Crisis of EU Governance and Risk of Integration: Governance Mix, Democratic Deficit, and Politicization

Yun-Chen Lai,Chin-Peng Chu 연세대학교 미래사회통합연구센터 2019 Journal of Conflict and Integration Vol.3 No.2

The EU has faced serious crises recently. EU integration has resulted in greater public attention and made cooperation more controversial. This contribution explores three questions: why crises occur under (current) EU governance; how a crisis of EU governance will result in a crisis of EU integration; and how the EU could solve its problems. Issues both inside and outside of the EU borders are discussed to investigate the questions above. It is argued that an imbalanced governance structure and a democratic deficit cause risks of disintegration and stagnation. Multi-level governance should be revisited to augment participation of public sectors, to respond to the current politicization trend, and to relieve the democratic deficit problem.

L-Theanine-Treated Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Alleviate the Cytotoxicity Induced by N-Nitrosodiethylamine in Liver

Lai Yun-Ju,Sung Yi-Ting,Lai Yi-An,Chen Li-Nian,Chen Tung-Sheng,Chien Chiang-Ting 한국조직공학과 재생의학회 2022 조직공학과 재생의학 Vol.19 No.6

BACKGROUND: Liver inflammation is the main cause of severe liver diseases, including liver fibrosis, steatohepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Cell therapy topics are receiving increasingly more attention. The therapeutic applications of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have become one of the most discussed issues. While other stem cells have therapeutic effects, they have only one or two clinical applications. MSCs are responsible for repairing a variety of tissue injuries. Moreover, MSCs could be derived from several sources, including adipose tissue. MSCs are usually more abundant and easier to obtain compared to other stem cells. METHODS: To prove the concept that MSCs have homing ability to the injured tissue and assist in tissue repair, we examined the effects of intravenous injected adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) in a N-nitrosodiethylamine (DEN)-induced liver injury rat model. RESULTS: The significant repairing ability of ADSCs was observed. The levels of fibrosis, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis in the DEN-injured liver tissues all decreased after ADSC treatment. Furthermore, to enhance the therapeutic effects of ADSCs, we pretreated them with L-theanine, which promotes the hepatocyte growth factor secretion of ADSC, and therefore improved the healing effects on injured liver tissue. CONCLUSION: ADSCs, especially L-theanine-pretreated ADSCs, have anti-inflammation, anti-apoptosis, and anti-tumorigenesis effects on the N-nitrosodiethylamine-induced liver injury rat model.

Differentiation and Categorization of Strategies: From Cases in Asia

Yun-Chen Lai 미래사회통합연구센터 2019 Journal of Conflict and Integration Vol.3 No.1

The word ‘strategy’ has been widely used, but poorly defined, in the IR area. Establishing a clear definition of the term is a precondition for effective policy-making and academic research. Hence, this article aims to build a systematic framework for analyzing strategy. Based on different perception of orders, goals, and policy instruments, this paper categorizes IR strategies into five types, including revisionist, engagement, status quo, accommodative and bandwagon, providing a systematic perspective for future studies in analyzing strategy. Examples of strategies taken by actors for dealing with Asian orders are given to elucidate the characteristics of each strategy type. The comparison on various strategies of conflict and cooperation outlines the current Asian order.

Is Disintegration Occurring in the European Union: Empirics and Viewpoints of Integration Theories

( Yun-chen Lai ) 한국EU학회 2019 Asia-Pacific Journal of EU Studies Vol.17 No.2

The European Union (EU) has been a pioneer in regional integration and long been its most developed model. However, the recent increase in populism raises questions about the integration of the EU. Some pessimists even predict that disintegration of the EU might occur if populism becomes stronger. It is difficult to deny that the EU has faced a series of major setbacks in the last decade. However, setbacks do not equal disintegration. This thesis starts from recent disintegration phenomena in Europe and discusses the underlying reasons for those problems. Furthermore, this thesis attempts to utilize theoretical perspectives to elucidate recent trends. Mainstream integration theories will be discussed and reviewed. Transactionalism of Karl Deutsch will be used to observed whether the EU is really suffering from disintegration. Furthermore, Post-Functionalism will help to explain why certain factor, i.e., identity, matter than other indicators to explain the integration and disintegration of the EU.

