7,786 research outputs found
Financial Turmoil in the Banking Sector and the Asian Lamfalussy Process: The Case of Four Economies
This paper investigates the prevailing financial regulatory structures and impact of the current financial turmoil on banking performance in four economies: the People's Republic of China (PRC); Hong Kong China; Singapore; and Taipei,China. Both the PRC and Hong Kong, China operate under a fragmented financial regulatory structure, while Singapore and Taipei,China have integrated structures. We examine the role of an integrated financial regulatory structure in helping financial institutions mitigate the impact of the financial crisis, using financial indicators of banks' capital structure and operating performance in these four economies between 2003 and 2008. Our analysis of the indicators reveals that banking performance under a fragmented financial regulatory structure is not worse than under integrated regulation. This implies that financial regulatory structure is not the main reason why Asian financial institutions suffered only limited losses from the current global financial crisis. However, given the growing complexity of the global financial system, and the relative weakness of current financial regulatory structures in Asia, this paper suggests that East Asian governments should refer to the Lamfalussy Process in the European Union and set up an Asia Financial Stability Dialogue to facilitate policy coordination for regional financial sector stability and development.asian financial regulation; global financial crisis; asian banking; prc; asian financial institutions; asian financial sector
Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor (AT2R) in Glomerulogenesis
Les données épidémiologiques indiquent que le diabète maternel est associé de
manière significative aux anomalies congénitales des reins et des voies urinaires (CAKUT), ce
qui implique un risque accru de CAKUT chez la progéniture des mères diabétiques par rapport
à la population globale. Les causes de CAKUT sont multifactorielles, impliquant des facteurs
génétiques et environnementaux. Le récepteur de l’angiotensine II de type 2 (AT2R) est l’un
des gènes candidats impliqués dans le CAKUT humain et murin. Bien que de nombreuses
études soutiennent l’influence des facteurs génétiques et environnementaux sur le
développement rénal et la pathogenèse de CAKUT, les effets du gène AT2R et du milieu
hyperglycémique in utero sur le développement rénal et les effets à long terme chez les
enfants de mères diabétiques ne sont pas clairs. Cette thèse a pour objectif d'étudier l'influence
de chaque facteur individuellement, ainsi que l'interaction entre ces deux facteurs.
Premièrement, nous avons examiné si le déficit en AT2R (AT2RKO) altère la
glomérulogenèse via la formation, la maturation et l'intégrité des podocytes. Nous avons
observé que la glomérulogenèse était diminuée chez les embryons E15 AT2RKO, mais le
nombre de néphrons ne présentaient aucune différence entre les nouveaux-nés AT2RKO et les
souris de type sauvage. Les souris AT2RKO présentaient une dysplasie rénale avec un volume
de touffes glomérulaires et un nombre de podocytes inférieurs à l’âge de trois semaines. Nos
études ont démontré que la perte d’AT2R via l’augmentation de la génération des dérivés
réactifs de l’oxygène (ROS) induite par la NADPH oxydase 4 (Nox4) stimulait l’interaction
avec la protéine Hhip (‘Hedgehog interacting protein’), ce qui déclenchait en outre soit
l’apoptose des podocytes par l’activation des voies de la caspase- 3 et de la p53, soit la
transition épithéliale-mésenchymateuse des podocytes (EMT) par l’activation de la
signalisation TGFβ1–Smad2/3. L'ARNm de Hhip glomérulaire était régulé positivement dans
les biopsies rénales chez les patients atteints de glomérulosclérose segmentaire focale (FSGS).
Les résultats suggèrent que le déficit en AT2R est associé à une perte ou un dysfonctionnement
des podocytes et est dû, au moins en partie, à une expression accrue de Hhip ectopique dans
les podocytes.
Deuxièmement, nous avons cherché à établir les mécanismes sous-jacents par lesquels
un milieu hyperglycémique in utero et un régime riche en graisses (HFD) après le sevrage
accélèrent la programmation périnatale des lésions rénales. Nous avons observé que la
progéniture des mères atteintes de diabète sévère avait un phénotype de restriction de
croissance intra-utérine (IUGR) et avait développé une hypertension légère et des signes
d'atteinte rénale à l'âge adulte. De plus, la progéniture nourrie avec une HFD post-sevrage
présentait un rattrapage rapide de la croissance puis des lésions rénales associées à une
augmentation de l’expression rénale de TGFβ1 et du collagène de type IV, à la production de
ROS et à une accumulation de lipides rénaux, mais sans hypertension systémique. Des études
in vitro ont démontré que le HFD ou les acides gras libres accéléraient le processus de
programmation périnatale des lésions rénales, via une expression accrue de CD36 et de la
protéine de liaison aux acides gras (Fabp4) qui cible les ROS, le facteur nucléaire-kappa B et
le TGFβ1. Ces résultats indiquent que l'exposition précoce à l'HFD chez les enfants de mères
diabétiques ayant subi une IUGR augmente le risque d'apparition de lésions rénales à l’âge
adulte, mais pas d'hypertension.
