The knowledge economy in China and public-private partnerships of universities

Since 1995 China officially adopted the Strategy of Revitalizing China through Science and Education to advance towards the knowledge economy. Our paper aims to access China’s progress using international indices of economic and innovation development (Knowledge Economy Index, Global Competitiveness Index, and Human Development Index). We also explore six types of public-private partnerships in innovation activities of the Chinese universities. They are: technology contracts, technology transfer, university-owned enterprises, joint research centers, independent colleges, and university-based science parks. For each partnership we study the role it played in intensification of research and education with an emphasis on government participation mechanisms. Based on the analysis of the official statistics the authors find that the progress of China to the knowledge economy is evident. China’s government played a leading role in the construction of the knowledge economy providing legislation basis and financing. Public-private partnerships in innovation activities in the universities in China significantly contributed to the technological development of the country and the country’s transition towards the knowledge economy. Studying successful experience of the public privatepartnerships in the Chinese universities is a first step to possible adaptation of this mechanism in other countries, including Russia.peer-reviewe

Etude du lien entre le cytosquelette d'actine et les peroxysomes dans la levure Saccharomyces cerevisiae (et détermination du rôle intracellulaire de la myotubularine humaine dans le système modèle de levure Saccharomyces cerevisiae)

Chez la levure Saccharomyces cerevisiae Las17p est l homologue de WASp (Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein des cellules mammifères), responsable de l activation de la polymérisation d actine dépendante d Arp2/3 qui forme des tâches corticales. Les résultats préliminaires du laboratoire avaient démontré que la peroxine Pex13p est capable d interagir via son domaine Src homology 3 (SH3) avec Las17p, in vitro dans un essai GST pull-down. Cette étude est alors basée sur la recherche d un lien éventuel entre la machinerie de polymérisation d actine et les peroxysomes. La peroxine 13 (Pex13p) comme Pex14p et Pex5p fait partie intégrante du complexe d amarrage à la membrane peroxysomale et est essentielle pour l import dans les peroxysomes. Mes résultats favorisent l hypothèse que le cytosquelette d actine pourrait affecter les peroxysomes non pas directement sur l'import mais à travers un effet sur leur biogénèse, non encore précisé ayant un impact sur leur taille et leur nombre.Le gène hMTM1 sous une forme mutée est responsable de la myopathie myotubulaire liée au chromosome X (XLMTM). Il code pour une phosphatase à phosphoinositides, membre de la famille des myotubularines comprenant un unique homologue levure, Ymr1p. L objet de la deuxième partie de ma thèse était de mieux comprendre la fonction intracellulaire et éventuellement la préférence de substrat de cette enzyme en utilisant le modèle levure S. cerevisiae. Suivant les résultats obtenus, l expression hétérologue de la myotubularine humaine chez la levure S. cerevisiae produit une enzyme active, provoquant l élargissement des vacuoles. Le phénotype observé est dû à l activité phosphatase et donc à la diminution du taux de PtdIns(3,5)P2. Les résultats suggèrent un rôle de hMTM1 dans le trafic membranaire et la maturation des endosomes précoces et tardifs et dans l homéostasie vacuolaire.In yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Las17p is the yeast homologue of WASP (Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein) in mammalian cells and a principal activator of actin polymerization Arp2/3 dependant that forms actin patches. Preliminary results from a GST pull-down assay in the laboratory had shown that Pex13p was able to interact, via its domain Src homology domain 3 (SH3), with Las17p. This study is based on the search for an eventual link between components of the actin polymerization machinery and peroxisomes. The peroxine Pex13p, together with Pex14p and Pex5p, is a part of the import complex at the peroxysomal membrane. My results favour the hypothesis that the actin cytoskeleton might regulate not the import into peroxisomes directly, but through an effect on peroxysomal biogenesis having an impact on peroxysomal size and number.Mutated forms of the hMTM1 gene are responsible for the X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM) and it encodes a phosphoinositides phosphatase, a member of the myotubularine family, having an unique homologue in yeast S. cerevisiae, Ymr1p. According to the results, heterologous expression of hMTM1 in yeast S. cerevisiae leads to the production of an active enzyme, causing an enlarged vacuole phenotype. This phenotype is due to the phosphatase activity and therefore to the decrease in the level of PtdIns(3,5)P2 . The results suggest a role for hMTM1 in membrane trafficking, in early and late endosome maturation and in maintaining vacuolar homeostasy.STRASBOURG-Sc. et Techniques (674822102) / SudocSudocFranceF

