Millennium Institute

TPS607 Background: The combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab (Atezo-Bev) has transformed the treatment landscape for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). With a response rate of approximately 30%, some patients become eligible for curative locoregional therapies (LRT) after successful systemic treatment. However, it remains unclear whether patients who achieve a partial response (PR) and are converted to a disease-free state with curative LRT have a similar prognosis to patients who achieve a complete response (CR) from Atezo-Bev alone. Additionally, it is unknown whether applying curative LRT improves survival outcomes for patients who achieve a PR. This study aims to address these critical questions. Methods: This multinational, retrospective study will enroll patients with clinically or histologically diagnosed HCC who received first-line Atezo-Bev and achieved a CR or PR according to RECIST v1.1. Patients must have started Atezo-Bev before September 30, 2024. Patients receiving concurrent anti-CTLA4 antibodies will be excluded. Curative LRT is defined as curative surgery, ablation, or definitive radiotherapy performed in patients who achieved a PR with Atezo-Bev treatment during their PR status. The primary endpoint is the recurrence-free survival (RFS) of patients who received curative LRT, compared to that of patients who obtained a CR solely from Atezo-Bev treatment. Secondary endpoints include the time to discontinuation of Atezo-Bev treatment after curative LRT, and the time from initiation of Atezo-Bev treatment to curative LRT; also, the overall survival and progression-free survival of patients who received curative LRT with be compared with those of patients who obtained CR solely from Atezo-Bev treatment and those of patients who obtained a PR after Atezo-Bev treatment but did not receive LRT. Disease-free status after curative surgery must be confirmed by imaging. Time from the best objective response to curative LRT will also be recorded. Data will be collected from up to 30 Asian sites, with an anticipated sample size of approximately 400 patients who received curative LRT and 1,200 patients who achieved a CR or PR without receiving curative LRT. Survival outcomes will be analyzed using Kaplan-Meier methods and compared with the log-rank test. They will be adjusted for baseline characteristics such as age, gender, HCC etiology, tumor extent, liver function reserve, alpha-fetoprotein level, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio using Cox proportional hazards models. The study is partially supported by Roche. Clinical trial information: NCT07091942 .

ABSTRACT Flares and coronal mass ejections are known to be the dominating high-energy phenomena on cool stars. Superflares were thoroughly investigated using broad-band photometry predominantly from Kepler, K2, and TESS. Here, we present a spectroscopic investigation of superflares on the very active spectroscopic binary CC Eri. We focus on spectroscopic signatures of (super)-flares and line asymmetries with the goal to characterize superflares spectroscopically. In 70 nights of spectroscopic observations obtained at the ESO 1.52-m telescope with the Echelle spectrograph PUCHEROS+ hosted by the PLATOSpec consortium, we identified 31 flares from which two are superflares already from the deduced g$^{\prime }$-band energies. We also find a broad blue-wing asymmetry occurring in the impulsive phase of another superflare which shows great potential to be a prominence eruption. For the second most luminous flare, we find the largest number of excess emissions during the impulsive and gradual flare. We identify the flare to be occurring close to the stellar limb which indicates that the flare was even more energetic than derived from its g$^{\prime }$-band and spectral line energies. We identify more than 60 spectral lines in the spectral range of 4100 and 7200 Å showing excess emission during this flare. We detect continuum enhancements as well as photospheric line fillings during the flare. Generally, we find that depending on the flare energy the number of spectral lines revealing excess emission increases, especially for the more energetic superflares. We therefore conclude that superflares are likely scaled-up versions of less energetic normal flares.

