Common Components Research Articles

Rapid classification and identification of chemical components in three different Zanthoxylum species by ultra-high-performance-liquid chromatography quadrupole-orbitrap-mass spectrometry.

Zanthoxylum, as a medicinal and edible herbal medicine, has a long history and complex chemical composition. There are many varieties of Zanthoxylum, and there are differences in composition between varieties. In this study, a rapid classification and identification method for the main components of Zanthoxylum was established using ultra-high-performance-liquid chromatography quadrupole-orbitrap-mass spectrometry. The components of Shandong Zanthoxylum bungeanum, Wudu Zanthoxylum bungeanum, and Zanthoxylum schinifolium were identified by studying the characteristic fragmentations and neutral losses of characteristic components. A total of 48 common components and 24 different components were identified and the fragmentation patterns of the main components, such as flavonoids, alkaloids, and organic acids were summarized. These findings provided a reference for the study of pharmacodynamic substance basis and quality control of different varieties of Zanthoxylum.

Optimal filters for ERP research II: Recommended settings for seven common ERP components.

In research with event-related potentials (ERPs), aggressive filters can substantially improve the signal-to-noise ratio and maximize statistical power, but they can also produce significant waveform distortion. Although this tradeoff has been well documented, the field lacks recommendations for filter cutoffs that quantitatively address both of these competing considerations. To fill this gap, we quantified the effects of a broad range of low-pass filter and high-pass filter cutoffs for seven common ERP components (P3b, N400, N170, N2pc, mismatch negativity, error-related negativity, and lateralized readiness potential) recorded from a set of neurotypical young adults. We also examined four common scoring methods (mean amplitude, peak amplitude, peak latency, and 50% area latency). For each combination of component and scoring methods, we quantified the effects of filtering on data quality (noise level and signal-to-noise ratio) and waveform distortion. This led to recommendations for optimal low-pass and high-pass filter cutoffs. We repeated the analyses after adding artificial noise to provide recommendations for data sets with moderately greater noise levels. For researchers who are analyzing data with similar ERP components, noise levels, and participant populations, using the recommended filter settings should lead to improved data quality and statistical power without creating problematic waveform distortion.

Sulfonamido, amido heterocyclic adducts of tetrazole derivatives as BACE1 inhibitors: in silico exploration.

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder accounting for 60-80% of dementia cases and is accompanied by a high mortality rate in patients above 70years of age. The formation of senile plaques composed of amyloid-β protein is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Beta-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is a proteolytic enzyme involved in the degradation of amyloid precursor protein, which further degrades to form toxic amyloid-β fragments. Hence, inhibition of BACE1 was stated to be an effective strategy for Alzheimer's therapeutics. Keeping in mind the structures of different BACE1 inhibitors that had reached the clinical trials, we designed a library of compounds (total 164) based on a substituted 5-amino tetrazole scaffold which was an isosteric replacement of the cyclic amidine moiety, a common component of the BACE1 inhibitors which reached the clinical trials. The scaffold was linked to different structural moieties with the aid of an amide or sulfonamide bond to design some novel molecules. Molecular docking was initially performed and the top 5 molecules were selected based on docking scores and protein-ligand interactions. Furthermore, molecular dynamic simulations were performed for these molecules (3g, 7k, 8n, 9d, 9g) for 100ns and MM-GBSA calculations were performed for each of these complexes. After critical evaluation of the obtained results, three potential molecules (9d, 8n, and 7k) were forwarded for prolonged stability studies by performing molecular dynamic simulations for 250ns and simultaneous MM-GBSA calculations. It was observed that the compounds (9d, 8n, and 7k) were forming good interactions with the amino acid residues of the catalytic site of the enzyme with multiple non-covalent interactions. In MD simulations, the compounds have shown better stability and better binding energy throughout the runtime.

Performing food safety inspections

Food safety inspections are a health protection measure employed globally to reduce the public health threat presented by foodborne illness. Despite the prevalent application of food safety inspections in the regulation of food businesses, little guidance is available to inspectors on how an inspection should be performed to provide an effective health protection measure. However, before guidelines can be devised, a detailed description of food safety inspection practices must be established. This research identified how Environmental Health Practitioners from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Ireland perform food safety inspections. Data was collected via an online survey disseminated via environmental health professional peak bodies. A total of 267 respondents were surveyed and asked questions relating to common components, important aspects, influential factors and methods employed when undertaking food safety inspections. This study found that there is a common approach to performing food safety inspection across the countries surveyed. A detailed description of the common approach is provided. Some variations in approach were identified and their possible causes were examined. This study provides a basis for evaluation of current food safety inspection practices by presenting a vital and holistic description of food safety inspection practice, while illuminating a course of important issues for further research.