Plasma Uric Acid, Lactate, and Osmolality in Colorectal Cancer

A complex evaluation of colorectal cancer (CRC) in relation to screening, diagnosis, stage determination, prognosis, and treatment requires valuable biomarkers. The aim of this study was to measure selected biomarkers—uric acid (UA), lactate, Na+, Cl−, and osmolality—in CRC patients and to assess their diagnostic value to distinguish between CRC and healthy controls. Plasma lactate (2.21 ± 0.11 vs. 2.88 ± 0.19, p + (130.79 ± 0.42 vs. 133.23 ± 0.25, p − (102.59 ± 0.45 vs. 103.94 ± 0.23, p p + concentrations and osmolality (AUCNa+ = 0.752, p p p < 0.05). The results of this study contribute to the elucidation of molecular mechanisms of CRC pathogenesis and the role of studied metabolic parameters in this process. Plasma uric acid, lactate, and osmolality parameters can be used for screening and monitoring colorectal cancer. Further studies are required to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of their action in cancer development. The action of circulating plasma lactate may be different from those locally produced in the tumor microenvironment

The soft power of commercialised nationalist symbols: Using media analysis to understand nation branding campaigns

Since the late 1990s, nation branding has attracted a lot of attention from academics, professional consultants and government actors. The ideas and practices of nation branding are frequently presented by branding advocates as necessary and even inevitable in the light of changing dynamics of political power and influence in a globalised and media-saturated world. In this context, some have argued that nation branding is a way to reduce international conflict and supplant ethno-nationalism with a new form of market-based, national image management. However, a growing body of critical studies has documented that branding campaigns tend to produce ahistorical and exclusionary representations of the nation and advance a form of ‘commercial nationalism’ that is problematic. Importantly, the critical scholarship on nation branding has relied primarily on sociological and anthropological theories of nationhood, identities and markets. By contrast, the role of the media – as institutions, systems and societal storytellers – has been undertheorised in relation to nation branding. The majority of the existing literature tends to treat the media as ‘neutral’ vehicles for the delivery of branding messages to various audiences. This is the guest editors’ introduction to the Special Issue ‘Theorizing Media in Nation Branding’, which seeks to problematise this overly simplistic view of ‘the media’ and aims to articulate the various ways in which specific media are an integral part of nation branding. It adopts an interdisciplinary approach and problematises both the enabling and the inhibiting potentialities of different types of media as they perpetuate nation branding ideas, images, ideologies, discourses and practices

The Knowledge Economy in China and Public-Private Partnerships of Universities

Since 1995 China officially adopted the Strategy of Revitalizing China through Science and Education to advance towards the knowledge economy. Our paper aims to access China’s progress using international indices of economic and innovation development (Knowledge Economy Index, Global Competitiveness Index, and Human Development Index). We also explore six types of public-private partnerships in innovation activities of the Chinese universities. They are: technology contracts, technology transfer, university-owned enterprises, joint research centers, independent colleges, and university-based science parks. For each partnership we study the role it played in intensification of research and education with an emphasis on government participation mechanisms. Based on the analysis of the official statistics the authors find that the progress of China to the knowledge economy is evident. China’s government played a leading role in the construction of the knowledge economy providing legislation basis and financing. Public-private partnerships in innovation activities in the universities in China significantly contributed to the technological development of the country and the country’s transition towards the knowledge economy. Studying successful experience of the public privatepartnerships in the Chinese universities is a first step to possible adaptation of this mechanism in other countries, including Russia.peer-reviewe

Determination of the Mineral Composition of the Lake Bottom Sediments by X-Ray Diffraction Method and Physico-Chemical Modelling

Сопоставлены три способа определения содержания минералов и минеральных групп в карбонатно-силикатных озерных донных отложениях. Два способа основаны на методе рентгеновской порошковой дифрактометрии. Первый использует обработку дифрактограмм методом Ритвельда в программном обеспечении DIFFRAC Plus дифрактометра D8 Advance (база данных PDF-2). Второй применяет метод ссылочных интенсивностей (корундовых отношений) и оптимизацию модельной дифрактограммы из рентгенофазовых эталонов базы PDF-2 и уравнений элементного баланса с использованием регуляризированного метода наименьших квадратов. Третий способ, основанный на физико-химическом моделировании, выполняет подбор вероятных мономинеральных и многокомпонентных фаз с помощью модели твердых растворов и использует данные об элементном составе, полученные с помощью рентгенофлуоресцентного метода анализа и данные рентгеновской дифрактометрии о качественном минеральном составе. 30 образцов керна донных отложений оз. Зун-Торей (Восточная Сибирь) были проанализированы тремя упомянутыми способами. Содержания минеральных групп (полевые шпаты, кварц, глинистые минералы, карбонаты) варьировали в диапазоне приблизительно 10-40 мас. %. Расхождения между результатами определений тремя способами характеризуются стандартным отклонением в диапазоне 2-9 мас. %. Относительное стандартное отклонение, как правило, составляло величину менее 30 %, поэтому такие определения можно считать количественными. На основании полученных данных трудно отдать предпочтение какому- либо из рассмотренных способов. Приведенные данные позволили оценить погрешность рентгенофазового порошкового анализа при определении содержания минеральных групп в карбонатно-силикатных осадочных породах в отсутствие стандартных образцов сравнения с аттестованным минеральным составомThe paper reports comparison of three approaches to define the contents of minerals and mineral groups in the carbonate-silicate lake bottom sediments. The two approaches are based on the method of X-ray powder diffraction. The first one treats with the Rietveld Method in the software DIFFRAC Plus diffractometer D8 Advance (PDF-2 database). The second one uses the method of reference intensities (corundum ratios) and optimization of the model powder patterns from the X-ray phase standards of PDF-2 database and equations of the element balance with regularization of the least square functional. The third approach of physic-chemical modeling selects probable single mineral and multi-component phases through modelling the sold solutions, and it uses the data on the element composition obtained by XRF technique, as well as the data of X-ray diffraction on the qualitative mineral composition. Thirty samples of bottom sediment cores taken in the Zun-Torey Lake in East Siberia were analyzed by the three approaches described herein. The contents of mineral groups (feldspars, quartz, clay minerals and carbonates) varied within the range 10-40 mass %. The discrepancies between obtained results show the standard deviation ranging from 2 to 9 mass %. A relative standard deviation commonly provides the value below 30 %, so such determinations could be considered quantitative ones. With regard to the acquired data, it is hard to prefer this or that approach. Available data was employed to assess the error of X-ray phase powder analysis in measuring the abundance of mineral groups in the carbonate-silicate sedimentary rocks in the absence of reference materials to compare with certified mineral compositio

