A Bio-Catalytic Approach to Aliphatic Ketones

Depleting oil reserves and growing environmental concerns have necessitated the development of sustainable processes to fuels and chemicals. Here we have developed a general metabolic platform in E. coli to biosynthesize carboxylic acids. By engineering selectivity of 2-ketoacid decarboxylases and screening for promiscuous aldehyde dehydrogenases, synthetic pathways were constructed to produce both C5 and C6 acids. In particular, the production of isovaleric acid reached 32 g/L (0.22 g/g glucose yield), which is 58% of the theoretical yield. Furthermore, we have developed solid base catalysts to efficiently ketonize the bio-derived carboxylic acids such as isovaleric acid and isocaproic acid into high volume industrial ketones: methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK, yield 84%), diisobutyl ketone (DIBK, yield 66%) and methyl isoamyl ketone (MIAK, yield 81%). This hybrid “Bio-Catalytic conversion” approach provides a general strategy to manufacture aliphatic ketones, and represents an alternate route to expanding the repertoire of renewable chemicals

Globalization and state capacity in Asia

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E-government in China

The article analyses e-government progress in China. It provides a brief overview of benchmarking studies and their evaluation of China, plus a contextual analysis of e-government initiatives in China and of the changing official position witnessed in the past two decades. It then takes stock of e-government in China in the first quarter of 2004. On this basis, it considers the significance of contemporary e-government activity for Chinese governance. The argument is that e-government is currently having no more than a limited impact on the Chinese public sector. However, there are strong grounds for optimism about future development. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Revisiting the golden era of MacLehose and the dynamics of social reforms

The International Conference on Center and Metropolis, Autonomy of Hong Kong in Comparative and Historical Perspective, City University of Hong kong, Hong Kong, 15 January 2010

A high degree of autonomy? Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, 1997-2002

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Phase I clinical trial of sipuleucel-T combined with escalating doses of ipilimumab in progressive metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer

Mark Scholz,1 Sabrina Yep,1 Micah Chancey,1 Colleen Kelly,1 Ken Chau,1 Jeffrey Turner,1 Richard Lam,1 Charles G Drake,2,3 1Prostate Oncology Specialists, Inc., Marina del Rey, CA, 2The Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, 3The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, John Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA Background: Sipuleucel-T (SIP-T), which functions by stimulating cancer-specific dendritic cells, prolongs survival in men with prostate cancer. Ipilimumab (IPI) achieved a borderline survival advantage in a large randomized trial. SIP-T and IPI are potentially synergistic. Patients and Methods: Nine men with progressive metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) were treated prospectively with SIP-T followed immediately by IPI with one of the following doses of IPI: 1 mg/kg at 1 week after SIP-T; 1 mg/kg at 1 and 4 weeks after SIP-T; or 1 mg/kg at 1, 4, and 7 weeks after SIP-T. Three patients were evaluated at each level. Cancer-specific immunoglobulins directed at granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating factor/prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) fusion protein (PA2024) and PAP were measured prior to SIP-T, after SIP-T, 1 week after IPI, every other month for 5 months, then every 3 months for an additional 12 months. Results: Adverse events of SIP-T were consistent with previous reports. IPI only caused a transient grade 1 rash in one patient. Median age, Gleason score, and number of previous hormonal interventions were 77 years, 8, and 3, respectively. Eight men had bone metastases and one had lymph node metastasis. Statistically significant increases in serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgG-IgM specific for PA2024 and PAP occurred after SIP-T. An additional statistically significant increase in the aforementioned immunoglobulins – above the levels achieved by SIP-T – occurred after IPI. Median clinical follow-up was 36 months (range: 26–40). Three patients died from progressive disease after 9, 18, and 20 months. Out of the remaining six patients, five of them needed further treatment that included abiraterone acetate, enzalutamide, radium-223 dichloride, and spot radiation. One patient had an undetectable PSA, who did not receive any other treatment except spot radiation. Median PSA at last follow-up for the surviving patients was 3.8 (range: 0.6–7.47). Conclusion: In this small trial, the addition of IPI to SIP-T was well tolerated. IPI increased immunoglobulins specific for the PA2024 protein and PAP above the level achieved with SIP-T alone. Keywords: sipuleucel-T, ipilimumab, prostate cancer, immune therap