Fructose Consumption Affects Placental Production of H2S: Impact on Preeclampsia-Related Parameters.

H2S, a gasotransmitter that can be produced both via the transsulfuration pathway and non-enzymatically, plays a key role in vasodilation and angiogenesis during pregnancy. In fact, the involvement of H2S production on plasma levels of sFLT1, PGF, and other molecules related to preeclampsia has been demonstrated. Interestingly, we have found that maternal fructose intake (a common component of the Western diet) affects tissular H2S production. However, its consumption is allowed during pregnancy. Thus, (1) to study whether maternal fructose intake affects placental production of H2S in the offspring, when pregnant; and (2) to study if fructose consumption during pregnancy can increase the risk of preeclampsia, pregnant rats from fructose-fed mothers (10% w/v) subjected (FF) or not (FC) to a fructose supplementation were studied and compared to pregnant control rats (CC). Placental gene expression, H2S production, plasma sFLT1, and PGF were determined. Descendants of fructose-fed mothers (FC) presented an increase in H2S production. However, if they consumed fructose during their own gestation (FF), this effect was reversed so that the increase disappeared. Curiously, placental synthesis of H2S was mainly non-enzymatic. Related to this, placental expression of Cys dioxygenase, an enzyme involved in Cys catabolism (a molecule required for non-enzymatic H2S synthesis), was significantly decreased in FC rats. Related to preeclampsia, gene expression of sFLT1 (a molecule with antiangiogenic properties) was augmented in both FF and FC dams, although these differences were not reflected in their plasma levels. Furthermore, placental expression of PGF (a molecule with angiogenic properties) was decreased in both FC and FF dams, becoming significantly diminished in plasma of FC versus control dams. Both fructose consumption and maternal fructose intake induce changes in molecules that contribute to increasing the risk of preeclampsia, and these effects are not always mediated by changes in H2S production.

Partitioning the Composition of Adverse Childhood Experiences From Accumulated Adversity: Cross-Sectional Evidence From 2 U.S. Samples

Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to adult morbidity and mortality. However, it is unknown whether the patterning of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), individually and in combination, confer health risk distinct from a cumulative adversity score. This study evaluates whether individual and comorbid ACE exposures within a cumulative risk score are equally associated with current smoking and lifetime history of depression. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of ACE assessments in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from 21 states in 2019 (n=115,183) and 23 states in 2020 (n=120,416). We modeled cumulative ACE scores and the 5 most common distinct ACE components that comprise a given ACE score, up to a cumulative score of 4. We compared ACE components, adjusted for covariates. Results: Across both samples 23% and 57-58% of persons reported 1 ACE or 2 or more ACEs, respectively. In 2019 smoking prevalence was 10.4% for persons reporting zero ACEs and 14.2% for persons reporting one ACE. When the single ACE was experiencing parental divorce, smoking was higher (16.6%) compared to when the single ACE was verbal abuse (11.8%) or living with a mentally ill household member (9.5%). Lifetime depression prevalence was 9.6% and 14.1% across zero and 1 ACE, respectively, whereas it was 26.6% if the single ACE was living with a mentally ill household member and 11.0% when the ACE was experiencing parental divorce. This heterogeneity was replicated in 2020 data. Additional heterogeneity was observed for higher cumulative ACE scores. Conclusions: Cumulative ACE scores mask substantial health risk heterogeneity which can be delineated by examining distinct components of cumulative ACE scores.

Multiple variants of the type VII secretion system in Gram-positive bacteria.

