关键词： hypoxia   angiotensin-converting enzyme 2   angiotensin(1-7)  

摘要： Alternative branches of the classical renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAS) represent an important cascade in which angiotensin 2 (AngII) undergoes cleavage via the action of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) with subsequent production of Ang(1-7) and other related metabolites eliciting its effects via Mas receptor activation. Generally, this branch of the RAS system is described as its non-canonical alternative arm with counterbalancing actions to the classical RAS, conveying vasodilation, anti-inflammatory, anti-remodeling and anti-proliferative effects. The implication of this branch was proposed for many different diseases, ranging from acute cardiovascular conditions, through chronic respiratory diseases to cancer, nonetheless, hypoxia is one of the most prominent common factors discussed in conjugation with the changes in the activity of alternative RAS branches. The aim of this review is to bring complex insights into the mechanisms behind the various forms of hypoxic insults on the activity of alternative RAS branches based on the different duration of stimuli and causes (acute vs. intermittent vs. chronic), localization and tissue (heart vs. vessels vs. lungs) and clinical relevance of studied phenomenon (experimental vs. clinical condition). Moreover, we provide novel insights into the future strategies utilizing the alternative RAS as a diagnostic tool as well as a promising pharmacological target in serious hypoxia-associated cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary diseases.

关键词： Asphalt   Eco-friendly   Green alternative binder   Waste oil and waste polymer  

摘要： Eco-friendly alternative binders for asphalt were studied, utilizing green bio-additives (GBA) with different compositions. These GBA were prepared using the waste of cooking oil (WCO) in different ratios ranged from 10 to 40% from the whole composite;on the other hand, the waste polymer (WP), which formed from styrene-butadiene rubber (WSBR) and waste polystyrene (WPS) in a ratio ranged from 90 to 60% from the GBA composite, was used. The optimum composition of GBA has been chosen based on the physical and curing properties, which define that the [60% WP (WSBR and WPS separately) with 40% WCO] is the optimum composite. Asphalt 60/70 (A) and 80/100 (B) were used in this study, GBA with different ratios ranged from 10 to 50% from the applied asphalt were added to prepare green alternative binder (GAB), and physical and rheological properties before and after curing were investigated. The physical properties of the GAB including penetration, softening point, penetration index and penetration temperature susceptibility before and after curing were studied. Rheological properties of pure asphalt and the prepared GAB were studied using dynamic shear rheometer. Herein, data revealed that the GAB consisting of equal proportions between WCO and WP is simulated to original asphalt in the physical and rheological properties. The results showed that in case of asphalt 60/70, when using the 40% WSBR, the softening point increased by 17.7% and penetration decreased by 15.4%, and when using the 40% WPS, the softening point increased by 24.4% and penetration decreased by 16.9%. In case of 50% GAB, when using asphalt 60/70 + 40% WPS, the softening point increased by 17.7%, while using asphalt 80/100 + 40% WPS the softening point increased by 28.9%. Additionally, these materials are a promising candidate to replacement the non-renewable asphalt binders which used in the construction of road infrastructure, with a healthy environment and reduce the cost of road construction.

关键词： Biomaterials – proteins   Engineering   Techniques and instrumentation   Chemistry/Food Science   general   Polymer Sciences   Biomaterials   Surfaces and Interfaces   Thin Films   Bioorganic Chemistry  

摘要： Silk sericin (SS) is a natural polymer widely studied in the design of biodegradable materials for cosmetic, biomedical, food, and chemical applications. This work was designed to explore the molecular and structural characteristics of SS extracted from different silk sources with different processing degrees: high-quality cocoons (NCs), defective cocoons (DCs), and raw silk yarn (Y). The last two sources have been less studied. SS solutions were obtained from each source using the high-temperature and high-pressure degumming method (HTHP). The molecular weight distribution and amino acid composition of SS extracts were determined using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and reversed-phase chromatography (RP HPLC), respectively. SS films were formed from each solution and then characterized by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Water uptake and degradation of SS films were also evaluated. The molecular characteristics of SS extracts were related to the processing degree of the silk source. Moreover, the properties of SS films seemed to be dominated by the primary structure and the presence of natural impurities in each extract. The results suggest that silk sources could be selected ad hoc to design SS materials with distinctive properties for specific applications.

关键词： Buck converter controller   electronic portable devices   fast transient response   load disturbance   overshoot elimination   voltage/current ripple  

摘要： This article proposes a controller for dc-dc converters to achieve fast load-transient responses. The controller is developed for both continuous conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) of operation. The main idea is developed for buck converters, but it is shown that the proposed controller can be applied to other topologies, such as the noninverting buck-boost converter. The controller derivation, analysis, and experimental verifications are provided in both CCM and DCM, and its performance is compared with other methods. The main advantage of the proposed controller is that it minimizes the recovery times associated with load-transient responses in dc-dc converters while maintaining component sizes and other system parameters within the acceptable range. The proposed controller can be used to minimize load transients in electronic portable devices and electric vehicle charging.

关键词： COVID-19   Shanghai stock exchange   Wavelets   DJIA   Bitcoin   Commodities   Hedging effectiveness  

摘要： Against COVID-19 risks, this paper examines the hedging performance of alternative assets including some financial assets and commodities futures for the Chinese stock market in a multi-scale setting. Dynamic conditional correlations and optimal hedge ratios of the Shanghai stock exchange with Bitcoin, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Gold, WTI, Bonds and VIX returns are estimated before and during the pandemic crisis. In the short-term, the use of wavelet decomposition shows that Bitcoin provides the best hedge to the Shanghai stock market. In the long-term, commodities dominate. Whereas WTI offers the highest hedging effectiveness, Gold ranks second by a slight margin. These results allow investors to choose the highest returns and protecting tail risk during the current sanitary crisis. Our findings suggest particularly more pronounced economic benefit of diversification including alternative financial assets while commodities futures serve as good hedge assets especially during unpredictable crisis like the current sanitary crisis relating to the covid-19.