<p>This study investigates how Virtual Reality (VR) tourism can help combat environmental degradation in Pakistan, including its potential to promote socio-economic growth in the country. Given the ever-increasing concerns governing the ecological degradation posed by physical tourism in a global landscape, VR tourism offers a sustainable alternative with much lesser impact on the environment and natural resources than on-site tourism. This study thus offers a conceptually-driven yet theoretically-supported and literature-backed EcoTech framework that integrates the external & internal factors affecting the adoption and effectiveness of virtual tourism activities & initiatives. To this end, the influence of external factors such as environmental concerns, environmental responsibility, pro-environmental behavior, eco-guilt and ecological impact on travel was theoretically evaluated to understand the individuals’ attitudes toward embracing virtual tourism. Moreover, the influence of age, gender, income, educational background and household size of the individuals were also considered as key control factors that could potentially affect their visit intentions from socio-economic & demographic viewpoints. Accordingly, this study advocates ‘Willingness-to-Forgo-Pleasure-of-In-situ-Tourism’ as a key enabler for promoting eco-friendly tourism and environmental sustainability as a whole. By and large, the suggested EcoTech framework offers some policy insights and guiding mechanisms for tourism industry stakeholders such as tour operators, government tourism departments including the eco-conscious travellers & tourists looking for cost-effective, environment-friendly and resource-efficient alternatives to on-site tourism.</p>

Abstract A search for a pseudoscalar a produced in association with a top-quark pair, or in association with a single top quark plus a W boson, with the pseudoscalar decaying into b -quarks ( $$a\rightarrow b\bar{b}$$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>a</mml:mi> <mml:mo>→</mml:mo> <mml:mi>b</mml:mi> <mml:mover> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>b</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>¯</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> </mml:mover> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> ), is performed using the full Run 2 data sample using a dileptonic decay mode signature. The search covers pseudoscalar boson masses between 12 and 100 GeV and involves both the kinematic regime where the decay products of the pseudoscalar are reconstructed as two standard b -tagged small-radius jets, or merged into a large-radius jet due to its Lorentz boost. No significant excess relative to expectations is observed. Assuming a branching ratio $$\text {BR}(a\rightarrow b\bar{b})=100\% $$ <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mtext>BR</mml:mtext> <mml:mo>(</mml:mo> <mml:mi>a</mml:mi> <mml:mo>→</mml:mo> <mml:mi>b</mml:mi> <mml:mover> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>b</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>¯</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> </mml:mover> <mml:mo>)</mml:mo> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>100</mml:mn> <mml:mo>%</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> , the range of pseudoscalar masses between 50 and 80 GeV is excluded at 95% confidence level for a coupling of the pseudoscalar to the top quark of 0.5, while a coupling of 1.0 is excluded at 95% confidence level for the masses considered, with the coupling defined as the strength modifier of the Standard Model Yukawa coupling.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been widely examined through the prisms of infrastructure, finance, and geopolitics, yet its marketing dimensions remain underexplored. With over 140 participating nations and nearly 40 percent of the global population engaged, the BRI represents not only an economic project but also a marketing revolution. This paper introduces the Cross-Country Marketing Spillover Theory (CC-MST) as a novel extension of the Cross-Country and Cross-Continent Economic Development Theory (CC-CEDT) originally developed by Dr. Salman in 2021–2022. We argue that marketing functions as symbolic infrastructure equal in importance to railways and ports, capable of generating cross-border spillovers of trust, legitimacy, and consumer imagination. China, as the host nation, markets the BRI through narratives of shared destiny and modernity, while participating countries emphasize local authenticity, cultural heritage, and community trust. Through a qualitative comparative analysis, we show how the dialectical interplay of global narratives and local storytelling creates hybrid marketing practices that influence foreign direct investment, remittances, GDP growth, and broader economic expansion (Yan &amp; Enderwick, 2021; Yang, Zhang, &amp; Liu, 2024). By situating marketing at the center of integration, this study positions CC-MST as a new paradigm for understanding globalization in the twenty-first century, where economic development is propelled not only by infrastructure but also by the symbolic infrastructure of marketing narratives (Salman, Mehar, &amp; Iqbal, 2021; Qian, 2024).

