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We examine the impact of a government-initiated CSR project on corporate misconduct using the unique setting of China's Targeted Poverty Alleviation (TPA) program. The difference-in-differences estimates show that firms participating in the TPA program engage in fewer misconduct activities than do their counterparts. This finding is robust to the parallel trends test, the placebo test, alternative regression specifications, alternative research designs, the reverse causality analysis, and the bivariate probit model with partial observability. Further analysis shows that TPA participation enhances the ability of external financial professionals to monitor performance by stimulating the dissemination of TPA-related incremental information, thereby contributing to the decline in corporate misconduct. The cross-sectional heterogeneity analysis shows that the impact of TPA participation on corporate misconduct is more pronounced in firms with higher information asymmetry, with weaker political connections, and with weaker internal governance. Furthermore, we find evidence that TPA participation improves corporate financial performance but does not deteriorate information transparency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the cognitive dissonance theory and the behavioral consistency theory, this study examines whether hypocrisy, proxied by the ethical dissonance between corporate philanthropy and environmental misconducts, triggers auditors to issue modified audit opinions (MAOs), and further investigates the moderating effect of hypocrisy on the relation between financial reporting quality (proxied by discretionary accruals) and MAOs. Using a sample of 20,852 firm-year observations from the Chinese stock market over 2005–2019, our findings reveal that the likelihood of receiving MAOs is significantly higher for hypocritical firms than for their counterparts, suggesting that hypocrisy provides negative soft information about top managers' myopia, immorality and lack of integrity, elicits the perceived distrust from auditors, motivates auditors to have a higher extent of professional skepticism, and eventually triggers MAOs. Moreover, hypocrisy reinforces the negative (positive) relation between financial reporting quality (discretionary accruals) and MAOs. Furthermore, above findings are robust to a variety of sensitivity tests using alternative proxies for modified audit opinions and hypocrisy, as well as different sample compositions, and further our conclusions are still valid after using the propensity score matching approach and two-stage treatment effect regression procedures to control for the endogeneity issue. Lastly, the effect of hypocrisy on MAOs is more pronounced for remedial (ex post) hypocrisy than for preventive (ex ante) hypocrisy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between sustainability disclosure practices and earnings management in the Jordanian context. Based on an analysis of 66 non-financial firms listed on ASE, spanning the period of 2017–2020. The findings revealed that companies' compliance with the disclosure of sustainability improves their ethical behavior, which limits earnings management practices and increases the reliability of their financial statements. The findings have implications for regulators, corporate executives, practitioners, policymakers, top management, and business partners. More corporate sustainability practices present more trustworthy information and more sustainable performance of the economic. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationship between the extent of sustainability disclosure and earnings management in Jordanian firms. Moreover, two models were used for earnings management, which adds value to the existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and earnings management strategies (expense shifting and revenue shifting). Based on the sample of 41,100 Bombay Stock Exchange listed firm-years spanning over fourteen years (2009–2022), we find that CSR-oriented firms prefer revenue shifting over expense shifting for core earnings management, and this effect is more pronounced among government CSR firms (firms spending on government-related sectors). Our subsequent tests exhibit the differential impact of earnings management strategies on stock return, where investors are found to perceive expense shifting as riskier than revenue shifting, which in turn, is likely to incentivize CSR firms to prefer revenue shifting for core earnings management. Our findings alert auditors about suspected firms (CSR and government CSR firms) that inflate core earnings through shifting practices and highlight the market arbitrage opportunity (mispricing) for investors, where abnormal returns can be fetched by making a zero-investment strategy in expense and revenue shifter stocks. The study is among the pioneering attempts to document the substitution relationship between earnings management strategies in CSR firms and provide empirical evidence on the pricing impact of these strategies. Our findings are robust to the problem of endogeneity and self-selection bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research that relates corporate social responsibility (CSR) to earnings management (EM) interprets directional relations between CSR and EM as indicators of opportunistic or ethical behavior by managers. On the one hand, EM leads to higher levels of CSR by opportunistic managers seeking reputational benefits from CSR. On the other hand, CSR leads to lower levels of EM by managers whose engagement in CSR reflects their ethical values. The attribution of opportunistic and ethical behaviors to managers in a firm setting is incomplete without also considering how EM and CSR relate to what firms strive to do as economic entities – create value. Therefore, we introduce financial performance (represented by Tobin's Q) as an endogenous variable that influences managers' engagement in CSR and EM. We estimate a panel vector auto-regression (PVAR) model to evaluate the complex directional relations between CSR, EM and Q. We find that EM positively affects CSR, consistent with reputation-building, but we find no directional relation from CSR to EM. We find that firm performance (Q) positively affects EM, suggesting that EM may be economically motivated, and that CSR positively affects Q, consistent with economic motives driving engagement in CSR. Our analysis addresses endogeneity concerns and provides a more complete basis for ascribing managers' decisions about CSR and EM to economic and behavioral motives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat transfer in jointed rock masses exhibits characteristics of discontinuous, heterogeneous, and anisotropic due to the effects of rock discontinuities. In this work, thermal contact resistance (TCR) evolution of granite joints under normal stress was investigated. A novel method was proposed for the measurement of TCR for rough rock joints. A numerical calculation program was established for the determination of contact area based on the initial morphology of the joint surfaces and the monitored joint closure during the experiment. An estimation model of TCR for granite joints based on the equivalent joint aperture was established. It is found that TCR of granite joints shows decreasing trend with normal stress. The decreasing rate is relatively large at the initial loading stage and gradually reduces with normal stress. The values of TCR eventually stabilize. TCR of granite joint has no obvious correlation with joint roughness coefficient. It is more significantly affected by the contact area. Plastic deformation and rupture of the micro-convex body on the