Type VII secretion systems (T7SS) are found in bacteria across the Bacillota and Actinomycetota phyla and have been well described in Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and pathogenic mycobacteria. The T7SS from Actinomycetota and Bacillota share two common components, a membrane-bound EccC/EssC ATPase and EsxA, a small helical hairpin protein of the WXG100 family. However, they also have additional phylum-specific components, and as a result they are termed the T7SSa (Actinomycetota) and T7SSb (Bacillota), respectively. Here, we identify additional organizations of the T7SS across these two phyla and describe eight additional T7SS subtypes, which we have named T7SSc-T7SSj. T7SSd is found exclusively in Actinomycetota including the Olselnella and Bifodobacterium genus, whereas the other seven are found only in Bacillota. All of the novel subtypes contain the canonical ATPase (TsxC) and the WXG100-family protein (TsxA). Most of them also contain a small ubiquitin-related protein, TsxB, related to the T7SSb EsaB/YukD component. Protein kinases, phosphatases, and forkhead-associated (FHA) proteins are often encoded in the novel T7SS gene clusters. Candidate substrates of these novel T7SS subtypes include LXG-domain and RHS proteins. Predicted substrates are frequently encoded alongside genes for additional small WXG100-related proteins that we speculate serve as cosecretion partners. Collectively our findings reveal unexpected diversity in the T7SS in Gram-positive bacteria.

Logratio analysis of components separated from grain‐size distributions and implications for sedimentary processes: An example of bottom surface sediments in a shallow lake

ABSTRACTThe grain‐size distributions of sediments can yield important information about sediment provenance and sedimentary processes; however, grain‐size distributions are frequently polymodal, rendering analyses difficult. To improve analyses of polymodal grain‐size data, the present study decomposed the grain‐size distributions of bottom surface sediments from Lake Kitaura, a shallow lake in Japan, into lognormal distributions and performed logratio analysis of their mixing proportions. The polymodal grain‐size distributions of the studied samples were separated into four common components at most sites. This logratio analysis revealed clear differences in the characteristics of the spatial distributions of the separated grain‐size components. The logratio values indicated that the three finer components were uniformly deposited within the lake, whereas the coarsest component was spatially diverse, reflecting differences in their sources and sedimentary processes. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of decomposition and logratio analysis of polymodal grain‐size distributions for estimating sedimentary processes. This method can be applied to modern sediments and for palaeoenvironmental reconstructions using sediment cores.

Internalizing psychopathology and its links to suicidal ideation, dysfunctional attitudes, and help-seeking readiness in a national sample of college students

BackgroundRecent evidence suggests that multiple emotional disorders may be better assessed using dimensional models of psychopathology. The current study utilized a cross-sectional population survey of college students (N = 8613 participants) to examine the extent to which broad psychopathology factors accounted for specific associations between emotional problems and clinical and behavioral validators: suicidality, dysfunctional attitudes, and treatment seeking. MethodsConfirmatory factor models were estimated to identify the best structure of psychopathology. Models were then estimated to examine the broad and specific associations between each psychopathology indicator and the clinical and behavioral validators. ResultsThe hierarchical model of psychopathology with internalizing problems at the top, fear, and distress at the second level, and five specific symptom dimensions at the third level evidenced the best fit. The associations between symptom indicators of psychopathology and clinical and behavioral validators were relatively small and inconsistent. Instead, much of the association between clinical and behavioral validators and emotional problems operated at a higher-order level. LimitationsThe cross-sectional nature of the survey precludes the ability to make conclusions regarding causality. ConclusionsResearchers should focus on investigating the shared or common components across emotional disorders, particularly concerning individuals presenting with higher rates of suicidal ideation dysfunctional attitudes, and help-seeking behavior. Using higher-order dimensions of psychopathology could simplify the complex presentation of multiple co-occurring disorders and suggest valid constructs for future investigations.

Romantic Love is Not Only “Romantic”: A Grounded Theory Study on Love in Romantic Relationships

With romantic love having long been studied with a focus on the romantic component and how it is expressed, little is known about what love is as a feeling in romantic relationships from the recipient’s perspective. This study aimed to understand love as a feeling in romantic relationships by analyzing open-ended responses about what makes people feel loved by their romantic partner in a college sample of 462 undergraduates (age: M = 18.93, SD = 2.86; 77.92% female) and a community sample of 75 adults (age: M = 32.36, SD = 16.53; 93.18% female) using grounded theory methodology. Findings indicated that Positive responsiveness (to needs), Authentic connection, and A sense of stability were three core elements of love in romantic relationships. By comparing these three core categories (and their underlying categories and concepts) across both samples and demographic characteristics (i.e., gender, race, and household income), this study also provided preliminary evidence on the generalizability of this three-component framework: (1) all (core) categories were overlapping across two samples, and all concepts generated in the small community sample were a subset of those generated in the large college sample; (2) all categories and core categories were overlapping across gender, race, and household income, with “positive responsiveness” being the most common component across demographics consistently. This three-component framework of romantic love is consistent with love’s multifaceted nature, serves as an initial step toward integrating existing theoretical frameworks about love, and, if replicated, would inform relationship-focused interventions.

