Breadth Of Coverage Research Articles

Digital divide or dividend? The impact of digital finance on the migrants' entrepreneurship in less developed regions of China

Entrepreneurial activity has been documented as an important mechanism to achieve poverty alleviation. In line with this, providing access to entrepreneurial finance for disadvantaged groups has been a prominent policy tool. The advent of digital finance may prove a game changer in that it could substantially lower the threshold to access entrepreneurial finance, particularly for disadvantaged entrepreneur who have a hard time accessing formal sources of finance. This study explores whether the availability of digital finance indeed increases the propensity and the quality of entrepreneurship among Chinese migrants. The paper applies data of the China Migrants Dynamic Survey in 2018 and the China's digital financial inclusion index. The results show that local digital financial development is indeed positively associated with entrepreneurial probability and quality. Moreover, the three sub-dimensions of digital finance (e.g., breadth of coverage, depth of use and level of digitization) also increase the likelihood of migrants' entrepreneurship. From the perspective of entrepreneurial motivation, digital finance has a significant positive impact on not only the migrants' choice of necessity-based entrepreneurship, but also on the selection of opportunity-based entrepreneurship. In addition, this paper finds that the facilitating role of digital finance on entrepreneurship is more prominent for migrants who lived in rural regions, with lower educational levels, experienced cross-provincial mobility, not belonging to a member of party organization and whose parents do not have good education background and local hukou, which reflects the inclusiveness of digital finance in reversing the financing disadvantage of vulnerable groups. Though this study is set in the context of China, the principle that access to digital finance increases the propensity of entrepreneurship as well as its quality likely translates to other contexts in the developing world.

Research on the impact of digital inclusive finance on rural human capital accumulation: A case study of China

The accumulation of rural human capital is one of the important factors to realize the sustainable development of the rural economy. Digital inclusive finance eases the budget constraints of farmers and affects their willingness and ability to invest in education which improves human capital accumulation. The impact of digital inclusive finance on rural human capital accumulation is strong but complex to determine. Based on the data from 31 provinces of China from 2011 to 2020, this study uses the systematic Generalized Moment Method (GMM) to build an analytical framework to explore the impact mechanism and differences of digital inclusive finance over the rural human capital accumulation regional levels. The study found that with the development of digital inclusive finance and the expansion of the breadth of coverage, and usage of digital inclusive finance can significantly enhance the accumulation of rural human capital. In terms of regional differences, the boosting effect of digital inclusive finance on rural human capital accumulation is greater in the Northeast than that in the Central, Western and Eastern regions of China. The impact of the extent of digital inclusive finance coverage on rural human capital accumulation is significantly greater in Northeast and Eastern regions than in Central and Western regions; the impact of the depth of digital inclusive finance usage on rural human capital accumulation is limited in Central China. Its findings and results can help to further develop digital inclusive finance, particularly for human capital accumulation in rural areas.

Impact of digital finance on energy efficiency: empirical findings from China.

The world is facing the problem of resource scarcity and environmental degradation. Improving energy efficiency is an effective way to reduce energy consumption and reduce pollutant emissions. Based on relevant data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2019, this paper constructs energy efficiency indicators by establishing a super-efficient three-stage SBM-DEA model. It explores the impact of digital finance on energy efficiency using a systematic generalized moment estimation method and constructs an analytical framework for the impact of digital inclusive finance on energy efficiency from the breadth of coverage, depth of use, and degree of digitization of digital inclusive finance. In addition, this paper examines the differences in the impact of digital inclusive finance on energy efficiency from a sub-regional perspective. Research indicates the following: (1) At the national level, the relationship between digital inclusive finance development and energy efficiency in China shows an inverted “U”-shape; the breadth of digital financial coverage, the use of digital insurance services and digital credit services, and the degree of digitalization of digital finance all have significant effects on energy efficiency. (2) From a regional perspective, the impact of digital inclusive finance on energy efficiency has regional heterogeneity. Based on this finding, first, the government should speed up the construction of digital financial infrastructure to promote the further development of digital finance. Second, the government should take appropriate measures to regulate industry giants. Third, the government should adjust measures to local conditions when formulating policies. The above research has certain implications for improving the targeting of digital finance–related policies and promoting the high-quality development of China’s economy.

