47 research outputs found
Systemic risks of asean+3 financial integration: challenges, opportunities and the future
Get PDFThere has been rapid de facto trade integration in ASEAN+3 over the past decades, and experts have noted that this leads to greater de facto financial integration. These two therefore have reinforcing effects on each other. However, this cycle brings with it systemic financial risks that could lead to balance of payments crises, capital reversals, and exchange rate variability from current account imbalances which have caused global disruptions historically. The way to keep history from repeating itself is to address these risks. The Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM) is one way of doing so, by providing an insurance mechanism that can safeguard the trigger points for said crises. However, the development of de jure integration policies such as this has been slow, much slower than policies that further trade integration, posing a systemic risk. This paper clarifies the implications of this; discusses the possible reasons for this discrepancy; and provides potential solutions that will enable ASEAN+3 to speed up the process of prudent financial integration.Ha habido una rápida integración comercial de facto en ASEAN + 3 en las últimas décadas, y los expertos han señalado que esto conduce a una mayor integración financiera de facto. Por lo tanto, estos dos tienen efectos de refuerzo entre sí. Sin embargo, este ciclo conlleva riesgos financieros sistémicos que podrían conducir a crisis de balanza de pagos, reversiones de capital y variabilidad del tipo de cambio debido a desequilibrios en la cuenta corriente que históricamente han causado perturbaciones globales. La forma de evitar que la historia se repita es abordar estos riesgos. La Multilateralización de la Iniciativa de Chiang Mai (CMIM) es una forma de hacerlo, al proporcionar un mecanismo de seguro que puede salvaguardar los puntos desencadenantes de dichas crisis. Sin embargo, el desarrollo de políticas de integración de jure como esta ha sido lento, mucho más lento que las políticas que promueven la integración comercial, lo que plantea un riesgo sistémico. Este documento aclara las implicaciones de esto; discute las posibles razones de esta discrepancia; y proporciona soluciones potenciales que permitirán a ASEAN + 3 acelerar el proceso de integración financiera prudente
A low cost thin film flexible plastic graphene-conductive polymer composite antenna
No full textIn this project, a flexible thin film and environment friendly graphene-conductive polymer composite antenna was developed on a low cost plastic film for wearable application at 2.4 GHz. Nowadays, extreme research growths on graphene conductive polymer materials has been explored due to mechanical flexibility, high efficiency, low cost and electric field-controllable properties. These special properties made this material as a promising conductor for biomedical application and RF wireless application. Within this context, exploitation of ink-jet printing graphene together with conductive polymer, poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT: PSS) were developed in this project and printed on plastic film substrate with dielectric permittivity, εr of 2.3. In addition, parametric studies of the number of printing layer towards antenna resistivity performance are also performed. The final antenna printing produces conformability to the surfaces, ability of design versatility, and low manufacturing costs with compact size of 0.16λ0 × 0.42λ0 or 9.88cm2 and wide bandwidth of 84.17% which serve the requirements of wearable antenna application at 2.4GHz
Investigation on the Thin Film Nanocomposite Ceramic-Polymer to Patch Antenna
No full textIn this paper, an investigation of the highpermittivity ceramic-polymer composite antenna is performed using Barium Titanate, BaTiO3 nanocomposite ceramic powder mixed with polymer composite of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The ceramic-polymer composite, PDMS-BaTiO3 thin film layer was formed through a spin coating process on the top and the bottom layer of the PDMS substrate for the antenna design in order to achieve an overall antenna size reduction. The proposed patch antennas using the ceramic-polymer composite were analysed at a resonant frequency of 2.45 GHz for WLAN applications regarding antenna performance on return loss, gain, bandwidth, radiation efficiency, and voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR). Two different experimental compositions of 15% and 25% PDMS-BaTiO3 thin film substrate were prepared in the proposed design to create soft, hydrophobic, flexible, resistance against corrosion and lightweight antenna. Significantly, from theoretical analysis and simulation results, it was demonstrated that ferroelectric ceramic-polymer material leads up to 84 % size reduction without having to compromise other antenna performance parameters
Predictors of death among patients who completed tuberculosis treatment: a population-based cohort study.
