well as sales, market making, and research on financial products. Therefore, investment banks are in great need to transform from traditional PM concepts to Agile. However, a big issue in investment banks is the lack of applying Agile. To address this issue, this thesis is focusing on “what is the current status of adopting Agile in investment banks”, “why investment banks have not fully adopted Agile”, “why investment banks should adopt Agile methodology” and “how to apply agile in investment banks”. The research of this thesis will be conducted using two main approaches. To answer the first three questions mentioned above, two main approaches, researching the existing articles and questionnaire survey among the investment banks employees, will be used. Based on the findings and conclusions of the research and the survey, recommendations will be provided to address how investment banks can successfully apply Agile within the organization. The results of the research will be able to provide a guidance for investment banks on how to smoothly transit from traditional project management methods to Agile, and help to bring more attention to this topic and stimulate more related research in the future

\u3ci\u3eCamelina sativa\u3c/i\u3e promoters of seed development genes resemble \u3ci\u3eArabidopsis thaliana\u3c/i\u3e orthologs

Camelina sativa, a relative of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, has gained commercial interest in recent years for its seed oil. Camelina oil is a desirable ingredient in animal feed and for cooking due to its rich concentration of omega-3 fatty acids. It is also emerging as an eco-friendly jet biofuel. However, since C. sativa has only recently entered the public eye, regulation of its seed oil synthesis remains largely unexplored. A. thaliana, on the other hand, has been extensively studied. Promoters directly upstream of genes harbor hundreds of cis-acting regulatory DNA elements. These motifs are often tissue-specific and associated with specific biological processes. Many motifs are also induced by hormones, which regulate development. Comparing promoter motifs of four prominent seed development genes, FUS3, LEC1, LEC2, and ABI3, in A. thaliana to their orthologs in C. sativa revealed significant similarity between the two. This suggests that regulation of seed development in C. sativa may be similar to that of A. thaliana. Notably, seed-specific motifs associated with storage proteins and carbon metabolism are most highly represented in both species. However, C. sativa seed-specific promoters were found to harbor a greater composition of motifs induced by abscisic acid, which has been implicated in seed maturation and dormancy. Moving forward, expression analysis of these genes in various C. sativa tissue types will further validate their function. Understanding specific regulatory factors modulating seed development will reveal molecular targets to improve camelina oil yield for industrial applications

The effect of calcium phosphate nanoparticles on hormone production and apoptosis in human granulosa cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objectives</p> <p>Although many nanomaterials are being used in academia, industry and daily life, there is little understanding about the effects of nanoparticles on the reproductive health of vertebral animals, including human beings. An experimental study was therefore performed here to explore the effect of calcium phosphate nanoparticles on both steroid hormone production and apoptosis in human ovarian granulosa cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Calcium phosphate nanoparticles uptaking was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The cell cycle was assessed with propidium iodide-stained cells (distribution of cells in G0/G1, S, and G2/M phases) by flow cytometry. The pattern of cell death (necrosis and apoptosis) was analyzed by flow cytometry with annexin V-FITC/PI staining. The expression of mRNAs encoding P450scc, P450arom and StAR were determined by RT-PCR. Progesterone and estradiol levels were measured by radioimmunoassay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>TEM results confirmed that calcium phosphate nanoparticles could enter into granulosa cells, and distributed in the membranate compartments, including lysosome and mitochondria and intracellular vesicles. The increased percentage of cells in S phase when cultured with nanoparticles indicated that there was an arrest at the checkpoint from phase S-to-G2/M (from 6.28 +/- 1.55% to 11.18 +/- 1.73%, p < 0.05). The increased ratio of S/(G2/M) implied the inhibition of DNA synthesis and/or impairment in the transition of the S progression stage. The apoptosis rate of normal granulosa cells was 7.83 +/- 2.67%, the apoptotic rate increased to 16.53 +/- 5.56% (P < 0.05) after the cells were treated with 100 microM calcium phosphate nanoparticles for 48 hours. Treatment with calcium phosphate nanoparticles at concentrations of 10-100 microM didn't significantly change either the progesterone or estradiol levels in culture fluid, and the expression levels of mRNAs encoding P450scc, P450arom and StAR after 48 h and 72 h period of treatment.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Calcium phosphate nanoparticles interfered with cell cycle of cultured human ovarian granulosa cells thus increasing cell apoptosis. This pilot study suggested that effects of nanoparticles on ovarian function should be extensively investigated.</p

Dose-related liver injury of Geniposide associated with the alteration in bile acid synthesis and transportation.