Clinical variants of the metabolic syndrome in young people living in the Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous region – Yugra

Currently the “rejuvenation” and an increase in the number of components of the metabolic syndrome (MS) determine its clinical significance in the earlier development of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and related complications. Aim of the study was to investigate the features of the MS clinic picture in a population of young men and womenliving in the Khanty-Mansiysk autonomous region – Yugra.Material and methods. The study included 863 young people between 18 and 44 years of age, including 344 men and women with MS and 519 people in the comparison group. Studied subgroups are represented by non-indigenous men and women living in urban and rural areas, and indigenous rural residents. The analysis of MS clinical and laboratory parameters was carried out and its clinical variants in ethnic groups were identified.Results and its discussion. According to the results of the survey of young people with metabolic syndrome, it was revealed that the combination of abdominal obesity and two components of MS were most common in young people with MS (in 50.0 % men and in 55.5 % women). The study defined regression models for each MS group and threshold values for waist circumference were set, which changes in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism were predicted.Conclusions. In groups with MS, hypertriglyceridemia was determined as its most common component. The study identified the most frequent association of abdominal obesity with hyper-LDL cholesterol and hypertriglyceridemia in patients with metabolic syndrome, in ethnic groups, this combination is more common in indigenous rural men (53.3 %) and in non-indigenous urban women (54.3 %).

Using common redundancy components for suppliers in a supply chain network design problem considering energy costs and environmental effects

Improving the reliability of factories and suppliers through appropriate allocation of redundancy components is crucial in responding to customer demand. However, if individual factories independently buy and allocate redundancy components, huge investments will be required. To optimize the reliability level and costs of the supply chain network, the present study allocates these components to suppliers based on customer demand. While allocating redundancy components to factories improves the chain's reliability, it increases energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, a balance between cost, reliability, and pollution needs to be established. The study considers a three-level supply chain, including the supplier (factories), distributor, and retailer, with stochastic and normally distributed demand assumed for each retailer. To address demand fluctuations, the risk pooling effect is implemented. As the problem belongs to the class of NP-hard problems, the study develops three multi-objective meta-heuristic algorithms, namely Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGAII), Archived Multi-Objective Simulated Annealing (AMOSA), and Multi-Objective Artificial Bee Colony (MOABC) to solve it. The performance of these algorithms is evaluated using the results of the complete enumeration method. The comparison results based on six multi-objective performance metrics show that the MOABC algorithm has better performance in finding high-quality solutions in less time, while the NSGAII algorithm provides more diverse Pareto optimal solutions.

Enhancing Lifestyles in the Metabolic syndrome (ELM) multisite behavioral efficacy trial. Design and baseline cohort

BackgroundPrevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) increased from one-quarter to one-third of the U.S. adult population over 8 years and is spreading to young adults and Asian and Hispanic Americans. Diagnosed when >3 out of 5 cardiometabolic risk factors are present, there is widespread agreement that its fundamental roots are in a lifestyle characterized by poor dietary quality and physical inactivity. Past lifestyle trials for MetS produce benefits that have limited sustainability, suggesting the need for new treatment approaches. MethodsThis is the design and baseline cohort of the Enhancing Lifestyles in the Metabolic Syndrome (ELM) multi-site trial. The trial tests the hypothesis that a habit-based lifestyle treatment offered over 6 months, followed by 18 monthly maintenance contacts, can produce 4 new diet, physical activity, and mindfulness habits and, if so, sustained MetS remission. The design is an individually randomized, partially clustered group treatment trial of 618 participants with the MetS recruited from 5 sites in the U.S. and randomized to a small group lifestyle treatment or an enhanced standard of care education comparator. The primary outcome is MetS remission at 24 months. Secondary outcomes compare arms at 6, 15, and 24 months on MetS components, lifestyle targets, weight, body mass index, hemoglobin A1c, LDL cholesterol, medications, quality of life, psychosocial factors, and cost-effectiveness. ResultsThe cohort of 618 participants was recruited by screening 14,817 over 2.5 years (screening to enrollment ratio 24:1). Recruitment exceeded the target of 600 despite 2 COVID-19 pauses. The mean age was 55.5 years, 24.3% were male, 25.5% were a racial minority, 9.7% identified as Hispanic, and 83.0% were classified as obese (body mass index >30). The most common MetS components were abdominal obesity (97.7%) and elevated blood pressure or antihypertensive medication (86.2%). ConclusionsThe geographic, sociodemographic, and clinical diversity of the cohort, combined with rigorous behavioral efficacy trial methods, will provide a conclusive answer to the question of whether this habit-based lifestyle program can produce sustained 24-month remission of the MetS and thereby help to curb a significant and growing public health problem.

