Abstract We examine how non‐tariff measures (NTMs) affect the formation of free trade agreements (FTAs), using data from 114 countries over the period 1986–2019 and applying binary response models. ...Splitting NTMs into eight categories, some tend to be restrictive, some promotive and some neutral, in terms of their effects on FTA formation. Technical measures tend to encourage, while non‐technical measures tend to discourage, country‐pairs to join FTAs. Aggregating all NTMs into one variable would give rise to weak conclusions. Our results for the 12 control variables are largely in line with those of previous studies on international trade flows or on FTAs but without considering NTMs.
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Acute kidney injury (AKI), characterized by aggressive inflammatory responses and destruction of renal resident cells, can cause abrupt kidney dysfunction. To date, effective therapy for AKI is ...lacking. In this study, we evaluated the renoprotective effect of wogonin, an herbal active compound, using a cisplatin-induced AKI mouse model. In vivo results show that wogonin substantially suppressed the increased levels of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) almost to the normal level. Wogonin also attenuated tubular damage, shown by PAS staining, electron microscopy and molecular analysis of KIM-1. In addition, wogonin suppressed kidney inflammation as indicated by a >60% decrease in macrophage infiltration, a >50% reduction in inflammatory cytokine production and inhibited NF-κB activation in the injured kidney. Mechanistically, molecular docking results show that wogonin effectively inhibited RIPK1 by occupying the ATP-binding pocket of the enzyme, which is a key regulator of necroptosis. Moreover, inhibition of RIPK1, or RIPK3, reversed the protective effects of wogonin in cisplatin-treated HK2 cells, indicating wogonin works in a RIPK1/RIPK3-dependent manner. Surprisingly, wogonin enhanced the anti-proliferative effect of cisplatin on human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Thus, our findings suggest wogonin may be a renoprotective adjuvant for cisplatin-based anticancer therapy.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Optical imaging, especially fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging, is a non‐invasive imaging approach with high spatial and temporal resolution and high sensitivity, compared to positron emission ...tomography (PET) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Due to the merits of imaging using the second near‐infrared (NIR‐II) window, like deeper penetration depth, high signal‐to‐noise ratio, high resolution, and low tissue damage, researchers have devoted great effort to developing contrast agents with NIR‐II absorption or emission. In this Review, we summarize recently developed organic luminescent and photoacoustic materials, ranging from small molecules to conjugated polymers. Then, we systematically introduce engineering strategies and describe the imaging performance classified by the skeleton cores. Finally, we elucidate the challenges and prospects of these NIR‐II organic dyes for potential clinical applications. We expect our summary can inspire researchers to expand the spectrum of NIR‐II contrast agents for diverse bioapplications.
Organic fluorophores in the second near‐infrared (NIR‐II) range have been validated as attractive imaging tools in biomedical research owing to their biocompatibility, flexible chemical structure, and tunable spectra. This Review systematically summarizes recent advances in the chemistry, design principles, and optical properties of NIR‐II organic contrast agents.
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•CS-EDTA-HTlc composite was successfully synthesized for efficient removal of Cu(II).•CS-EDTA-HTlc composite can prevent the adsorbent from aggregation and loss.•The removal of Cu(II) ...followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model.•The adsorption data fitted well with the Freundlich model.•Mechanisms included complexation and isomorphic substitution.