joint surfaces occurred due to the application of normal stress, which improve the heat transfer efficiency and lead to the decrease in TCR. In general, predication results of the TCR estimation model show good consistency with the experimental data. The model is more suitable for the cases with small joint apertures. This study can provide knowledge to the better understanding of heat transfer in rock masses containing different kinds of discontinuities. Highlights: A novel method was proposed for the measurement of thermal contact resistance for rough rock joints. A numerical calculation program was established for the determination of contact area for rough rock joints. Evolution of thermal contact resistance with normal stress and joint contact area was obtained and analyzed. An estimation model of thermal contact resistance for granite joints based on the equivalent joint aperture was established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 14-year-old child was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) after bromhidrosis surgery. She experienced a stinging, knife-like, and intermittent attack pain, accompanied by numbness of both upper limbs and limited movements. Ultrasound-guided radiofrequency surgery on the peripheral nerve did not reduce pain. Then, gabapentin 300mg three times a day and 2% lidocaine by local subcutaneous injection once a day for 3 days were administrated. After the local subcutaneous injection of lidocaine, the pain was significantly relieved, and the pain induced by skin touch at the scar disappeared. No pain recurred after the 1-month follow-up. An evidence-based literature review showed that local or systemic intravenous lidocaine was used to reduce adult CRPS symptoms but less has been reported in children. In our case, a local subcutaneous injection of 2% lidocaine in a child for CRPS treatment was reported to be effective in relieving complex local pain with favorable outcomes. Though further high-quality randomized controlled trials are needed to investigate the effects and safety of local subcutaneous lidocaine injection on pain relief in children with CRPS, it could still provide a relatively safe and effective adjuvant therapy for minor patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : Propofol is an intravenous anaesthetic drug that has been shown to reduce inflammatory pain. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type I is a pain condition characterized by autonomic, motor and sensory disturbance. The chronic post-ischaemic pain (CPIP) model is a well-established model to recapture CRPS-I syndromes pre-clinically by non-invasive ischaemic-reperfusion (IR) injury. In this study, we investigated the analgesic effects of propofol and underlying mechanisms in mitigating CRPS pain using the CPIP model. Methods : Sub-anaesthetic dose of propofol (25 mg/kg) was intravenously delivered to the CPIP model and sham control. Nociceptive behavioural changes were assayed by the von Frey test. Molecular assays were used to investigate expression changes of PTEN, PI3K, AKT and IL-6 underlying propofol-mediated analgesic effects. Pharmacological inhibition was applied for PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway manipulation. Results : Both pre- and post-operative administration of propofol attenuated mechanical allodynia induced by CPIP. Propofol could modulate PTEN/PI3K/AKT signalling pathway by increasing active PTEN and reducing phosphorylated PI3K, phosphorylated AKT and IL-6 expression in the spinal dorsal horn, which promoted pain relief in the CPIP model. Inhibition of PTEN with bpV abolished the analgesic effects produced by propofol in CPIP mice. Conclusion : Sub-anaesthetic dose of propofol administration resulted in the activation of PTEN, inhibition of both PI3K/AKT signalling and IL-6 production in the spinal cord, which dramatically reduced CPIP-induced pain. Our findings lay the foundation in using propofol for the treatment of CRPS with great therapeutic implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature disturbance could cause deterioration of rock mechanical parameters, and it is of great significance to establish the corresponding quantitative characterization method of rock damage to reveal the damage and instability mechanism of rock and guide engineering practice. In this study, fine-grained granite was selected as the object of research and has undergone different thermal treatments with different high-temperature and cooling methods. The formation and development of pores and microcracks were observed and analyzed by field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and low-field NMR scanning experiments. Then, the rock damage coefficients based on macro and microdamage mechanisms were calculated, and the mechanism of microdamage was specifically analyzed based on the change of the characteristics of the small, medium, and large pores of the rock and the characteristics of fractal dimension. The results showed that the porosity of granite increased slowly first and then rapidly with the increase of heat treatment temperature, and the proportion of medium and large pores made the most significant contribution to the improvement of porosity. The damage value of granite increased continuously with the heat treatment temperature. The damage value of liquid nitrogen (LN2) cooling was the highest, followed by water and natural cooling. After heat treatment and cooling treatment, the pore distribution of granite had good statistical fractal characteristics, and the fractal dimension decreased with the increase in heat treatment temperature, and the fractal dimension of the rock cooled by liquid nitrogen was the highest, followed by water cooling and natural cooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil salinity imposes a major threat to plant growth and agricultural productivity. Despite being one of the most common fodder crops in saline locations, alfalfa is vulnerable to salt stress. Jasmonic acid (JA) is a phytohormone that influences plant response to abiotic stimuli such as salt stress. However, key genes and pathways by which JA-mediated salt tolerance of alfalfa are little known. A comprehensive transcriptome analysis was performed to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of JA-mediated salt tolerance. The transcripts regulated by salt (S) compared to control (C) and JA+salt (JS) compared to C were investigated. Venn diagram and expression pattern of DEGs indicated that JS further altered a series of genes expression regulated by salt treatment, implying the roles of JA in priming salt tolerance. Enrichment analysis revealed that DEGs exclusively regulated by JS treatment belonged to primary or secondary metabolism, respiratory electron transport chain, and oxidative stress resistance. Alternatively, splicing (AS) was induced by salt alone or JA combined treatment, with skipped exon (SE) events predominately. DEGs undergo exon skipping involving some enriched items mentioned above and transcription factors. Finally, the gene expressions were validated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), which produced results that agreed with the sequencing results. Taken together, these findings suggest that JA modulates the expression of genes related to energy supply and antioxidant capacity at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, possibly through the involvement of transcription factors and AS events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive understanding of the mechanical behavior of thermally damaged rock is crucial for the design, prediction, and stability control of rock engineering. However, the strength and fracture characteristics of rock containing