Growth in densely populated Asia: implications for primary product exporters

Economic growth and integration in Asia is rapidly increasing the global economic importance of the region. To the extent that this growth continues and is strongest in natural resource-poor Asian economies, it will add to global demand for imports of primary products, to the benefit of (especially nearby) resource-abundant countries. How will global production, consumption and trade patterns change by 2030 in the course of such economic developments and structural changes? We address this question using the GTAP model and Version 8.1 of the 2007 GTAP database, together with supplementary data from a range of sources, to support projections of the global economy from 2007 to 2030 under various scenarios. Factor endowments and real gross domestic product are assumed to grow at exogenous rates, and trade-related policies are kept unchanged to generate a core baseline, which is compared with an alternative slower growth scenario. We also consider the impact of several policy changes aimed at increasing China's agricultural self-sufficiency relative to the 2030 baseline. Policy implications for countries of the Asia-Pacific region are drawn out in the final section

Integrated Omics Reveals the Orchestrating Role of Calycosin in Danggui Buxue Tang, a Herbal Formula Containing Angelicae Sinensis Radix and Astragali Radix, in Inducing Osteoblastic Differentiation and Proliferation

Systems biology unravels the black box of signaling pathway of cells; but which has not been extensively applied to reveal the mechanistic synergy of a herbal formula. The therapeutic efficacies of a herbal formula having multi-target, multi-function and multi-pathway are the niches of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Here, we reported an integrated omics approach, coupled with the knockout of an active compound, to measure the regulation of cellular signaling, as to reveal the landscape in cultured rat osteoblasts having synergistic pharmacological efficacy of Danggui Buxue Tang (DBT), a Chinese herbal formula containing Angelicae Sinensis Radix and Astragali Radix. The changes in signaling pathways responsible for energy metabolism, RNA metabolism and protein metabolism showed distinct features between DBT and calycosin-depleted DBT. Here, our results show that calycosin within DBT can orchestrate the osteoblastic functions and signaling pathways of the entire herbal formula. This finding reveals the harmony of herbal medicine in pharmacological functions, as well as the design of drug/herbal medicine formulation. The integration of systems biology can provide novel and essential insights into the synergistic property of a herbal formula, which is a key in modernizing TCM

Synthesis of Mesoporous Silica@Co–Al Layered Double Hydroxide Spheres: Layer-by-Layer Method and Their Effects on the Flame Retardancy of Epoxy Resins

Hierarchical mesoporous silica@Co–Al layered double hydroxide (m-SiO2@Co–Al LDH) spheres were prepared through a layer-by-layer assembly process, in order to integrate their excellent physical and chemical functionalities. TEM results depicted that, due to the electrostatic potential difference between m-SiO2 and Co–Al LDH, the synthetic m-SiO2@Co–Al LDH hybrids exhibited that m-SiO2 spheres were packaged by the Co–Al LDH nanosheets. Subsequently, the m-SiO2@Co–Al LDH spheres were incorporated into epoxy resin (EP) to prepare specimens for investigation of their flame-retardant performance. Cone results indicated that m-SiO2@Co–Al LDH incorporated obviously improved fire retardant of EP. A plausible mechanism of fire retardant was hypothesized based on the analyses of thermal conductivity, char residues, and pyrolysis fragments. Labyrinth effect of m-SiO2 and formation of graphitized carbon char catalyzed by Co–Al LDH play pivotal roles in the flame retardance enhancement

Self-Assembly Fabrication of Hollow Mesoporous Silica@Co–Al Layered Double Hydroxide@Graphene and Application in Toxic Effluents Elimination

Here, we propose a self-assembly process to prepare hierarchical HM-SiO2@Co–Al LDH@graphene, with the purpose of combining their outstanding performance. Hollow mesoporous silica was first synthesized as the core, using a novel sonochemical method, followed by a controlled shell coating process and chemical reduction. As a result of the electrostatic potential difference among HM-SiO2, Co–Al LDH, and graphene oxide, the HM-SiO2 spheres were coated by Co–Al LDH and graphene. Subsequently, the HM-SiO2@Co–Al LDH@graphene spheres were introduced into an epoxy resin (EP) matrix for investigation of their toxic effluents capture and elimination effectiveness during combustion. The amount of toxic CO and volatile organic compounds from the epoxy resin decomposition significantly suppressed after incorporating the HM-SiO2@Co–Al LDH@graphene hybrids, implying a reduced toxicity

Comparative Study of Alternating Low-band-Gap Benzothiadiazole Co-oligomers

The benzothiadiazole – arylene alternating conjugated oligomers have been designed and synthesized via Suzuki coupling reaction. The structures and properties of the conjugated oligomers were characterized by 1HNMR, 13CNMR, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The luminescent measurements demonstrate that polybenzothiadiazoles are good chromophores able to form thin films by Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique, making them suitable for further applications. Also the electrical properties of obtained films confirm the good potential of these novel aryl-based π-conjugated polymers for the development of various electrical and electrochemical solid-state devices