Adsorption is recognized as one of the most promising methods for heavy metal removal from contaminated water. However, the adsorption efficiency often decreases because of easy aggregation and an inevitable certain loss of adsorbents during the adsorption process. Herein, a highly efficient chitosan (CS) assisted ethylenediaminetetraacetate-intercalated Mg-Al hydrotalcite-like compound (EDTA-HTlc) composite absorbent (CS-EDTA-HTlc) was synthesized by using a simple ion-exchange/chemical crosslinking process to remove Cu(II), used as a template heavy metal, from an aqueous solution. Characterization by FESEM, PXRD, FTIR, TG-DTG, BET specific surface area, and pore volume revealed that CS-EDTA-HTlc had a high specific surface area and many different functional groups (such as carboxyl, hydroxyl, and amino) with strong complexing ability. The adsorption capacity of CS-EDTA-HTlc for Cu(II) was investigated by varying experimental conditions such as adsorbent dosage, initial solution pH, adsorption time, initial Cu(II) concentration, and temperature. The adsorption equilibrium was reached within 120 min. The Cu(II) removal efficiency came 98% with the initial Cu(II) concentration of 200 mg·L-1 and the adsorbent dosage of 1.0 g·L-1. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms data of Cu(II) on CS-EDTA-HTlc were well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation and the Freundlich model, respectively. The adsorption was a spontaneous exothermic process, and the possible adsorption mechanisms analyzed by the XPS and PXRD spectra involved the complexation of Cu(II) ions by carboxyl/hydroxyl/amino groups and the isomorphic substitution of Mg(II) in brucite-like layers. The results suggest that CS-EDTA-HTlc has potential applications in natural Cu(II) contaminated wastewater treatment.
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The microphase separation of polyurethane is the result of thermodynamic incompatibility between the hard and soft segments, which plays a significant role in its micro structure and performance. In ...recent years, many researches about the microphase separation of polyurethane have been reported. However, there is a gap in summarizing the recent advances in the characterization methods and applications about it. To fill in this gap, this paper carefully compared and analyzed the characterization methods of the microphase separation such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Dynamic thermomechanical analyzer (DMA), Atomic force microscopy (AFM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Moreover, applicaitions of the microphase separated polyurethane in shape memory, water resistance, and gas separation are also discussed in detail.
•The paper systematically compared and analyzed the characterization methods of the polyurethane microphase separation.•Influences of the microphase separation on the physical properties are discussed in detail.•The relationship betwwen the microphase separation and hydrogen bond is summarized.
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Non-coding RNAs and gastric cancer Li, Pei-Fei; Chen, Sheng-Can; Xia, Tian ...
World journal of gastroenterology : WJG,
05/2014, Volume:
20, Issue:
18
Journal Article
Open access
Non-coding RNAs(ncRNAs)play key roles in development,proliferation,differentiation and apoptosis.Altered ncRNA expression is associated with gastric cancer occurrence,invasion,and ...metastasis.Moreover,aberrant expression of microRNAs(miRNAs)is significantly related to gastric cancer tumor stage,size,differentiation and metastasis.MiRNAs interrupt cellular signaling pathways,inhibit the activity of tumor suppressor genes,and affect the cell cycle in gastric cancer cells.Some miRNAs,including miR-21,miR-106a and miR-421,could be potential markers for the diagnosis of gastric cancer.Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs),a new research hotspot among cancerassociated ncRNAs,play important roles in epigenetic,transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation.Several gastric cancer-associated lncRNAs,such as CCAT1,GACAT1,H19,and SUMO1P3,have been explored.In addition,Piwi-interacting RNAs,another type of small ncRNA that is recognized by gastroenterologists,are involved in gastric carcinogenesis,and piR-651/823represents an efficient diagnostic biomarker of gastric cancer that can be detected in the blood and gastric juice.Small interfering RNAs also function in posttranscriptional regulation in gastric cancer and might be useful in gastric cancer treatment.
A
bstract
We obtain the complete and independent bases of effective operators at mass dimension 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 in both standard model effective field theory with light sterile right-handed neutrinos (
...ν
SMEFT) and low energy effective field theory with light sterile neutrinos (
ν
LEFT). These theories provide systematical parametrizations on all possible Lorentz-invariant physical effects involving in the Majorana/Dirac neutrinos, with/without the lepton number violations. In the
ν
SMEFT, we find that there are 2 (18), 29 (1614), 80 (4206), 323 (20400), 1358 (243944) independent operators with sterile neutrinos included at the dimension 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 for one (three) generation of fermions, while 24, 5223, 3966, 25425, 789426 independent operators in the
ν
LEFT for two generations of up-type quarks and three generations of all other fermions.