pre‐existing flaws have not been studied systematically. Therefore, in this study, uniaxial compression tests were conducted on preholed granite specimens using MTS816 rock mechanics testing and acoustic emission (AE) monitoring systems. The mechanical properties, AE characteristics, and failure patterns of thermally damaged granite specimens were analyzed, and the alteration of the mechanical behavior was explained by the P‐wave velocity, effective porosity, mineral components, and thermal cracking. The results show that the peak strength and elastic modulus of preholed granite specimens first increased and then decreased with the increasingly high temperature. Cracks were always initiated from the left and right perimeters of the pre‐existing hole, and the crack coalescence modes between the two pre‐existing holes were independent of the high temperature. After 150°C treatment, thermal cracks were observed, and the complexity and interconnectivity of the fracture surface increased with temperature. The variations of the mineral component and crystal structure induced by increasing the high temperature contributed to the thermal damage of the granite. The experimental results are expected to enhance the understanding of the macromechanical and mesomechanical behaviors of rock with respect to high temperature. Highlights: The effect of high temperature on the mechanical properties of granite specimens containing pre‐existing holes was investigated.The macro and meso failure characteristics of thermally damaged granite were explored.The mechanism of thermal treatment in changing mechanical behavior of granite was discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on upper echelons theory, feminist caring theory, and social role theory, we analyzed the intrinsic relationship between female officials and local eco-innovation and the moderating role of public pressure. A panel data set of 281 cities in China from 2003 to 2017 was selected as the research sample. The results showed that female municipal secretaries had a positive effect on incremental eco-innovation; female mayors had a positive effect on both radical and incremental eco-innovation; and the impact of female officials on eco-innovation varied across regions. Based on these findings, we propose that local governments should strengthen the evaluation system for officials, increase the participation rate of female officials in politics, and broaden the path of environmental monitoring for the general public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Age-related decline in testosterone is associated with Leydig cell aging with impaired testosterone synthesis in aging. Obesity accelerates the agerelated decline in testosterone. However, the mechanisms underlying the Leydig cell aging and the effects of obesity on Leydig cell aging remain unclear. Method: Natural aging mice and diet-induced obese mice were used to assess the process of testicular Leydig cell senescence with age or obesity. Bioinformatic analysis of the young and aged human testes was used to explore key genes related Leydig cell aging. Leydig cell-specific p38 MAPK knockout (p38LCKO) mice were used to further analyze the roles of p38 MAPK in Leydig cell aging. The levels of testosterone and steroidogenic enzymes, activity of p38 MAPK, aging status of Leydig cells, and oxidative stress and inflammation of testes or Leydig cells were detected by ELISA, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, and senescence-associated βgalactosidase (SA-β-Gal) staining analysis, respectively. Result: The serum testosterone level was significantly reduced in aged mice compared with young mice. In the testis of aged mice, the reduced mRNA and protein levels of LHCGR, SRB1, StAR, CYP11A1, and CYP17A1 and the elevated oxidative stress and inflammation were observed. KEGG analysis showed that MAPK pathway was changed in aged Leydig cells, and immunoblotting displayed that p38 MAPK was activated in aged Leydig cells. The intensity of SA-β-Gal staining on Leydig cells and the number of p21-postive Leydig cells in aged mice were more than those of young mice. Similar to aged mice, the testosteronerelated indexes decreased, and the age-related indexes increased in the testicular Leydig cells of high fat diet (HFD) mice. Aged p38LCKO mice had higher levels of testosterone and steroidogenic enzymes than those of agematched wild-type (WT) littermates, with reduced the intensity of SA-β-Gal staining and the expression of p21 protein. Conclusion: Our study suggested that obesity was an important risk factor for Leydig cell aging. p38 MAPK was involved in Leydig cell aging induced by age and obesity. The inhibition of p38 MAPK could delay Leydig cell aging and alleviate decline in testosterone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study is to apprehend and explore the emerging themes in the existing literature about the 'Corporate Social Responsibility disclosures (CSR)' and 'Earnings Management (EM)' relationship. It employs a combination of bibliographic techniques such as author, country, keyword, cluster, citation analysis and bibliographic coupling on the data captured from Scopus and Web of Science indexed journals. CSR and EM are niche research field since 2014, where the non-western researchers are dominating. The major keywords are corporate governance, discretionary accruals, CSR and real earnings management. Most of the studies are non-collaborative in nature. The study identified three major clusters which focus on three different aspects of the relationship between CSR and EM. These aspects are: reducing information asymmetry, meeting stakeholders' expectations and role of corporate governance and other institutional factors. The study visualizes the past, present, and future of research for CSR disclosures and EM by re-examining, unfolding and summarizing the overall knowledge, knowledge gaps, progress and mapping of the themes emerging from past studies. Therefore, the study provides a one-stop overview on the topic to interested researchers and other stakeholders such as regulators and corporate practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance has attracted debates of regulatory bodies and the academic community. Previous studies highlighted the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure index and earnings management (EM) for non-financial firms. In this paper, we examine the relationship between the ESG performance and EM practices for a sample of US commercial banks over the period 2010–2019. We use two proxies for earnings management: abnormal loan loss provisions (ALLP) and EM to meet the threshold of reporting small positive profit or avoiding losses (SPOS). Consistent with the transparent financial reporting hypothesis, we find that banks reporting higher ESG performance are less likely engaged in income-increasing practice through ALLP. However, no evidence supports that ESG score mitigates EM through loss avoidance. Furthermore, we disaggregate the ESG score into its main three components: environmental, social, and governance. Our findings show that the governance pillar effectively mitigates EM practice under its two proxies. Specifically, the social pillar also seems to be an efficient constraint of banks' EM through income-increasing abnormal loan loss provisions and loss avoidance activity. However, no supporting evidence of a mitigating role for the environmental pillar is provided. Taken together, our results show that, except the environmental pillar, ESG performance score acts as an efficient mitigating tool for EM practices for US banks. Our findings provide a better understanding of banks' earnings management practices. Our findings are helpful for managers when