Studies have found that the digital economy plays a positive role in promoting high-quality economic development. Meanwhile, the digital industrialization and industrial digitalization have given ...rise to new demands and supply modes of consumption. It is necessary to analyze the role of consumption expansion in the impact of digital economy on high-quality economic development. Based on Chinese provincial panel data, we first applied the entropy weight method to construct the digital economy index and the high-quality economic development index. And on this basis, it was verified that the digital economy can positively promote the high-quality development of the inverted U-shaped structural economy. Then we separately used the mediation and the threshold effect models to analyze the role of consumption expansion in empowering high-quality development in the digital economy. Regional heterogeneity was further taken into account. The results dedicate that consumer demand and the digital economy have a partial or complete mediating effect. The promotion of high-quality development by the digital economy can be affected by the threshold of consumption expansion, which is manifested in the marginal incremental effect due to the growth of consumption supply. On the contrary, the growth of consumer demand has led to the inverted U-shape of the digital economy to promote high-quality economic development. In the heterogeneity analysis, the threshold effect also varied greatly. This research enriches the theoretical achievements and reveals the impact of consumption expansion on the digital economy affecting the high-quality development, which may provide certain reference for other countries and regions.
The purpose of the article is to analyze the significance of the philosophical and ethical postulates of Confucianism for China’s modern foreign policy. To achieve this goal, the article required the ...use of theoretical research methods: analysis, synthesis, abstraction, as well as the formal logical method. The evolution of China’s foreign policy attitudes is studied from the standpoint of the historical method. The result was an analysis of the role and significance of the Confucian doctrine and, in particular, its ethical component, for the formation of China’s modern foreign policy doctrine. The example of the implementation of the policy of soft power shows the embodiment of the main ethical postulates of Confucianism in the foreign policy of the Chinese state under the leadership of Xi Jinping. The role of Confucius Institutes in the implementation of soft power policy is noted. The significance of the ethics of Confucianism for China’s modern international policy in terms of the country’s inclusive orientation towards harmonious and friendly coexistence with major partners on a global scale is revealed. It is concluded that a deep understanding of Confucian thought enriches the understanding of China’s modern foreign policy and, in particular, how the head of the Chinese state, Xi Jinping, is trying to appeal to a global audience.
The soaring demands for large‐scale energy storage devices have triggered great interest in nonaqueous lithium–oxygen batteries (LOBs), the most promising next‐generation rechargeable batteries due ...to their extremely high energy density, low cost, and environmental friendliness. However, serious parasitic reactions give rise to continuous consumption of cell components and accumulation of indissoluble side products, resulting in high overpotential, low rate capability, and especially limited cycle life, which hinder the commercial application of LOBs. This review focuses on comprehensively understanding the possible parasitic reactions involved at the cathode, anode, and electrolyte engendered by reactive oxygen species, impurity gasses, and singlet oxygen, while other factors that destabilize batteries such as Li dendrites, high potential, and incompatibility of cell components are also discussed. Furthermore, the corresponding strategies to inhibit or eliminate parasitic reactions and enhance the cycle stability are elaborated from the perspectives of composition regulation, microstructural design, and alternative components. It should be emphasized that the introduction of dual redox mediators and singlet quencher is crucial to achieve efficient LOBs with high capacity and prolonged cycle life. Finally, perspectives on suppressing parasitic reaction are proposed with the purpose of providing inspiration in designing stable LOBs for practical applications.
This review summarizes the main culprits that are responsible for the primary parasitic reactions of nonaqueous Li–O2 batteries. Corresponding strategies to inhibit or eliminate parasitic reactions are elaborated with respect to cathodes, anodes, and electrolytes, respectively. Finally, perspectives toward suppressing parasitic reaction are proposed with the purpose of providing inspiration in designing stable Li–O2 batteries for practical applications.
Elevations in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) associate with numerous systemic diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and heart failure. However, an integrated understanding of whole-body BCAA ...metabolism remains lacking. Here, we employ in vivo isotopic tracing to systemically quantify BCAA oxidation in healthy and insulin-resistant mice. We find that most tissues rapidly oxidize BCAAs into the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, with the greatest quantity occurring in muscle, brown fat, liver, kidneys, and heart. Notably, pancreas supplies 20% of its TCA carbons from BCAAs. Genetic and pharmacologic suppression of branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase, a clinically targeted regulatory kinase, induces BCAA oxidation primarily in skeletal muscle of healthy mice. While insulin acutely increases BCAA oxidation in cardiac and skeletal muscle, chronically insulin-resistant mice show blunted BCAA oxidation in adipose tissues and liver, shifting BCAA oxidation toward muscle. Together, this work provides a quantitative framework for understanding systemic BCAA oxidation in health and insulin resistance.
