Do vertical tax externalities lead to tax rates being too high? A note

When both vertical and horizontal externalities are at work in a federation, they generally distort levels of taxation in opposite directions. This article is an extension of the Keen and Kotsogiannis (Am Econ Rev March: 363–370, 2002) model. It focuses on state tax policy when states provide an industrial public good increasing firms’ marginal productivity rather than a residential public good intended to households. We find that some results related to whether equilibrium state taxes are likely to be too high or too low are much more complex when state-provided industrial public goods are considered. First, we show that in the presence of industrial public goods, a dominant vertical externality may result in state tax rates being too low (and not too high as it is the case with residential public goods). Second, we find that under certain conditions, horizontal and vertical externalities may point in the same direction and reinforce each other towards tax rates being too high or too low.     

基于AT89C51单片机的钢丝绳张力无线监测系统

设计了一个基于AT89C51单片机的罐笼钢丝绳张力在线监测系统,利用AT89C51单片机良好的软硬件资源,并采用了可在微机或单片机之间进行全双工无线通信的数传收发模块SA68D21DL,使数据传输及时,误码率低。该系统实现了在线监测张力,当张力超出限值时,及时报警,预防重大恶性事故的发生,并具有储存报警记录的功能,可打印成报表。     

TC21钛合金电子束焊接接头超高周疲劳行为研究

采用超声疲劳试验方法(20 k Hz),研究TC21钛合金电子束焊接接头的超高周疲劳性能与断裂机理。结果表明,TC21钛合金电子束焊接接头的疲劳性能要远低于母材的疲劳性能。在短寿命阶段,电子束焊接接头和母材的疲劳裂纹均在表面萌生;当寿命增大时,两者疲劳裂纹的萌生位置均由表面转向内部,母材的疲劳裂纹主要萌生于内部显微组织,而电子束焊接接头疲劳裂纹主要萌生于内部焊接气孔缺陷。当寿命较长时,疲劳源区会出现"鱼眼"形貌特征,源区附近有白色颗粒状细晶区,即细晶区(Fine granular area,FGA),其应力强度因子在2.90~3.33 MPa·m1/2,与疲劳寿命没有直接关系,可以认为是疲劳裂纹扩展门槛值。此外,基于AKINIWA小裂纹扩展理论,定量分析气孔尺寸与TC21焊接接头疲劳极限、疲劳应力的关系。     

基于TDC-GP21高精度三维测风系统设计

针对快速准确测量风速和风向的问题,采用TDC-GP21高精度时间测量芯片和MSP430F413单片机控制芯片,设计了三维超声波测风系统。利用三对超声波换能器构成三维阵列,采用时差法测量风速和风向。该文介绍了三维超声波测风系统总体结构,超声波驱动电路和超声波接收电路以及风速和风向测量的软件流程。     

Hyperactive RAS/PI3-K/MAPK Signaling Cascade in Migration and Adhesion of Nf1 Haploinsufficient Mesenchymal Stem/Progenitor Cells

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations in the NF1 tumor suppressor gene, which affect approximately 1 out of 3000 individuals. Patients with NF1 suffer from a range of malignant and nonmalignant manifestations such as plexiform neurofibromas and skeletal abnormalities. We previously demonstrated that Nf1 haploinsufficiency in mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSPCs) results in impaired osteoblastic differentiation, which may be associated with the skeletal manifestations in NF1 patients. Here we sought to further ascertain the role of Nf1 in modulating the migration and adhesion of MSPCs of the Nf1 haploinsufficient (Nf1^+/−) mice. Nf1^+/− MSPCs demonstrated increased nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio, increased migration, and increased actin polymerization as compared to wild-type (WT) MSPCs. Additionally, Nf1^+/− MSPCs were noted to have significantly enhanced cell adhesion to fibronectin with selective affinity for CH271 with an overexpression of its complimentary receptor, CD49e. Nf1^+/− MSPCs also showed hyperactivation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-K) and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways when compared to WT MSPCs, which were both significantly reduced in the presence of their pharmacologic inhibitors, {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"LY294002","term_id":"1257998346","term_text":"LY294002"}}LY294002 and PD0325901, respectively. Collectively, our study suggests that both PI3-K and MAPK signaling pathways play a significant role in enhanced migration and adhesion of Nf1 haploinsufficient MSPCs.     

