Search Results (8,502)

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a clinically and molecularly heterogeneous subtype defined by the absence of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression. In this study, tumor specimens from 104 TNBC patients were analyzed to characterize molecular and clinicopathological features and to assess the expression and therapeutic potential of four key surface markers: epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), tissue factor (TF), and trophoblast cell surface antigen (TROP2). Multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) demonstrated elevated EGFR and TROP2 expression in the majority of samples. Significant positive correlations were observed between EGFR and TF, as well as between TROP2 and both TF and EpCAM. Expression analyses revealed increased EGFR and TF levels with advancing tumor stage, whereas EpCAM expression declined in advanced-stage tumors. TROP2 and TF expression were significantly elevated in higher-grade tumors. Additionally, EGFR and EpCAM levels were significantly higher in patients with elevated Ki-67 indices. Binding specificity assays using single-chain variable fragment (scFv-SNAP) fusion proteins confirmed robust targeting efficacy, particularly for EGFR and TROP2. These findings underscore the therapeutic relevance of EGFR and TROP2 as potential biomarkers and targets in TNBC. Full article

This study explores how corporate governance reforms can enhance financial reporting quality and organizational transparency, focusing on Greece’s transition from Law 3016/2002 to Law 4706/2020. The legislative reform aimed to modernize governance structures, align national practices with international standards, and strengthen investor protection in a post-crisis economic environment. Moving beyond a simple legal comparison, the study examines how Law 3016/2002’s formal compliance model contrasts with Law 4706/2020’s more substantive accountability framework. We hypothesize that Law 4706/2020 introduces substantively stronger governance mechanisms than its predecessor, thereby improving transparency and investor protection, while compliance with the new law imposes materially greater administrative and financial burdens, especially on small- and mid-cap firms. Methodologically, the research employs a narrative literature review and a structured comparative legal analysis to assess the administrative and financial implications of the new law for publicly listed companies, focusing on board composition and diversity, internal controls, suitability policies, and disclosure requirements. Drawing on prior comparative evidence, we posit that Law 4706/2020 will foster governance and disclosure improvements, enhanced oversight, and clearer board roles. However, these measures also impose compliance burdens. Due to the heterogeneity of listed companies and the lack of firm-level data following Law 4706/2020’s implementation, the findings are neither fully generalizable nor quantifiable; future quantitative research using event studies or panel data is required to validate the hypotheses. We conclude that Greece’s new framework is a critical step toward sustainable corporate governance and more transparent financial reporting, offering regulators, practitioners, and scholars examining legal reform’s impact on governance effectiveness and financial reporting integrity. Full article

Achieving synergies between government-led and market-based policy instruments is critical to advancing Energy–Environmental Productivity and Sustainable Urban Development. This study investigates the effects of China’s dual-pilot energy policies (New Energy Demonstration Cities (NEDCs) and Energy Consumption Permit Trading (ECPT)) on urban environmental productivity (UEP) across 279 prefecture-level cities from 2006 to 2023. Utilizing a Non-Radial Directional Distance Function (NDDF) approach, combined with Difference-in-Differences (DID) estimation and spatial econometric models, the analysis reveals that these synergistic policies significantly enhance both comprehensive and net measures of UEP. Mechanism analysis highlights the roles of industrial restructuring, technological innovation, and energy transition in driving these improvements, while heterogeneity analysis indicates varying effects across different city types. Spatial spillover analysis further demonstrates that policy impacts extend beyond targeted cities, contributing to broader regional gains in UEP. These findings offer important insights for the design of integrated energy and environmental policies and support progress toward key Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7, SDG 11, and SDG 12). Full article

Urban infrastructure, such as water supply networks, sewage systems, and electricity networks, is essential for the functioning of cities and, consequently, for the well-being of citizens. Despite its essentiality, the distribution of infrastructure in urban areas is not homogeneous, especially in cities in developing countries. Socially vulnerable areas often face significant deficiencies in sewage and road paving, exacerbating urban inequalities. In this regard, urban planners must consider the multiple elements of urban infrastructure and assess the compensation levels between them to reduce inequality effectively. In particular, the complexity of the problem necessitates considering the multidimensionality and heterogeneity of urban infrastructure. This complexity qualifies the operational framework of composite indicators as the natural solution to the problem. This study develops a new weighting system for the balanced expansion of urban infrastructures through composite indicators constructed by the Ordered Weighted Average operator. Implementing these weighting systems provides an opportunity to analyze urban infrastructure from different perspectives, offering transparency regarding the weaknesses and strengths of each perspective. This prevents unreliable representations from being used in decision-making and provides a solid basis for allocating investments in urban infrastructure. In particular, the study suggests that adopting weighting systems that prioritize intermediate values and avoid extreme values can lead to better resource allocation, helping to identify areas with deficient infrastructure and promoting more equitable urban development. Full article