How does digital finance influence green technology innovation in China? Evidence from the financing constraints perspective

Green innovation activities of enterprises often fall into the dilemma of financing constraints. Hence, it is urgent that the financial system develops and becomes innovative, especially for a developing country like China. Existing literature mainly explores the influencing factors of green innovation from the environmental regulation, economic growth and government subsidies perspective. However, few papers critically study how digital finance influences green innovations. To explore the internal influencing mechanism of digital finance on the quantity and quality of green technology innovation, panel data of 271 prefecture-level cities from 2011 to 2019 in China is used. Based on theoretical analysis and empirical research, we get the following conclusions. First, digital finance can improve the quantity and quality of green technological innovation, which has become a significant driving force for green innovations in China. The results are still robust after the endogeneity tests. Second, the results of heterogeneous analysis indicate that the different dimensions of digital finance can improve green innovations. They include breadth of coverage, depth of use, and degree of digitization. The positive effect of digital finance is most substantial in eastern cities, followed by central cities, and weakest in western cities. Third, digital finance indirectly improves green innovation mainly by alleviating financing constraints. Our empirical results provide policy enlightenment for realizing the coordination of China's urban digital transformation and green economic development.

MicroTrait: A Toolset for a Trait-Based Representation of Microbial Genomes.

Remote sensing approaches have revolutionized the study of macroorganisms, allowing theories of population and community ecology to be tested across increasingly larger scales without much compromise in resolution of biological complexity. In microbial ecology, our remote window into the ecology of microorganisms is through the lens of genome sequencing. For microbial organisms, recent evidence from genomes recovered from metagenomic samples corroborate a highly complex view of their metabolic diversity and other associated traits which map into high physiological complexity. Regardless, during the first decades of this omics era, microbial ecological research has primarily focused on taxa and functional genes as ecological units, favoring breadth of coverage over resolution of biological complexity manifested as physiological diversity. Recently, the rate at which provisional draft genomes are generated has increased substantially, giving new insights into ecological processes and interactions. From a genotype perspective, the wide availability of genome-centric data requires new data synthesis approaches that place organismal genomes center stage in the study of environmental roles and functional performance. Extraction of ecologically relevant traits from microbial genomes will be essential to the future of microbial ecological research. Here, we present microTrait, a computational pipeline that infers and distills ecologically relevant traits from microbial genome sequences. microTrait maps a genome sequence into a trait space, including discrete and continuous traits, as well as simple and composite. Traits are inferred from genes and pathways representing energetic, resource acquisition, and stress tolerance mechanisms, while genome-wide signatures are used to infer composite, or life history, traits of microorganisms. This approach is extensible to any microbial habitat, although we provide initial examples of this approach with reference to soil microbiomes.

Quality of life (QoL) for people with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC): a pragmatic strategy for identifying relevant QoL issues for rare disease

BackgroundPrimary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a rare incurable disease of the bile ducts and liver which can significantly impair quality of life (QoL). No existing QoL tools are entirely suitable for people living with PSC (PwPSC). We aimed to develop a measure of QoL for PwPSC in the UK, beginning by identifying relevant QoL issues. This paper describes our approach to this first stage, and discusses related benefits and limitations.MethodsScientific consensus on how to reliably stage PSC is lacking, due to its rarity and heterogeneity. We initially hypothesised four categories for PSC severity. After beginning the study, these were revised to six. For such a rare disease, the study could not recruit sufficient participants in each of these categories, particularly the more severe, in the time available. We therefore modified the design, adapting standard methodology for identifying potentially relevant issues. We started by conducting a thematic analysis of data from a previous survey of PwPSC, and extracting QoL issues from a literature review of QoL questionnaires of relevance to PwPSC. We then conducted group and individual interviews with PwPSC and clinicians, investigating the relevance, importance, phrasing, and breadth of coverage of issues identified. We also explored the validity of our hypothesised categories for disease severity.ResultsWe identified 1,052 potentially relevant QoL issues from the survey and literature review and took 396 of these forwards for discussion with 28 PwPSC. We found 168/396 issues were considered relevant by ≥ 60% of these participants. We then discussed this subset of 168 issues with 11 clinicians. PSC and clinician participants identified some problematic phrasing with 19 issues, due to potential upset (n = 12) or problems with understanding (n = 7). We included one new issue from those suggested.ConclusionWe identified a range of QoL issues relevant to PwPSC, with a good breadth of coverage, although lacking an in-depth understanding of the PSC experience. Our strategy effectively identified relevant QoL issues for people living with this rare condition, for which there is no consensus on stratifying for its severity. This strategy should however be considered specific to such circumstances, not a general recommendation for an alternative approach.