The Reaction of Taiwan Civil Society Towards Cross‐Strait Integration During the Period from 2008 to 2016: Spillover or Politicization?

Lai Yun‐Chen 인하대학교 국제관계연구소 2022 Pacific Focus Vol.37 No.1

This study explores the integration attempt between Taiwan and China during the period from 2008 to 2016, focusing on the perspective of Taiwan civil society, as both the initiation and the deadlock of the cross-strait integration during this period were primarily triggered by Taiwan. This research adopts functionalist theory, as the design of integration derived from neo-functionalism and the deadlock of integration would be better explained by politicization, which constitutes the emphasis of post-functionalism. The findings demonstrate that different extents of politicization made the fates of the two major integration attempts during that period (Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement and Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement) dissimilar. It is further concluded that common identity is the key factor for cross-strait integration in the future.

[Poster Presentation] NOT ALL PAC IS SUITABLE

Chen Yun-Zhi,Xie Lai-Su 한국펄프·종이공학회 1999 한국펄프종이학회 기타 간행물 Vol.- No.-

In this paper, a series of PAC (polyaluminum chloride) samples were prepared for rosin neutral sizing system. Some characters of PAC were discussed in detail. The experimental results show that it is possible to achieve neutral sizing when PAC is compounded with DRS(dispersed rosin size)instead of alum (aluminum sulfate).

Downregulation of Human DAB2IP Gene Expression in Renal Cell Carcinoma Results in Resistance to Ionizing Radiation

Yun, Eun-Jin,Lin, Chun-Jung,Dang, Andrew,Hernandez, Elizabeth,Guo, Jiaming,Chen, Wei-Min,Allison, Joyce,Kim, Nathan,Kapur, Payal,Brugarolas, James,Wu, Kaijie,He, Dalin,Lai, Chih-Ho,Lin, Ho,Saha, Debab American Association for Cancer Research 2019 Clinical Cancer Research Vol.25 No.14

<P><B>Purpose:</B></P><P>Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is known to be highly radioresistant but the mechanisms associated with radioresistance have remained elusive. We found DOC-2/DAB2 interactive protein (DAB2IP) frequently downregulated in RCC, is associated with radioresistance. In this study, we investigated the underlying mechanism regulating radioresistance by DAB2IP and developed appropriate treatment.</P><P><B>Experimental Design:</B></P><P>Several RCC lines with or without DAB2IP expression were irradiated with ionizing radiation (IR) for determining their radiosensitivities based on colony formation assay. To investigate the underlying regulatory mechanism of DAB2IP, immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry was performed to identify DAB2IP-interactive proteins. PARP-1 expression and enzymatic activity were determined using qRT-PCR, Western blot analysis, and ELISA. <I>In vivo</I> ubiquitination assay was used to test PARP-1 degradation. Furthermore, <I>in vivo</I> mice xenograft model and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model were used to determine the effect of combination therapy to sensitizing tumors to IR.</P><P><B>Results:</B></P><P>We notice that DAB2IP-deficient RCC cells acquire IR-resistance. Mechanistically, DAB2IP can form a complex with PARP-1 and E3 ligases that is responsible for degrading PARP-1. Indeed, elevated PARP-1 levels are associated with the IR resistance in RCC cells. Furthermore, PARP-1 inhibitor can enhance the IR response of either RCC xenograft model or PDX model.</P><P><B>Conclusions:</B></P><P>In this study, we unveil that loss of DAB2IP resulted in elevated PARP-1 protein is associated with IR-resistance in RCC. These results provide a new targeting strategy to improve the efficacy of radiotherapy of RCC.</P>

DEPTOR Expression Negatively Correlates with mTORC1 Activity and Tumor Progression in Colorectal Cancer

Lai, Er-Yong,Chen, Zhen-Guo,Zhou, Xuan,Fan, Xiao-Rong,Wang, Hua,Lai, Ping-Lin,Su, Yong-Chun,Zhang, Bai-Yu,Bai, Xiao-Chun,Li, Yun-Feng Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.11