En résumé, AT2R joue un rôle essentiel dans la glomérulogenèse et influence l'intégrité
et la fonction du podocyte via des altérations de l'expression de Hhip. En outre, les enfants de
mères diabétiques ont un risque accru d'hypertension et de lésions rénales; la surnutrition
postnatale accélère les lésions rénales chez ces enfants. Bien que le gène AT2R et le milieu
hyperglycémique in utero aient tous les deux un impact sur le développement du rein et sur les
maladies rénales ultérieures, l'interaction entre ces deux facteurs doit encore faire l'objet
d'études supplémentaires.Epidemiologic data indicate that maternal diabetes significantly associates with
congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT), which implies an increased
chance of CAKUT in the offspring of mothers with diabetes compared to the general
population. The causes of CAKUT are multifactorial, involving genetic and environmental
factors. The angiotensin II receptor type 2 (AT2R) is one of the candidate genes to be
implicated in both human and murine CAKUT. Although numerous studies support the
influence of genetic and environmental factors on kidney development and the pathogenesis of
CAKUT, the impacts of the AT2R gene and hyperglycemic milieu in utero on kidney
development and long-term outcomes in the offspring of diabetic mothers remain unclear.
This thesis aims to investigate the influence of each factor individually, as well as their
interaction.
Firstly, we investigated whether AT2R deficiency (AT2R knock-out (KO)) impairs
glomerulogenesis via podocytes formation, maturation and integrity. We observed that
glomerulogenesis is decreased in AT2RKO embryos at embryonic day 15 (E15), but actual
nephron numbers are no different between AT2RKO and wild-type newborn mice. AT2RKO
mice exhibited renal dysplasia with lower glomerular tuft volume and reduced podocyte
numbers at the age of three weeks. Our studies demonstrated that loss of AT2R via NADPH
oxidase 4 (Nox4)-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation stimulates ectopic
hedgehog interacting protein (Hhip) expression, which further triggers either podocyte
apoptosis by the activation of the caspase-3 and p53 pathways or podocyte epithelial–to–
mesenchymal transition (EMT) by the activation of TGFβ1–Smad2/3 signaling. Glomerular
Hhip mRNA is upregulated in kidney biopsies of patients with focal segmental
glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). The results suggest that AT2R deficiency is associated with
podocyte loss/dysfunction and is mediated, at least in part, via increased ectopic Hhip
expression in podocytes.
Secondly, we aimed to establish the underlying mechanisms by which a hyperglycemic
milieu in utero and a post-weaning high-fat diet (HFD) accelerate the perinatal programming
of kidney injury. We observed that the offspring of dams with severe maternal diabetes have an intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) phenotype and develop mild hypertension and
evidence of kidney injury in adulthood. Moreover, those offspring fed with a post-weaning
HFD result in rapid catch-up growth and subsequent profound kidney injury associated with
the augmentation of renal TGFβ1 and collagen type IV expression, increased production of
ROS, and accumulation of renal lipids, but not systemic hypertension. In vitro studies
demonstrated that HFD or free fatty acids accelerate the process of perinatal programming of
kidney injury, via increased CD36 and fatty acid-binding protein 4 (Fabp4) expression, which
targets ROS, nuclear factor-kappa B and TGFβ1 signaling. These results indicate that early
postnatal exposure to HFD in IUGR offspring of diabetic dams increases the risk of later
developing kidney injury, but not hypertension.
