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Perilla frutescens seeds enhance lamb immunity and antioxidant capacity via the microbiota–gut–liver–muscle axis
No full textBackground: Perilla frutescens seeds (PFS) are gaining recognition as a natural alternative to antibiotics in livestock, supporting sustainable farming and animal health. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms through which PFS influence host immune function and antioxidant capacity, especially via the gut-liver-muscle axis, remain largely unknown. This study employed an integrative multi-omics approach to elucidate how PFS supplementation modulates the microbiota–gut–liver–muscle axis and enhances immune and antioxidant functions in lambs.
Results: PFS supplementation markedly improved immune and antioxidant profiles, demonstrated by elevated serum levels of IL-10, IgM, IgG, GSH-PX, and SOD, and reductions in IL-1β, TNF-α, and MDA. Microbial analysis revealed elevated abundances of ruminal and intestinal taxa commonly associated with gut homeostasis and metabolic health (Christensenellaceae_R-7_group) and reduced levels of species with pathogenic or pro-inflammatory potential (Bacillus cereus and Clostridioides) in the ileum. Transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling of liver tissue indicated modulation of key inflammatory and bile acid signaling pathways, including the downregulation of TLR4, NLRP3, ATF3, CYP2J2, and LXR-α. PFS also increased hepatic concentrations of anti-inflammatory metabolites such as chlorquinaldol and indole-3-carboxaldehyde, while reducing levels of LysoPC(20:4) and phosphatidic acid. Correlation and mediation analyses revealed strong interconnections among gut microbiota, hepatic gene expression, lipid metabolites in liver and muscle, and systemic immune-antioxidant markers.
Conclusion: These findings highlight the microbiota–gut–liver–muscle axis as a central mechanism through which PFS enhances immune function and antioxidant capacity in lambs. PFS supplementation represents a promising nutritional strategy to improve healthy lamb production, supporting the development of antibiotic-free and sustainable livestock systems
A biomietic filamentous hydrogel with enhanced bacteria contact and bactericidal efficiency for the treatment of various skin infections
No full textAntimicrobial hydrogels that can effectively eliminate microorganisms to accelerate wound healing have demostrated great potential in managing wound infections. However, conventional hydrogel dressings have limited contact with bacteria due to their permemnent cross-linked structure, thereby reducing their bactericidal efficiency. To address this issue, we designed and prepared a neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) biomimetic antibacterial hydrogel (PETP gel) with enhanced bacteria contact and bactericidal efficiency through Schiff base crosslinking of antibacterial polymer PETP-NH2 and phenylboronic acid functionalized oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA-PBA). The obtained PETP gel exhibited a NETs-mimicking dynamic filamentous network structure, which, in combination with the interaction between phenylboronic acid in OHA-PBA and lipopolysaccharides in bacterial surface, ultimately led to enhanced bacteria contact and bactericidal efficiency. In vivo experiments showed that PETP gel could accelerate healing in treatment of purulent subcutaneous infection, full-thickness wound infection, and deep second-degree burn infection, showing promising use as an antibacterial care dressing
The effect of chain extender symmetry, branching and hydrogen bonding capability on the morphology and mechanical properties of thermoplastic polyurethanes
No full textThe chemical architecture of chain extenders within thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) has a marked effect on
material properties. To evaluate the structure-property relationships within linear TPUs, three different chain
extenders with varying chemical structure (i.e. symmetry, branching and hydrogen bonding capability) were
used in the synthesis of three low Tg semi-crystalline TPUs with low molecular weight (Mn = 18 kDa). These
copolymers were compared to a non-chain extended reference. Results showed that the architecture of the chain
extender dictated the degree of hard-soft microphase separation and therefore the mechanical properties. A TPU
without chain extender (PU-NC) was a brittle hard-soft phase mixed material. Incorporation of the branched
asymmetrical chain extender, 1,2-propanediol (PU-PD), also resulted in a phase mixed material which was
mechanically weak with low adhesive properties (lap shear max. stress = 1.0 ± 0.1 MPa). The use of the
symmetrical linear chain extender 1,4-butanediol (PU-BD) afforded a hard-soft phase separated copolymer where
the mechanical and adhesive performance obtained was as expected for such low molecular weight TPUs (E = 72
± 8 MPa, lap shear max. stress = 2.1 ± 0.4 MPa). The copolymer with a symmetrical bisurea diol chain extender
(PU-BU) also exhibited a hard-soft phase separated morphology, but with much higher tensile (E = 210 ± 16
MPa) and adhesive properties (lap shear max. stress = 4.4 ± 0.1 MPa) as a result of strong bidentate urea
hydrogen bonding. Incorporating these non-covalent interactions into the chain extender provides a route to
superior mechanical performance for TPUs with low molecular weight
The (servitised) subscription economy: are consumers truly empowered?’ Disruption, innovation and re-alignment in UK consumer law and policy
No full textAssociation between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D status and respiratory tract infections requiring hospital admission: unmatched case-control analysis of ethnic groups from the United Kingdom Biobank cohort
No full textBackground: Vitamin D status has been found to be inversely associated with risk of respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Although vitamin D status varies by ethnicity, the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) and RTIs in United Kingdom ethnic groups remains unclear.
Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between serum 25(OH)D status and hospitalization for RTI in United Kingdom adults.
Methods: An unmatched case-control study was conducted using data from United Kingdom Biobank, which includes 500k adults with serum 25(OH)D status and hospital episodes from linked records. Survival analyses and binary logistic regression models were used to explore the association between serum 25(OH)D and RTIs.