Digital Inclusive Finance Data Mining and Model-Driven Analysis of the Impact of Urban-Rural Income Gap

Digital inclusive finance, rural human capital, and agricultural green total factor productivity are simultaneously incorporated into the framework of urban-rural income gap analysis. Based on digital inclusive finance indices from several provincial panel data in China, a systematic generalized moment estimation method is used to the moderating effect of rural human capital and the mediating role of agricultural green total factor productivity. Annual time series data of foreign trade indicators and urban-rural income gap indicators are estimated by building a state-space model and applying Kalman filter to investigate the effects of these factors on the urban-rural income gap. The results show that the impact of urban-rural fixed asset investment ratio and foreign trade indicator on the urban-rural income gap in China tends to increase gradually, while the impact of rural financial development indicator is decreasing but still positive. The study finds that the development of digital inclusive finance significantly contributes to the reduction of the income gap between urban and rural residents; the breadth of coverage of digital inclusive finance and the degree of digitalization help to suppress the widening of the income gap between urban and rural residents; and rural health-based human capital, education and training-based human capital, and migration-based human capital not only have a convergence effect on the income gap between urban and rural residents themselves.

Sea Change: Ottoman Textiles between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean

Sea Change: Ottoman Textiles between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean

Н. Н. Страхов как критик: уроки сегодняшнего дня

The article reveals the essence of the phenomenon of Nikolay Strakhov as a critic, namely, the unique breadth of coverage of the material combined with the depth of analysis, a benevolent attitude towards writers and a high degree of responsibility towards Russian national literature. This is demonstrated using examples from the works of Nikolay Strakhov, little involved in the usual citation. It is thought that the qualities of the critic were due to the fact that Nikolay Strakhov was not only an outstanding critic, but also an outstanding philosopher. His attitude to man, empiricism, death, poetry – to everything that he studied, was truly philosophical. This is shown on the materials of various articles by N. Strakhov. Analogies are made with contemporary critical literature, emphasizing its philosophical message, but it is said that there are no generalizing works of Strakhov's level.

Selective ablation of 3' RNA ends and processive RTs facilitate direct cDNA sequencing of full-length host cell and viral transcripts.

Alternative splicing (AS) is necessary for viral proliferation in host cells and a critical regulatory component of viral gene expression. Conventional RNA-seq approaches provide incomplete coverage of AS due to their short read lengths and are susceptible to biases and artifacts introduced in prevailing library preparation methodologies. Moreover, viral splicing studies are often conducted separately from host cell transcriptome analysis, precluding an assessment of the viral manipulation of host splicing machinery. To address current limitations, we developed a quantitative full-length direct cDNA sequencing strategy to simultaneously profile viral and host cell transcripts. This nanopore-based approach couples processive reverse transcriptases with a novel one-step chemical ablation of 3′ RNA ends (termed CASPR), which decreases ribosomal RNA reads and enriches polyadenylated coding sequences. We extensively validate our approach using synthetic reference transcripts and show that CASPR doubles the breadth of coverage per transcript and increases detection of long transcripts (>4 kb), while being functionally equivalent to PolyA+ selection for transcript quantification. We used our approach to interrogate host cell and HIV-1 transcript dynamics during viral reactivation and identified novel putative HIV-1 host factors containing exon skipping or novel intron retentions and delineated the HIV-1 transcriptional state associated with these differentially regulated host factors.