Display omitted
•In vivo isotope tracing provides a quantitative framework of tissue BCAA oxidation•Genetic and pharmacological perturbations alter the distribution of BCAA oxidation•Insulin acutely increases BCAA oxidation selectively in striated muscle•Insulin-resistant mice shunt BCAA oxidation from liver and fat towards muscle
Increases in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) have been associated with diabetes, cancer, and heart failure. Here, Neinast et al. use in vivo isotopic tracing to provide an integrated overview of whole-body BCAA metabolism. A shift in BCAA oxidation away from adipocytes and liver, toward muscle, is seen in insulin resistance.
The effect of tea polyphenols (TPLs) on the retrogradation of rice starch (RS) was investigated. TPLs-fortified RS exhibited retarding of retrogradation as assessed by differential scanning ...calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The analytic samples had a water–RS/TPLs ratio of 2:1. RS/TPLs mixing ratios were 5/0, 5/0.3, 5/0.5, 5/0.7, and 5/1 (w/w) that equated with RS containing 0%, 6%, 10%, 14%, and 20% TPLs (based on RS weight), respectively. In the DSC analysis, the temperature and enthalpy of starch gelatinization obviously decreased as the polyphenols level increased. After storage at 4
°C, retrogradation enthalpy for RS with 10%, 14%, and 20% TPLs did not appear until storage of 20 days. After 10 days of storage at 4
°C, RS gel with 10%, 14%, or 20% TPLs had almost no recrystallization of the retrogradation. The overall results demonstrate that the marked inhibitory effect of TPLs on the retrogradation of RS.
Mammalian organs are nourished by nutrients carried by the blood circulation. These nutrients originate from diet and internal stores, and can undergo various interconversions before their eventual ...use as tissue fuel. Here we develop isotope tracing, mass spectrometry, and mathematical analysis methods to determine the direct sources of circulating nutrients, their interconversion rates, and eventual tissue-specific contributions to TCA cycle metabolism. Experiments with fifteen nutrient tracers enabled extensive accounting for both circulatory metabolic cycles and tissue TCA inputs, across fed and fasted mice on either high-carbohydrate or ketogenic diet. We find that a majority of circulating carbon flux is carried by two major cycles: glucose-lactate and triglyceride-glycerol-fatty acid. Futile cycling through these pathways is prominent when dietary content of the associated nutrients is low, rendering internal metabolic activity robust to food choice. The presented in vivo flux quantification methods are broadly applicable to different physiological and disease states.
Display omitted
•Comprehensive isotope tracer studies reveal TCA substrate usage for 11 major organs•These data also reveal interconversion rates between circulating nutrients•Circulatory fluxes are similar across high-carbohydrate and ketogenic diet•Futile cycling helps render internal metabolic activity robust to food choice
By infusing 15 different 13C-isotope tracers, Hui et al. quantify metabolic fluxes in mice on either high-carbohydrate or ketogenic diet. Results include interconversion fluxes between circulating metabolites and their contributions to the TCA cycle in 11 major organs. Rapid interconversion among circulating carbon carriers renders internal metabolic activity robust to diet.
The remodeling of root architecture is a major developmental response of plants to phosphate （Pi） deficiency and is thought to enhance a plant＇s ability to forage for the available Pi in topsoil. The ...underlying mechanism controlling this response, however, is poorly understood. In this study, we identified an Arabidopsis mutant, hps 10 （hypersensitive to Pi starvation 10）, which is morphologically normal under Pi sufficient condition but shows increased inhibition of primary root growth and enhanced production of lateral roots under Pi defi- ciency, hpslO is a previously identified allele （als3-3） of the ALUMINUM SENSITIVE3 （ALS3） gene, which is involved in plant tolerance to aluminum toxicity. Our results show that ALS3 and its interacting protein AtSTAR1 form an ABC transporter complex in the tonoplast. This protein complex mediates a highly electro- genic transport in Xenopus oocytes. Under Pi deficiency, als3 accumulates higher levels of Fe3＋ in its roots than the wild type does. In Arabidopsis, LPR1 （LOW PHOSPHATE ROOT1） and LPR2 encode ferroxidases, which when mutated, reduce Fe3＋ accumulation in roots and cause root growth to be insensitive to Pi defi- ciency. Here, we provide compelling evidence showing that ALS3 cooperates with LPR1/2 to regulate Pi deficiency-induced remodeling of root architecture by modulating Fe homeostasis in roots.