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway is upregulated in the pathogenesis of many cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). DEPTOR is an mTOR inhibitor whose expression is negatively regulated by mTOR. However, the role of DEPTOR in the development of CRC is not known. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of DEPTOR and mTORC1 activity (P-S6) in a subset of CRC patients and determine their relation to tumor differentiation, invasion, nodal metastasis and disease-free survival. Here, Immunohistochemical expression of P-S6 (S235/236) and DEPTOR were evaluated in 1.5 mm tumor cores from 90 CRC patients and in 90 samples of adjacent normal mucosa by tissue microarray. The expression of P-S6 (S235/236) was upregulated in CRC, with the positive rate of P-S6 (S235/236) in CRC (63.3%) significantly higher than that in control tissues (36.7%, 30%) (p<0.05). P-S6 (S235/236) also correlated with high tumor histologic grade (p=0.002), and positive nodal metastasis (p=0.002). In contrast, the expression level of DEPTOR was correlated with low tumor histological grade (p=0.006), and negative nodal metastasis (p=0.001). Interestingly, P-S6 (S235/236) expression showed a significant negative association with the expression of DEPTOR in CRC (p=0.011, R= -0.279). However, upregulation of P-S6 (S235/236) (p=0.693) and downregulation of DEPTOR (p=0.331) in CRC were not significantly associated with overall survival. Thus, we conclude that expression of DEPTOR negatively correlates with mTORC1 activity and tumor progression in CRC. DEPTOR is a potential marker for prognostic evaluation and a target for the treatment of CRC.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of NLRP12 Gene and Association with Non-specific Digestive Disorder in Rabbit

Liu, Yun-Fu,Zhang, Gong-Wei,Xiao, Zheng-Long,Yang, Yu,Deng, Xiao-Song,Chen, Shi-Yi,Wang, Jie,Lai, Song-Jia Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2013 Animal Bioscience Vol.26 No.8

The NLRP12 (NLR family, pyrin domain containing 12) serves as a suppressor factor in the inflammatory response and protects the host against inflammation-induced damage. In the present study, we aimed to study the polymorphisms of NLRP12 gene and its association with susceptibility to non-specific digestive disorder (NSDD) in rabbits. We re-sequenced the entire coding region of the rabbit NLRP12 gene and detected a total of 19 SNPs containing 14 synonymous and five non-synonymous variations. Among them, the coding SNP (c.1682A>G), which would carry a potential functional implication, was subsequently subjected to genotyping for case-control association study (272 cases and 267 controls). The results revealed that allele A was significantly protective against NSDD with an odds ratio value of 0.884 (95% confidence interval, 0.788 to 0.993; p = 0.038). We also experimentally induced NSDD in growing rabbits by feeding a fibre-deficient diet and subsequently investigated NLRP12 mRNA expression. The mRNA expression of NLRP12 in healthy status was significantly higher than that in severe NSDD (p = 0.0016). The highest expression was observed in individuals carrying the protective genotype AA (p = 0.0108). These results suggested that NLRP12 was significantly associated with the NSDD in rabbits. However, the precise molecular mechanism of NLRP12 involving in the development of rabbit NSDD requires further research.

A study on convergence and complexity of reproducing kernel collocation method

Hu, Hsin-Yun,Lai, Chiu-Kai,Chen, Jiun-Shyan Techno-Press 2009 Interaction and multiscale mechanics Vol.2 No.3

In this work, we discuss a reproducing kernel collocation method (RKCM) for solving $2^{nd}$ order PDE based on strong formulation, where the reproducing kernel shape functions with compact support are used as approximation functions. The method based on strong form collocation avoids the domain integration, and leads to well-conditioned discrete system of equations. We investigate the convergence and the computational complexity for this proposed method. An important result obtained from the analysis is that the degree of basis in the reproducing kernel approximation has to be greater than one for the method to converge. Some numerical experiments are provided to validate the error analysis. The complexity of RKCM is also analyzed, and the complexity comparison with the weak formulation using reproducing kernel approximation is presented.