Aeromonas spp.-mediated cell-contact cytotoxicity is associated with the presence of type III secretion system

In the study we examined the production of cytotonic and cytotoxic toxins and the presence of a type III secretion system (TTSS) in 64 Aeromonas spp. strains isolated from fecal specimens of patients with gastroenteritis. We observed that contact of the bacteria with host epithelial cells is a prerequisite for their cytotoxicity at 3 h incubation. Cell-contact cytotoxic activity of the strains was strongly associated with the presence of the TTSS. Culture supernatants of the strains induced low cytotoxicity effects at the same time of incubation. Cell-free supernatants of 61 (95%) isolates expressed cytotoxic activity which caused the destruction of HEp-2 cells at 24 h. Moreover, 44% strains were cytotonic towards CHO cells and 46% of strains invaded epithelial cells

Prostaglandin signalling regulates ciliogenesis by modulating intraflagellar transport

Cilia are microtubule-based organelles that mediate signal transduction in a variety of tissues. Despite their importance, the signalling cascades that regulate cilium formation remain incompletely understood. Here we report that prostaglandin signalling affects ciliogenesis by regulating anterograde intraflagellar transport (IFT). Zebrafish leakytail (lkt) mutants show ciliogenesis defects, and the lkt locus encodes an ATP-binding cassette transporter (ABCC4). We show that Lkt/ABCC4 localizes to the cell membrane and exports prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), a function that is abrogated by the Lkt/ABCC4T804M mutant. PGE2 synthesis enzyme cyclooxygenase-1 and its receptor, EP4, which localizes to the cilium and activates the cyclic-AMP-mediated signalling cascade, are required for cilium formation and elongation. Importantly, PGE2 signalling increases anterograde but not retrograde velocity of IFT and promotes ciliogenesis in mammalian cells. These findings lead us to propose that Lkt/ABCC4-mediated PGE2 signalling acts through a ciliary G-protein-coupled receptor, EP4, to upregulate cAMP synthesis and increase anterograde IFT, thereby promoting ciliogenesis

The genomes of two key bumblebee species with primitive eusocial organization

Background: The shift from solitary to social behavior is one of the major evolutionary transitions. Primitively eusocial bumblebees are uniquely placed to illuminate the evolution of highly eusocial insect societies. Bumblebees are also invaluable natural and agricultural pollinators, and there is widespread concern over recent population declines in some species. High-quality genomic data will inform key aspects of bumblebee biology, including susceptibility to implicated population viability threats. Results: We report the high quality draft genome sequences of Bombus terrestris and Bombus impatiens, two ecologically dominant bumblebees and widely utilized study species. Comparing these new genomes to those of the highly eusocial honeybee Apis mellifera and other Hymenoptera, we identify deeply conserved similarities, as well as novelties key to the biology of these organisms. Some honeybee genome features thought to underpin advanced eusociality are also present in bumblebees, indicating an earlier evolution in the bee lineage. Xenobiotic detoxification and immune genes are similarly depauperate in bumblebees and honeybees, and multiple categories of genes linked to social organization, including development and behavior, show high conservation. Key differences identified include a bias in bumblebee chemoreception towards gustation from olfaction, and striking differences in microRNAs, potentially responsible for gene regulation underlying social and other traits. Conclusions: These two bumblebee genomes provide a foundation for post-genomic research on these key pollinators and insect societies. Overall, gene repertoires suggest that the route to advanced eusociality in bees was mediated by many small changes in many genes and processes, and not by notable expansion or depauperation

Regulation of Bestrophins by Ca2+: A Theoretical and Experimental Study

Bestrophins are a recently discovered family of Cl− channels, for which no structural information is available. Some family members are activated by increased intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Bestrophins feature a well conserved Asp-rich tract in their COOH terminus (Asp-rich domain), which is homologous to Ca2+-binding motifs in human thrombospondins and in human big-conductance Ca2+- and voltage-gated K+ channels (BKCa). Consequently, the Asp-rich domain is also a candidate for Ca2+ binding in bestrophins. Based on these considerations, we constructed homology models of human bestrophin-1 (Best1) Asp-rich domain using human thrombospondin-1 X-ray structure as a template. Molecular dynamics simulations were used to identify Asp and Glu residues binding Ca2+ and to predict the effects of their mutations to alanine. We then proceeded to test selected mutations in the Asp-rich domain of the highly homologous mouse bestrophin-2. The mutants expressed in HEK-293 cells were investigated by electrophysiological experiments using the whole-cell voltage-clamp technique. Based on our molecular modeling results, we predicted that Asp-rich domain has two defined binding sites and that D301A and D304A mutations may impact the binding of the metal ions. The experiments confirmed that these mutations do actually affect the function of the protein causing a large decrease in the Ca2+-activated Cl− current, fully consistent with our predictions. In addition, other studied mutations (E306A, D312A) did not decrease Ca2+-activated Cl− current in agreement with modeling results