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The transition to a low-carbon economy offers substantial business opportunities, yet most research focuses on risks. This study develops a metric to identify firms advancing “climate solutions” by applying large language models to 39,710 10-K filings from 4,483 U.S. firms (2005-2022). The metric reveals a rising emphasis on climate solutions, validated by its responsiveness to policy shocks (e.g., Inflation Reduction Act) and correlation with green revenues and innovation indicators. We apply the measure to three inquiries: (i) firms engaged in climate solutions experience higher revenue growth, especially in sectors with strong intellectual property protection and technologies with high abatement potential; (ii) a modest political divide exists, with firms located in states with predominantly Republican voting patterns exhibiting lower climate solutions—a gap that narrows for low-cost technologies; and (iii) seemingly unrelated industries converge around shared technologies, reflected in higher stock return synchronicity. These results illustrate the value of AI-based analysis of regulatory filings for uncovering climate-related business opportunities. This study applies AI to 10-K filings to measure firms advancing climate solutions across 88 technology topics. Analysis reveals growing climate solutions, with links to revenue growth, modest political divides, and cross-industry convergence.

The link between the oral microbiome and neurodevelopmental disorders remains a compelling hypothesis, still requiring confirmation in large-scale datasets. Leveraging over 7000 whole-genome sequenced salivary samples from 2025 US families with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), our cross-sectional study shows that the oral microbiome composition can discriminate ASD subjects from neurotypical siblings (NTs, AUC = 0.66), with 108 differentiating species ( q  < 0.005). The relative abundance of these species is highly correlated with cognitive impairment as measured by Full-Scale Intelligence Quotient (IQ). ASD children with IQ < 70 also exhibit lower microbiome strain sharing with parents ( p  < 10 −6 ) with respect to NTs. A two-pronged functional enrichment analysis suggests the contribution of enzymes from the serotonin, GABA, and dopamine degradation pathways to the distinct microbial community compositions observed between ASD and NT samples. Although measures of restrictive eating diet and proxies of oral hygiene show relatively minor effects on the microbiome composition, the observed associations with ASD and IQ may still represent unaccounted-for underlying differences in lifestyle among groups. While causal relationships could not be established, our study provides substantial support to the investigation of oral microbiome biomarkers in ASD. Here, Manghi et al. identify potential salivary microbial biomarkers for autism through a large-scale metagenomic analysis of 2,000 families, revealing shifts in neurotransmitter-related pathways

East Asia is a most dynamic region and its fast developing higher education and research systems are gathering great momentum. East Asian higher education has common cultural roots in Chinese civilization, and in indigenous traditions, each country has been shaped in different ways by Western intervention, and all are building global strategies. Shared educational agendas combine with long political tensions and rising national identities. Hope and fear touch each other. What are the prospects for regional harmony-in-diversity? How do internationalization and indigenization interplay in higher education in this remarkable region, where so much of the future of humanity will be decided? Experts from Australia, China mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the UK and Vietnam probe these dynamics, with original perspectives, robust evidence and brilliant writing. Changing Higher Education in East Asia deepens our understanding of internationalization and globalization agendas such as world-class universities and international students. It takes readers further, exploring the role of higher education in furthering the global public and common good, world citizenship education, the internationalization of the humanities and social sciences, geopolitics and higher education development, cross-border academic mobility, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on regional student mobility, and future regionalization in East Asia.

Coinciding with the rise of Chinese economy, China’s foreign policy has become more assertive than ever. As part of the “Chinese Dream” promise, her new projects, the “New Maritime Silk Road” and the “New Silk Road,” have created a new chapter of China’s relations with her neighboring countries as well as the international communities. However, China’s hidden agenda of the two new projects, her challenges of achieving her goals, and how the international communities respond to the increasingly assertive Chinese foreign policy are yet to be discussed extensively among research on international relations. This introduction seeks to outline a wide spectrum of theoretical framework that is applicable to the subject and to highlight the importance of understanding the context of China’s strategic shifts in Xi Jinping’s era.

The potential roles played by local governments in Japan regarding Sino-Japanese relations are often neglected. Drawing upon a few representative case studies by highlighting the interaction between local and international politics, the article aims at analyzing the possible impacts of Japan’s local governments on Sino-Japanese relations in the future. First, it reviews the theoretical framework of sub-national or paradiplomacy and the relevant literature on Japan’s local governments in such framework. Second, through showing how their local leaders attempted to pursue local or personal interests by taking Sino-Japanese relations as hostage, it uses four local governments in Japan that have peculiar interaction with China as case studies. Finally, it previews some patterns as derived from the cases, in order to draw some implications for both Tokyo and Beijing.

Most Americans have insurance that uses managed care arrangements. Regulators have long sought to ensure access to care through network adequacy regulations. However, consumers have largely been excluded from conversations about network adequacy. To our knowledge, our study is the first to assess consumer preferences for various definitions of network adequacy including those aimed at supporting health equity and reducing disparities. We fielded a large and demographically diverse survey of US adults (N = 4008) from June 30 to July 2, 2023. The survey queried respondents about their perceptions of what adequate provider networks look like in the abstract. Analyses were conducted using ordinary least squares regression with survey weights as well as t tests. Consumers were overwhelmingly supportive of standard definitions of adequacy focused on the number of providers and travel distance. Majorities also favored more expansive, health equity-focused definitions such as public transportation access, cultural competency, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+)-inclusive care. Being a woman; having higher levels of education, worse health, and recent experiences with the medical system; and ease of completing administrative tasks were relatively consistent positive predictors of supporting more expansive definitions. More controversial definitions saw effects of partisanship and LGBT+ identification. Rurality, insurance status, education, and recent experiences with the medical system affected perceptions of reasonable appointment wait times and travel distances. Our findings indicate that consumers have broad conceptions of network adequacy. Future work should assess consumer trade-offs in resource-constrained settings as well as perceptions of providers and carriers.