Peptide-Antibody Fusions Engineered by Phage Display Exhibit an Ultrapotent and Broad Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 Variants.

The spread of COVID-19 has been exacerbated by the emergence of variants of concern (VoC). Many VoC contain mutations in the spike protein (S-protein) and are implicated in infection and response to therapeutics. Bivalent neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) targeting the S-protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) are promising therapeutics for COVID-19, but they are limited by low potency and vulnerability to RBD mutations in VoC. To address these issues, we used naïve phage-displayed peptide libraries to isolate and optimize 16-residue peptides that bind to the RBD or the N-terminal domain (NTD) of the S-protein. We fused these peptides to the N-terminus of a moderate-affinity nAb to generate tetravalent peptide–IgG fusions, and we showed that both classes of peptides were able to improve affinities for the S-protein trimer by >100-fold (apparent KD < 1 pM). Critically, cell-based infection assays with a panel of six SARS-CoV-2 variants demonstrated that an RBD-binding peptide was able to enhance the neutralization potency of a high-affinity nAb >100-fold. Moreover, this peptide–IgG was able to neutralize variants that were resistant to the same nAb in the bivalent IgG format, including the dominant B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant that is resistant to most clinically approved therapeutic nAbs. To show that this approach is general, we fused the same peptide to a clinically approved nAb drug and showed that it enabled the neutralization of a resistant variant. Taken together, these results establish minimal peptide fusions as a modular means to greatly enhance affinities, potencies, and breadth of coverage of nAbs as therapeutics for SARS-CoV-2.

Abstract 4190: Combining dual CAR iPSC-derived immune cells with antibody for multi-antigen targeting to overcome clonal resistance in multiple myeloma

Abstract Resistance to CAR-T cell therapy through antigen loss and clonal heterogeneity is a major limiting factor in achieving durable responses, even in highly persistent cell therapies. Simultaneous targeting of multiple tumor antigens with a single therapeutic modality offers the potential to treat heterogeneous tumor populations, prevent antigen escape, and induce durable clinical remission. Here, we demonstrate the application of a unique dual-CAR approach simultaneously targeting two tumor associated antigens (TAA) for the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) using an off-the-shelf induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived NK cell platform. The iPSC background has been functionally enhanced and can be combined with therapeutic antibodies. A CAR targeting B cell maturation antigen (BCMA), a well-defined TAA in MM, was designed utilizing a previously published high-affinity binding sequence shown to exhibit high selectivity to BCMA with enhanced recognition of low-BCMA expressing myeloma cells (Bluhm et al., Molec Ther 2018). This CAR was combined with a companion CAR targeting the pan-TAAs, MICA and MICB. The CAR binding sequence targets the conserved α3 domain of MICA/MICB, which we have previously shown to inhibit MICA/B shedding by blocking the putative cleavage site (Andrade et al., Science 2018). The designed anti-MICA/B-α3 CAR exhibits selective targeting potential against a broad range of tumor types. To determine the suitability of co-targeting BCMA and MICA/B in MM, we surveyed surface expression of BCMA and MICA/B on a variety of MM cancer cell lines and observed a complimentary pattern of co-expression compatible with a dual-CAR to broaden the targeting approach of malignant plasma cells. In a reductionist approach, dual CAR-iNK cells exhibited antigen-specific activation, degranulation and cytotoxicity against a Nalm6 target line constitutively expressing the BCMA and MICA/B. Similar trends were observed in a series of long-term cytotoxicity assays against several MM lines, consistent with antibody staining on target cells, illustrating that co-targeting of MICA/B and BCMA expands the breadth of coverage against MM. Known modulators of antigen expression were tested for their ability to provide further depth of response, and therapeutic antibodies such as anti-CD38 were tested in combination to exploit the non-cleavable CD16 and CD38KO edits in the iPSC backbone. These combinations were further tested in vivo against a disseminated model of multiple myeloma where BCMA/MICA dual CAR-iNK cells demonstrated superior tumor control relative to single-CAR controls, and TGI was augmented with the addition of Daratumamab. These data highlight the applicability of a multi-targeted approach in MM patients, whereby MM dual-CAR NK and/or T cells maintain responsiveness to malignant cells that shed or downregulate tumor antigens to evade treatment. Citation Format: Ketan Mathavan, John Reiser, Sajid Mahmood, Yijia Pan, Bryan Hancock, Robert Blum, Wen-I Yeh, Andrew Houk, Chia-Wei Chang, Tom Lee, Bobby Goulding, Jode Goodridge, Ryan Bjordahl, Bahram Valamehr, Uta Hoepken, Armin Rehm, Kai Wucherpfennig. Combining dual CAR iPSC-derived immune cells with antibody for multi-antigen targeting to overcome clonal resistance in multiple myeloma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 4190.