undertaking long-term investment strategies in ESG reporting practices, regulators when issuing new standards, and banks' stakeholders when assessing both the financial and non-financial performance of such entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arsenic compounds have been applied treating acute promyelocytic 1eukemia and solid tumors with brief mechanism investigations. In fact, we have demonstrated that sodium arsenite plus dimethylarsenic acid could activate apoptosis in MA‐10 mouse Leydig tumor cells by inducing caspase pathways. However, detail underlying mechanisms how caspase cascade is regulated remains elusive. Therefore, the apoptotic mechanism of sodium arsenite plus dimethylarsenic acid were examined in MA‐10 cells in this study. Our results reveal that Fas/FasL protein expressions were stimulated by sodium arsenite plus dimethylarsenic acid in MA‐10 cells. In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, cytochrome C release, Bid truncation, and Bax translocation were induced in MA‐10 cells by arsenic compounds. Moreover, activation of p38, JNK and ERK1/2, MAPK pathways was stimulated while Akt phosphorylated levels and Akt expression were decreased by sodium arsenite plus dimethylarsenic in MA‐10 cells. In conclusion, sodium arsenite and dimethylarsenic acid did activate MAPK pathway plus ROS generation, but suppress Akt pathway, to modulate caspase pathway and then induce MA‐10 cell apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), such as Bradyrhizobium japonicum IRAT FA3, are able to improve seed germination and plant growth under various biotic and abiotic stress conditions, including high salinity stress. PGPR can affect plants' responses to stress via multiple pathways which are often interconnected but were previously thought to be distinct. Although the overall impacts of PGPR on plant growth and stress tolerance have been well documented, the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. This work contributes to understanding how PGPR promote abiotic stress by revealing major plant pathways triggered by B. japonicum under salt stress. Results: The plant growth-promoting rhizobacterial (PGPR) strain Bradyrhizobium japonicum IRAT FA3 reduced the levels of sodium in Arabidopsis thaliana by 37.7%. B. japonicum primed plants as it stimulated an increase in jasmonates (JA) and modulated hydrogen peroxide production shortly after inoculation. B. japonicum-primed plants displayed enhanced shoot biomass, reduced lipid peroxidation and limited sodium accumulation under salt stress conditions. Q(RT)-PCR analysis of JA and abiotic stress-related gene expression in Arabidopsis plants pretreated with B. japonicum and followed by six hours of salt stress revealed differential gene expression compared to non-inoculated plants. Response to Desiccation (RD) gene RD20 and reactive oxygen species scavenging genes CAT3 and MDAR2 were up-regulated in shoots while CAT3 and RD22 were increased in roots by B. japonicum, suggesting roles for these genes in B. japonicum-mediated salt tolerance. B. japonicum also influenced reductions of RD22, MSD1, DHAR and MYC2 in shoots and DHAR, ADC2, RD20, RD29B, GTR1, ANAC055, VSP1 and VSP2 gene expression in roots under salt stress. Conclusion: Our data showed that MYC2 and JAR1 are required for B. japonicum-induced shoot growth in both salt stressed and non-stressed plants. The observed microbially influenced reactions to salinity stress in inoculated plants underscore the complexity of the B. japonicum jasmonic acid-mediated plant response salt tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Propofol is an intravenous anaesthetic drug that has been shown to reduce inflammatory pain. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type I is a pain condition characterized by autonomic, motor and sensory disturbance. The chronic post-ischaemic pain (CPIP) model is a well-established model to recapture CRPS-I syndromes pre-clinically by non-invasive ischaemic-reperfusion (IR) injury. In this study, we investigated the analgesic effects of propofol and underlying mechanisms in mitigating CRPS pain using the CPIP model. Methods: Sub-anaesthetic dose of propofol (25 mg/kg) was intravenously delivered to the CPIP model and sham control. Nociceptive behavioural changes were assayed by the von Frey test. Molecular assays were used to investigate expression changes of PTEN, PI3K, AKT and IL-6 underlying propofol-mediated analgesic effects. Pharmacological inhibition was applied for PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway manipulation. Results: Both pre- and post-operative administration of propofol attenuated mechanical allodynia induced by CPIP. Propofol could modulate PTEN/PI3K/AKT signalling pathway by increasing active PTEN and reducing phosphorylated PI3K, phosphorylated AKT and IL-6 expression in the spinal dorsal horn, which promoted pain relief in the CPIP model. Inhibition of PTEN with bpV abolished the analgesic effects produced by propofol in CPIP mice. Conclusion: Sub-anaesthetic dose of propofol administration resulted in the activation of PTEN, inhibition of both PI3K/AKT signalling and IL-6 production in the spinal cord, which dramatically reduced CPIP-induced pain. Our findings lay the foundation in using propofol for the treatment of CRPS with great therapeutic implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geothermal energy is an important renewable energy source, among which hot dry rocks (HDRs) are abundant and potential. The HDRs mass is dense, so the fractures become the only flow and heat transfer channel for fluids. It is of great engineering significance to reveal the fractures damage characteristics and laws in the long-term production process. Therefore, we carried out the real triaxial injection experiments and the water impact fracture experiments. The fracture damage characteristics and laws were analyzed by computed tomography scanning, sonic wave testing, scanning electron microscopy, and morphological scanning. To analyze the stress distribution and potential damage area, we established a thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling model based on experiments. The results obtained are as follows: the fracture morphology and volume increase significantly with the increase of temperature and stress difference, and the temperature effect is more obvious. The weak cementation in the original fracture is destroyed, accompanied by the germination of microcracks and the expansion of fractures along the tip. The maximum increase of fracture length and aperture can increase about 50 mm and 0.2 mm, and the maximum increase of fracture volume can reach 100 times. The variation of coarse-grained granite is more pronounced than that of fine-grained granite. More, there are intergranular fractures and transgranular fractures in fracture expansion. The simulation results strongly confirmed the experimental results. The fractures are the main potential damage areas, mainly shear damage in the early stage and tension damage in the later stage. The research results are expected to guide optimizing the scheme and enhancing the heat extraction. Highlights: Cold water injection experiments into high-temperature granite fractures under real triaxial conditions are carried out and analyzed. The morphological changes of the fracture surface before and after the water impact are compared using morphological scanning. The changes of effective stress, Von Mises stress and Tresca stress of rocks are analyzed by using thermo-hydro-mechanical coupling model. Different damage methods and spalling methods of granite fractures are analyzed with experiments and numerical simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hazard