With the increased frequency of shipping activities, navigation safety has become a major concern, especially when economic losses, human casualties and environmental issues are considered. As a ...contributing factor, the sea state plays a significant role in shipping safety. However, the types of dangerous sea states that trigger serious shipping accidents are not well understood. To address this issue, we analyzed the sea state characteristics during ship accidents that occurred in poor weather or heavy seas based on a 10-year ship accident dataset. Sea state parameters of a numerical wave model, i.e., significant wave height, mean wave period and mean wave direction, were analyzed for the selected ship accident cases. The results indicated that complex sea states with the co-occurrence of wind sea and swell conditions represent threats to sailing vessels, especially when these conditions include similar wave periods and oblique wave directions.
The goal of this study was to elucidate the functional role of Nox4 during acute kidney injury (AKI). NADPH oxidases are a major source of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the kidney in normal and ...pathological conditions. Among NADPH oxidase isoforms, NADPH oxidase4 (Nox4) is highly expressed in the kidney and has an important role in kidney diseases, such as diabetic nephropathy and renal carcinoma. We previously found that Nox4 expression significantly increased in the toxic AKI model. However, its functional role and mechanism of action in AKI are still unknown. We scavenged ROS with apocynin in vitro and in vivo and found it attenuated cisplatin-triggered renal function decline. It also alleviated programmed cell death and renal inflammation, indicating a critical role for ROS in mediating AKI. Nox4 protein and mRNA levels were substantially upregulated by cisplatin in vivo and in vitro. Nox4 knockdown alleviated cisplatin-induced cell death and inflammatory response, while Nox4 overexpression aggravated them. Moreover, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC)-mediated inhibition of ROS suppressed cell injury led by Nox4 overexpression, indicating Nox4-mediated ROS generation may be the key mediator in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. Mechanistically, excessive expression of Nox4 induced programmed cell death, especially RIP-mediated necroptosis. Finally, we tested whether Nox4 is a potential therapeutic target using an AKI mouse model by injecting a lentivirus-packaged Nox4 shRNA plasmid through tail vein. Disruption of Nox4 led to renal function recovery, kidney damage relief and reduced inflammation. We conclude that Nox4 aggravates cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity by promoting ROS-mediated programmed cell death and inflammation. Thus Nox4 may serve as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of AKI.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Drying plays a significant role in Ginkgo biloba seed's (GBS) processing, and the previous research showed drying affected the product quality. A combined hurdle drying technology (integrated ...non‐thermal pretreatment and drying) could be applied on GBS to achieve better product quality. Osmotic (OS), osmo‐vacuum (OS + V), sonication (US), and osmosonication (OS + US) pretreatment followed by infrared drying was performed on GBS, and the product qualities (texture, color, enzyme inactivation, water activity, and microstructure), physicochemical properties (titrable acidity, reducing sugar, soluble solids, total sugar, free amino acid, and ascorbic acid), and organoleptic qualities were evaluated. Results showed pretreatment had various effects on physicochemical and product quality, and was confirmed by principal component analysis (PCA). The sensory scores, acceptability index combined with Pearson's correlation, and PCA showed that different pretreatments influenced the likeness and acceptability, and color, taste, and odor were the key determinants and strongly associated with the consumers' preferences. The untreated GBS (no pretreatment before drying) had a higher color change and lower enzyme inactivation. Pretreatment increased texture preservation after thermal processing, although it had a negative effect on soluble solids, reducing sugar and total sugar content. While the US improved the texture, it resulted in shrinkage (from the microstructure) and total sugar degradation. Among the various hurdle technologies, osmosonication (OS + US, followed by infrared drying) had the highest sensory attributes, free amino acid, slight structure deformation, and lowest water activity. The present study showed that osmosonication is a promising hurdle technology for GBS because it provides better quality attributes.
Practical Application
Previous research showed that Ginkgo biloba seed (GBS) drying has an impact on product quality, which will ultimately determine GBS acceptance. This research was set out to envisage and advance current dryer design by merging the sequential operations (integrated non‐thermal pretreatment and drying), also known as hurdle drying technology on GBS, to achieve better process efficiency, product quality, and make GBS's drying process more sustainable. The various pretreatments improved ginkgo seed's product qualities compared to the control (no pretreatment prior to drying). Osmosonication is a promising hurdle technology for GBS processing.
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