Misguided Defensive and Offensive Realism Based on the Sino-Myanmar Pipeline Project

This paper attempts to analyze China’s foreign policy in regards to the Sino-Myanmar pipeline project through a look at misguided uses of defensive and offensive realism. The argument of this paper is that in the anarchical international system, states do not seek security as defensive and offensive realism commonly hold. Rather, states seek to control and shape their external environment. First, defensive and offensive realism are briefly discussed, specifically within the context of the Sino-Mayanmar pipeline project. Further, it is suggested that neoclassical realism may be a better guide to understand the contemporary oil situation in China.Ce travail tente d’analyser la politique étrangère de la Chine en ce qui a trait au projet pipeline Sino-Myanmar à travers d’une interprétation de l’utilisation erronée des réalismes défensif et offensif. L’argument de ce travail maintient qu’au sein du système international anarchique les états ne recherchent pas la sécurité tel qu’il est soutenu par les réalismes défensif et offensif. Les états cherchent plutôt à contrôler et définir leur environnement externe. D’abord, les réalismes défensif et offensif sont discutés brièvement dans le contexte du projet pipeline Sino-Myanmar spécifiquement. Plus loin, il est suggéré que le réalisme néoclassique pourrait être un meilleur guide pour comprendre la situation pétrolière contemporaine en Chine

HnRNP Q Has a Suppressive Role in the Translation of Mouse Cryptochrome1

Precise regulation of gene expression is especially important for circadian timekeeping which is maintained by the proper oscillation of the mRNA and protein of clock genes and clock-controlled genes. As a main component of the core negative arm feedback loops in the circadian clock, the Cry1 gene contributes to the maintenance of behavioral and molecular rhythmicity. Despite the central role of Cry1, the molecular mechanisms regulating expression levels of Cry1 mRNA and protein are not well defined. In particular, the post-transcriptional regulation of Cry1 mRNA fate decisions is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that hnRNP Q binds to mCry1 mRNA via the 5'UTR. Furthermore, hnRNP Q inhibits the translation of mCry1 mRNA, leading to altered rhythmicity in the mCRY1 protein profile.1145Ysciescopu

Onion peel extracts ameliorate hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in high fat diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Quercetin derivatives in onions have been regarded as the most important flavonoids to improve diabetic status in cells and animal models. The present study was aimed to examine the hypoglycemic and insulin-sensitizing capacity of onion peel extract (OPE) containing high quercetin in high fat diet/streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and to elucidate the mechanism of its insulin-sensitizing effect.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed the AIN-93G diet modified to contain 41.2% fat and intraperitoneally injected with a single dose of streptozotocin (40 mg/kg body weight). One week after injection, the rats with fasting blood glucose levels above 126 mg/dL were randomly divided into 4 groups to treat with high fat diet containing 0 (diabetic control), 0.5, or 1% of OPE or 0.1% quercetin (quercetin equivalent to 1% of OPE) for 8 weeks. To investigate the mechanism for the effects of OPE, we examined biochemical parameters (insulin sensitivity and oxidative stresses) and protein and gene expressions (pro-inflammatory cytokines and receptors).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Compared to the diabetic control, hypoglycemic and insulin-sensitizing capability of 1% OPE were demonstrated by significant improvement of glucose tolerance as expressed in incremental area under the curve (<it>P </it>= 0.0148). The insulin-sensitizing effect of OPE was further supported by increased glycogen levels in liver and skeletal muscle (<it>P </it>< 0.0001 and <it>P </it>= 0.0089, respectively). Quantitative RT-PCR analysis showed increased expression of insulin receptor (<it>P </it>= 0.0408) and GLUT4 (<it>P </it>= 0.0346) in muscle tissues. The oxidative stress, as assessed by superoxide dismutase activity and malondialdehyde formation, plasma free fatty acids, and hepatic protein expressions of IL-6 were significantly reduced by 1% OPE administration (<it>P </it>= 0.0393, 0.0237, 0.0148 and 0.0025, respectively).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>OPE might improve glucose response and insulin resistance associated with type 2 diabetes by alleviating metabolic dysregulation of free fatty acids, suppressing oxidative stress, up-regulating glucose uptake at peripheral tissues, and/or down-regulating inflammatory gene expression in liver. Moreover, in most cases, OPE showed greater potency than pure quercetin equivalent. These findings provide a basis for the use of onion peel to improve insulin insensitivity in type 2 diabetes.</p

Deep Seawater flow Characteristics Around the Manganese Nodule Collecting Device

AbstractFlow field characteristics with outflow discharge from a collecting device in deep seawater while gathering manganese nodules have been analyzed by CFD. Numerical model is used for the analysis with CFD program of FLUENT. It is assumed that the collecting device is 4.5×5.4×6.7m with outflow speed = 1.75 m/s and the current speed = 0.1m/s.Overall seawater flow field characteristics are largely influenced by the outflow discharge from the collecting device and manganese nodule particle behavior. The outflow discharge effect reaches to about few times of the collecting device in back. As simulation results, flow velocity and streamline distributions are compared including turbulence kinetic energyvariation. This study will be useful for optimal design for manganese nodule collecting device system in deep sea

Evolution of optical phonons in CdS nanowires, nanobelts, and nanosheets

We report Raman scattering from single and ensemble CdS nanowires, nanobelts, and nanosheets. The Raman spectra of nanobelts and nanosheets are notably different from those of nanowires, exhibiting a strong enhancement of the multiphonon response. Moreover, the first-order longitudinal optical (LO) phonon energy systematically increases with increasing lateral size from nanowires to nanobelts, and to nanosheets. These results suggest that the optical phonons in the CdS nanostructures are influenced by strain, crystallinity, and exciton-LO phonon coupling.open342

Actin Cytoskeleton and Golgi Involvement in Barley stripe mosaic virus Movement and Cell Wall Localization of Triple Gene Block Proteins.

Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV) induces massive actin filament thickening at the infection front of infected Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. To determine the mechanisms leading to actin remodeling, fluorescent protein fusions of the BSMV triple gene block (TGB) proteins were coexpressed in cells with the actin marker DsRed: Talin. TGB ectopic expression experiments revealed that TGB3 is a major elicitor of filament thickening, that TGB2 resulted in formation of intermediate DsRed:Talin filaments, and that TGB1 alone had no obvious effects on actin filament structure. Latrunculin B (LatB) treatments retarded BSMV cell-to-cell movement, disrupted actin filament organization, and dramatically decreased the proportion of paired TGB3 foci appearing at the cell wall (CW). BSMV infection of transgenic plants tagged with GFP-KDEL exhibited membrane proliferation and vesicle formation that were especially evident around the nucleus. Similar membrane proliferation occurred in plants expressing TGB2 and/or TGB3, and DsRed: Talin fluorescence in these plants colocalized with the ER vesicles. TGB3 also associated with the Golgi apparatus and overlapped with cortical vesicles appearing at the cell periphery. Brefeldin A treatments disrupted Golgi and also altered vesicles at the CW, but failed to interfere with TGB CW localization. Our results indicate that actin cytoskeleton interactions are important in BSMV cell-to-cell movement and for CW localization of TGB3