of coal and gas outburst underground is extremely high, with complex influencing factors and uncertain risk categorization. In this case, the traditional regional outburst prediction methods fail to fulfill the demands of spatial risk quantitative distribution, complicating the implementation of targeted regional outburst prevention measures. By combining the matter–element cloud model (MECM) with improved Dempester–Shafer evidence theory, this work proposes a novel regional outburst prediction approach based on the spatial distribution of risk index. First, a 14-indicator risk system (denoted as GCCG in this paper) is constructed using the 50 percent coverage cross-unit division approach from four categories, including gas occurrence, characteristics of coal body, coal seam occurrence structure, and ground stress and concentration, and each indicator, as an independent evidence source, generates basic probability assignments by MECM, which takes into account the contribution of the internal attribute of evidence sources to fusion results through subjective and objective weights. Then, high conflict evidence is filtered using the coefficient K. The Jousselme distance and Euclidean distance (ED) were employed to increase the reliability of evidence sources, thus obtaining comprehensive risk fusion results. The improved Centre of Distribution criterion, which is more suitable for outburst prediction, is developed based on the Centre of Distribution criterion to achieve scientific quantification of outburst risk distribution. Finally, the validity and feasibility of such a prediction method are confirmed by collecting parameters of 294 units divided by field examples, concluding that the improved evidence source of the ED method better satisfies the demand for outburst prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-temperature processing and cooling time significantly affect the rock's physical and mechanical properties, affecting the safety and reliability of high-temperature rock mechanics. Accordingly, this study conducted uniaxial compression tests on the red sandstone specimens after the processing at different temperatures (25–800 °C) and for additional cooling times. It analyzed the effects of the processing temperature and the cooling time on the rock's physical parameters. Moreover, we investigated the relations of the specimen's strength, deformation, and elastic modulus in different samples under different high-temperature processing and cooling periods and examined the sample failure modes drawing the following conclusions based on the present compression test results. First was the effect of high-temperature processing and cooling on the specimen divided into three phases: high-temperature damage, initial cooling, and water absorption metamorphism subjecting the specimen's physical properties to the combined effects of the fracture development degree, water evaporation, adsorption, and the change of the mineral structural components. Secondly, the uniaxial compressive strength and the elastic modulus showed unimodal distribution patterns concerning the coupling action of the processing temperature and the cooling time, while the peak strain almost followed spatial curved surface distribution. Thirdly, the processing temperature imposed a much more significant effect than the cooling time. Finally, the failure mode showed brittle characteristics. After the cooling for three days, the specimen transited from splitting failure to single-level shear failure in terms of failure mode and finally underwent X-shaped conjugate shear collapse. After the processing at 600 °C, the specimen gradually changed from shear to splitting failure with the increased cooling time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Companies in the Water Industry present digital Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda and, also, the social and environmental commitment to their stakeholders through the websites. The purpose of this research is to assess the digital CSR in Portuguese companies of the Water Industry. Furthermore, the research examines factors that impacts on the digital status of the online disclosure. The authors analyze the CSR information published on their websites of the Portuguese companies, operating in bottle water industry using empirical analysis. The data was collected based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI 2021a) standards that details the level of disclosure in this industry and highlight areas of underreporting. The results point to factors that need to improve to companies' digital CSR report good practices and weak points based on the companies' size, number of employees and turnover as factors that influence this level of disclosure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nalbuphine when used as an adjuvant to hyperbaric bupivacaine has improved the quality of perioperative analgesia. Fentanyl is a lipophilic opioid with a rapid onset and does not cause respiratory depression and improves duration of sensory anesthesia without producing significant side effects. The aim of this study was to compare intrathecal nalbuphine and fentanyl as adjuvants to hyperbaric bupivacaine for postoperative analgesia in lower segment cesarean section. Methods: A total of 100 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status (PS) I and II parturients were enrolled for lower segment cesarean section. Parturients were randomly allocated into 2 groups - Group F (n = 50) received bupivacaine 0.5% (heavy) 1.6 ml (8 mg) + fentanyl 20 μg (0.4 ml) and Group N (n = 50) received bupivacaine 0.5% (heavy) 1.6 ml (8 mg) + nalbuphine 0.4 mg (0.4 ml) under subarachnoid block (total volume = 2 ml). Time of onset and duration of sensory and motor block, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score, duration of analgesia, sedation, rescue analgesic consumption, APGAR score, hemodynamic changes and adverse effects were noted. Results: Onset of sensory and motor block were significantly faster in Group F while duration of sensory block was significantly longer in Group N (P < 0.05). Duration of analgesia was also significantly longer in Group N (214.34 ± 9.31 min) compared to Group F (195.00 ± 9.18 min) (P < 0.001). No significant hemodynamic changes and adverse effects were noted in both groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Both of these drugs can be effectively used as an adjuvant to hyperbaric 0.5% bupivacaine in subarachnoid block for parturients undergoing lower segment cesarean section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing upper limits of cyclic loading tests at different temperatures were carried out to reveal the influence of temperature and stress level on the mechanical properties and energy characteristics of granites. The mechanical properties of granite were altered by temperature and cyclic loading, which is manifested by the observation of rock hardening, i.e., the elastic modulus increases gradually in an approximately logarithmic relationship with increasing stress levels and the relative residual strain shows a decreasing trend. The energy evolution of granite changes from nonlinear characteristic to linear characteristic with increasing temperature. The input energy density and elastic energy density, at 25 °C and 100 °C, both increase nonlinearly with increasing stress levels as an approximately exponential relationship, whereas those, in the range of 200 to 600 °C, increase almost linearly as the unloading stress level is less than 0.9. The energy distribution of granite subjected to cyclic loading was revealed, i.e., the energy accumulation is dominant in the pre-peak stage. The mathematical model of elastic energy density and