Trade Liberalization, domestic input and sustainability of agricultural TFP growth: A new Perspective Based on TFP growth structure

AbstractAs one of the fundamental ways to solve the food security and promote farmers’ income, agriculture Total Factor Productivity (TFP) growth has attached a great concern which is examined in a vast literature. However, there is little work that examines sustainability of the growth, which is more significant for future development of agricultural sector. Moreover, whether trade openness and domestic investment policy which are used to promote the agricultural TFP growth also could play a great role in the sustainability of the agricultural TFP growth is rarely examined. We estimate and decompose China's agricultural TFP using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), finding that technical change is the main source of China's agricultural TFP growth since 1978, favoring that TFP growth is lack of sustainability. In addition, using two-stage estimation procedure, we make an empirical analysis about the impact of trade openness and domestic input on TFP structure. Results show that trade openness and agricultural infrastructure is narrowing the gap between the two sources, while agricultural scientific investment is just the opposite. Therefore an in-depth trade openness and agricultural infrastructure are needed favoring the growth of China's agriculture, while agricultural scientific investment should be conducted after a higher level of trade openness and agricultural infrastructure

ADJUSTMENT FOR DENSITY METHOD TO ESTIMATE RANDOM EFFECTS IN HIERARCHICAL BAYES MODELS

The Adjustment for Density Method (ADM) has received considerable attention in recent years. The method was proposed about thirty years back in approximating a complex univariate density by a density from the Pearson family of distributions. The ADM has been developed to approximate posterior distributions of hyper-parameters, shrinkage parameters and random effects of a few well-known univariate hierarchical Bayesian models. This dissertation advances the ADM to approximate posterior distributions of hyper-parameters, shrinkage parameters, synthetic probabilities and multinomial probabilities associated with a multinomial-Dirichlet-logit Bayesian hierarchical model. The method is adapted so it can be applied to weighted counts. We carefully propose prior for the hyper-parameters of the multinomial-Dirichlet-logit model so as to ensure propriety of posterior of relevant parameters of the model and to achieve good small sample properties. Following general guidelines of the ADM for univariate distributions, we devise suitable adjustments to the posterior density of the hyper-parameters so that adjusted posterior modes lie in the interior of the parameter space and to reduce the bias in the point estimates. Beta distribution approximations are employed when approximating the posterior distributions of the individual shrinkage factors and Dirichlet distribution approximations are used when approximating the posterior distributions of the synthetic probabilities. The parameters of the beta or the Dirichlet posterior density are approximated carefully so the method approximates the exact posterior densities accurately. Simulation studies demonstrate that our proposed approach in estimating the multinomial probabilities in the multinomial-Dirichlet-logit model is accurate in estimation, fast in speed and has better operating characteristics compared to other existing procedures. We consider two applications of our proposed hierarchical Bayes model using complex survey and Big Data. In the first example, we consider small area gender proportions using a binomial-beta-logit model. The proposed method improves on a rival method in terms of smaller margins of error. In the second application, we demonstrate how small area multi-category race proportions estimates, obtained by direct method applied on Twitter data, can be improved by the proposed method. This dissertation ends with a discussion on future research in the area of ADM

Evodiamine induces extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells via the mitogen-activated protein kinase/phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathways

AbstractObjectiveTo explore the effects of evodiamine on ovarian cancer cells and the mechanisms underlying such effects.MethodsHuman ovarian cancer cells HO-8910PM were treated with evodiamine at 0, 1.25, 2.5, and 5 μM for 1-4 d. 3-(4,5-Dimethiylthiazol2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to detect the growth inhibition rate of evodiamine-treated HO-8910PM cells. The cell cycle was observed via propidium iodide (PI) staining. Apoptosis induction was assessed via Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide (Annexin V-FITC/PI) double staining assay. To verify the mechanism of apoptosis, caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway-related protein was detected by Western blot analysis. The expression levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and/or phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) pathway-related proteins were also investigated.ResultsEvodiamine significantly inhibited the proliferation of HO-8910PM cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Evodiamine induced G2/M arrest with an increase of cyclin B1 level, and promoted cell apoptosis with a decrease of B cell lymphoma/lewkmia-2 (Bcl-2) and an increase of Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) level. In addition, evodiamine treatment led to the activation of caspase-8, caspase-9, and caspase-3 and the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose)-polymerase (PARP). Evodiamine targeted the MAPK and/or PI3K/Akt pathways by reducing the expression and activity of PI3K, Akt, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK1/2 MAPK) and the activity of p38 MAPK.ConclusionEvodiamine can inhibit the growth of ovarian cancer cells by G2/M arrest and intrinsic and extrinsic apoptosis. In addition, evodiamine-induced PI3K/Akt, ERK1/2 MAPK, and p38 MAPK signaling may be involved in cell death

COMPARATIVE HISTOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF INTESTINES OF LOACH, GRASS CARP AND CATFISH PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO ADAPTIVE CHARACTERISTICS IN AIR-BREATHING FISH