Amid intensifying global ESG regulations and the expanding influence of green finance, China’s digital economy policies have emerged as key institutional instruments for promoting corporate sustainability. Leveraging the implementation of the National Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Zone as a quasi-natural experiment, this study utilizes panel data of Chinese listed firms from 2009 to 2023 and applies multi-period Difference-in-Differences (DID) and Spatial DID models to rigorously identify the policy’s effects on corporate ESG performance. Empirical results indicate that the impact of digital economy policy is not exerted through a direct linear pathway but operates via three institutional mechanisms, enhanced information transparency, eased financing constraints, and expanded fiscal support, collectively constructing a logic of “institutional embedding–governance restructuring.” Moreover, disruptive technological innovation significantly amplifies the effects of the transparency and fiscal mechanisms, but exhibits no statistically significant moderating effect on the financing constraint pathway, suggesting a misalignment between innovation heterogeneity and financial responsiveness. Further heterogeneity analysis confirms that the policy effect is concentrated among firms characterized by robust governance structures, high levels of property rights marketization, and greater digital maturity. This study contributes to the literature by developing an integrated moderated mediation framework rooted in institutional theory, agency theory, and dynamic capabilities theory. The findings advance the theoretical understanding of ESG policy transmission by unpacking the micro-foundations of institutional response under digital policy regimes, while offering actionable insights into the strategic alignment of digital transformation and sustainability-oriented governance. Full article

Improving the green innovation quality (GIQ) of center cities is crucial to achieve sustainable urban agglomeration development. Utilizing data on green patent citations and economic indicators across cities in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration (YRD) from 2003 to 2022, this research examines the influence of center cities’ GIQ on the economic performance of peripheral municipalities. The results show the following: (1) Center cities’ GIQ exerts a significant suppressive effect on peripheral cities’ economic growth overall. Heterogeneity analysis uncovers a distance-dependent duality. GIQ stimulates growth in proximate cities (within 300 km) but suppresses it beyond this threshold. This spatial siphoning effect is notably amplified in national-level center cities. (2) Mechanisms suggest that GIQ accelerates the outflow of skilled labor in peripheral cities through factor agglomeration and industry transfer mechanisms. Concurrently, it impedes the gradient diffusion of urban services, collectively hindering peripheral development. (3) Increased government green attention (GGA) and industry–university–research cooperation (IURC) in centers can mitigate these negative impacts. This paper contributes to the theoretical discourse on center cities’ spatial externalities within agglomerations and offers empirical support and policy insights for the exertion of spillover effects of high-quality green innovation from center cities and the sustainable development of urban agglomeration. Full article

Urban health planning requires a multi-scalar understanding of the territory, capable of capturing socio-economic inequalities and health needs at the local level. In the case of Rome, current administrative subdivisions—Urban Zones (Zone Urbanistiche)—are too large and internally heterogeneous to serve as effective units for equitable health planning. This study presents a methodology for the territorial redefinition of Rome’s Municipality III, aimed at supporting healthcare planning through an integrated analysis of census sections. These were grouped using a combination of census-based socio-demographic indicators (educational attainment, employment status, single-person households) and real estate values (OMI data), alongside administrative and road network data. The resulting territorial units—21 newly defined Mesoareas—are smaller than Urban Zones but larger than individual census sections and correspond to socio-territorially homogeneous neighborhoods; this structure enables a more nuanced spatial understanding of health-related inequalities. The proposed model is replicable, adaptable to other urban contexts, and offers a solid analytical basis for more equitable and targeted health planning, as well as for broader urban policy interventions aimed at promoting spatial justice. Full article

This study endeavors to elucidate the mechanisms and pathways through which the digital economy shapes agricultural green development, providing theoretical underpinnings and practical guidance for the green transformation of regional agriculture. (1) Using panel data from 18 prefecture-level cities in Sichuan Province (2013–2022), a comprehensive evaluation index system for agricultural green development was formulated. Fixed-effects, mediating-effects, and threshold-effects models were employed to systematically analyze the direct effects, transmission pathways, and nonlinear characteristics of the digital economy on agricultural green development. (2) The fixed-effects model shows that the digital economy markedly propels agricultural green development in Sichuan Province. The mediating-effects model verifies two transmission pathways: “digital economy → technological progression → agricultural green development” and “digital economy → industrial structure upgrading → agricultural green development”. The threshold-effects model suggests that when the digital economy is in the low-threshold interval, it exerts a suppressive impact on agricultural green development; however, once the threshold is surpassed, its promoting effect strengthens significantly. (3) The results demonstrate the following findings: First, the digital economy exerts a significant positive effect on agricultural green development. Second, this promoting effect exhibits significant nonlinear characteristics that vary with the level of digital economy development. Third, the impact manifests remarkable regional heterogeneity, necessitating context-specific development strategies. (4) Five optimization recommendations are proposed: promote the categorized development of agricultural digital technologies and industrial upgrading; advance digital infrastructure and technology adaptation in phases; design differentiated regional policies; establish a hierarchical and classified long-term guarantee mechanism; and strengthen the “industry-university-research-application” collaborative innovation and dynamic monitoring system. Full article