Cancer-associated SNRPD3 mutation confers resistance to hypoxia, which is attenuated by DRP1 inhibition

RNA splicing is a fundamental cellular mechanism performed by spliceosomes that synthesise multiple mature RNA isoforms from a single gene. The association between spliceosome abnormality and solid cancers remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrated that Sm proteins, which are common components of the spliceosomes and constitute the Sm ring, were overexpressed in multiple cancers and their expression levels were correlated with clinical prognosis. In a pan-cancer mutational hotspot in the Sm ring at SNRPD3 G96V, we found that the G96V substitution confers resistance to hypoxia. RNA-seq detected numerous differentially spliced events between the wild-type and mutation-carrying cells cultured under hypoxia, wherein skipping exons and mutually exclusive exons were frequently observed. This was observed in DNM1L mRNA, which encodes the DRP1 protein that regulates mitochondrial fission. The mitochondria of cells carrying this mutation were excessively fragmented compared with those of wild-type cells. Furthermore, treatment with a DRP1 inhibitor (Mdivi-1) recovered the over-fragmented mitochondria, leading to the attenuation of hypoxia resistance in the mutant cells. These results propose a novel correlation between the cancer-related spliceosome abnormality and mitochondrial fission. Thus, targeting SNRPD3 G96V with a DRP1 inhibitor is a potential treatment strategy for cancers with spliceosome abnormalities.

Nrf2 Pathway and Oxidative Stress as a Common Target for Treatment of Diabetes and Its Comorbidities.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that induces many comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease, nephropathy, and liver damage. Many mechanisms have been suggested as to how diabetes leads to these comorbidities, of which increased oxidative stress in diabetic patients has been strongly implicated. Limited knowledge of antioxidative antidiabetic drugs and substances that can address diabetic comorbidities through the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway calls for detailed investigation. This review will describe how diabetes increases oxidative stress, the general impact of that oxidative stress, and how oxidative stress primarily contributes to diabetic comorbidities. It will also address how treatments for diabetes, especially focusing on their effects on the Nrf2 antioxidative pathway, have been shown to similarly affect the Nrf2 pathway of the heart, kidney, and liver systems. This review demonstrates that the Nrf2 pathway is a common pathogenic component of diabetes and its associated comorbidities, potentially identifying this pathway as a target to guide future treatments.

Clinical characteristics and associated factors of mild cognitive impairment in patients with common cardiovascular diseases

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with common cardiovascular diseases (CVD, including hypertension, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure) combined with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and explore the potential risk factors of MCI in patients with CVD. Methods: A total of 2 294 patients with common cardiovascular diseases who met the criteria at Cardiology Medical Center in Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, from June 1, 2021, to January 5, 2022, were retrospectively included. The patients were divided into the normal cognitive function group (1 107 cases) and the MCI group (1 187 cases). Demographic information and CVD status were collected. The information of cognitive function were collected using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scales. The difference between normal cognitive function and MCI were compared and analyzed. The logistic regression analysis was used to explored risk factors of MCI in CVD patients. Results: A total of 2 294 patients aged (60.6±10.4) years were included, among whom there were 29.99% (688 cases) females. Compared with patients in the normal cognitive function group, patients in the MCI group were older [ (57.9±11.4) vs (63.1±8.9) years old, P<0.001], with a higher proportion of women [26.47% (293 cases) vs 33.28% (395 cases), P<0.001]; there was a higher proportion of patients suffering from hypertension in the MCI group [59.62% (660 cases) vs 64.62% (767 cases), P=0.014］, and more components of CVD [(1.68±0.62) vs (1.74±0.65) components, P=0.017]. The risk factors of MCI in patients with common CVD were increased age, increased depression score, combined with hypertension, and ≥3 common components of CVD, with OR (95%CI) of 1.043 (1.032-1.054), 1.021 (1.004-1.037), 1.151 (1.142-3.439), and 1.137 (1.023-1.797), respectively (all P values <0.05). Increasing education level was observed to be associated with reduced risk of MCI with OR (95%CI) of 0.319 (0.271-0.378) (P<0.05). Conclusions: The incidence of MCI was high in CVD patients. The risk factors of MCI in CVD patients included hypertension and≥3 common components of CVD.