Fructus Gardenia (FG), containing the major active constituent Geniposide, is widely used in China for medicinal purposes. Currently, clinical reports of FG toxicity have not been published, however, animal studies have shown FG or Geniposide can cause hepatotoxicity in rats. We investigated Geniposide-induced hepatic injury in male Sprague-Dawley rats after 3-day intragastric administration of 100 mg/kg or 300 mg/kg Geniposide. Changes in hepatic histomorphology, serum liver enzyme, serum and hepatic bile acid profiles, and hepatic bile acid synthesis and transportation gene expression were measured. The 300 mg/kg Geniposide caused liver injury evidenced by pathological changes and increases in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and γ-glutamytransferase (γ-GT). While liver, but not sera, total bile acids (TBAs) were increased 75% by this dose, dominated by increases in taurine-conjugated bile acids (t-CBAs). The 300 mg/kg Geniposide also down-regulated expression of Farnesoid X receptor (FXR), small heterodimer partner (SHP) and bile salt export pump (BSEP). In conclusion, 300 mg/kg Geniposide can induce liver injury with associated changes in bile acid regulating genes, leading to an accumulation of taurine conjugates in the rat liver. Taurocholic acid (TCA), taurochenodeoxycholic acid (TCDCA) as well as tauro-α-muricholic acid (T-α-MCA) are potential markers for Geniposide-induced hepatic damage

Live birth after fresh embryo transfer vs elective embryo cryopreservation/frozen embryo transfer in women with polycystic ovary syndrome undergoing IVF (FreFro-PCOS): study protocol for a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients are at increased risk of pregnancy complications, which may impair pregnancy outcome. Transfer of fresh embryos after superovulation may lead to abnormal implantation and placentation and further increase risk for pregnancy loss and complications. Some preliminary data suggest that elective embryo cryopreservation followed by frozen–thawed embryo transfer into a hormonally primed endometrium could result in a higher clinical pregnancy rate than that achieved by fresh embryo transfer. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled clinical trial (1:1 treatment ratio of fresh vs. elective frozen embryo transfers).. A total of 1,180 infertile PCOS patients undergoing the first cycle of in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection will be enrolled and randomized into two parallel groups. Participants in group A will undergo fresh embryo transfer on day 3 after oocyte retrieval, and participants in group B will undergo elective embryo cryopreservation after oocyte retrieval and frozen–thawed embryo transfer in programmed cycles. The primary outcome is the live birth rate. Our study is powered at 80 to detect an absolute difference of 10 at the significance level of 0.01 based on a two-sided test. DISCUSSION: We hypothesize that elective embryo cryopreservation and frozen–thawed embryo transfer will reduce the incidence of pregnancy complications and increase the live birth rate in PCOS patients who need IVF to achieve pregnancy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0184152

Temporal proteomic profiling reveals functional pathways in vaccinia virus-induced cell migration

IntroductionViral diseases have always been intricate and persistent issues throughout the world and there is a lack of holistic discoveries regarding the molecular dysregulations of virus-host interactions. The temporal proteomics strategy can identify various differentially expressed proteins and offer collaborated interaction networks under pathological conditions.MethodHerein, temporal proteomics at various hours post infection of Vero cells were launched to uncover molecular alternations during vaccinia virus (VACV)-induced cell migration. Different stages of infection were included to differentiate gene ontologies and critical pathways at specific time points of infection via bioinformatics.ResultsBioinformatic results showed functional and distinct ontologies and pathways at different stages of virus infection. The enrichment of interaction networks and pathways verified the significances of the regulation of actin cytoskeleton and lamellipodia during VACV-induced fast cell motility.DiscussionThe current results offer a systematic proteomic profiling of molecular dysregulations at different stages of VACV infection and potential biomedical targets for treating viral diseases

Report of the Topical Group on Electroweak Precision Physics and Constraining New Physics for Snowmass 2021