In summary, AT2R plays an essential role in glomerulogenesis and influences the
podocyte integrity and function via alterations of Hhip expression. In addition, the offspring of
diabetic mothers have an increased risk of hypertension and kidney injury; postnatal
overnutrition further accelerates kidney injury in those offspring. Although both AT2R and
hyperglycemic milieu in utero have an impact on kidney development and later kidney
diseases, the interaction between these two factors still needs further studies
Translating Multimodal Texts in Space: A Case Study of St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL STUDIES OF DRILL-STRING DYNAMICS
A drill string is the transmission component of rotary drill-rig system used for mining petroleum and natural gas resources. The drill-string system is essentially a long slender structure whose length can be in kilometers. Additionally, the drill-string is subject to discontinuous forces from interactions with the wellbore, which can cause erratic torsion
oscillations and stick-slip motions. Here, a unique scaled experimental apparatus has been constructed to understand the dynamics of one section of the drill-string subjected to stick-slip interactions with an outer shell. In both the experimental and modeling efforts, the drill-string system is studied as a slender rod with large discs on either end, with the bottom disc being enclosed within a shell, which is representative of a borehole. The experimental setup allows for studies of stick-slip interactions between a drill-string like system and an outer shell, unlike the prior studies. A series of careful experiments are conducted with special attention to parameters such as the drive speed, the mass
imbalance, and the nature of contact between the bottom disc and the outer shell. The experimental results indicate that the rotor motions can be divided into different phases, with each phase being characterized by its own unique features that include bumping, sticking, slipping, and rolling characteristics. In order to gain insights into the drill-string dynamics, reduced-order models have been developed inclusive of a novel drill-string wellbore force-interaction model that can account for stick-slip behavior. Both the experimental observations and model predictions are found to be in agreement, in terms of the system dynamics. Furthermore, parametric studies have been conducted and the
findings are presented in the form of experimental and numerical simulation results, and the qualitative changes observed in the dynamics are discussed. These findings suggest that the drill-string curvature and contact friction plays an important role in determining the present of erratic motions. This dissertation effort provides clues to how the drive
speed can be used as a control parameter to move the system out of regions of undesired dynamics and how the drill-string motions can be influenced to keep them close to the borehole center
Translation and the creation of a new genre : a corpus-based study of interaction in English and Chinese popular science writings
Abstract unavailable please refer to PD
Chemical-biochemical process and ventilation study of the change in gaseous pollutants in ventilated swine buildings
The chemical analysis consists of sampling ammonia, methane, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). The results of the chemical-biochemical control experiment show that: (1) the chemical-bacteria additives slightly reduced the methane and carbon dioxide release, while the same additives did not show any effect on the reduction of ammonia; (2) the hydrogen sulfide contents of the swine manure continued to be low. Methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide levels generated from stored swing manure were 3.76 and 2.2 ppm of methane, 0.35 and 0.11 ppm of ammonia, and 1000 and 470 ppm of carbon dioxide for treated and untreated manure, respectively;An emission model based on the two-film resistance theory is presented. Based on the model, the gases liquid phase resistance appears to control are nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and methane, while ammonia is controlled by gas phase resistance. The average emission rate of methane, ammonia, and carbon dioxide at 15°C are 0.02, 1.52, and 0.50 g/min for untreated samples, and 0.04, 3.91, and 1.06 g/min for treated samples, respectively;A multiple airflow regions model is presented from the standpoint of the matrix method for dynamic system analysis. The model includes the local flow rate and internal mean-age of polluted air. The starting point in the model formulation is the flow matrix Q, consisting of the total flow rate between each airspace. At last, the local flow rates are also contained in the inverse flow matrix, Q[superscript](-1). The model calculation is in 3-D lumped form of control volumes representing conservation of airflow rate. The model shows that gaseous pollutant distribution is similar to the measured data from the research literature and field chamber test. The results also indicated that the mean-holding time, local mean-age, local flow-rate, and entrainment ratio of airflow can describe the dynamic behavior of gaseous pollutants in ventilated airspaces
Translating Multimodal Texts in Space: A Case Study of St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art
Gate-Tunable Tunneling Resistance in Graphene/Topological Insulator Vertical Junctions
Graphene-based vertical heterostructures, particularly stacks incorporated
with other layered materials, are promising for nanoelectronics. The stacking
of two model Dirac materials, graphene and topological insulator, can
considerably enlarge the family of van der Waals heterostructures. Despite well
understanding of the two individual materials, the electron transport
properties of a combined vertical heterojunction are still unknown. Here we
show the experimental realization of a vertical heterojunction between Bi2Se3
nanoplate and monolayer graphene. At low temperatures, the electron transport
through the vertical heterojunction is dominated by the tunneling process,
which can be effectively tuned by gate voltage to alter the density of states
near the Fermi surface. In the presence of a magnetic field, quantum
oscillations are observed due to the quantized Landau levels in both graphene
and the two-dimensional surface states of Bi2Se3. Furthermore, we observe an
exotic gate-tunable tunneling resistance under high magnetic field, which
displays resistance maxima when the underlying graphene becomes a quantum Hall
insulator
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