Blocked polyisocyanates are used in single component (1 K) water‐based and powder coatings to simplify coating synthesis and reduce waste. However, the relationship between the melting point and ...deblocking behavior of blocked polyisocyanates is not clear. We aim to determine the influence of the melting temperature on the deblocking of methyl ethyl ketoxime (MEKO)‐blocked aromatic polyisocyanates. A toluene‐2,4‐diisocyanate trimer grafted with different mass ratios of methoxypolyethylene glycol (MPEG) is used to achieve compounds with different melting points and is blocked with MEKO. The deblocking behaviors of the polymers are investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results show that the deblocking temperature and average activation energy of the blocked polyisocyanates decrease with increase in melting point. Further, MEKO is more likely to be lost from blocked polyisocyanates having lower melting points. Furthermore, polyacrylic resins cured with blocked polyisocyanates having low melting points exhibit better properties than those having high melting points. The results reveal that the reduction in melting point induced by grafting with MPEG can significantly reduce the deblocking temperature of blocked polyisocyanates. The improvements in these properties may help achieve the low‐temperature crosslinking of blocked polyisocyanates for coating technologies.
Fourier transform infrared spectra of different blocked polyisocyanates at the same temperature (100°C) and heat treatment duration (2 min).
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of aggressive breast cancer and characterized by a lack of the expression of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth ...factor receptor 2.
genes are tumor-suppressor genes that are involved in DNA damage repair and mutations of
genes may increase the risk of developing breast cancer and/or ovarian cancer due to defective DNA repair mechanisms. However, the relationship between
status and TNBC needs to be further investigated and validated. The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the association between
status and TNBC. We systematically searched the electronic databases of MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, and Cochrane Library to identify relevant publications from April, 1959 to November, 2017. The data from the studies were examined by a meta-analysis using STATA software to calculate the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) by fixed-effect and random-effect models. We identified 16 qualified studies from 527 publications with 46,870 breast cancer patients including 868
mutations (
) carriers, 739
mutations (
) carriers, and 45,263 non-carriers. The results showed that breast cancer patients with
carriers were more likely to have TNBC than those of
carriers (OR: 3.292; 95% CI: 2.773-3.909) or non-carriers (OR: 8.889; 95% CI: 6.925-11.410). Furthermore, high expression of nuclear grade and large tumor burden (>2 cm) were significantly more common in breast cancer patients with
carriers than those of
carriers (OR: 2.663; 95% CI: 1.731-4.097;
= 0.211) or non-carriers (OR: 1.577; 95% CI: 1.067-2.331;
= 0.157). The data suggest that breast cancer patients with
are more likely to have TNBC, high nuclear grade, and larger tumor burden.
•We analyzed the impact of urban expansion on crucial ecosystem services in coastal zones.•We mapped and compared urban expansion in the China’s five coastal megacities.•The conversion of cropland to ...the urban area was the principal contributor to the loss of carbon storage.•The habitat quality loss and degradation mostly due to the forest occupation by urban land.
Urban zones across the world have experienced a massive expansion in recent decades, affecting food production, carbon storage, and biodiversity, and further threatening the realization of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (zero hunger), 13 (climate action), and 15 (life on land). These enormous impacts are even more worrying in coastal areas where urbanization has been continuously accelerated. However, we have a poor understanding about the magnitude of the reduction in natural habitat and crucial ecosystem services over time caused by urban expansion in coastal areas. Here we chose the coastal zone of eastern China using a high-resolution dataset of land-use/land-cover (LULC) to investigate the influences of urban growth on natural habitat and crucial ecosystem services from 1990 to 2018. The results showed that: (1) urban growth in China's coastal region resulted in an estimated reduction of 2061.14 km2 in natural habitat, 154.13 Tg C in carbon storage, 1.67 Tg C in cropland net primary production, and 148.02 × 103 in habitat quality; (2) cropland net primary production loss resulted in a 1.34 × 106 tons loss of crop production, which is comparable to meeting the basic food demands of 3.35 million hungry people for a year; (3) the overall degradation of habitat caused by urban expansion reached 1838.28 km2, with grade 1 degradation area accounting for the largest portion (801.18 km2), representing 43.58% of the total degradation; (4) the primary contributor to carbon storage loss (63.83%) was the large-scale conversion of cropland to urban areas, while habitat quality loss and degradation were primarily due to the occupation of forests by urban expansion (42.62%). Our results suggest that effective land-use planning must be implemented to coordinate urban growth, natural habitat protection, and cropland displacement in rapidly urbanizing coastal areas.
PDF
