Hepatic IFNL4 Gene Activation in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Regard to Etiology

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a malignancy with a leading lethality. The etiology is quite diverse, ranging from viral infections to metabolic disorders or intoxications, and associates with specific somatic mutational patterns and specific host immunological phenotypes. Particularly, hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected liver is featured by an activation of interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes (ISGs; IFN signature), which we suppose is driven by type III IFNL4. Taking advantage of the TCGA collection of HCC patients of various different etiologies, this study aimed at validating our previous findings on hepatic IFNL4 gene activation in HCV infection in an independent and larger cohort of patients with advanced liver disease. In a cohort of n = 377 cases, the entirety of the sequencing data was used to assess the IFNL genotypes, and the cases were stratified for etiology. The number of IFNL4 transcripts within nonmalignant and malignant tissues was found to be more abundant in patients with HCV or HCV/HBV infections when compared to other risk factors. Moreover, in patients with HCV infection as a risk factor, a close, positive relationship was found between ISG activation and the number of functional IFNL4 transcripts. Data on this independent TCGA sample support the concept of an IFNL4-dependent HCV-driven activation of hepatic ISGs. In addition to that, they add to the understanding of etiology-related host immunological phenotypes in HCC.

Do Share Repurchases Distort Stock Prices? Evidence from the United States and Malaysia

Heavy share buyback years after the global finance crisis 2008–2009 drew criticism from scholars and financial press that share repurchases were being used by firms to manipulate their stock prices. This paper examines whether a greater firm’s repurchase intensity distorts stock prices reflecting to information. We analyse 2 sets of unbalanced panel data that contain a sample of 337 US and another sample of 167 Malaysian repurchasing firms between 2012 and 2016. Contrary to the criticism, we find that a greater firms’ share buyback intensity in the USA stimulates faster incorporation of information in price and results in more efficient stock prices. The main findings hold true and are robust when an alternative measure of share repurchase intensity was used. The findings of US sample support the notion that share repurchase serves as a signalling tool and price support to promote more efficient stock prices. We also find no strong evidence supporting the notion that shares repurchased by Malaysian firms distort stock prices. JEL Classification: G10, G14, G35

Perception of the Memorial Conflict around the Film “The Death of Stalin” among Russian Internet Users

The presented study is devoted to the problem of perception of the conflict around the film Death of Stalin among Russian Internet users. The article is based on materials from the cybermetric study conducted through the social media monitoring service IQBuzz. The methodological basis of the work is formed by cybermetric methods combined with elements of traditional content analysis and descriptive analysis. The survey showed that Russian Internet users perceived the film Stalins Death mostly negatively. Support for the release of the movie is detected in only 25% of the messages included in the sample. Support of the movie by users was mostly not politically motivated. Russian authorities didnt find support from the users for the films rental license. In their opinion, the scandal associated with the revocation of the films film license provoked increase of interest. Both opponents and apologists of the film agreed that the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation paid too much attention to this problem, distracting from the solution of the more significant tasks facing the department. The actions of officials were considered as an attempt to restrict freedom of speech. The reason for criticism was also inconsistency in the actions of government officials. The state opposed the release of the anti-Soviet film in terms of content, while Russian films, created in a similar ideological vein, are supported by the authorities.

On the Relation between Filament Chirality, Rotation Direction, and Morphology

<p>Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) with enhanced south-component of the magnetic field are susceptible to producing geomagnetic storms. Filament chirality, rotation direction, and morphology are responsible for CMEs’ magnetic orientation and they are manifestations of magnetic helicity. However, different models predict different relations among them. In this paper, taking advantage of stereoscopic observations and a new method of determining the chirality of erupting filaments, we analyze 12 filaments that present a clear rotation during the eruption. The results based on the small sample support the argument that the filaments with for sinistral (dextral) chirality, they rotate clockwise (counterclock-wise), indicating the transformation of twist into writhe. Moreover, we also inspect soft X-ray and EUV hot temperature images and find that, the associated sigmoids are consistent with filaments prior to the eruption morphologically. However, once starting to rise up, the erupting filaments reverse their shapes from forward S-shaped to inversed S-shaped and vice versa.</p>