以补贴为管制对象:从贸易补贴到对外直接投资补贴

This Perspective explores the implications for the home countries of large MNEs of the agreement reached by over 140 countries in 2021 to enact a corporate minimum tax of 15%. It argues that the corporate minimum tax complements the trend to reduce the negative impact of unfettered globalization on labor, and it protects the ability of home countries to finance a robust social safety net. Home countries should adopt the corporate minimum tax, and that includes the US, which last year failed to adapt its Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income approach to the corporate minimum tax

Subsidies as a regulatory object: from trade subsidies to outward FDI subsidies

As the scope of the rules on subsidies and countervailing measures has expanded from trade to investment, the area of global subsidy regulation is now experiencing new developments as well as challenges. This Perspective calls attention to the need to improve the regulation of OFDI subsidies

Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress and Endogenous Antioxidants for Patients with Chronic Subjective Dizziness

As a neurotologic disorder of persistent non-vertiginous dizziness, chronic subjective dizziness (CSD) arises unsteadily by psychological and physiological imbalance. The CSD is hypersensitivity reaction due to exposure to complex motions visual stimuli. However, the pathophysiological features and mechanism of the CSD still remains unclearly. The present study was purposed to establish possible endogenous contributors of the CSD using serum samples from patients with the CSD. A total 199 participants were gathered and divided into two groups; healthy (n = 152, male for 61, and female for 91) and CSD (n = 47, male for 5, female for 42), respectively. Oxidative stress parameters such as, hydrogen peroxide and reactive substances were significantly elevated (p < 0.01 or p < 0.001), whereas endogenous antioxidant components including total glutathione contents, and activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase were significantly deteriorated in the CSD group (p < 0.01 or p < 0.001) as comparing to the healthy group, respectively. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor -α and interferon-γ were significantly increased in the CSD participants (p < 0.001). Additionally, emotional stress related hormones including cortisol, adrenaline, and serotonin were abnormally observed in the serum levels of the CSD group (p < 0.01 or p < 0.001). Our results confirmed that oxidative stress and antioxidants are a critical contributor of pathophysiology of the CSD, and that is first explored to establish features of redox system in the CSD subjects compared to a healthy population

Biomarkers to assess right heart pressures in recipients of a heart transplant: a proof-of-concept study

Background: This proof-of-concept study investigated the feasibility of using biomarkers to monitor right heart pressures (RHP) in heart transplanted (HTx) patients. Methods: In 298 patients, we measured 7.6 years post-HTx mean pressures in the right atrium (mRAP) and pulmonary artery (mPAP) and capillaries (mPCWP) along with plasma high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT), a marker of cardiomyocyte injury, and the multidimensional urinary classifiers HF1 and HF2, mainly consisting of dysregulated collagen fragments. Results: In multivariable models, mRAP and mPAP increased with hsTnT (per 1-SD, +0.91 and +1.26 mm Hg; P &lt; 0.0001) and with HF2 (+0.42 and +0.62 mm Hg; P ≤ 0.035), but not with HF1. mPCWP increased with hsTnT (+1.16 mm Hg; P &lt; 0.0001), but not with HF1 or HF2. The adjusted odds ratios for having elevated RHP (mRAP, mPAP or mPCWP ≥10, ≥24, ≥17 mm Hg, respectively) were 1.99 for hsTnT and 1.56 for HF2 (P ≤ 0.005). In detecting elevated RHPs, areas under the curve were similar for hsTnT and HF2 (0.63 vs 0.65; P = 0.66). Adding hsTnT continuous or per threshold or HF2 continuous to a basic model including all covariables did not increase diagnostic accuracy (P ≥ 0.11), whereas adding HF2 per optimized threshold increased both the integrated discrimination (+1.92%; P = 0.023) and net reclassification (+30.3%; P = 0.010) improvement. Conclusions: Correlating RHPs with noninvasive biomarkers in HTx patients is feasible. However, further refinement and validation of such biomarkers is required before their clinical application can be considered

Genomic and Epigenomic Signatures in Ovarian Cancer Associated with Resensitization to Platinum Drugs

DNA methylation aberrations have been implicated in acquired resistance to platinum drugs in ovarian cancer. In this study, we elucidated an epigenetic signature associated with platinum drug resensitization that may offer utility in predicting the outcomes of patients who are coadministered a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor. The ovarian cancer specimens we analyzed were derived from a recent clinical trial that compared the responses of patients with recurrent platinum-resistant ovarian cancer who received carboplatin plus the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor guadecitabine or a standard-of-care chemotherapy regimen selected by the treating physician. Tumor biopsies or malignant ascites were collected from patients before treatment (day 1, cycle 1) or after treatment (after 2 cycles) for epigenomic and transcriptomic profiling using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip (HM450). We defined 94 gene promoters that were hypomethylated significantly by guadecitabine, with 1,659 genes differentially expressed in pretreatment versus posttreatment tumors. Pathway analysis revealed that the experimental regimen significantly altered immune reactivation and DNA repair pathways. Progression-free survival correlated with baseline expression levels of 1,155 genes involved in 25 networks. In functional investigations in ovarian cancer cells, engineered upregulation of certain signature genes silenced by promoter methylation (DOK2, miR-193a, and others) restored platinum drug sensitivity. Overall, our findings illuminate how inhibiting DNA methylation can sensitize ovarian cancer cells to platinum drugs, in large part by altering gene expression patterns related to DNA repair and immune activation, with implications for improving the personalized care and survival outcomes of ovarian cancer patients.Significance: Epigenomic targeting may improve therapeutic outcomes in platinum-resistant and recurrent ovarian cancer in part by effects on DNA repair and antitumor immune responses. Cancer Res; 78(3); 631-44. ©2017 AACR

