A STUDY OF CHINESE INTENTIONS TOWARDS WORLD ORDER THROUGH THE CHINA INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL COURT

China recently established the China International Commercial Court to address international commercial disputes that may arise out of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The BRI is, in turn, perceived as an integral component of Chinese attempts to expand its influence over the international economic order. As such, the CICC can offer important insight into current Chinese intentions towards world order. This thesis seeks to address the research question: Does the CICC signal a Chinese intention to augment, modify, or challenge the existing international world order? It proposed two hypotheses. First, the establishment of the CICC signals the Chinese intention to challenge the United States for leadership of the existing international order. Second, the establishment of the CICC signals that China is attempting to modify both the Westphalian system and the liberal world order by leading. This thesis drew upon the work of Fei-Ling Wang and Shiping Tang in order to produce a comprehensive framework that describes China’s options both within and relative to the analysis. This framework then served as the foundation for this thesis’ three-step methodology. Each part of the three-part methodology was used to test both of the hypotheses. First, the thesis performed an institutional incentives analysis of the design of the CICC. Then, it applied a comparative analysis of the design of the CICC to the design of other international commercial courts. Finally, it compared the design of the CICC to that of major international commercial arbitration centers. Through this three-part analysis, this thesis concluded that the establishment of the CICC does demonstrate Chinese intention to challenge the United States for leadership of the existing international order and to modify the order itself by leading. For those tracking the trajectory of Chinese foreign relations, these conclusions offer institutional evidence of China’s moderate intentions.

Spatial-Temporal Variation of Characteristics of Plankton in a Seagrass Bed and an Adjacent Area of Bare Sand in Swan Lake, Rongcheng, China

Seagrass beds are a typical coastal ecosystem. To understand the temporal and spatial variation characteristics of the plankton community structure in a Zostera marina seagrass bed and an adjacent area of bare sand in Swan Lake, Rongcheng City, Shandong Province, an investigation of plankton diversity and abundance, ecological characteristics of the seagrass bed, and key environmental factors in the Z. marina seagrass bed and its adjacent bare sand area was conducted in February, May, August, and November in 2019. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA) were used to explore the influence of environmental factors on the diversity of plankton species. The results showed that there were 38 species of phytoplankton, belonging to 25 genera and three phyla, among which diatom species were the most abundant (89.4%), followed by dinoflagellates (7.8%). A total of 18 species of zooplankton and three species of larvae were identified (mainly crustaceans: 71.4%), and the number of plankton species was the highest in November. The annual average abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton in the seagrass bed was 5.4×104 cells/m3 and 1.6×104 ind./m3, respectively, which were 1.4 times and 1.5 times higher than those in the bare sand area. The CCA and RDA analyses showed that the dominant plankton species in the seagrass bed were significantly correlated with water temperature, plant density, and biomass of seagrass beds, while the dominant plankton species in the bare sand area were mainly correlated with environmental factors such as water temperature, pH value, and ammonia nitrogen content. The results showed that the seagrass bed in Swan Lake supported a higher abundance and diversity of plankton compared with the bare sand area. This study provides baseline data for further elucidating the structure and function of the seagrass bed ecosystem

Three new amide derivatives from the fungus Alternaria brassicicola

Abstract Three new amide derivatives (alteralkaloids A–C, 1–3) and three known alkaloids (4–6) were afforded after phytochemical investigation of fungus Alternaria brassicicola. The structures of these compounds were confirmed by NMR spectroscopic and HRESIMS data. Furthermore, the absolute configuration of 1 was determined using the single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Compounds 1–3 belong to a class of amide derivatives that have not been found in nature before, sharing the same characteristic signals of the butyl moiety and amide group. These isolated compounds mentioned above were tested for the cytotoxic activity. Graphical Abstrac

A Survey on Gas Sensing Technology

sensor

Identification of the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress genes in endometrial cancer and their association with tumor immunity

