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Forecasting of LME (London Metal Exchange) nickel prices remains an interesting topic but lacks consensus. This study aims to fill knowledge gaps by demonstrating the announcement effect of export bans by the Indonesian government. This article focuses on Indonesia because Indonesia produces more than 60% of global nickel ore. We identified the sequence of two episodes in which Indonesian export bans of nickel ore appeared to increase LME nickel prices. The impact of the Indonesian export ban in 2014 is somewhat larger than that of 2019. The shock on the LME nickel market in 2014 was sustained for a while after the ban was implemented. We believe that this is the first export ban that has had unexpected effects within the market.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a substantial increase in the advancement of point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tools due to their potential utility in detecting and managing the spread of the disease. Currently, many diagnostic techniques necessitate advanced laboratory equipment and specialized expertise to deliver dependable, cost-effective, specific, and sensitive POC tests for COVID-19 diagnosis. Herein, we report a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor array that features S-RBD protein, covalently anchored on the surface-engineered Pt-black-coated microdisk gold electrodes to monitor severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Computer simulations were performed using different electrode gaps to optimize and fabricate the gold microdisk electrode array. The high sensitivity was ensured by decreasing the electrode gap as well as by depositing Pt-black nanoparticles on the microdisk gold electrodes, by means of chronopotentiometry. The electrical readout depends on monitoring changes in the cyclic voltammograms at the electrode/electrolyte interface as a result of the competitive interaction between monoclonal COVID-19 antibodies and varying antigen concentrations. Overall, the developed electrochemical sensor array exhibits promising electroanalytical capabilities by displaying an excellent linear response ranging from 100 to 1 µg/ml with a detection limit of ~ (0.23 ng/ml). In addition, as a proof-of-concept application, the developed electrochemical sensor array was employed as a sensing platform for the detection of heat-inactivated SARS-CoV-2. Such accomplishments highlight the advantages of low-cost localized electronic devices with high sensitivity and rapid multiple samples detection capabilities to play a crucial role in controlling the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19.

This paper explores the market efficiency of the six base metals traded on the LME (London Metal Exchange) using daily data from January 2000 to June 2016. The hypothesis that futures prices 3M (3-month) are unbiased predictors of spot prices (cash) in the LME is rejected based on the false premise that the financialization of commodities has been growing. For the robustness check, monthly data is analyzed using ordinary least squares (OLS) and GARCH (1,1) models. We reject the null hypothesis for all metals except for zinc.

This study explored the option value embedded in a reverse mortgage in Korea through an empirical analysis, using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The value of a reverse mortgage is affected by the variation in house prices. However, older homeowners using reverse mortgages are able to choose this option due to the unique characteristics of reverse mortgages, such as non-recourse clauses or being able to redeem the loan. This paper found the following results. First, the call option value is 5.8% of the house price at the age of 60, under the assumption of a KRW three hundred million house value, while the put option value is only 2.0%. Contrary to what it is at sixty years of age, only the call option value will remain when the homeowner reaches the age of 80. Second, this article analyzed the sensitivity of the key variables of real-option analytical models, such as the change of the exercise price, the change of the risk-free rate, volatility, and maturity, on the option value of a reverse mortgage. The sensitivity results of the key variables supported economic rationales for the option pricing model.

The motivation of this paper is to identify the effect of treatment charge (TC) on LME (London Metal Exchange) copper prices. It is a fundamental variable as a supply side factor, because it is related to the smelting process and reflects the level of concentrates market tightness. To examine this question carefully, the regression model is applied. This paper finds a statistically significant negative link between TC and LME copper prices. It is found that a 10% increase in TC of copper decreases in copper return by 1.8%. Subsequently, the vector autoregression (VAR) model is introduced to consider the impact of TC to copper prices as a permanent effect. It is found that the negative impact of the TC to copper returns dies out quickly. The statistical estimation in this article will provide a good reference for future study.