Whole genome sequences of Treponema pallidum subsp. endemicum isolated from Cuban patients: The non-clonal character of isolates suggests a persistent human infection rather than a single outbreak.

Bejel (endemic syphilis) is a neglected non-venereal disease caused by Treponema pallidum subsp. endemicum (TEN). Although it is mostly present in hot, dry climates, a few cases have been found outside of these areas. The aim of this work was the sequencing and analysis of TEN isolates obtained from “syphilis patients” in Cuba, which is not considered an endemic area for bejel. Genomes were obtained by pool segment genome sequencing or direct sequencing methods, and the bioinformatics analysis was performed according to an established pipeline. We obtained four genomes with 100%, 81.7%, 52.6%, and 21.1% breadth of coverage, respectively. The sequenced genomes revealed a non-clonal character, with nucleotide variability ranging between 0.2–10.3 nucleotide substitutions per 100 kbp among the TEN isolates. Nucleotide changes affected 27 genes, and the analysis of the completely sequenced genome also showed a recombination event between tprC and tprI, in TP0488 as well as in the intergenic region between TP0127–TP0129. Despite limitations in the quality of samples affecting breadth of sequencing coverage, the determined non-clonal character of the isolates suggests a persistent infection in the Cuban population rather than a single outbreak caused by imported case.

Digital Economy Empowers Common Prosperity: Theoretical Basis, Mechanism and Space-Time Evolution

Based on the provincial panel data of China from 2011 to 2020, we first fit the common prosperity index by using entropy weight method, then establishes a benchmark regression to explore the relationship between digital inclusive finance and common prosperity, and conducts a spatial expansion. The research results show that digital inclusive finance can help promote common prosperity, among which the dimension of coverage breadth is still the main driving force. However, at current stage, the development of digital inclusive finance in other provinces can only manage to improve the level of common prosperity in their own provinces, and cannot yet produce positive spillover effects on other provinces. Therefore, in order to achieve coordinated regional development and bridge the "digital divide", the development of digital inclusive finance should be transformed from the breadth of coverage to the depth of use as soon as possible, and while the western region is vigorously building digital infrastructure, the digitalization of the eastern region should be enhanced.