Oncogenic MicroRNAs Characterization in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

A key challenge for the improvement of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) management could derive from a deeper characterization of the biology of these neoplasms that could greatly improve the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment choice. The aim of this study was to identify specific miRNAs that are deregulated in tumor vs. normal kidney tissues and that could impact on the biology of ccRCC. To this end we selected four miRNAs (miR-21-5p, miR-210-3p, miR-185-5p and miR-221-3p) and their expression has been evaluated in a retrospective cohort of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues from 20 ccRCC patients who underwent surgical nephrectomy resection. miR-21-5p and miR-210-3p resulted the most significantly up-regulated miRNAs in this patient cohort, highlighting these onco-miRNAs as possible relevant players involved in ccRCC tumorigenesis. Thus, this study reports the identification of specific oncogenic miRNAs that are altered in ccRCC tissues and suggests that they might be useful biomarkers in ccRCC management.     

Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 Response in a Preclinical Alcohol Model of Acute-on-Chronic Liver Injury

Background and Aims: Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 21 has recently been shown to play a potential role in bile acid metabolism. We aimed to investigate the FGF21 response in an ethanol-induced acute-on-chronic liver injury (ACLI) model in Abcb4^−/− mice with deficiency of the hepatobiliary phospholipid transporter. Methods: Total RNA was extracted from wild-type (WT, C57BL/6J) and Abcb4⁻/⁻ (KO) mice, which were either fed a control diet (WT-Cont and KO-Cont groups; n = 28/group) or ethanol diet, followed by an acute ethanol binge (WT-EtOH and KO-EtOH groups; n = 28/group). A total of 58 human subjects were recruited into the study, including patients with alcohol-associated liver disease (AALD; n = 31) and healthy controls (n = 27). The hepatic and ileal expressions of genes involved in bile acid metabolism, plasma FGF levels, and bile acid and its precursors 7α- and 27-hydroxycholesterol (7α- and 27-OHC) concentrations were determined. Primary mouse hepatocytes were isolated for cell culture experiments. Results: Alcohol feeding significantly induced plasma FGF21 and decreased hepatic Cyp7a1 levels. Hepatic expression levels of Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (Fgfr1), Fgfr4, Farnesoid X-activated receptor (Fxr), and Small heterodimer partner (Shp) and plasma FGF15/FGF19 levels did not differ with alcohol challenge. Exogenous FGF21 treatment suppressed Cyp7a1 in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. AALD patients showed markedly higher FGF21 and lower 7α-OHC plasma levels while FGF19 did not differ. Conclusions: The simultaneous upregulation of FGF21 and downregulation of Cyp7a1 expressions upon chronic plus binge alcohol feeding together with the invariant plasma FGF15 and hepatic Shp and Fxr levels suggest the presence of a direct regulatory mechanism of FGF21 on bile acid homeostasis through inhibition of CYP7A1 by an FGF15-independent pathway in this ACLI model. Lay Summary: Alcohol challenge results in the upregulation of FGF21 and repression of Cyp7a1 expressions while circulating FGF15 and hepatic Shp and Fxr levels remain constant both in healthy and pre-injured livers, suggesting the presence of an alternative FGF15-independent regulatory mechanism of FGF21 on bile acid homeostasis through the inhibition of Cyp7a1.     

小鼠微RNA miR-21真核表达质粒的构建及其在小鼠肾小球系膜细胞中的表达

目的构建小鼠微RNA miR-21真核表达质粒,并在小鼠肾小球系膜细胞中表达。方法人工合成小鼠miR-21基因序列,构建miR-21真核表达质粒pGenesil-miR-21。使用脂质体Lipofectamine2000转染小鼠肾小球系膜细胞后,G418筛选,获得稳定转染克隆,提取总RNA,通过实时荧光定量RT-PCR技术检测miR-21的表达。结果经酶切鉴定和测序证实,合成的miR-21基因序列完全正确,并已成功克隆到真核表达质粒pGenesil-1上。重组真核表达质粒转染小鼠肾小球系膜细胞后,筛选出的阳性克隆可稳定高表达miR-21。结论已成功构建miR-21真核表达质粒,并在小鼠肾小球系膜细胞中高效表达,为进一步探讨miR-21的生物学功能奠定了基础。     

北京新建筑地域性表达倾向

梳理了北京2000年以后建成的若干新建筑,依据地域性表达的程度和方式总结出3种较明显的倾向;通过对3种倾向的分析与归纳,反思了北京新建筑中地域性缺位问题,探讨了地域性表达的解决办法。     

C21甾苷提取方法的研究

为建立萝摩科植物及相应的保健产品中C21甾苷的定量方法，本文首先进行各咱提取方法的探讨。将用于强心苷薄层层析量显色的2-去氧糖反应进行了改进，作为进行各种提取方法C21甾苷相对含量比较的方法。根据C21甾苷的结构，选用了11种萃取剂进行了提取实验，并探讨了原料粉碎度、提取时间等其它条件对提取效果的影响，最终确定了C21甾苷的提取方法。