La búsqueda de una vida independiente se ha convertido en un objetivo primordial en el ámbito de la discapacidad. La accesibilidad de los espacios habitacionales es reconocida como un factor fundamental que contribuye a la independencia personal. Sin embargo, los estándares y las metodologías existentes para el diseño de viviendas accesibles a menudo no logran evaluar y abordar de manera integral las complejas dinámicas funcionales presentes en las interacciones de las personas con discapacidad en estos entornos. Para promover el derecho a la vida independiente de las personas con discapacidad, esta investigación muestra el uso de la realidad virtual para facilitar el diseño de viviendas universalmente accesibles. Aunque diversos autores han documentado previamente la aplicación de simulaciones de realidad virtual para el entrenamiento en campos como el uso de sillas de ruedas y los procesos de diseño arquitectónico, existe una ausencia en su implementación para la evaluación de diseños habitacionales. Este estudio analiza los parámetros esenciales para el diseño de viviendas, siendo pionero en el desarrollo de una simulación de realidad virtual para su evaluación. Los hallazgos destacan la eficacia de estas simulaciones en el monitoreo y la simulación de diversos diseños y soluciones de accesibilidad. Este enfoque resulta fundamental para identificar y corregir posibles problemas antes de la construcción, permitiendo la incorporación de medidas y adaptaciones de accesibilidad precisas, adaptadas a las necesidades de las personas con discapacidad. El objetivo es garantizar que la vivienda no solo sea completamente accesible, sino que también proporcione un entorno de vida cómodo e inclusivo.

Drawing from the experiences of researchers associated with feminist disability studies, this article reflects on care as an ethical foundation in the processes of academic knowledge production. In a qualitative study using a constructivist grounded theory approach, we analysed interviews and identified key points of reflection that reveal interactions aimed at building communities and alliances within and beyond academia. A model of thinking about care as an ethic oriented towards reshaping the relationships with participants in academic studies is advanced. In this context, certain feminist research practices are highlighted, aimed at redistributing power in these processes.

Controlling light propagation in photonic systems fosters fundamental research and practical application. Particularly, photonic lattices allow engineering band dispersions and tailor transport features through their geometry. However, complete controllability requires external manipulation of the propagating light. Here, we present a resonant excitation scheme to observe quasi-1D and uni-directional propagation of light through the bulk of two-dimensional lattices. To this end, we use the highly anisotropic light propagation exhibited at the energy of saddle points in photonic bands. When multiple drives with judicious amplitudes and phases are tuned to such energy, interference effects between these drives and photonic modes result in controllable directional propagation through the bulk. Similarly, one can form localized states with controllable localization degrees. We illustrate these effects by simulating driven photonic lattices composed of dissipative resonators. Our theoretical work highlights the importance of external drives for dynamically controlling directional light transport in lattices, a relevant feature for all-optical routing and processing in photonics.

ABSTRACT The young active flare star AU Mic is the planet host star with the highest flare rate from Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite data. Therefore, it represents an ideal target for dedicated ground-based monitoring campaigns with the aim to characterize its numerous flares spectroscopically. We performed such spectroscopic monitoring with the ESO1.52-m telescope of the PLATOSpec consortium. In more than 190 h of observations, we find 24 flares suitable for detailed analysis. We compute their parameters (duration, peak flux, and energy) in eight chromospheric lines (H $\alpha$, H $\beta$, H $\gamma$, H $\delta$, Na i D1&amp;D2, He i D3, He i 6678) and investigate their relationships. Furthermore, we obtained simultaneous photometric observations and low-resolution spectroscopy for part of the spectroscopic runs. We detect one flare in the g$^{\prime }$-band photometry, which is associated with a spectroscopic flare. Additionally, an extreme flare event occurred on 2023-09-16 of which only a time around its possible peak was observed, during which chromospheric line fluxes were raised by up to a factor of three compared to the following night. The estimated energy of this event is around $10^{33}$ erg in H $\alpha$ alone, i.e. a rare chromospheric line superflare.