Bandits, pirates et hors-la-loi au temps des Lumières. Par Lise Andries

This fascinating study explores the cultural phenomenon of the outlaw in the long eighteenth century in France. As the title suggests, it presents a typology of criminals as well as their privileged topographies. It constitutes an excellent overview of its subject, ranging historically from the mid-seventeenth to the early nineteenth century and taking in not only France but also eighteenth-century Britain. Issues of gender and criminality are also usefully addressed. The breadth of coverage necessarily leads to occasional repetitions and the overall structure of the study is not always clear, something made worse by the lack of a conclusion. Nonetheless, the extensive bibliography, handily divided into subsections, indicates insightful further reading both in key primary sources and the most relevant and recent critical literature on the topic. What emerges consistently is that eighteenth-century outlaws operated primarily in liminal spaces, across borders of various sorts, often in the half-light of dawn or dusk, and they came into their own in the equally liminal imaginative space between fact and fiction, where the bourgeoning press culture met the popular literary forms of the ballad, memoir, and novel. This is particularly the case in England, where a more open judicial system, court reports, greater press and publishing freedoms, and rapid urbanization gave the figure of the contemporary outlaw more realism as well as a more prevalent place in the social imaginary than was the case in France. The pirate in particular is an English outlaw archetype whose heyday was the late seventeenth century, although Lise Andries makes pertinent distinctions between the very different forms of piracy operative in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean at the time. What is true for both France and England is that the outlaw gives real and fictional voice to alternative social values, challenging those of the prevailing order, as Andries demonstrates with her interesting survey of criminal types in Robert Challe, Alain-René Lesage, Prévost, Diderot, and Sade. By the time of the Revolution, the outlaw in France had become an autonomous literary creation, only to be reinvented again in light of the more radical political and social upheavals of the 1790s. While Andries never loses sight of the nasty, brutish, short lives of eighteenth-century criminals — their violence matched, and often surpassed, by that of the state and its officials — she makes a strong case for outlaw collectives offering thrillingly attractive counter-societies for many of their contemporaries. From the real-life cours des Miracles to the fabled pirate republics, these alternative communities are more nostalgic of lost golden ages than they are revolutionary. The exception, however, was Louis Mandrin’s popular banditry against the hated tax officials of the Ferme générale. Indeed, the most intriguing, enlightening chapter in the book is devoted to outlaw economies. It argues perceptively that colonial and metropolitan smuggling was an important motor for the modernization and liberalization of the French economy, since it flooded the market with ‘de-taxed’ goods and increased their circulation substantially. This is one insight among many in this informative, wide-ranging study.

Ultrapotent and broad neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 variants by modular, tetravalent, bi-paratopic antibodies.

Neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) that target the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein have received emergency use approval for treatment of COVID-19. However, with the emergence of variants of concern, there is a need for new treatment options. We report a format that enables modular assembly of bi-paratopic tetravalent nAbs with antigen-binding sites from two distinct nAbs. The tetravalent nAb purifies in high yield and exhibits biophysical characteristics that are comparable to those of clinically used therapeutic antibodies. The tetravalent nAb binds to the spike protein trimer at least 100-fold more tightly than bivalent IgGs (apparent KD < 1 pM) and neutralizes a broad array of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses, chimeric viruses, and authentic viral variants with high potency. Together, these results establish the tetravalent diabody-Fc-Fab as a robust, modular platform for rapid production of drug-grade nAbs with potencies and breadth of coverage that greatly exceed those of conventional bivalent IgGs.

Differential Immune Response to Klebsiella pneumoniae O-antigen subtypes O2v1 and O2v2

Abstract Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) infections are sharply on the rise among at-risk populations. We have previously shown that use of bioconjugate vaccines targeting Kp are beneficial in preventing disease and seek to increase our vaccine breadth of coverage. Kp has nine serogroups of O-antigens. Recently, additional O-antigen subtypes within these serogroups have been identified; yet, the pathogenic fitness, immunogenicity, functional antibody response, and cross-protection between subtypes is unknown. We investigated how the addition of the single branched galactose in O-antigen subtype O2v2 compared to O2v1 changes its bacterial fitness and host immune susceptibility. We knocked out the gmlABC region of an O2v2 strain of Kp, converting it to O2v1. Complementation of this mutant allowed us to identify the specific gene responsible for the addition of the single branched galactose of O2v2. Further, experiments using the O2v1 mutant and its parent O2v2 strain confirmed similar phenotypic expression of virulence factors beyond the O-antigen. Well-established murine models of pneumonia were used to determine the pulmonary fitness of the pathogens and assess the host innate immune responses. Neutrophil and complement-mediated killing assays suggested differences in susceptibility to innate immune defenses. Further, differences in IgG subclass were observed 4 weeks post respiratory infection with the O2v2 parent and O2v1 mutant strains. Lastly, using novel bioconjugate vaccines against these specific O-antigen subtypes, we determined only partial cross-protection is elicited. These studies advance our understanding of the immune response to Kp O-antigens and aid in vaccine design to combat this drug-resistant pathogen. Supported by the W.M. Keck Postdoctoral Fellowship in Molecular Medicine Dr. Wantuch is a W.M. Keck Fellow