The Sino-Japanese relations have again reached to the lowest point since Koizumi’s rule. Contrary to the conventional literatures which explaining the dynamic relation from the international dimensions, this special issue highlights the different domestic actors in Japanese politics who contribute significantly to the foreign policy-making process, notably regarding Japan’s Chinese policies. While there is a significant rightward shift in domestic politics and a growing discrepancy between central and local level politicians, the quest for discursive power between the opposing camps in the relevant areas will heavily determine future Sino-Japanese relationships.

Autism is a highly heritable complex disorder in which de novo mutation (DNM) variation contributes significantly to risk. Using whole-genome sequencing data from 3,474 families, we investigate another source of large-effect risk variation, ultra-rare variants. We report and replicate a transmission disequilibrium of private, likely gene-disruptive (LGD) variants in probands but find that 95% of this burden resides outside of known DNM-enriched genes. This variant class more strongly affects multiplex family probands and supports a multi-hit model for autism. Candidate genes with private LGD variants preferentially transmitted to probands converge on the E3 ubiquitin–protein ligase complex, intracellular transport and Erb signaling protein networks. We estimate that these variants are approximately 2.5 generations old and significantly younger than other variants of similar type and frequency in siblings. Overall, private LGD variants are under strong purifying selection and appear to act on a distinct set of genes not yet associated with autism. Analysis of whole-genome sequence data from 3,474 families finds an excess of private, likely gene-disrupting variants in individuals with autism. These variants are under purifying selection and suggest candidate genes not previously associated with autism.

Background Obesity is traditionally viewed as a risk factor for adverse surgical outcomes. This study evaluated whether obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ) independently affected intraoperative and postoperative outcomes following colon cancer resection, and whether these effects varied by anatomical site. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted of consecutive patients who underwent colon cancer resection at a single institution from 2015 to 2022. Patients were stratified by BMI (≥ 30 kg/m 2 vs < 30 kg/m 2 ) and further grouped by urgency (elective or emergency) and anatomical subsite (right- vs left-sided). Primary outcomes were intraoperative complications, severe postoperative morbidity (Clavien–Dindo ≥ III), conversion to open surgery, ICU admission, and 30-day mortality. Multivariate logistic regression was used to adjust for confounders. Results Among the 737 patients, 33.5% were obese (BMI ≥ 30). Obese patients were younger and had higher rates of hypertension (55% vs 46%, p = 0.01), diabetes (25% vs 16%, p < 0.01), and respiratory disease (22% vs 11%, p < 0.01). In the overall cohort, obesity was not associated with increased rates of intraoperative complications, severe postoperative complications, conversion to open surgery, or 30-day mortality. In elective resections, obesity was independently associated with increased likelihood of ICU admission (aOR 1.82, 95% CI 1.08–3.09; p = 0.02), while in emergent resections obesity was independently associated with higher intra-operative complications (aOR 2.18, 95% CI 1.19–3.97; p = 0.01). Stratified analysis by resection site revealed that obesity was an independent risk factor associated with intraoperative complications (aOR 1.89, 95% CI 1.03–3.47; p = 0.04) and ICU admission (aOR 3.17, 95% CI 1.61–6.23; p < 0.01) following left-sided colectomy, but not right-sided surgery. Conclusions Obesity was not associated with adverse outcomes following colon cancer surgery overall. However, when stratified by anatomical subsite, obesity was independently associated with increased perioperative risk in left-sided resections. These findings support a more nuanced approach to operative planning and perioperative risk stratification.

Background Postoperative ileus (POI) is a frequent complication after elective colorectal surgery, delaying gastrointestinal (GI) recovery and discharge. While pharmacologic agents such as laxatives and prokinetics are often included in enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols, their efficacy and safety remain uncertain. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to evaluate the effect of Gastrointestinal (GI) motility agents on postoperative recovery in elective colorectal surgery. Primary outcomes included GI-2 recovery (tolerance of solid diet and stool passage), time to first defaecation, and safety endpoints. Data was pooled using random-effects models. Results Seven RCTs involving 849 patients were included. GI motility agents significantly accelerated GI-2 recovery (mean difference –1.01 days; 95% CI –1.29 to –0.73; p < 0.001) and reduced time to first defaecation (mean difference –1.07 days; 95% CI –1.40 to –0.73; p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed in safety outcomes, including anastomotic leak (OR 0.97; 95% CI 0.53 to 1.77), nasogastric tube reinsertion (OR 0.86; 95% CI 0.49 to 1.51), or readmission rates (OR 1.03; 95% CI 0.62 to 1.72). Conclusion Motility agents enhance postoperative GI recovery without compromising safety in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. Given their low cost, wide availability, and favourable safety profile, gastrointestinal motility agents may be considered for integration into ERAS protocols. However, further high-quality, standardised trials are needed to confirm their benefits across diverse surgical populations.