Against the backdrop of China’s fast-growing digital economy and its financial inclusion agenda, there is still little city-level evidence on whether the e-CNY pilot accelerates financial deepening at the grassroots. Using a balanced panel of 271 prefecture-and-above cities for 2016–2022, this study employs a staggered difference-in-differences (SDID) design augmented by the synthetic control method (SCM) to rigorously identify the policy effect of the e-CNY pilot. The results show that the pilot program significantly improves urban financial inclusion, contributing to more equitable access to financial services and supporting inclusive socio-economic development. Mechanism analysis suggests that the effect operates mainly through two channels, a merchant-coverage channel and a transaction-scale channel, with the former contributing the majority of the overall effect. Incorporating a migration-based mobility index shows that most studies’ focus on the merchant-coverage effect is amplified in cities under tight mobility restrictions but wanes where commercial networks are already saturated, whereas the transaction-scale channel is largely insensitive to mobility shocks. Heterogeneity tests further indicate stronger gains in non-provincial capital cities and in the eastern and central regions. Overall, the study uncovers a “penetration-inclusion” network logic and provides policy insights for advancing sustainable financial inclusion through optimized terminal deployment, merchant incentives, and diversified scenario design. Full article

Due to the limited endurance of UAVs, especially in scenarios involving large areas and dense target nodes, it is challenging for multiple UAVs to complete diverse tasks while ensuring timely execution. Toward this, we propose a cross-platform system consisting of an aircraft carrier (AC) and multiple UAVs, which makes unified task planning for included heterogeneous platforms to maximize the efficiency of the entire combat system. The carrier-based UAV swarm mission planning problem is formulated to minimize completion time and resource utilization, taking into account large-scale targets, multi-type tasks, and multi-obstacle environments. Since the problem is complex, we design a decoupled framework to simplify the solution by decomposing it into two levels: upper-level AC path planning and bottom-level multi-UAV cooperative mission planning. At the upper level, a drop point determination method and a discrete genetic algorithm incorporating improved A* (DGAIIA) are proposed to plan the AC’s path in the presence of no-fly zones and radar threats. At the bottom level, an improved differential evolution algorithm with a market mechanism (IDEMM) is proposed to minimize task completion time and maximize UAV utilization. Specifically, a dual-switching search strategy and a neighborhood-first buying-and-selling mechanism are developed to improve the search efficiency of the IDEMM. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of both the DGAIIA and IDEMM. An animation of the simulation results is available at simulation section. Full article

Promoting the sustainable development of virtual water trade is of great significance to safeguarding China’s water resource security and balanced regional economic growth. This study analyzes the virtual water trade network among 31 Chinese provinces based on multi-regional input–output tables from 2012, 2015, and 2017, using total trade decomposition, social network analysis, and exponential random graph models. The key findings are as follows: (1) The total virtual water trade volume remains stable, with Xinjiang, Jiangsu, and Guangdong as the core regions, while remote areas such as Shaanxi and Gansu have lower trade volumes. The primary industry dominates, and it is driven by simple value chains. (2) Provinces such as Xinjiang, Heilongjiang, and Jiangsu form the network’s core. Network density and symmetry increased from 2012 to 2015 but declined slightly in 2017, with efficiency peaking and then dropping, and the clustering coefficient decreased annually. Four economic sectors exhibit distinct interactions: frequent two-way flows in Sector 1, significant inflows in Sector 2, prominent net spillovers in Sector 3, and key brokers in Sector 4. (3) The network evolved from a core-periphery structure with weak ties to a stable, heterogeneous, and resilient system. (4) Influencing factors, such asper capita water resources, economic development, and population, significantly impact trade. Similarities in economic levels, population, and water endowments promote trade, while spatial distance has a limited effect, with geographic proximity showing a significant negative impact on long-distance trade. Full article