Оценка влияния экономических факторов на механизм расчетно-платежного обращения корпоративных обязательств

the article is devoted to the influence of factors on the mechanism of settlement and payment circulation of corporate obligations, which are differentiated by the author into three levels depending on the significance and breadth of coverage of the payment turnover of the enterprise and evaluated on the basis of the method of expert assessments. The article analyzes the accounts receivable, including overdue, of Russian enterprises over the past five years. The analysis showed the ambiguity of the results obtained by the years of the study period, where 2019 stood out vividly, characterized by the impact of the pandemic on the settlement and payment turnover of corporations. The author suggests external macro and meso-level factors, as well as internal micro-level factors, the evaluation of which by the expert method showed the priority of such parameters as: the level of solvency, the availability of the possibility of borrowing funds and the industry characteristics of the corporation. The last parameter gives a qualitative assessment of the influence of the studied factors.

Can Digital Finance Contribute to the Promotion of Financial Sustainability? A Financial Efficiency Perspective

The research first summarizes the theoretical mechanism of digital finance to improve financial efficiency and sustainability; then, it proposes three hypotheses. After that, a DEA-BCC model and a super-efficiency DEA model are constructed to estimate a series of financial efficiency levels in 31 Chinese provinces. Utilizing the estimated financial efficiency values, this paper further tests each of the three hypotheses using both a random effects model controlling for cross-sectional correlation problems and an LSDV model, respectively. The findings show that (i) technological advance is the main driver of financial efficiency improvement in each region in China, while the role of scale effect in improving financial efficiency is weakening; (ii) the development of digital finance does significantly contribute to the improvement of regional financial efficiency; and (iii) the increase in both the breadth of coverage and depth of adoption of digital finance are core driving forces for the promotion of financial efficiency, with the breadth of digital financial coverage a stronger positive effect. Hence, this study can provide an important reference for policymakers and financial institutions to better understand the relationship amongst digital finance, financial efficiency, and sustainability as well as achieve sustainable financial inclusion.

In vitro and in silico parameters for precise cgMLST typing of Listeria monocytogenes

BackgroundWhole genome sequencing analyzed by core genome multi-locus sequence typing (cgMLST) is widely used in surveillance of the pathogenic bacteria Listeria monocytogenes. Given the heterogeneity of available bioinformatics tools to define cgMLST alleles, our aim was to identify parameters influencing the precision of cgMLST profiles.MethodsWe used three L. monocytogenes reference genomes from different phylogenetic lineages and assessed the impact of in vitro (i.e. tested genomes, successive platings, replicates of DNA extraction and sequencing) and in silico parameters (i.e. targeted depth of coverage, depth of coverage, breadth of coverage, assembly metrics, cgMLST workflows, cgMLST completeness) on cgMLST precision made of 1748 core loci. Six cgMLST workflows were tested, comprising assembly-based (BIGSdb, INNUENDO, GENPAT, SeqSphere and BioNumerics) and assembly-free (i.e. kmer-based MentaLiST) allele callers. Principal component analyses and generalized linear models were used to identify the most impactful parameters on cgMLST precision.ResultsThe isolate’s genetic background, cgMLST workflows, cgMLST completeness, as well as depth and breadth of coverage were the parameters that impacted most on cgMLST precision (i.e. identical alleles against reference circular genomes). All workflows performed well at ≥40X of depth of coverage, with high loci detection (> 99.54% for all, except for BioNumerics with 97.78%) and showed consistent cluster definitions using the reference cut-off of ≤7 allele differences.ConclusionsThis highlights that bioinformatics workflows dedicated to cgMLST allele calling are largely robust when paired-end reads are of high quality and when the sequencing depth is ≥40X.