The precise measurement of physics observables and the test of their consistency within the standard model (SM) are an invaluable approach, complemented by direct searches for new particles, to determine the existence of physics beyond the standard model (BSM). Studies of massive electroweak gauge bosons (W and Z bosons) are a promising target for indirect BSM searches, since the interactions of photons and gluons are strongly constrained by the unbroken gauge symmetries. They can be divided into two categories: (a) Fermion scattering processes mediated by s- or t-channel W/Z bosons, also known as electroweak precision measurements; and (b) multi-boson processes, which include production of two or more vector bosons in fermion-antifermion annihilation, as well as vector boson scattering (VBS) processes. The latter categories can test modifications of gauge-boson self-interactions, and the sensitivity is typically improved with increased collision energy. This report evaluates the achievable precision of a range of future experiments, which depend on the statistics of the collected data sample, the experimental and theoretical systematic uncertainties, and their correlations. In addition it presents a combined interpretation of these results, together with similar studies in the Higgs and top sector, in the Standard Model effective field theory (SMEFT) framework. This framework provides a model-independent prescription to put generic constraints on new physics and to study and combine large sets of experimental observables, assuming that the new physics scales are significantly higher than the EW scale.Comment: 55 pages; Report of the EF04 topical group for Snowmass 202

Precision Higgs physics at the CEPC

The discovery of the Higgs boson with its mass around 125 GeV by the ATLAS and CMS Collaborations marked the beginning of a new era in high energy physics. The Higgs boson will be the subject of extensive studies of the ongoing LHC program. At the same time, lepton collider based Higgs factories have been proposed as a possible next step beyond the LHC, with its main goal to precisely measure the properties of the Higgs boson and probe potential new physics associated with the Higgs boson. The Circular Electron Positron Collider~(CEPC) is one of such proposed Higgs factories. The CEPC is an $e^+e^-$ circular collider proposed by and to be hosted in China. Located in a tunnel of approximately 100~km in circumference, it will operate at a center-of-mass energy of 240~GeV as the Higgs factory. In this paper, we present the first estimates on the precision of the Higgs boson property measurements achievable at the CEPC and discuss implications of these measurements.Comment: 46 pages, 37 figure

It Was All Planned . . . Now What? Claiming Agency in Later Life in Reforming China

This study explores the social construction of agency and wellbeing among 20 Chinese urban retirees aged between 50 and 82 years old (averaging 67), with a special focus on the impact of earlier life experiences in shaping later-life pathways. Today\u27s retirees in urban China have experienced the communist collectivist ideology during the Mao era as well as the changes to everyday life brought about by the economic transformation from centrally planned socialism to a market-orientated economy. Thereby, life in retirement for Chinese elders becomes more than just an issue of dealing with increases in discretionary time after exit from full-time work, but also one of making sense of their earlier life experiences in the midst of dramatic social changes. A grounded theory approach with semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews was used for data collection and analysis. Three interrelated themes emerged: (a) reminiscence as a mechanism of meaning-making, (b) discovery and exercise of agency in later life in contrast to a rigidly structured earlier life, and (c) varying pathways to constructing the life-stage of retirement. The findings have refuted gerontological literature and public discourse that often portray Chinese elders as passive care recipients or helpless dependants. Further, the present study has practical implications for developing policies, designing programmes and providing services to improve the quality of life for today\u27s older Chinese people

Toward a Discourse Shift in Social Gerontology: From Successful Aging to Harmonious Aging

Successful aging, though controversial, is used as an overarching conceptual framework in social gerontology. In this theory critique, the discourse of successful aging is identified as problematic with respect to four dimensions. First, successful aging is ageist in nature, and it produces a disharmony between body and mind. Second, successful aging,with the emphasis on quantifiable activities driven by the “busy ethic,” overlooks the deeper concern of quality experience. Third, the capitalist and consumerist components of successful aging are under-addressed. Fourth, successful aging is a discourse developed upon Western (specifically American) values and thus may not readily apply to other cultures. Harmonious aging, as proposed, is inspired by the Yin–Yang philosophy. Harmony refers to the balance based on differences instead of uniformity. This new discourse aims to recognize the challenges and opportunities of old age itself, ease the tension between activity and disengagement theories, heal the integrity of body and mind, and emphasize the interdependent nature of human beings. The call for the discourse shift attempts to promote intellectual exploration of what constitutes a good old age and to capture more cross-cultural diversities in the context of global aging. This theoretical endeavor is important to change the status quo of gerontology as being “data rich but theory poor,” and to contribute to cross-cultural gerontological research, education and communication