No full textBackground: Mortality among patients who complete tuberculosis (TB) treatment is still high among vulnerable populations. The objective of the study was to identify the probability of death and its predictive factors in a cohort of successfully treated TB patients. Methods: A population-based retrospective longitudinal study was performed in Barcelona, Spain. All patients who successfully completed TB treatment with culture-confirmation and available drug susceptibility testing between 1995-1997 were retrospectively followed-up until December 31, 2005 by the Barcelona TB Control Program. Socio-demographic, clinical, microbiological and treatment variables were examined. Mortality, TB Program and AIDS registries were reviewed. Kaplan-Meier and a Cox regression methods with time-dependent covariates were used for the survival analysis, calculating the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Among the 762 included patients, the median age was 36 years, 520 (68.2%) were male, 178 (23.4%) HIV-infected, and 208 (27.3%) were alcohol abusers. Of the 134 (17.6%) injecting drug users (IDU), 123 (91.8%) were HIV-infected. A total of 30 (3.9%) recurrences and 173 deaths (22.7%) occurred (mortality rate: 3.4/100 person-years of follow-up). The predictors of death were: age between 41-60 years old (HR: 3.5; CI:2.1-5.7), age greater than 60 years (HR: 14.6; CI:8.9-24), alcohol abuse (HR: 1.7; CI:1.2-2.4) and HIV-infected IDU (HR: 7.9; CI:4.7-13.3). Conclusions: The mortality rate among TB patients who completed treatment is associated with vulnerable populations such as the elderly, alcohol abusers, and HIV-infected IDU. We therefore need to fight against poverty, and promote and develop interventions and social policies directed towards these populations to improve their survival
Current concepts on oxidative/carbonyl stress, inflammation and epigenetics in pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Get PDFChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a global health problem. The current therapies for COPD are poorly effective and the mainstays of pharmacotherapy are bronchodilators. A better understanding of the pathobiology of COPD is critical for the development of novel therapies. In the present review, we have discussed the roles of oxidative/aldehyde stress, inflammation/immunity, and chromatin remodeling in the pathogenesis of COPD. An imbalance of oxidants/antioxidants caused by cigarette smoke and other pollutants/biomass fuels plays an important role in the pathogenesis of COPD by regulating redox-sensitive transcription factors (e.g., NF-κB), autophagy and unfolded protein response leading to chronic lung inflammatory response. Cigarette smoke also activates canonical/alternative NF-κB pathways and their upstream kinases leading to sustained inflammatory response in lungs. Recently, epigenetic regulation has been shown to be critical for the development of COPD because the expression/activity of enzymes that regulate these epigenetic modifications have been reported to be abnormal in airways of COPD patients. Hence, the significant advances made in understanding the pathophysiology of COPD as described herein will identify novel therapeutic targets for intervention in COPD
Circulating Precursor CCR7(lo)PD-1(hi) CXCR5(+) CD4(+) T Cells Indicate Tfh Cell Activity and Promote Antibody Responses upon Antigen Reexposure
No full textFollicular B helper T (Tfh) cells support high affinity and long-term antibody responses. Here we found that within circulating CXCR5(+) CD4(+) T cells in humans and mice, the CCR7(lo)PD-1(hi) subset has a partial Tfh effector phenotype, whereas CCR7(hi) PD-1(lo) cells have a resting phenotype. The circulating CCR7(lo)PD-1(hi) subset was indicative of active Tfh differentiation in lymphoid organs and correlated with clinical indices in autoimmune diseases. Thus the CCR7(lo)PD-1(hi) subset provides a biomarker to monitor protective antibody responses during infection or vaccination and pathogenic antibody responses in autoimmune diseases. Differentiation of both CCR7(hi)PD-1(lo) and CCR7(lo)PD-1(hi) subsets required ICOS and BCL6, but not SAP, suggesting that circulating CXCR5(+) helper T cells are primarily generated before germinal centers. Upon antigen reencounter, CCR7(lo)PD-1(hi) CXCR5(+) precursors rapidly differentiate into mature Tfh cells to promote anti-body responses. Therefore, circulating CCR7(lo)PD-1(hi) CXCR5(+) CD4(+) T cells are generated during active Tfh differentiation and represent a new mechanism of immunological early memory
The role of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in the national liberation struggle in South Africa with reference to the rural far northern Transvaal, 1976-1990
No full textIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 250-275)
Hepatoprotective activities of Antrodia camphorata and its triterpenoid compounds against CCl4-induced liver injury in mice
No full textEthnopharmacology relevance: Antrodia camphorata (AC) is a rare and precious fungus indigenous to Taiwan used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of liver injury. Triterpenoids are the major bioactive constituents of A. camphorata and have been reported to possess hepatoprotective activities. To meet the increasing demand, artificial cultivation techniques have been developed. Aim of the study: This study aims to evaluate the hepatoprotective activities of AC samples derived from different cultivation techniques and to dissect the main active triterpenoid compounds. Materials and methods: The ethanol extracts of five batches of AC samples, including wild growing fruiting bodies, cutting wood culture fruiting bodies, dish cultures, cutting wood culture mycelia, and submerged fermentation mycelia were orally administered (50 mg/kg or 200 mg/kg) to ICR mice for 7 days. On the last day, CCl4 (0.2%, 7 mL/kg, i.p.) was used to induce liver injury, and the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were determined 