关键词： breast cancer   triple-negative breast cancer   metastasis   medicinal plants   bioinformatics  

摘要： Simple Summary Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among women worldwide. Breast cancer may be provoked due to several physical, chemical and environmental factors. Moreover, genetic alternations that are inherited via generations may be a reason for the occurrence of cancer. When the cancer is benign, several therapeutic approaches are available to treat it. In case of malignancy, cancer may spread to other body parts and lead to death. Recent studies focus on the use of indigenous medicinal plants for the treatment of various cancers and particularly breast cancer. This could be an alternative to other treatment methods, as they cause minimal side effects when compared to chemo-drugs. In addition to that, high-throughput omics tools have paved the way for efficient drug targeting, and it would be a promising application for finding the interaction of drug molecules in human systems. Cancer is one of the most common malignant diseases that occur worldwide, among which breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women. The subtypes are associated with differences in the outcome and were selected for treatments according to the estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor. Triple-negative breast cancer, one of the subtypes of breast cancer, is difficult to treat and can even lead to death. If breast cancer is not treated during the initial stages, it may spread to nearby organs, a process called metastasis, through the blood or lymph system. For in vitro studies, MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, and T47B are the most commonly used breast cancer cell lines. Clinically, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are usually expensive and can also cause side effects. To overcome these issues, medicinal plants could be the best alternative for chemotherapeutic drugs with fewer side effects and cost-effectiveness. Furthermore, the genes involved in breast cancer can be regulated and synergized with signaling molecules to

关键词： alternative fuel vehicles   car park   combustion   purge   steel structure   tank rupture  

摘要： This article aims at assessing the thermal action received by an unprotected steel structure during the combustion of alternative fuel vehicles. Five tests were realised in the underground of an airport hangar. To obtain a confinement effect and increase the probability of observing a thermal runaway of the traction battery, a second car was parked next to the alternative fuel vehicle. Five motorisations were tested: diesel fuel, H-2 fuel cell, natural gas, electric, and liquefied petroleum gas. The diesel fuel car test served as reference case. The cars were located under a steel structure, representative of a car park, next to a wall. The wall served here to increase the confinement effect. Thirty-nine sections of the structure were instrumented for a total of 200 thermocouples. An extensive analysis including fire behaviour for each test and comparisons between the tests is presented here.

关键词： European Union   Alternative proteins   Food law   Novel food   GM food   Cultured meat   Algae   Insects   sustainability transition  

摘要： We ask how European food law impacts the transformative potential of alternative proteins, including single-cell proteins, plant-based novel proteins, cultured meat,macroalgae, and insects. The Novel Food Regulation may prove insurmountable for small companies, and it is demanding and time-consuming even for larger companies, dampening the transformative potential of all novel foods and traditional foods from third countries. Several microalgae and macroalgae are non-novel in the EU, which eases their way into the markets. The unclear novel food status of some potential green macroalgae species is a hindrance. All insects are novel, and none has EU-level authorization yet, although some Member States allow insect food. The GM Food Regulation is proce-durally and scientifically demanding, and it forces GM labelling. The Regulation dampens the transformative potential of food GM technology. In addition to crops and fruit, GM Food Regulation applies to genetically modified or edited microbes,microalgae, cultured meat, and insects. The naming and labelling rules of plant -based products have caused controversy. From the business perspective, the health claims process is similarly challenging as the novel food process. EU food law must guarantee food safety and consumer rights while applying the principles of nondiscrimination and proportionality.

关键词： Bank performance   Data envelopment analysis (DEA)   Deposit dilemma   Flexible measure   Two-stage model  

摘要： In this paper, we propose a flexible two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach to evaluate the bank performance. Specifically, instead of fixing the role of the deposits in an ex-ante manner, the proposed approach regards deposits as a flexible measure in which it can play different roles for different banks under evaluation. Further, the traditional two-stage approach that regards deposits as an intermediate measure can be a special case of our proposed approach. Additionally, a potential Pareto efficiency improvement for multiple perspectives is identified, which can mitigate discontentment arisen from those fixed-role strategies. The applicability and superiority of the proposed approach is illustrated by assessing the performance of Chinese listed banks over the period from 2014 to 2018. The empirical results demonstrate consistent evidence that the inefficiency of the banking system in China is mainly sourced from the value-added stage. However, different banks may prefer to clarify different roles for the deposits, demonstrating the importance of employing the proposed flexible approach.

关键词： Alternative schools   Ecological development   Latino males   Qualitative methods   Urban education  

摘要： This study discusses the needs and challenges associated with Latino males’ treatment in public schools. The primary concern is how nationally, only one in two Latino males graduate from U.S. high schools (Schott Foundation for Public Education in Black Lives Matter: The Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males, http://***/, 2015). However, a growing body of research has emerged, heightening Latino males’ social and academic needs in traditional K-12 educational settings. In this paper, we highlight the need to focus on alternative school settings through the narratives of four Latino males enrolled in two alternative public schools. Our findings describe the nuances in alternative schooling experience for Latino males. It explores the school context's differences to (re)engage youth back into school and the various factors that shape their future aspirations. We discuss implications for research and practice to improve alternative schools' conditions to better serve Latino males in this overlooked sector in the educational pipeline. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. part of Springer Nature.