The Government today welcomed the successful handling of a number of bills and subsidiary legislation by the Legislative Council House Committee (HC) at its special meeting yesterday afternoon.

In a statement, the Government said that in accordance with Article 73 of the Basic Law, one of the major functions of LegCo is to enact laws and that the HC plays the most essential role in LegCo in performing the constitutional function of making preparations for LegCo meetings.

Such work includes deciding if bills committees are required to be set up to scrutinise the bills submitted to LegCo and monitoring the progress of these bills committees.

The statement noted that starting from last October, the HC has held 17 meetings and spent more than 30 hours of discussion but still failed to elect its chairman and deputy chairman for the current term of LegCo, thereby seriously impeding the committee and jeopardising its normal operation, creating substantial backlogs of bills that affect social development, the economy and people's livelihood.

At the special meeting yesterday, the HC completed the handling of a number of bills and subsidiary legislation which had not been dealt with for seven months since last October owing to the delay in the chairman election that brought the HC to a standstill.

These include 13 bills submitted by the Government during the current legislative session, Legal Service Division reports on 31 subsidiary legislation gazetted since March 27, the motion on the endorsement of the appointment of the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal and four Reports of Bills Committees.

"The Government is pleased to learn that the impasse in the HC has finally ended which enables the continual scrutiny of bills and subsidiary legislation proposed by the Government.

“The Government will continue to fully co-operate with LegCo in its work of scrutinising laws in the remaining term of office of LegCo.

“As of May 8 this year, there are 26 bills that LegCo is scrutinising. Of these, 15 were proposed during the current legislative session, while the other 11 were first read in the past two legislative sessions and respective bills committees have been formed to scrutinise them,” the statement said.

Among the 11 bills, the bills committees have completed scrutiny of seven bills which have yet to be introduced to the full council for the resumption of second reading debate.

Of the seven bills, the HC has finished scrutinising the bills committee reports of six bills, including the National Anthem Bill and the Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill 2019.

The Bills Committee on the National Anthem Bill, after 17 meetings and over 50 hours of deliberation, had reported to the HC on June 14. At the HC meeting on June 28, the HC raised no objection to the Government's plan to resume the second reading debate on the bill in the 2019-2020 legislative session.

"The national anthem is the symbol and sign of the country. The legislative principle of the National Anthem Bill is clear, that is to fully reflect the legislative purpose and intent of the Law of the People's Republic of China on National Anthem as a national law, which is to preserve the dignity of the national anthem and promote respect for the national anthem; and at the same time to give due regard to the common law system practiced in Hong Kong, as well as the actual circumstances in Hong Kong,” the statement said.

In accordance with the National Anthem Bill, a person would only commit a criminal offence if the person publicly and intentionally insults the national anthem. It would not constitute an offence to express one's opinion as long as they are not expressed in the form of public and intentional insults to the national anthem, the statement added.

“Therefore, it is completely untrue and fabricated for certain LegCo members to claim that the law is 'draconian',” the statement noted.

The Government said it hopes that LegCo members would support the Government to continue to take forward the legislative procedures of the aforementioned bills, so that the efforts by the Government, LegCo and relevant stakeholders in formulating policies would not go down the drain.

Although a robust inflammatory response is needed to combat infection, this response must ultimately be terminated to prevent chronic inflammation. One mechanism that terminates inflammatory signaling is the production of alternative mRNA splice forms in the Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway. Whereas most genes in the TLR pathway encode positive mediators of inflammatory signaling, several, including that encoding the MyD88 signaling adaptor, also produce alternative spliced mRNA isoforms that encode dominant-negative inhibitors of the response. Production of these negatively acting alternatively spliced isoforms is induced by stimulation with the TLR4 agonist lipopolysaccharide (LPS); thus, this alternative pre-mRNA splicing represents a negative feedback loop that terminates TLR signaling and prevents chronic inflammation. In the current study, we investigated the mechanisms regulating the LPS-induced alternative pre-mRNA splicing of the MyD88 transcript in murine macrophages. We found that 1) the induction of the alternatively spliced MyD88 form is due to alternative pre-mRNA splicing and not caused by another RNA regulatory mechanism, 2) MyD88 splicing is regulated by both the MyD88- and TRIF-dependent arms of the TLR signaling pathway, 3) MyD88 splicing is regulated by the NF-κB transcription factor, and 4) NF-κB likely regulates MyD88 alternative pre-mRNA splicing per se rather than regulating splicing indirectly by altering MyD88 transcription. We conclude that alternative splicing of MyD88 may provide a sensitive mechanism that ensures robust termination of inflammation for tissue repair and restoration of normal tissue homeostasis once an infection is controlled.