input energy density at different temperatures was proposed, which is critical for the energy-based brittleness index that can be used to evaluate the stability and compressibility evaluation of the reservoirs. This generalized equation of different types of rocks merits further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glucosinolates (GLSs) are a group of secondary metabolites that are involved in the defense of herbivores. In Arabidopsis thaliana, Glucosinolate Transporter 1 (AtGTR1) transports GLSs with high affinity via a proton gradient-driven process. In addition to transporting GLSs, AtGTR1 also transports phytohormones, jasmonic acid-isoleucine (JA-Ile), and gibberellin (GA). However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the broad substrate specificity of AtGTR1. Here, we characterized the substrate preference of AtGTR1 by using a yeast uptake assay, and the results revealed that GLS transport rates are negatively correlated with the hydrophobicity of substrates. Interestingly, the AtGTR1 showed a higher substrate affinity for GLSs with higher hydrophobicity, suggesting a hydrophobic substrate binding pocket. In addition, competition assays revealed that JA, salicylic acid (SA), and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) competed with GLS for transport in yeast, suggesting a potential interaction of AtGTR1 with these phytohormones. To further characterize the functional properties of AtGTR1, mutagenesis experiments confirmed that the conserved EXXEK motif and Arg166 are essential for the GLS transport function. In addition, the purified AtGTR1 adopts a homodimeric conformation, which is possibly regulated by phosphorylation on Thr105. The phosphomimetic mutation, T105D, reduced its protein expression and completely abrogated its GLS transport function, indicating the essential role of phosphorylation on AtGTR1. In summary, this study investigated various factors associated with the GLS transport and increased our knowledge on the substrate preferences of AtGTR1. These findings contribute to understanding how the distribution of defense GLSs is regulated in plants and could be used to improve crop quality in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk assessment is an effective method of accident prevention and is vital to actual production. To reduce the risk of mining accidents and realize green and sustainable coal mining, a coal and gas outburst risk assessment method based on the improved comprehensive weight and cloud theory is proposed. The proposed method can effectively solve problems of fuzziness and randomness, index weight deviation, and correlation between indexes in risk assessment, as well as improve the accuracy and rationality of assessment. Nine influencing factors that correspond to coal seam occurrence and geological characteristics, coal seam physical characteristics, and gas occurrence characteristics are selected to establish the risk assessment index system of coal and gas outburst. Using the improved group G1 method and improved CRITIC method to obtain the subjective and objective weights, the ideal point method is used to obtain the comprehensive weight. Using the normal cloud model of cloud theory and the comprehensive weight to assess engineering examples 1–2, the No. 3 coal seam of a mine in Shanxi, and the 21 coal seam of a mine in Henan, the risk grade of coal and gas outburst is determined and then compared with the assessment results obtained from the engineering examples and the actual situations of the above mentioned coal seams. The results show that the coal and gas outburst risks of engineering examples 1–2, No. 3 coal seam, and 21 coal seam are of grades IV, IV, II, and IV, respectively. The No. 3 coal seam and 21 coal seam belong to lower and higher risk categories, respectively. The assessment results are consistent with the actual situation of the coal seams, thereby confirming the rationality and accuracy of the proposed method. This study expands the methods of coal and gas outburst risk assessment and facilitates the formulation of effective preventive measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propofol as an intravenous anesthetic and isoflurane as an inhalational/volatile anesthetic continue to be an important part of surgical anesthetic interventions worldwide. The impact of these anesthetics on tumor progression, immune modulation, and survival rates of cancer patients has been widely investigated. Although most of the preclinical studies have provided a beneficial effect of propofol over isoflurane or other volatile anesthetics, several investigations have shown contradictory results, which warrant more preclinical and clinical studies. Propofol mostly exhibits antitumor properties, whereas isoflurane being a cost‐effective anesthetic is frequently used. However, isoflurane has been also reported with protumorigenic activity. This review provides an overall perspective on the network of signaling pathways that may modulate several steps of tumor progression from inflammation, immunomodulation, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) to invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and cancer stemness and extracellular vesicles along with chemotherapeutic applications and clinical status of these anesthetics. A clear understanding of the mechanistic viewpoints of these anesthetics may pave the way for more prospective clinical trials with the ultimate goal of obtaining a safe and optimal anesthetic intervention that would prevent cancer recurrence and may influence better postoperative survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propofol is a commonly used drug for sedation and general anesthesia during cancer surgery. Previous studies indicate that propofol exerts anti-tumor effect in various cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism of propofol in liver cancer. The effects of propofol on liver cancer cells were evaluated by cell viability assay, colony formation assay, and tumor xenograft model. Dysregulated lncRNAs of propofol-treated liver cancer cells were evaluated by transcriptome RNA sequencing. The underlying molecular mechanisms of lncRNA cancer susceptibility candidate 9 (CASC9) in propofol-induced anti-tumor effects were evaluated by western blot, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), wound scratch healing assay, transwell cell migration and invasion assay, TUNEL staining, fluorescence in situ hybridization, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). We found that propofol suppressed proliferation, migration, invasion, and tumor xenograft growth of liver cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Exosomes transfer from propofol-treated cells inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion and promoted apoptosis of liver cancer cells. Transcriptional profiling of propofol-treated liver cancer cells identified CASC9 as significantly downregulated lncRNA in cells and exosomes. Enforced CASC9 expression partially rescued the inhibitory effects of propofol on liver cancer cells. Furthermore, CASC9 was found to interact directly with EZH2 and epigenetically regulated PTEN expression. Restoration of CASC9 partially abrogated the inhibition of propofol on Akt/mTOR signaling. Our results indicated that propofol exerted anti-tumor effects by downregulating CASC9, and subsequently suppressed Akt/mTOR signaling. Our findings provided a novel insight into propofol-induced anti-tumor effects in liver cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Thrombospondin-4 (TSP4) upregulates in the spinal cord following peripheral nerve injury and contributes to the development of neuropathic pain (NP). We investigated the effects of