Općenito je prihvaćeno da su pomoćni dišni organi riba u više navrata samostalno evoluirali pri prilagođavanju slatkovodnim staništima i vodenoj hipoksiji. Vjeruje se da je organ za udisanje zraka kod riba strukturno modificiran kako bi nadopunio respiraciju. U ovom istraživanju prezentirani su intuitivni dokazi detaljne strukturne modifikacije crijeva i organa za udisanje zraka kod muljnog vijuna (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus), uspoređujući ih amurom (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) i žutim somom (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco). izravno dobiveni histološkom i morfometrijskom metodom. Kod muljnog vijuna očitovala se naglo smanjena visina nabora sluznice i debljina mišićnog sloja od prednjeg do stražnjeg dijela crijeva. U usporedbi sa amurom i žutim somom, vijun je imao i najmanji omjer visine nabora sluznice/debljine mišićnog sloja i polumjera crijeva u stražnjem dijelu crijevu. To sugerira da je moguće stražnji dio crijeva lokacija na kojoj vijun udiše zrak. Nadalje, gustoća kapilara (0,46 ± 0,05 μm-2) u zadnjem crijevu vijuna bila je značajno viša od amura i žutog soma. Također, difuzijska udaljenost zračno-krvne barijere (1,34 ± 0,04 μm) u stražnjem crijevu vijuna bila je značajno manja od one u druge dvije vrste riba. Ukratko, karakteristike poput visoke prokrvljenosti, kratke udaljenosti difuzije zračno-krvne barijere, prorijeđenosti i spljoštenosti, učinile su stražnji dio crijeva savršenom lokacijom za udisanje zraka istraživane vrste vijuna.Accessory respiratory is generally accepted to have evolved independently on numerous occasions in adaption to aquatic hypoxia in freshwater habitats. In general, the air-breathing organ in fish is believed to be structurally modified to supplement respiration. In this study, intuitive evidence for elaborate structural modifications of the intestine, an air-breathing organ in mud loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus), compared with two other obligate aquatic breathers, grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) and yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco), were directly provided by histological and morphometric methods. As a result, a sharply decreasing height of mucosal folds and thickness of muscularis were manifested in loach intestine from its anterior to posterior region. Compared with grass carp and yellow catfish, loach had the smallest ratios of mucosal fold height/muscularis thickness to intestinal lumen radius in the posterior intestine. These suggested that the posterior intestine is the air-breathing location for the loach. Furthermore, length density of capillary (0.46±0.05 μm-2) in the posterior intestine of the loach was significantly higher than those of grass carp and yellow catfish. Meanwhile, diffusion distance of air-blood barrier (1.34±0.04 μm) in the posterior intestine of the loach was significantly smaller than those of the other two fish species. In summary, the characteristics of highly vascularized, short diffusion distance of air-blood barrier, thinned and flattened made the posterior intestine a perfect air-breathing location for the loach

Further-Adjusted Long-Term Temperature Series in China Based on MASH

A set of homogenized monthly mean surface air temperature (SAT) series at 32 stations in China back to the 19th century had previously been developed based on the RHtest method by Cao et al., but some inhomogeneities remained in the dataset. The present study produces a further-adjusted and updated dataset based on the Multiple Analysis of Series for Homogenization (MASH) method. The MASH procedure detects 33 monthly temperature records as erroneous outliers and 152 meaningful break points in the monthly SAT series since 1924 at 28 stations. The inhomogeneous parts are then adjusted relative to the latest homogeneous part of the series. The new data show significant warming trends during 1924–2016 at all the stations, ranging from 0.48 to 3.57°C (100 yr)−1, with a regional mean trend of 1.65°C (100 yr)−1; whereas, the previous results ranged from a slight cooling at two stations to considerable warming, up to 4.5°C (100 yr)−1. It is suggested that the further-adjusted data are a better representation of the large-scale pattern of climate change in the region for the past century. The new data are available online at http://www.dx.doi.org/10.11922/sciencedb.516

Patterned nanofiber air filters with high optical transparency, robust mechanical strength, and effective PM_(2.5) capture capability

PM_(2.5), due to its small particle size, strong activity, ease of the attachment of toxic substances and long residence time in the atmosphere, has a great impact on human health and daily production. In this work, we have presented patterned nanofiber air filters with high optical transparency, robust mechanical strength and effective PM_(2.5) capture capability. Here, to fabricate a transparency air filter by a facile electrospinning method, we chose three kinds of patterned wire meshes with micro-structures as negative receiver substrates and directly electrospun polymer fibers onto the supporting meshes. Compared with randomly oriented nanofibers (named “RO NFs” in this paper) and commercially available facemasks, the patterned air filters showed great mechanical properties, and the water contact angles on their surfaces were about 122–143° (the water contact angle for RO NFs was 81°). In addition, the patterned nanofibers exhibited high porosity (>80%), and their mean pore size was about 0.5838–0.8686 μm (the mean pore size of RO NFs was 0.4374 μm). The results indicate that the transparent patterned air filters have the best PM_(2.5) filtration efficiency of 99.99% at a high transmittance of ∼69% under simulated haze pollution

Patterned nanofiber air filters with high optical transparency, robust mechanical strength, and effective PM_(2.5) capture capability

PM_(2.5), due to its small particle size, strong activity, ease of the attachment of toxic substances and long residence time in the atmosphere, has a great impact on human health and daily production. In this work, we have presented patterned nanofiber air filters with high optical transparency, robust mechanical strength and effective PM_(2.5) capture capability. Here, to fabricate a transparency air filter by a facile electrospinning method, we chose three kinds of patterned wire meshes with micro-structures as negative receiver substrates and directly electrospun polymer fibers onto the supporting meshes. Compared with randomly oriented nanofibers (named “RO NFs” in this paper) and commercially available facemasks, the patterned air filters showed great mechanical properties, and the water contact angles on their surfaces were about 122–143° (the water contact angle for RO NFs was 81°). In addition, the patterned nanofibers exhibited high porosity (>80%), and their mean pore size was about 0.5838–0.8686 μm (the mean pore size of RO NFs was 0.4374 μm). The results indicate that the transparent patterned air filters have the best PM_(2.5) filtration efficiency of 99.99% at a high transmittance of ∼69% under simulated haze pollution