Inter-α-inhibitor is a proteoglycan essential for mammalian reproduction and also plays a less well-characterized role in inflammation. It comprises two homologous “heavy chains” (HC1 and HC2) covalently attached to chondroitin sulfate on the bikunin core protein. Before ovulation, HCs are transferred onto the polysaccharide hyaluronan (HA) to form covalent HC·HA complexes, thereby stabilizing an extracellular matrix around the oocyte required for fertilization. Additionally, such complexes form during inflammatory processes and mediate leukocyte adhesion in the synovial fluids of arthritis patients and protect against sepsis. Here using X-ray crystallography, we show that human HC1 has a structure similar to integrin β-chains, with a von Willebrand factor A domain containing a functional metal ion-dependent adhesion site (MIDAS) and an associated hybrid domain. A comparison of the WT protein and a variant with an impaired MIDAS (but otherwise structurally identical) by small-angle X-ray scattering and analytical ultracentrifugation revealed that HC1 self-associates in a cation-dependent manner, providing a mechanism for HC·HA cross-linking and matrix stabilization. Surprisingly, unlike integrins, HC1 interacted with RGD-containing ligands, such as fibronectin, vitronectin, and the latency-associated peptides of transforming growth factor β, in a MIDAS/cation-independent manner. However, HC1 utilizes its MIDAS motif to bind to and inhibit the cleavage of complement C3, and small-angle X-ray scattering–based modeling indicates that this occurs through the inhibition of the alternative pathway C3 convertase. These findings provide detailed structural and functional insights into HC1 as a regulator of innate immunity and further elucidate the role of HC·HA complexes in inflammation and ovulation.

Lens proteins become increasingly cross-linked through nondisulfide linkages during aging and cataract formation. One mechanism that has been implicated in this cross-linking is glycation through formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Here, we found an age-associated increase in stiffness in human lenses that was directly correlated with levels of protein–cross-linking AGEs. α-Crystallin in the lens binds to other proteins and prevents their denaturation and aggregation through its chaperone-like activity. Using a FRET-based assay, we examined the stability of the αA-crystallin–γD-crystallin complex for up to 12 days and observed that this complex is stable in PBS and upon incubation with human lens–epithelial cell lysate or lens homogenate. Addition of 2 mm ATP to the lysate or homogenate did not decrease the stability of the complex. We also generated complexes of human αA-crystallin or αB-crystallin with alcohol dehydrogenase or citrate synthase by applying thermal stress. Upon glycation under physiological conditions, the chaperone–client complexes underwent greater extents of cross-linking than did uncomplexed protein mixtures. LC-MS/MS analyses revealed that the levels of cross-linking AGEs were significantly higher in the glycated chaperone–client complexes than in glycated but uncomplexed protein mixtures. Mouse lenses subjected to thermal stress followed by glycation lost resilience more extensively than lenses subjected to thermal stress or glycation alone, and this loss was accompanied by higher protein cross-linking and higher cross-linking AGE levels. These results uncover a protein cross-linking mechanism in the lens and suggest that AGE-mediated cross-linking of α-crystallin–client complexes could contribute to lens aging and presbyopia.

The dextransucrase DSR-OK from the Gram-positive bacterium Oenococcus kitaharae DSM17330 produces a dextran of the highest molar mass reported to date (∼109 g/mol). In this study, we selected a recombinant form, DSR-OKΔ1, to identify molecular determinants involved in the sugar polymerization mechanism and that confer its ability to produce a very-high-molar-mass polymer. In domain V of DSR-OK, we identified seven putative sugar-binding pockets characteristic of glycoside hydrolase 70 (GH70) glucansucrases that are known to be involved in glucan binding. We investigated their role in polymer synthesis through several approaches, including monitoring of dextran synthesis, affinity assays, sugar binding pocket deletions, site-directed mutagenesis, and construction of chimeric enzymes. Substitution of only two stacking aromatic residues in two consecutive sugar-binding pockets (variant DSR-OKΔ1-Y1162A-F1228A) induced quasi-complete loss of very-high-molar-mass dextran synthesis, resulting in production of only 10–13 kg/mol polymers. Moreover, the double mutation completely switched the semiprocessive mode of DSR-OKΔ1 toward a distributive one, highlighting the strong influence of these pockets on enzyme processivity. Finally, the position of each pocket relative to the active site also appeared to be important for polymer elongation. We propose that sugar-binding pockets spatially closer to the catalytic domain play a major role in the control of processivity. A deep structural characterization, if possible with large-molar-mass sugar ligands, would allow confirming this hypothesis.