Results: Of the 36,258 participants included in the analysis, 34% were White, 28% Asian, 19% Black, 11% other, and 7% of mixed ethnicity. The RTI rate was 8.5% (median time to RTI, 14.8 y). Higher serum 25(OH)D (each +10 nmol/L increase) was significantly associated with a 4% lower hazard ratio (HR) for RTI hospitalization [HR: 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.94, 0.99]. When stratifying for serum 25(OH)D, compared to those with ≥75 nmol/L (reference), those with <15 nmol/L had a higher HR for RTI hospitalization (HR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.67). Categories 15 to 24 nmol/L, 24 to 49 nmol/L, and 50 to 74 nmol/L were not statistically significant. Logistic regression models supported the above findings. Inclusion of an interaction term for 25(OH)D × ethnicity was trialed in the survival analysis, but the interaction term was not statistically significant.
Conclusions: Serum 25(OH)D status <15 nmol/L is associated with 33% higher HR for RTI hospitalization among United Kingdom adults, compared with ≥75 nmol/L. Furthermore, studies are warranted to validate these findings and explore the mechanisms underlying the association between vitamin D status and RTIs in different ethnic groups
Worldwide board reforms and cross-border M&A flows
Get PDFThis study examines the influence of global board reforms on cross-border mergers and acquisitions (CBMAs). Using a difference-in-differences methodology, we find that CBMA flows increase significantly following board reforms in both home and host countries. The effect is more pronounced for countries with relatively weaker external governance mechanisms compared to their counterparts. Our findings suggest that board reforms enhance board functions, thereby facilitating firms’ outbound investments. Simultaneously, improved board governance mitigates acquisition risks, attracting inward investments and, consequently, stimulating CBMA flows
Three essays in economics of crime, corruption and conflict
Get PDFThis thesis examines how violence—whether perpetrated by the state, produced by war, or
embedded in governance—shapes institutional behaviour, public goods provision, and cit
izens’ perceptions of corruption. It integrates administrative records, geospatial data, and
nationally representative survey microdata across three self-contained chapters. The first
chapter studies how death-investigation laws affect the visibility of police killings in the
United States. Using a county-year dataset (2013–2019) and a multi-outcome stratification
framework, it shows that where law enforcement can certify causes of death—especially
under sheriff-led systems—reported police killings are roughly 40% lower than expected re
lative to comparable adjacent counties. Underreporting co-moves with reclassification into
“circumstances undetermined” homicides and with greater withholding of homicide stat
istics. The second chapter investigates post-conflict environmental governance in Kosovo
by linking NATO bombing intensity, the siting/opening of post-war landfills, and infant
mortality. Difference-in-Differences and Triple-Differences designs show that infants born
within 6km of landfills after opening in heavily bombed municipalities face a 3.3–4.6 per
centage point higher risk of dying before age one, representing a 118–164% increase relative
to the baseline. These effects are concentrated in externally financed landfills built during
the reconstruction period, and are accompanied by higher perceptions of local corruption.
The third chapter examines how forms of wartime violence shape long-run perceptions of
corruption in Kosovo. Combining municipality-level civilian and armed-group casualties
with UNDPPublic Pulse surveys (2010–2023), civilian-targeted violence is associated with
higher perceived corruption—especially toward local institutions—whereas armed-group
casualties are linked to lower perceived corruption. Analyses using individual-level ex
posure to human rights violations provide more consistent and robust evidence of these
long-term effects, underscoring the importance of personal experience in shaping insti
tutional trust. Taken together, the chapters show that institutional design conditions
accountability, post-conflict governance is fragile, and the legacies of violence are hetero
geneous across perpetrators and institutional tiers
Deep convective activity in tropical cyclones and Its Impact on cirrus clouds: using lightning as a proxy
No full textThis study examines the impact of deep convective activity in intense tropical cyclones (TCs) on cirrus clouds, specifically in terms of modulating cloud ice water content in the upper atmosphere. Cirrus clouds play a crucial role in Earth’s radiation budget. The study considers three major TCs (Fani, Tauktae, and Mocha) in the North Indian Ocean (NIO) basin to examine lightning activity within a 500 km radial distance from the TC eye, as a proxy for convective activity, and assess its contribution to Specific Cloud Ice Water Content (SCIWC). It reveals positive correlations between daily lightning strike counts and daily mean SCIWC, with correlation coefficients (r) reaching 0.76, 0.63, and 0.81 at 200 hPa for TCs Fani, Tauktae, and Mocha, respectively. It is found that the SCIWC consistently peaks near the 200 hPa level for all three TCs, highlighting this level as a key region for the accumulation of upper-tropospheric cloud ice. Lightning stroke counts and SCIWC at 200 hPa at the 500 km radial distance from the TC eye on the maximum lightning activity day possess strong positive correlations with correlation coefficients (r) = 0.64, 0.60, and 0.55 for Fani (with a 12-h latency), Tauktae, and Mocha (with a 12-h latency), respectively. Additionally, a multi-scale analysis across latitude–longitude grids further confirms that as lightning intensifies, cloud ice content increases significantly at high altitudes. Regression analysis shows that for every 100% increase in daily stroke counts within a 500 km radius from the TC eye, the daily SCIWC could rise by more than 60% in different TC cases, with a stronger response between 300 to 200 hPa. It highlights the role of deep convection in the formation of cirrus clouds. The study deduces that the lightning activity in TCs serves as a key indicator of convective strength, modulating cirrus cloud development through enhanced cloud ice water content