cyanocobalamin alone or in combination with morphine on pain and the relationship between these effects and spinal TSP4 expression in neuropathic rats. Methods: NP was induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve. Cyanocobalamin (5 and 10 mg/kg/day) was administered 15 days before CCI and then for 4 and 14 postoperative days. Morphine (2.5 and 5 mg/kg/day) was administered only post-CCI. Combination treatment included cyanocobalamin and morphine, 10 and 5 mg/kg/day, respectively. All drugs were administered intraperitoneally. Nociceptive thresholds were detected by esthesiometer, analgesia meter, and plantar test, and TSP4 expression was assessed by western blotting and fluorescence immunohistochemistry. Results: CCI decreased nociceptive thresholds in all tests and induced TSP4 expression on the 4th postoperative day. The decrease in nociceptive thresholds persisted except for the plantar test, and the increased TSP4 expression reversed on the 14th postoperative day. Cyanocobalamin and low-dose morphine alone did not produce any antinociceptive effects. High-dose morphine improved the decreased nociceptive thresholds in the esthesiometer when administered alone but combined with cyanocobalamin in all tests. Cyanocobalamin and morphine significantly induced TSP4 expression when administered alone in both doses for 4 or 14 days. However, this increase was less when the two drugs are combined. Conclusions: The combination of cyanocobalamin and morphine is more effective in antinociception and partially decreased the induced TSP4 expression compared to the use of either drug alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Central post‐stroke pain (CPSP) has a detrimental effect on the quality of life of post‐stroke patients. However, no definitive and effective method has been established yet for the treatment of CPSP. Objective: We aimed to examine the applicability of single‐injection peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) for the treatment of CPSP. Subjects: In this retrospective study, we included 22 patients (mean age = 56.3 years; 13 men and 9 women) diagnosed with CPSP who visited an outpatient rehabilitation clinic in Seoul National University Bundang Hospital between December 2018 and April 2020. Methods: The patients underwent ultrasound‐guided single‐injection PNB (lidocaine + epinephrine [1: 200,000]) according to the primary site of pain. The level of pain (measured using a numeric rating scale) was recorded before and after the PNB, and the occurrence of adverse events were also measured. The primary outcome of this study was the amount of pain reduction after PNB. Secondary outcome measures obtained 1 month after the PNB included the pain reduction rate 1 month after the PNB, the patient‐reported satisfaction and effectiveness regarding the PNB, intention for re‐injection, and the patients' willingness to recommend this procedure to others. Results: The mean pain reduction after PNB was 3.3 ± 2.8. PNB was associated with pain reduction that persisted for greater than 1 month in 68% (15/22) of the patients. Thirteen of 22 patients reported a pain reduction of 50% or more. The mean pain reduction rate was 43.6%. Of the 22 patients, 13 were willing to undergo a second round of treatment with PNB. Nine of them underwent the procedure. No adverse events were observed in this study. Conclusions: Our study provides preliminary data suggesting that PNB could be an effective and feasible method to treat CPSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the US.Objective: To systematically review the effectiveness, test accuracy, and harms of screening for CRC to inform the US Preventive Services Task Force.Data Sources: MEDLINE, PubMed, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for relevant studies published from January 1, 2015, to December 4, 2019; surveillance through March 26, 2021.Study Selection: English-language studies conducted in asymptomatic populations at general risk of CRC.Data Extraction and Synthesis: Two reviewers independently appraised the articles and extracted relevant study data from fair- or good-quality studies. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted.Main Outcomes and Measures: Colorectal cancer incidence and mortality, test accuracy in detecting cancers or adenomas, and serious adverse events.Results: The review included 33 studies (n = 10 776 276) on the effectiveness of screening, 59 (n = 3 491 045) on the test performance of screening tests, and 131 (n = 26 987 366) on the harms of screening. In randomized clinical trials (4 trials, n = 458 002), intention to screen with 1- or 2-time flexible sigmoidoscopy vs no screening was associated with a decrease in CRC-specific mortality (incidence rate ratio, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.68-0.80]). Annual or biennial guaiac fecal occult blood test (gFOBT) vs no screening (5 trials, n = 419 966) was associated with a reduction of CRC-specific mortality after 2 to 9 rounds of screening (relative risk at 19.5 years, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.84-0.98]; relative risk at 30 years, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.65-0.93]). In observational studies, receipt of screening colonoscopy (2 studies, n = 436 927) or fecal immunochemical test (FIT) (1 study, n = 5.4 million) vs no screening was associated with lower risk of CRC incidence or mortality. Nine studies (n = 6497) evaluated the test accuracy of screening computed tomography (CT) colonography, 4 of which also reported the test accuracy of colonoscopy; pooled sensitivity to detect adenomas 6 mm or larger was similar between CT colonography with bowel prep (0.86) and colonoscopy (0.89). In pooled values, commonly evaluated FITs (14 studies, n = 45 403) (sensitivity, 0.74; specificity, 0.94) and stool DNA with FIT (4 studies, n = 12 424) (sensitivity, 0.93; specificity, 0.85) performed better than high-sensitivity gFOBT (2 studies, n = 3503) (sensitivity, 0.50-0.75; specificity, 0.96-0.98) to detect cancers. Serious harms of screening colonoscopy included perforations (3.1/10 000 procedures) and major bleeding (14.6/10 000 procedures). CT colonography may have harms resulting from low-dose ionizing radiation. It is unclear if detection of extracolonic findings on CT colonography is a net benefit or harm.Conclusions and Relevance: There are several options to screen for colorectal cancer, each with a different level of evidence demonstrating its ability to reduce cancer mortality, its ability to detect cancer or precursor lesions, and its risk of harms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether religious-based index membership is important in mitigating earnings management. Using a large sample of firms domiciled across 12 European countries, our empirical results show that firms included in the Shariah-compliant index, as a proxy for religious index, are more likely to engage in accruals manipulation vis-a-vis non-Shariah-compliant firms. Our results are robust using the Heckman two-stage treatment effect model, weighted least squares model, alternative earnings quality metrics and after controlling for the potential effects of home-country characteristics. Furthermore, our empirical results indicate that corporate governance of Shariah-compliant firms does not constrain managerial opportunistic behaviour in misreporting earnings, and firms that with low scores of board functions, shareholder rights and vision and strategy are more likely to engage in earnings management. Further, Shariah-compliant firms domiciled in Coordinated Market Economies are more likely to manipulate earnings than those in Liberal Market Economies. Taken together, our findings suggest that the Shariah index