Contact between inflammatory cells and endothelial cells (ECs) is a crucial step in vascular inflammation. Recently, we demonstrated that the cell-surface level of endomucin (EMCN), a heavily O-glycosylated single-transmembrane sialomucin, interferes with the interactions between inflammatory cells and ECs. We have also shown that, in response to an inflammatory stimulus, EMCN is cleared from the cell surface by an unknown mechanism. In this study, using adenovirus-mediated overexpression of a tagged EMCN in human umbilical vein ECs, we found that treatment with tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) or the strong oxidant pervanadate leads to loss of cell-surface EMCN and increases the levels of the C-terminal fragment of EMCN 3- to 4-fold. Furthermore, treatment with the broad-spectrum matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor batimastat (BB94) or inhibition of ADAM metallopeptidase domain 10 (ADAM10) and ADAM17 with two small-molecule inhibitors, GW280264X and GI254023X, or with siRNA significantly reduced basal and TNFα-induced cell-surface EMCN cleavage. Release of the C-terminal fragment of EMCN by TNF-α treatment was blocked by chemical inhibition of ADAM10 alone or in combination with ADAM17. These results indicate that cell-surface EMCN undergoes constitutive cleavage and that TNF-α treatment dramatically increases this cleavage, which is mediated predominantly by ADAM10 and ADAM17. As endothelial cell-surface EMCN attenuates leukocyte–EC interactions during inflammation, we propose that EMCN is a potential therapeutic target to manage vascular inflammation.

Billy Crystal, Tiffany Haddish, Kenan Thompson and Byron Allen are set to co-host Sunday's Feeding America Comedy Festival.

Testimony of Marc Rosenblum, MPI Senior Policy Analyst, before the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.

Realme Narzo 10 confirmed to feature MediaTek Helio G80 gaming processor  Hindustan TimesRealme Narzo 10 officially confirmed to pack Helio G80 SoC - GSMArena.com news  GSMArena.comRealme Narzo 10, Realme Narzo 10A Launch on May 11:...

1. UFC 249: Justin Gaethje halts the Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov storyline  Hindustan Times
2. UFC 249 news: Khabib Nurmagomedov tweets immediately after Tony Ferguson loses to Justin Gaethje  GIVEMESPORT
3. Twitter Salutes Tony Ferguson After Surviving a Barrage of Attacks From Justin Gaethje  Essentially Sports
4. UFC 249: ‘He is epitome of an athlete,’ Justin Gaethje full of praise for opponent Tony Ferguson  Hindustan Times
5. Justin Gaethje batters Tony Ferguson to win UFC interim lightweight title  ESPN India
6. View Full coverage on Google News

Around 340 people participated in the Transform 2013 mission conference in Rome before spreading across the Mediterranean on 29 outreaches.

Turkey is a 'hot-climate' culture, meaning that people are relationship-oriented rather than task-oriented.

OM Philippines partners with the local church to provide water and food in areas hit by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake on 15 October.

A young woman's life is transformed by the love of Jesus shared and displayed through Tabitha Skills Training in Zambia.

NICOLA Sturgeon was at her best during the new, extended First Minister's Questions on Thursday when she spoke about the sickening murder of Liam Fee.

In the spring of 2011, a team from OM Czech Republic trekked in a remote area of the Himalayas on a four-week medical mission.

OM Czech Republic engaged in a medical mission outreach and evangelism ministry to villages in northern Ghana.