Abstract Background Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the worldwide gynecological malignancies. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is the cellular homeostasis disturbance that participates in cancer progression. However, the mechanisms of ER Stress on EC have not been fully elucidated. Method The ER Stress-related genes were obtained from Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and GeneCards, and the RNA-seq and clinical data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The risk signature was constructed by the Cox regression and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis. The significance of the risk signature and clinical factors were tested by time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the selected were to build a nomogram. The immunity correlation was particularly analyzed, including the related immune cells, pathways, and immune checkpoints. Functional enrichment, potential chemotherapies, and in vitro validation were also conducted. Result An ER Stress-based risk signature, consisting of TRIB3, CREB3L3, XBP1, and PPP1R15A was established. Patients were randomly divided into training and testing groups with 1:1 ratio for subsequent calculation and validation. Based on risk scores, high- and low-risk subgroups were classified, and low-risk subgroup demonstrated better prognosis. The Area Under Curve (AUC) demonstrated a reliable predictive capability of the risk signature. The majority of significantly different immune cells and pathways were enriched more in low-risk subgroup. Similarly, several typical immune checkpoints, expressed higher in low-risk subgroup. Patients of the two subgroups responded differently to chemotherapies. Conclusion We established an ER Stress-based risk signature that could effectively predict EC patients’ prognosis and their immune correlation

Fatigue of an Aluminum Foam Sandwich Formed by Powder Metallurgy

In this paper, an aluminum foam sandwich (AFS) was prepared by the rolling composite-powder metallurgy method, and its fatigue properties were studied. It was compared with an AFS made by the adhesive method to study its fatigue properties more directly. In this experiment, the fatigue performance was investigated by studying the microscopic interface, fatigue life, deflection curve, and failure mode. The results show that the fatigue life of an AFS with the rolling composite-powder metallurgy method is much longer than that with the adhesive method. The failure mode of an AFS made by the rolling composite-powder metallurgy method is shear failure, and that of an AFS made by the adhesive method is shear failure and interface debonding. An AFS with the rolling composite-powder metallurgy method has better fatigue properties. This paper also explored the fatigue damage model using the fatigue modulus method, and the polynomial fitting method has a higher fitting degree

Lactate metabolism-related genes to predict the clinical outcome and molecular characteristics of endometrial cancer

Abstract Background Metabolic reprogramming is one of hallmarks of cancer progression and is of great importance for the tumor microenvironment (TME). As an abundant metabolite, lactate has been found to play a critical role in cancer development and immunosuppression of TME. However, the potential role of lactate metabolism-related genes in endometrial cancer (EC) remains obscure. Methods RNA sequencing data and clinical information of EC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Lactate metabolism-related genes (LMRGs) WERE from Molecular Signature Database v7.4 and then compared the candidate genes from TCGA to obtain final genes. Univariate analysis and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) Cox regression were performed to screen prognostic genes. A lactate metabolism-related risk profile was constructed using multivariate Cox regression analysis. The signature was validated by time-dependent ROC curve analysis and Kaplan-Meier analysis. The relationship between the risk score and age, grade, stage, tumor microenvironmental characteristics, and drug sensitivity was as well explored by correlation analyses. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway functional analysis between the high and low-risk groups were performed. CCK8, EdU, and clone formation assays were applied to detect the proliferation ability of EC cells, Transwell assay was performed to detect the migration ability of EC cells, and intracellular lactate and glucose content was used to asses lactate metabolism. Results We constructed a risk signature based on 18 LMRGs. Kaplan-Meier curves confirmed that the high-risk group had poorer prognosis compared to the low-risk group. A nomogram was then constructed to predict the probability of EC survival. We also performed GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway functional analysis between the high and low-risk groups, and the outcome revealed that the features were significantly associated with energy metabolism. There was a significant correspondence between LMRGs and tumor mutational load, checkpoints and immune cell infiltration. C1, C2, and C4 were the most infiltrated in the high-risk group. The high-risk group showed increased dendritic cell activation, while the low-risk group showed increased plasma cells and Treg cells. Drug sensitivity analysis showed LMRGs risk was more resistant to Scr kinase inhibitors. We further proved that one of the lactate metabolism related genes, TIMM50 could promote EC cell proliferation, migration and lactate metabolism. Conclusion In conclusion, we have established an effective prognostic signature based on LMRG expression patterns, which may greatly facilitate the assessment of prognosis, molecular features and treatment modalities in EC patients and may be useful in the future translation to clinical applications. TIMM50 was identified as a novel molecule that mediates lactate metabolism in vitro and in vivo, maybe a promising target for EC prognosis