Incompletely restrained wire-suspended system is difficult to control payload swaying. To resolve this problem, frequency characteristic of 2D wire-suspended system is investigated with analysis of dynamics. It is shown that the characteristics are related not only to the mechanical property, but also to the position of the payload in the workspace. To mitigate unwanted swaying of payload, anti-sway trajectory is generated with input-shaping of impulse accelerations based on the frequency characteristic analysis of the system. Experiment of a wire flying system with the vibration reduction trajectory shows the effects of the proposed method.

Male germ cell development is a well-defined process occurring in numerous seminiferous tubules of the testis. Uncovering testicular novel genes related to intrinsic regulation of spermatogenesis is essential for the understanding of spermatogenesis. In the present study, we investigated mouse Mageg2, which belongs to a group of melanoma-associated antigens （MAGEs）. Mageg2 is transcribed in the testis specifically, and its expression level is increased at the pachytene spermatocyte stage, indicating that Mageg2 is expressed predominantly in germ cells. We generated an antibody against mouse MAGEG2 for further characterization at the protein level. Immunoblot analysis suggested that MAGEG2 has specific testicular expression and the expression primarily occurred in pachytene spermatocytes. Proteomic analyses demonstrated that mouse MAGEG2 binded to testicular germ cell-specific serine/threonine-protein kinase 31 （STK31） and heat shock protein 9 （HSPA9）. Direct binding with both interaction partners was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation. We found that STK31 and HSPA9 bind MAGEG2 directly but not with each other. Interestingly, MAGEG2 reduced the kinase activity of STK31. Our study suggests that mouse MAGEG2 has at least two functions, including chaperone activity related to HSPA9 and regulation of pachytene spermatocyte-specific kinase, STK31. Altogether, our results provide the first information about MAGEG2 at the transcript and protein levels and suggest its potential molecular functions.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by mucosal inflammation and debilitating symptoms that considerably impair life quality. UC is particularly prevalent in younger populations, where early diagnosis remains challenging owing to nonspecific symptoms and the potential progression to colitis-associated cancer (CAC). The GSE177044 dataset, consisting of whole blood samples, was analyzed to identify differentially expressed genes, perform gene annotation, analyze key signaling pathways, and detect key hub genes in UC using protein–protein interaction networks. Multiple UC datasets composed of colonic samples were used for validation and examination of methylation and age-related gene expression patterns. Further analyses were performed to explore the association between these key hub genes and colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). We identified four key hub genes—lipocalin-2 (LCN2), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9), S100 calcium-binding protein A9 (S100A9), and olfactomedin-4 (OLFM4)—significantly up-regulated in UC, with S100A9 showing epigenetic regulation and age-dependent expression patterns. Additionally, S100A9 was strongly associated with poor prognosis in COAD, displaying hypo-methylation and elevated expression, especially in myeloid cell types, and links to altered immune and molecular subtypes. Our findings confirmed the hypo-methylation-driven up-regulation of LCN2, S100A9, and OLFM4 in UC, suggesting their potential as blood-based diagnostic biomarkers. Notably, S100A9 has emerged as a promising biomarker for the early diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, particularly in pediatric and adolescent patients with UC. Moreover, S100A9 holds potential as a precision target to prevent progression from UC to CAC.

Anchor bolts are often used for fixing information boards, supports, and soundproof walls in various facilities. Corrosion of anchor bolts and fatigue cracks occur frequently due to the various external environments, and visual inspection and hammering inspection are mainly used. In visual inspection, it is difficult to confirm corrosion or fatigue cracks of anchor bolts in the area where foundations, nuts, and base plates are installed. Additionally, the hammering inspection is easily affected by the surrounding environment and the subjective reaction of the tester. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a method that can easily and accurately detect defects such as cracks and corrosion occurring in anchor bolts installed in road facilities using non-destructive testing techniques. In this paper, the possibility and reliability of anchor bolt defects such as corrosion and cracks were experimentally verified by applying ultrasonic inspection among non-destructive inspection techniques for anchor bolt maintenance.