24 h after the injection. Moreover, a HepG2 cell model treated with CCl4 (0.35%) was used to screen the protective activities of 29 AC triterpenoids. After incubation for 6 h, viabilities of the cells were tested using MTS assay. The in vivo hepatoprotective activities of antcin B and antcin K were further studied on the mice model by ALT and AST tests and histopathologic examinations. To elucidate the mechanisms, the mRNA levels of iNOS, COX2, TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta, and the protein levels of NF-kappa B (p65/p-p65), iNOS and COX2 in liver tissues were determined. Results: The wild growing or cutting wood culture fruiting bodies, and the dish cultures of AC showed more potent activities than the mycelia (P < 0.001). At 20 mu M, 16 of 29 triterpenoids showed significant protective activities, increasing HepG2 cell viability from 46% of the CCl4 group to > 90%. Antcin B and antcin K could dose-dependently (10 or 50 mg/kg, 7 days, i.g.) decrease the serum levels of ALT and AST, and decrease the incidence of liver necrosis. The effects of 50 mg/kg of antcin K or antcin B were almost identical to those of 100 mg/kg silymarin. Furthermore, qRT-PCR and Western blotting analyses revealed they could down-regulate IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, iNOS, COX-2 and NF-kappa B in liver tissues at both transcriptional and translational levels. Conclusion: The results indicate that cultivation techniques remarkably affect the hepatoprotective activities of AC. Antcin K and antcin B are the major hepatoprotective compounds of A. camphorata, and the mechanism is related with anti-inflammation. Given its high natural abundance and good oral absorption, antcin K could be a promising drug candidate for liver injury.National Natural Science Foundation of China [81222054, 81303294]SCI(E)ARTICLE31-3920
Highly sensitive split ring resonator-based sensor for quality monitoring of edible oils
No full textThis research presents the design and analysis of a compact metamaterial (MTM)-based star-shaped
split-ring resonator (SRR) enclosed in a square, constructed on a cost-effective substrate for liquid
chemical sensing applications. The designed structure has dimensions of 10×10 mm2 and is optimized
for detecting adulteration in edible oils. When the sample holder is filled with different percentages of
oil samples, the resonance frequency of the MTM-based SRR sensor shift significantly. The measured
results demonstrate that the proposed SRR sensor is superior in terms of sensitivity and quality factor
compared to studies in the literature. The proposed sensor shows superior performance in sensitivity
and quality factor (Q-factor) compared to existing sensors in the literature. It exhibits a remarkable
sensitivity of 0.92 with a frequency shift of 760 MHz for adulteration detection, which is higher than
sensors with shifts ranging from 140 to 600 MHz reported in previous studies. Additionally, the
design has a high Q-factor of 149, indicating its efficiency in determining adulteration in edible oils.
Additionally, the error rate in detecting adulteration is minimal at 3.1%, a significant improvement
over prior sensors, which have error rates as high as 8%. These enhancements highlight the sensor’s
potential in applications requiring precise, efficient, and cost-effective detection of edible oil
adulteration, thus offering a significant advancement in both performance and practical utility over
traditional methods
Population pharmacokinetics and pharmacokinetic-pharmacodyamic modeling of antitubercular drugs
No full textIncludes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.The pharmacokinetics of rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide and ethambutol in 78 patients with tuberculosis were described using non-linear mixed effects modeling. Pharmacodynamic data was comprised of weekly sputum liquid culture (using mycobacterial growth indicator tubes) time to detection results from 144 patients during the first 2 months of treatment. The effect of drug exposure on patient outcomes was investigated. To determine the adequacy of ofloxacin drug exposure, the probability of attaining the required area-under-the-curve to minimum inhibitory concentration ratio (AUC/MIC) of ofloxacin was determined in 65 patients on treatment for multidrug resistant tuberculosis. To improve efficiency in the clinical development of new drug regimens, clinical trial simulation was used to determine the optimal study design for a study investigating the efficacy of a new antitubercular drug regimen. The SLCO1B1 rs4149032 polymorphism existed at a high frequency of 0.70 in South Africans and resulted in a 28% decrease in bioavailability of rifampicin. The rifampicin peak concentration was a significant predictor of the 2 month treatment outcomes. A semimechanistic time to event model was developed to analyze days to positivity (time to detection) data. The model was comprised of a biexponential decay model describing bacillary decline in sputum from patients, followed by a logistic model with a lag time for growth of the mycobacteria in liquid culture. For the current 800 mg daily dose of ofloxacin, the probability of attaining an AUC/MIC target ratio of at least 100 was only 0.45. Based on clinical trial simulation, the optimum parallel study design was comprised of 125 study participants in each of 2 arms to achieve a study power of at least 80%. Increasing the study length beyond 42 days reduced study power perhaps due to increased amounts of censored data. Higher doses of rifampicin are required in the majority of South African patients with tuberculosis. A novel pharmacodynamic model of tuberculosis treatment is presented, which can be used for investigation of covariates such as drug exposure. Ofloxacin should be replaced with a more potent fluoroquinolone for treatment of multidrug resistant tuberculosis. Clinical trials should not be unduly long otherwise this may compromise study power