Biodegradable Pea Protein Fibril Hydrogel-Based Quasi-Solid-State Zn-Ion Battery

Zinc-ion batteries show great potential as the next-generation power source due to their nontoxic, low-cost, and safe properties. However, issues with zinc anodes, such as dendrite growth and parasitic hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs), must be addressed to commercialize them. Solutions, such as quasi-solid-state electrolytes made from synthetic polymer hydrogels, have been proposed to improve battery flexibility and energy density. However, most polymers used are nonbiodegradable, posing a challenge to sustainability. In this study, hydrogels made from biodegradable poly(vinyl alcohol) and protein nanofibrils from pea protein, a renewable plant-based source, are used as an electrolyte in aqueous zinc-ion batteries. Results show that the flexible and biodegradable hydrogel can enhance the zinc anode stability and effectively restrict HER. This phenomenon is because of the hydrogen-bond network between nanofibril functional groups and water molecules. In addition, the interaction between functional groups on nanofibrils and Zn2+ constructs ion channels for the even migration of Zn2+, avoiding dendrite growth. The Zn||Zn symmetric cell using the hydrogel electrolyte exhibits a long lifespan of over 3000 h and improved capacity retention in the Zn||AC-I2 hybrid ion batteries by suppressing cathode material dissolution. This study suggests the potential of biodegradable hydrogels as a sustainable and effective solution for biodegradable soft powering sources

A Comprehensive Evaluation of Tomato Fruit Quality and Identification of Volatile Compounds

Tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum) are the most valuable vegetable crop in the world. This study identified the morphological characteristics, vitamin content, etc., from 15 tomato varieties in total, that included five each from the three experimental types, during the commercial ripening period. The results showed that the hardness with peel and the moisture content of tasty tomatoes were 157.81% and 54.50%, and 3.16% and 1.90% lower than those of regular tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, respectively, while the soluble solids were 60.25% and 20.79% higher than those of the latter two types. In addition, the contents of vitamin C, lycopene, fructose, glucose, and total organic acids of tasty tomatoes were higher than those of regular tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. A total of 110 volatile compounds were detected in the 15 tomato varieties. The average volatile compound content of tasty tomatoes was 57.94% higher than that of regular tomatoes and 15.24% higher than that of cherry tomatoes. Twenty of the 34 characteristic tomato aroma components were identified in tasty tomatoes, with fruity and green being the main odor types. Ten characteristic aroma components in regular tomatoes were similar to those of tasty tomatoes; ten types of cherry tomatoes had floral and woody aromas as the main odor types. The flavor sensory score was significantly positively correlated with the content of soluble solids, fructose, glucose, citric acid, fumaric acid, and β-ionone (p < 0.01), and significantly negatively correlated with water content and firmness without peel. Regular, tasty, and cherry tomatoes were separated using principal component analysis, and the quality of tasty tomatoes was found to be better than cherry tomatoes, followed by regular tomatoes. These results provide valuable information for a comprehensive evaluation of fruit quality among tomato varieties to develop consumer guidelines

Histone lactylation promotes malignant progression by facilitating USP39 expression to target PI3K/AKT/HIF-1α signal pathway in endometrial carcinoma

Abstract Histone lactylation has been reported to involve in tumorigenesis and development. However, its biological regulatory mechanism in endometrial carcinoma (EC) is yet to be reported in detail. In the present study, we evaluated the modification levels of global lactylation in EC tissues by immunohistochemistry and western blot, and it was elevated. The non-metabolizable glucose analog 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG) and oxamate treatment could decrease the level of lactylation so as to inhibit the proliferation and migration ability, induce apoptosis significantly, and arrest the cell cycle of EC cells. Mechanically, histone lactylation stimulated USP39 expression to promote tumor progression. Moreover, USP39 activated PI3K/AKT/HIF-1α signaling pathway via interacting with and stabilizing PGK1 to stimulate glycolysis. The results of present study suggest that histone lactylation plays an important role in the progression of EC by promoting the malignant biological behavior of EC cells, thus providing insights into potential therapeutic strategies for endometrial cancer