Dynamic risk connectedness of crude oil price and sustainable investment in the United States: evidence from DCC-GARCH.

Sustainable investment is widely regarded as an important market-based approach to achieving inclusive green growth. To achieve the inclusive green growth objective, companies providing sustainable products must be profitable enough to attract private capital. Oil price changes can however affect the profitability of such companies. This study assesses volatility transmission between crude oil prices and sustainable investment in the USA. Using the dynamic conditional correlation-generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (DCC-GARCH) method, daily data from September 28, 2012, to October 19, 2022, is analyzed. There are several key findings from this analysis. The risk connectedness of crude oil and sustainable investment is found to vary with time. Results further show that the risk connectedness increases in periods of important economic and geopolitical events. The greatest risk connectedness of crude oil and sustainable investment is observed during the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Moreover, the result shows that crude oil is the main risk transmitter, whereas, both the energy efficiency and pollution mitigation indices (i.e., sustainable investment) are risk receivers, and crude oil is constantly dominating sustainable investment. The study findings provide valuable insights for investors and policymakers alike.

Assessment of the corticospinal fiber integrity in mirror movement disorder.

Mirror movements are unintended movements occurring on one side of the body that mirror the contralateral voluntary ones. It has been proposed that mirror movements occur due to abnormal decussation of the corticospinal pathways. Using detailed multidisciplinary approach, we aimed to enlighten the detailed mechanism underlying the mirror movements in a case subject who is diagnosed with mirror movements of the hands and we compared the findings with the unaffected control subjects. To evaluate the characteristics of mirror movements, we used several techniques including whole exome sequencing, computed tomography, diffusion tensor imaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation. Computed tomography showed the absence of a spinous process of C5, fusion of the body of C5-C6 vertebrae, hypoplastic dens and platybasia of the posterior cranial fossa. A syrinx cavity was present between levels C3-C4 of the spinal cord. Diffusion tensor imaging of the corticospinal fibers showed disorganization and minimal decussations at the lower medulla oblongata. Transcranial magnetic stimulation showed that motor commands were distributed to the motor neuron pools on the left and right sides of the spinal cord via fast-conducting corticospinal tract fibers. Moreover, a heterozygous missense variation in the deleted in colorectal carcinoma gene has been observed. Developmental absence of the axonal guidance molecules or their receptors may result in abnormalities in the leading of the corticospinal fibers. Clinical evaluations and basic neuroscience techniques, in this case, provide information for this rare disease and contribute to our understanding of the normal physiology of bimanual coordination.

A multivariate analysis of adhesion molecules expression in assessment of colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Adhesion molecules are implicated in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Despite the evidence of association between their expression and patients' prognosis, the data have not been examined simultaneously in a same study; thus, the relative clinical value remained largely unknown. The aim of this study was to identify the adhesion factors that display the most significant prognostic value for CRC patients to guide clinical decision-making regarding appropriate treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We examined by immunohistochemistry, the expression of E-cadherin and its associated catenins, alpha(alpha)-catenin and beta(beta)-catenin, DCC, and CD44 and its partner, MT1-MMP in a series of 140 CRC tissues at intermediate Stage II and Stage III to determine their prognostic significance. RESULTS: Clinicopathological survey indicated an inverse relationship between E-cadherin expression and tumor differentiation, and an association between CD44 expression and venous invasion. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that loss of expression of E-cadherin and CD44 significantly correlated to poor survival, especially in Stage II. Combination studies indicated that loss of E-cadherin and loss of CD44 had the worst impact on patient prognosis, particularly in colon cancer. CONCLUSION: Immunohistochemical staining of E-cadherin and CD44 may help to identify a subgroup of high-risk patients with Stage II CRC, especially in colon cancer, who may need intensive follow-up and appropriate therapeutic strategy.