Source: www.businessinsider.com - Saturday, May 09, 2020
Mother's Day is the single most important holiday for flower shops, with many businesses relying on strong holiday sales to survive the summertime slowdown in demand for flowers. Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, spring 2020 got off to an ominous start for florists across the United States. 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc. CEO Chris McCann and BloomNation CEO and cofounder Farbod Shoraka told Business Insider that their florist partners are seeing a major uptick in spending in the run-up to Mother's Day. The National Retail Federation is projecting that flower sales on Mother's Day will increase from $2.01 billion to $2.1 billion in 2020. Despite the good news, there remain major challenges to florists and the flower industry as a whole during COVID-19, including a major downturn for growers and wholesalers, reduced staffing, and even figuring out distribution capabilities. But Society of American Florists CEO Kate Penn told Busines Insider that florists are some of the "resourceful" and scrappy business owners out there: "Come rain, sleet, or social distancing they'll figure out how to get it delivered." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories . For flower shops across the United States, Mother's Day is the most important date on the calendar. Millions of Americans setting out to make their moms feel special with a bright bouquet consistently ensure that the second Sunday of May is the biggest holiday in the flower business

Source: api-internal.usatoday.com.akadns.net - Friday, May 08, 2020
Vice President Pence's trip to Iowa shows how the Trump administration's aims to move past coronavirus are sometimes complicated by the virus itself.            

Deputy will be charged with trespassing and breaking and entering.

Penn State DuBois Lecturer of Human Development and Family Studies Marly Doty was added to the University-wide Student Engagement Network’s Faculty Academy as a fellow this spring. She will create a model to help freshmen students be informed in their journey as they participate in a first-year seminar or first-year experience course.

Xiaoye You, Liberal Arts Professor of English and Asian Studies, will become director of the Center for Democratic Deliberation in the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, effective July 1.

God heals physical and spiritual lives during OM Ecuador’s 2014 Medical Brigade in the Saraguro Canton region of Ecuador.

Milena found mission opportunities on OM Germany’s website, which led her to share the love of God in Belgium.

Hero MotoCorp has confirmed through its official website that BS6 versions of the XPulse 200T and Xtreme 200R are coming soon. No word on BS6 Xtreme 200R yet.

Hero MotoCorp ambulance comes with sleeping arrangements with all the essential equipment. Read along to find more details.

The two scooters are now called Vespa SXL 149 and VXL 149. Here is why the company renamed these!

By expanding the scope of equalisation levy to cover foreign e-commerce platforms, India has rushed to incrementally cast its net wide insofar as the digital service user-base is concerned.

Mindshare and GroupM have implemented their own tools that are better than the industry standards, and we use our own competitive advantage to give our clients better insights than they could get through an industry model.

A few tips on how to use Alexa and Amazon smart speakers while you are stuck at home.

BSE Sensex tanked 723 pts, its second biggest single day fall since Narendra Modi govt took over; Salman Khan, GST, others field the blame.

As more governments integrate the service—Himachal Pradesh was latest to do so, on April 21—one can expect traffic to increase.

The Katoch committee, in 2015, had proposed several measures like setting up parks for API, providing capex, and subsidised loans to boost domestic production of APIs.

The Realme Narzo 10 is arriving on May 11 and ahead of the launch, Realme confirmed that Narzo 10 will be powered by the Helio G80 SoC. Realme hasn't revealed the full specs sheet of the Narzo 10 yet, but the company previously confirmed that Narzo 10 will come with a 48MP quad camera, 6.5" waterdrop notch display, rear-mounted fingerprint reader and a 5,000 mAh battery. The Realme Narzo 10 is rumored to be a rebranded Realme 6i, and if that's true, you'll get an HD+ screen, 16MP front-facing camera, and a 48MP main camera on the back joined by an 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro and 2MP...

According to an official source, it has not been ascertained from where these doctors, nurses and paramedic staff have acquired the infection.

The newly-built church outside Moscow designed to be the main cathedral of the Russian military has been completed and decorated. While its opening was delayed by Covid-19, its final look was revealed on Victory Day.
Read Full Article at RT.com

The total number of people infected with Covid-19 has passed another somber milestone, exceeding four million, with more than 1.3 million of those hailing from the US, Johns Hopkins University reported.
Read Full Article at RT.com

On Sunday, 09th March, 2014, Hong Kong’s immigration department has confirmed that a resident of Hong Kong was on the Beijing-bound flight MH370, which was a Boeing 777-200, which went missing.Additionally, the department provided the passenger’s…

In April, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a telephonic conversation with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had conveyed India’s "full support" to the African continent to deal with fighting the spread of COVID-19.

Coronavirus needs to be destigmatised so that people get treatment in time which will help reduce the mortality rate, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Dr Randeep Guleria said...

That’s what Pakistan can become, warns Patrick French. (Via Nikhil Mehra.)

Linkastic © 2007 IndiaUncut.com. All rights reserved.
India Uncut * The IU Blog * Rave Out * Extrowords * Workoutable * Linkastic