Study on mechanical properties and microscopic damage mechanism of tight sandstone reservoir under uniaxial compression

Due to the characteristics of low porosity, low permeability and serious anisotropy in tight reservoirs, it is difficult for conventional hydraulic fracturing theory to accurately guide the efficient exploitation of tight reservoirs. It has been shown that the reservoir rock mechanical properties are the key factor impacting the fracturing effect, but the current research on the damage properties of tight reservoir rocks is not comprehensive enough. Therefore, in order to improve the fracturing theory of tight reservoirs, this paper first explores the evolution mechanism of rock fractures through uniaxial compression experiments. Secondly, based on the particle discrete element method, the damage and failure process of tight sandstone under uniaxial compression is simulated from the microscopic scale. The test results show that the rock failure mainly includes tensile failure, shear failure, and tensile-shear failure; Internal micro-fractures will interconnect during rock destruction to form primary fractures through the rock mass, while secondary micro-fractures will also be generated. The numerical simulation results show that when the rock is subjected to tensile-shear failure, with the increase of load, tensile micro-fractures are mainly produced in the specimen, accompanied by a few shear fractures. Under the joint action of shear failure and tensile failure, V-shaped cracks are easily formed in rock. The tensile strength of rock is mainly affected by the microscopic tensile strength, and the cohesive force, modulus, stiffness ratio, friction coefficient and friction angle have significant effects on the compressive strength of rock. Therefore, a reasonable choice of microscopic parameters can realistically simulate the compression-tensile strength ratio of the rock. The research results of this paper can provide the theoretical basis of rock mechanics for the efficient exploitation of tight reservoirs

Evaluating and Mapping of Spatial Air Ion Quality Patterns in a Residential Garden Using a Geostatistic Method

Negative air ions (NAI) produce biochemical reactions that increase the levels of the mood chemical serotonin in the environment. Moreover, they benefit both the psychological well being and the human body’s physiological condition. The aim of this research was to estimate and measure the spatial distributions of negative and positive air ions in a residential garden in central Taiwan. Negative and positive air ions were measured at thirty monitoring locations in the study garden from July 2009 to June 2010. Moreover, Kriging was applied to estimate the spatial distribution of negative and positive air ions, as well as the air ion index in the study area. The measurement results showed that the numbers of NAI and PAI differed greatly during the four seasons, the highest and the lowest negative and positive air ion concentrations were found in the summer and winter, respectively. Moreover, temperature was positively affected negative air ions concentration. No matter what temperature is, the ranges of variogram in NAI/PAI were similar during four seasons. It indicated that spatial patterns of NAI/PAI were independent of the seasons and depended on garden elements and configuration, thus the NAP/PAI was a good estimate of the air quality regarding air ions. Kriging maps depicted that the highest negative and positive air ion concentration was next to the waterfall, whereas the lowest air ions areas were next to the exits of the garden. The results reveal that waterscapes are a source of negative and positive air ions, and that plants and green space are a minor source of negative air ions in the study garden. Moreover, temperature and humidity are positively and negatively affected negative air ions concentration, respectively. The proposed monitoring and mapping approach provides a way to effectively assess the patterns of negative and positive air ions in future landscape design projects

Conventional and ambulatory blood pressure as predictors of diastolic left ventricular function in a Flemish population

Background--No longitudinal study compared associations of echocardiographic indexes of diastolic left ventricular function studies with conventional (CBP) and daytime ambulatory (ABP) blood pressure in the general population. Methods and Results--In 780 Flemish (mean age, 50.2 years; 51.7% women), we measured left atrial volume index (LAVI), peak velocities of the transmitral blood flow (E) and mitral annular movement (e0) in early diastole and E/e0 9.6 years (median) after CBP and ABP. In adjusted models including CBP and ABP, we expressed associations per 10/5-mm Hg systolic/diastolic blood pressure increments. LAVI and E/e0 were 0.65/0.40 mL/m2 and 0.17/0.09 greater with higher systolic/diastolic ABP (P≤0.028), but not with higher baseline CBP (P≤0.086). e0 was lower (P≤0.032) with higher diastolic CBP (-0.09 cm/s) and ABP (-0.19 cm/s). When we substituted baseline CBP by CBP recorded concurrently with echocardiography, LAVI and E/e0 remained 0.45/0.38 mL/m2 and 0.15/0.08 greater with baseline ABP (P≤0.036), while LAVI (+0.53 mL/m2) and E/e0 (+0.19) were also greater (P < 0.001) in relation to concurrent systolic CBP. In categorized analyses of baseline data, sustained hypertension or masked hypertension compared with normotension or white-