Molecular profiling of a real-world breast cancer cohort with genetically inferred ancestries reveals actionable tumor biology differences between European ancestry and African ancestry patient populations

Abstract Background Endocrine-resistant HR+/HER2- breast cancer (BC) and triple-negative BC (TNBC) are of interest for molecularly informed treatment due to their aggressive natures and limited treatment profiles. Patients of African Ancestry (AA) experience higher rates of TNBC and mortality than European Ancestry (EA) patients, despite lower overall BC incidence. Here, we compare the molecular landscapes of AA and EA patients with HR+/HER2- BC and TNBC in a real-world cohort to promote equity in precision oncology by illuminating the heterogeneity of potentially druggable genomic and transcriptomic pathways. Methods De-identified records from patients with TNBC or HR+/HER2- BC in the Tempus Database were randomly selected (N = 5000), with most having stage IV disease. Mutations, gene expression, and transcriptional signatures were evaluated from next-generation sequencing data. Genetic ancestry was estimated from DNA-seq. Differences in mutational prevalence, gene expression, and transcriptional signatures between AA and EA were compared. EA patients were used as the reference population for log fold-changes (logFC) in expression. Results After applying inclusion criteria, 3433 samples were evaluated (n = 623 AA and n = 2810 EA). Observed patterns of dysregulated pathways demonstrated significant heterogeneity among the two groups. Notably, PIK3CA mutations were significantly lower in AA HR+/HER2- tumors (AA = 34% vs. EA = 42%, P < 0.05) and the overall cohort (AA = 28% vs. EA = 37%, P = 2.08e−05). Conversely, KMT2C mutation was significantly more frequent in AA than EA TNBC (23% vs. 12%, P < 0.05) and HR+/HER2- (24% vs. 15%, P = 3e−03) tumors. Across all subtypes and stages, over 8000 genes were differentially expressed between the two ancestral groups including RPL10 (logFC = 2.26, P = 1.70e−162), HSPA1A (logFC = − 2.73, P = 2.43e−49), ATRX (logFC = − 1.93, P = 5.89e−83), and NUTM2F (logFC = 2.28, P = 3.22e−196). Ten differentially expressed gene sets were identified among stage IV HR+/HER2- tumors, of which four were considered relevant to BC treatment and were significantly enriched in EA: ERBB2_UP.V1_UP (P = 3.95e−06), LTE2_UP.V1_UP (P = 2.90e−05), HALLMARK_FATTY_ACID_METABOLISM (P = 0.0073), and HALLMARK_ANDROGEN_RESPONSE (P = 0.0074). Conclusions We observed significant differences in mutational spectra, gene expression, and relevant transcriptional signatures between patients with genetically determined African and European ancestries, particularly within the HR+/HER2- BC and TNBC subtypes. These findings could guide future development of treatment strategies by providing opportunities for biomarker-informed research and, ultimately, clinical decisions for precision oncology care in diverse populations

Студентска научна конференция "Здравеопазването-днес и утре", 22 Май 2013, Варна

Варненски медицински форум (Varna Medical Forum) V. 2, Suppl 4 (2013

Second Black Sea Symposium For Young Scientists In Biomedicine March 27-30, 2014, Varna, Bulgaria

Варненски медицински форум (Varna Medical Forum) V. 3, Suppl 1(2014