Background: Colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) represents a major clinical challenge in oncology, affecting 25–50% of colorectal cancer patients and significantly impacting survival. While multimodal therapies—including surgical resection, systemic chemotherapy, and local ablative techniques—have improved outcomes, prognosis remains heterogeneous due to variations in tumor biology, patient factors, and institutional practices. Methods: This review synthesizes current evidence on prognostic factors influencing CRLM management, encompassing clinical (e.g., tumor burden, anatomic distribution, timing of metastases), biological (e.g., CEA levels, inflammatory markers), and molecular (e.g., RAS/BRAF mutations, MSI status, HER2 alterations) determinants. Results: Key findings highlight the critical role of molecular profiling in guiding therapeutic decisions, with RAS/BRAF mutations predicting resistance to anti-EGFR therapies and MSI-H status indicating potential responsiveness to immunotherapy. Emerging tools like circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and radiomics offer promise for dynamic risk stratification and early recurrence detection, while the gut microbiome is increasingly recognized as a modulator of treatment response. Conclusions: Despite advancements, challenges persist in standardizing resectability criteria and integrating multidisciplinary approaches. Current guidelines (NCCN, ESMO, ASCO) emphasize personalized strategies but lack granularity in terms of incorporating novel biomarkers. This exhaustive review underscores the imperative for the development of a unified, biomarker-integrated framework to refine CRLM management and improve long-term outcomes. Full article

The development of the Great Wall National Cultural Park has unleashed the potential for integrating cultural and tourism development along the Great Wall. However, ICH along the Great Wall, a key part of its cultural identity, suffers from low recognition and a mismatch between protection and development efforts. This study analyzes provincial-level and above ICH along Hebei’s Great Wall using geospatial tools and the Geographical Detector model to explore distribution patterns and influencing factors, while Geographically Weighted Regression is utilized to reveal spatial heterogeneity. It tests two hypotheses: (H1) ICH shows a clustered pattern; (H2) economic factors have a greater impact than cultural and natural factors. Key findings show: (1) ICH distribution is numerically balanced north–south but spatially uneven, with dense clusters in the south and scattered patterns in the north. (2) ICH and crafts cluster significantly, while dramatic balladry spreads evenly, and other categories are random. (3) Average annual temperature and precipitation have the greatest impact on ICH distribution, with the factors ranked as: natural > cultural > economic. Multidimensional interactions show significant enhancement effects. (4) Influencing factors vary spatially. Population density, transport, temperature, and traditional villages are positively related to ICH. Elevation, precipitation, tourism, and cultural institutions show mixed effects across regions. These insights support targeted ICH conservation and sustainable development in the Great Wall cultural corridor. Full article

This study investigates the behavior of phosphate ion transport through two structurally distinct anion-exchange membranes—AMV (homogeneous) and HC-A (heterogeneous)—in an electrodialysis system under both static and stirred conditions at varying pH levels. Chronopotentiometric and current–voltage analyses were used to investigate the influence of pH and hydrodynamics on ion transport. Under underlimiting (ohmic) conditions, the AMV membrane exhibited simultaneous transport of H₂PO₄⁻ and HPO₄²⁻ ions at neutral and mildly alkaline pH, while such behavior was not verified at acidic pH and in all cases for the HC-A membrane. Under overlimiting current conditions, AMV favored electroconvection at low pH and exhibited significant water dissociation at high pH, leading to local pH shifts and chemical equilibrium displacement at the membrane–solution interface. In contrast, the HC-A membrane operated predominantly under strong electroconvective regimes, regardless of the pH value, without evidence of water dissociation or equilibrium change phenomena. Stirring significantly impacted the electrochemical responses: it altered the chronopotentiogram profiles through the emergence of intense oscillations in membrane potential drop at overlimiting currents and modified the current–voltage behavior by increasing the limiting current density, reducing electrical resistance, and compressing the plateau region that separates ohmic and overlimiting regimes. Additionally, both membranes showed signs of NH₃ formation at the anodic-side interface under pH 7–8, associated with increased electrical resistance. These findings reveal distinct ionic transport characteristics and hydrodynamic sensitivities of the membranes, thus providing valuable insights for optimizing phosphate recovery via electrodialysis. Full article

This paper examines the farming systems and operational structures in the Region of Western Macedonia (RWM), Greece and constructs a typology of farms based on structural, operational, and socio-economic characteristics. Agriculture remains a vital pillar of the regional economy, particularly in the context of RWM’s ongoing transition to a post-lignite development model. Using farm-level data from the 2018 Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) identified four latent dimensions of farm heterogeneity—income and productivity, asset base, land size, and labour structure. Hierarchical and K-means cluster analysis revealed three distinct farm types: (1) medium-sized, high-efficiency farms with moderate reliance on subsidies (30% of the sample); (2) small-scale, family farms with modest productivity and limited capitalisation (48%); and (3) large, asset-rich farms exhibiting structural inefficiencies and lower output per hectare (22%). These findings highlight structural vulnerabilities, particularly the predominance of undercapitalised smallholdings, and provide a data-driven foundation for Thdesigning differentiated policies that support farm resilience, generational renewal, and sustainable rural development. Full article