membership does not indicate good corporate governance that can mitigate earnings management, and it may serve as a legitimacy mechanism to conform to stakeholders' expectations. Our findings support arguments that the religious-based index membership is plausibly used as a 'label' and an impression management tool to attract investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The gas outburst, resulting in substantial economic losses and even casualties, is the biggest obstacle in coal mines, mostly caused by an imbalance of gas-geological structure. For accurately measuring this proneness, in this paper, a novel evaluation method was proposed based on the gas-geology theory. In this method, a standardization model of statistical units was presented first, which was used to standardize and quantify the 12 chosen gas-geological factors; and then, an associated function was established for computing the gas-geological complexity index (GCI). With increasing GCI values, the evaluated area was divided into four grades: simple, medium, complex, and extremely complex region, in which the associated proneness of outbursts was SAFE, POTENTIAL, HIGH, STRONG, respectively. Taking the XueHu Coal Mine as an example, site verification was carried out with a good result. Research and application indicate that (1) gas outburst is unbalanced and closely related to the complex of the gas geological structure, showing a greater GCI leads to a higher outburst possibility; (2) the most likely area for the gas outburst is the extremely complex region and the transition zone between adjacent areas with different GCI grades; (3) upgrading-targeted control measures are the best way for preventing and controlling disasters caused by the gas and outburst unbalanced distribution. This novel method provided a reliable quantity approach for predicting and zonally managing gas outbursts and improving the effectiveness of outbursts prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sunitinib malate is a small molecule that targets multiple receptor tyrosine kinases and blocks their activity. Receptors targeted by sunitinib are implicated in tumor vascularization and are overexpressed by vascular tumors encountered in infants, namely, hemangiomas. Of note is that there is still no definitive treatment for these commonly occurring tumors of infancy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sunitinib malate on hemangioma using endothelial cells isolated from a murine model of the neoplasm (sEnd.2). The effects of the drug on cell growth were evaluated using the crystal violet assay and flow cytometry, while the scratch assay was employed to measure cell migration. Proteins associated with cell migration and angiogenesis were detected using western blotting. Sunitinib was investigated further to determine its effects on the production of reactive oxygen species, a parameter associated with the promotion of neovascularization in tumors. The results showed that sunitinib significantly reduced the growth of sEnd.2 cells by causing the cells to accumulate in the sub-G1 phase of the cell cycle, and also induced a significant decrease in the migration of these hemangioma cells (P < 0.05). The western blot assay showed a decrease in the expression of adhesion proteins, focal adhesion kinase and paxillin at IC50 doses, although the expression of cadherin did not change significantly (P < 0.05). In addition, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) expression was decreased in sunitinib-treated cells at the same dose. The adhesion proteins as well as TGF-β1 regulate cell movement and have been implicated in tumor progression. Thus, sunitinib malate may have potential in the treatment of hemangiomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comprehensiveness of data collected by "omics" modalities has demonstrated the ability to drastically transform our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of chronic, complex diseases such as musculoskeletal pathologies, how biomarkers are identified, and how therapeutic targets are developed. Standardization of protocols will enable comparisons between findings reported by multiple research groups and move the application of these technologies forward. Herein, we describe a protocol for parallel proteomic and metabolomic analysis of mouse intervertebral disc (IVD) tissues, building from the combined expertise of our collaborative team. This protocol covers dissection of murine IVD tissues, sample isolation, and data analysis for both proteomics and metabolomics applications. The protocol presented below was optimized to maximize the utility of a mouse model for "omics" applications, accounting for the challenges associated with the small starting quantity of sample due to small tissue size as well as the extracellular matrix‐rich nature of the tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is one of most the significant threats to human health worldwide, and the primary method of treating solid tumours is surgery. Propofol, one of the most widely used intravenous anaesthetics in surgery, was found to be involved in many cancer‐related pathophysiology processes, mainly including anti‐tumour and minor cancer‐promoting effects in various types of cancer. An increasing number of studies have identified that propofol plays a role in cancer by regulating the expression of multiple signalling pathways, downstream molecules, microRNAs and long non‐coding RNAs. Emerging evidence has indicated that propofol can enhance the anti‐tumour effect of chemotherapeutic drugs or some small molecular compounds. Additionally, in vivo animal models have shown that propofol inhibits tumour growth and metastasis. Furthermore, most clinical trials indicate that propofol is associated with better survival outcomes in cancer patients after surgery. Propofol use is encouraged in cancers that appear to have a better prognosis after its use during surgery. We hope that future large and prospective multicenter studies will provide more precise answers to guide the choice of anaesthetics during cancer surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social responsibility fulfillment helps modern enterprises achieve sustainable development. Based on empirical data on China's A-share listed companies in 2013–2016, this paper examines the impact of corporate social responsibility performance on a company's financing costs from the perspective of targeted poverty alleviation. Specifically, we find that enterprises' engagement in poverty alleviation social responsibility helps to reduce the cost of equity capital. The result is robust to using alternative indicators of the cost of equity capital, propensity score matching method, change model and sample removed financial sector. Furthermore, we find that the negative relationship between enterprises' engagement in poverty relief and the cost of equity capital is mainly concentrated in private enterprises and in the central and eastern regions of China. Moreover, the negative relationship mainly exists after China's listed companies were forced to disclose information on poverty alleviation. This paper also finds that institutional investors' shareholding plays a partial mediating role in this reduction effect and that enterprises' poverty alleviation efforts help companies improve their financial performance and firm value. This study enriches the relevant literature on corporate social responsibility and the cost of equity capital and has reference value for corporate sustainable development. It also provides a theoretical basis for corporate poverty alleviation work in developing countries and the economic results of CSR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]