Origin differentiation based on volatile constituents of genuine medicinal materials Quisqualis indica L. via HS-GC-MS, response surface methodology, and chemometrics.

Quisqualis indica L. (QIL) has a long history as a traditional Chinese herb in China, but the study of volatile components in QIL from different geographical sources has been relatively rare. To establish an optimal headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC-MS) method to comprehensively analyse the volatile component profile and screen quality markers of QIL from different origins. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimise the conditions for headspace analysis. The volatile components of QIL from four main origins of southwest China were analysed and identified by HS-GC-MS. The similarity of all samples of QIL was evaluated by fingerprint. The differences of the volatile components in QIL from different origins were distinguished by chemometrics. According to the optimal conditions of RSM, a total of 31 volatile components were identified, including fatty acids, aldehydes, alcohols, alkyl pyrazines, and other volatile components. Similarity evaluation presented that there were 26 common volatile components with different contents in all samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that QIL from four different origins could be roughly divided into four categories. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) indicated that QIL from different origins had obvious regional characteristics. The optimised HS-GC-MS method provided a strategy to rapidly, effectively, and accurately elucidate the volatile component profile of QIL from different origins, and seven important differential components were screened for quality evaluation and origin traceability.

Comparison of the Correlations of Microbial Community and Volatile Compounds between Pit-Mud and Fermented Grains of Compound-Flavor Baijiu.

The microbial composition and volatile components of fermented grains (FG) and pit mud (PM) are crucial for the quality and flavor of compound-flavor baijiu (CFB). The physicochemical indices, culturable microorganisms, microbial communities, and volatile components of FG and PM were analyzed and correlated in our research. Considering FG and PM, amplicon sequencing was used to analyze the microbial community and the volatile components were detected by headspace solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME). For FG, redundancy analysis and correlation perfume Circos were used to clarify the correlations between the dominant microbial community and volatile components. The results showed that Aspergillus, Pichia, and Rhizopus were the main fungal microflora in FG and PM, whereas Lactobacillus and Bacillus were the dominant bacteria in FG, and Methanosarcina and Clostridium sensu stricto 12 were the dominant bacteria in the PM. The microbial community and volatile compounds in the CB sampled from the bottom layers of the FG were greatly affected by those in the PM. There were 32 common volatile components in CB and PM. For FG, most of the volatile components were highly correlated with Lactobacillus, Bacillus, Aspergillus, Pichia, and Monascus, which includes alcohols, acids and esters. This study reveals correlations between microbial composition, volatile components, and the interplay of FG and PM, which are conducive to optimizing the fermentation process and improving the quality of CFB base.

Trade fragmentation and volatility-of-volatility networks

We assess the impact of trade fragmentation in equity markets using volatility networks following the volatility-of-volatility (VoV) approach. VoV networks offer an original method for measuring and visualizing the common component of volatilities. We use topological distance and connectivity indicators describing their structure as alternative proxies of VoV. Further, we use panel tests to apply threshold effects regression models on French equity market data after the introduction of MiFID, both at portfolio level and asset level. We show that market fragmentation yields a reduction in VoV, corresponding to both a contraction of volatility networks and a change in their structure. This effect strengthens in the stabilizing fragmentation regime compared to the increased fragmentation regime. Since VoV has been shown to predict stock markets returns, this original finding is widely relevant to market operators, regulators and public authorities.

Bayesian Methods for Information Borrowing in Basket Trials: An Overview.

Basket trials allow simultaneous evaluation of a single therapy across multiple cancer types or subtypes of the same cancer. Since the same treatment is tested across all baskets, it may be desirable to borrow information across them to improve the statistical precision and power in estimating and detecting the treatment effects in different baskets. We review recent developments in Bayesian methods for the design and analysis of basket trials, focusing on the mechanism of information borrowing. We explain the common components of these methods, such as a prior model for the treatment effects that embodies an assumption of exchangeability. We also discuss the distinct features of these methods that lead to different degrees of borrowing. Through simulation studies, we demonstrate the impact of information borrowing on the operating characteristics of these methods and discuss its broader implications for drug development. Examples of basket trials are presented in both phase I and phase II settings.