Comment on "Orientational Distribution of Free O-H Groups of Interfacial Water is Exponential"

In a recent letter (PRL,121,246101,2018), Sun et al. reported that combined MD simulation and sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS) measurements led to conclusions of a broad and exponentially decaying orientational distribution, and the presence of the free O-H group pointing down to the bulk at the air/water interface. In this comment, we show that their main conclusions are based on questionable interpretation of the SFG-VS data presented in the letter [1], and are also contrary to the established data analysis and interpretations in the literature [2-5].Comment: 2 pages, 0 figure

Is colonial heritage negative or not so much? Debating heritage discourses and selective interpretation of Kulangsu, China

Heritage is in essence dissonant, especially colonial heritage in postcolonial nations. Via questionnaire surveys and interviews, this study investigates Kulangsu in Xiamen, China, a colonial heritage site mainly developed in the 19th and 20th centuries, to unveil the local government’s authorised heritage discourse (AHD) of the site and how tourists perceive the colonial past of Kulangsu and construct their own heritage discourse(s). Results show that, when considering the colonial history of the site, neither the AHD promoted by the authorities nor the tourists’ lay discourses are necessarily negative. However, tension implicitly arises between the tourists’ demand for comprehensive heritage information and the authorities’ selective interpretation of the site. Although the AHD affects lay discourses to some extent, most tourists expect the authorities to present more complete and neutral information about heritage so they can reflect and forge their own conception of colonial legacies. From a critical heritage studies perspective, this tension reflects the power imbalance between the authorities and the tourists and reminds the authorities and heritage experts to rethink heritage tourism and conservation in terms of heritage interpretation. This paper, therefore, calls for additional reflection on the legitimacy of selective interpretation, which implicates a complex process of intricate reasoning that is underpinned by the power imbalance between the authorities and the tourists, ultimately resulting in an AHD

Targeting Glycolysis with Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate Enhances the Efficacy of Chemotherapeutics in Pancreatic Cancer Cells and Xenografts.

Pancreatic cancer is a complex disease, in need of new therapeutic approaches. In this study, we explored the effect and mechanism of action of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major polyphenol in green tea, alone and in combination with current chemotherapeutics on pancreatic cancer cell growth, focusing on glycolysis metabolism. Moreover, we investigated whether EGCG's effect is dependent on its ability to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS). EGCG reduced pancreatic cancer cell growth in a concentration-dependent manner and the growth inhibition effect was further enhanced under glucose deprivation conditions. Mechanistically, EGCG induced ROS levels concentration-dependently. EGCG affected glycolysis by suppressing the extracellular acidification rate through the reduction of the activity and levels of the glycolytic enzymes phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase. Cotreatment with catalase abrogated EGCG's effect on phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase. Furthermore, EGCG sensitized gemcitabine to inhibit pancreatic cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. EGCG and gemcitabine, given alone, reduced pancreatic tumor xenograft growth by 40% and 52%, respectively, whereas the EGCG/gemcitabine combination reduced tumor growth by 67%. EGCG enhanced gemcitabine's effect on apoptosis, cell proliferation, cell cycle and further suppressed phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase levels. In conclusion, EGCG is a strong combination partner of gemcitabine reducing pancreatic cancer cell growth by suppressing glycolysis

Comparative proteomic profiling reveals molecular characteristics associated with oogenesis and oocyte maturation during ovarian development of Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel)

Time-dependent expression of proteins in ovary is important to understand oogenesis in insects. Here, we profiled the proteomes of developing ovaries from Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) to obtain information about ovarian development with particular emphasis on differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) involved in oogenesis. A total of 4838 proteins were identified with an average peptide number of 8.15 and sequence coverage of 20.79%. Quantitative proteomic analysis showed that a total of 612 and 196 proteins were differentially expressed in developing and mature ovaries, respectively. Furthermore, 153, 196 and 59 potential target proteins were highly expressed in early, vitellogenic and mature ovaries and most tested DEPs had the similar trends consistent with the respective transcriptional profiles. These proteins were abundantly expressed in pre-vitellogenic and vitellogenic stages, including tropomyosin, vitellogenin, eukaryotic translation initiation factor, heat shock protein, importin protein, vitelline membrane protein, and chorion protein. Several hormone and signal pathway related proteins were also identified during ovarian development including piRNA, notch, insulin, juvenile, and ecdysone hormone signal pathways. This is the first report of a global ovary proteome of a tephritid fruit fly, and may contribute to understanding the complicate processes of ovarian development and exploring the potentially novel pest control targets

Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate (EGCG) Suppresses Pancreatic Cancer Cell Growth, Invasion, and Migration partly through the Inhibition of Akt Pathway and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition: Enhanced Efficacy when Combined with Gemcitabine.

Most pancreatic cancers are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage when they have already metastasized. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a major polyphenolic constituent of green tea, has been shown to reduce pancreatic cancer growth, but its effect on metastasis remains elusive. This study evaluated the capacity of EGCG to inhibit pancreatic cancer cell migration and invasion and the underlying mechanisms. EGCG reduced pancreatic cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion in vitro and in vivo. EGCG prevented "Cadherin switch" and decreased the expression level of TCF8/ZEB1, β-Catenin, and Vimentin. Mechanistically, EGCG inhibited the Akt pathway in a time-dependent manner, by suppressing IGFR phosphorylation and inducing Akt degradation. Co-treatment with catalase or N-Acetyl-L-cysteine did not abrogate EGCG's effect on the Akt pathway or cell growth. Moreover, EGCG synergized with gemcitabine to suppress pancreatic cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion, through modulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers and inhibiting Akt pathway. In summary, EGCG may prove beneficial to improve gemcitabine sensitivity in inhibiting pancreatic cancer cell migration and invasion, to some extent through the inhibition of Akt pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Time-varying character for short-term capital flow from the interest rate aspect in China

This study investigates the causal link between short-term capital flow and interest rate differential with the bootstrap Granger full- sample causality and sub-sample rolling-window methods. The empirical results indicate that there is a unidirectional link from interest rate differential to short-term capital flow. However, when considering structural breaks in the above series, the full-sample causality test cannot be relied on. Hence, the time-varying rolling- window method is employed to examine the dynamic causal nexus. Being influenced by the U.S. monetary, world economic situation, Chinese intervention policies and other factors, interest rate differential has influences on short-term capital flow in some periods, but the reverse effect does not exist. Therefore, it is important for authorities to focus on specific backgrounds (e.g., economic situation, monetary policies) and further utilise interest rate and capital control to alleviate negative effects from violent fluctuation of short-term capital flow on the Chinese economy

Co-gasification of woody biomass and chicken manure: Syngas production, biochar reutilization, and cost-benefit analysis

The management and disposal of livestock manure has become one of the top environmental issues at a global scale in line with the tremendous growth of poultry industry over the past decades. In this work, a potential alternative method for the disposal of chicken manure from Singapore local hen layer farms was studied. Gasification was proposed as the green technology to convert chicken manure into clean energy. Through gasification experiments in a 10 kW fixed bed downdraft gasifier, it was found that chicken manure was indeed a compatible feedstock for gasification in the presence of wood waste. The co-gasification of 30 wt% chicken manure and 70 wt% wood waste produced syngas of comparable quality to that of gasification of pure wood waste, with a syngas lower heating value (LHV) of 5.23 MJ/Nm3 and 4.68 MJ/Nm3, respectively. Furthermore, the capability of the gasification derived biochar in the removal of an emerging contaminant (artificial sweetener such as Acesulfame, Saccharin and Cyclamate) via adsorption was also conducted in the second part of this study. The results showed that the biochar was effective in the removal of the contaminant and the mechanism of adsorption of artificial sweetener by biochar was postulated to be likely via electrostatic interaction as well as specific interaction. Finally, we conducted a cost-benefit analysis for the deployment of a gasification system in a hen layer farm using a Monte Carlo simulation model