Virtual Enterprises Risk Management DSS under Electronic Commerce

Risk management is important to the development of enterprise as well as social-economic prosperity. Virtual enterprise is the potential mode of future enterprise under electronic commerce environment and the risk management for it is a popular research area recently. Due to the complexity of its risk management a decision support system (DSS) with 3-bases-1-cell structure was designed. By coordinating data base, model base, algorithm base and dialogue cell, the functions of project management, risk identification, risk assessment, risk evaluation and risk programming was supported. The user-friendly system has such main characteristics as generality for verity virtual enterprise as well as different projects and the flexibility of model and algorithm, ensuring a standardized, scientific and informational risk management for virtual enterprises

Risk Evaluation for Virtual Enterprise

Virtual Enterprise is the potential mode of enterprise in the future. The risk management for virtual enterprise is the new research area recently. In virtual enterprise, the enterprise operation is always organized by project mode and there is always less historical data and there are many uncertain factors. Hence, in this paper, the fuzzy synthetic evaluation model for the risk evaluation of virtual enterprise is established focus on the project mode and uncertain characteristics of virtual enterprise. In the 5 levels model, the goal and sub-goal of the enterprise, the process of the project, as well as the risk event and risk factors are considered. The case study suggests that the method is useful

The tonoplast-localized transporter OsHMA3 plays an important role in maintaining Zn homeostasis in rice

In order to respond to fluctuating zinc (Zn) in the environment, plants must have a system to control Zn homeostasis. However, how plants maintain an appropriate level of Zn during their growth and development is still poorly understood. In this study, we found that OsHMA3, a tonoplast-localized transporter for Zn/Cd, plays an important role in Zn homeostasis in rice. Accessions with the functional allele of OsHMA3 showed greater tolerance to high Zn than those with the non-functional allele based on root elongation test. A 67Zn-labeling experiment showed that accessions with loss of function of OsHMA3 had lower Zn accumulation in the roots but similar concentrations in the shoots compared with functional OsHMA3 accessions. When exposed to Zn-free growing medium, the concentration in the root cell sap was rapidly decreased in accessions with functional OsHMA3, but less dramatic changes were observed in non-functional accessions. A mobility experiment showed that more Zn in the roots was translocated to the shoots in accessions with functional OsHMA3. Higher expression levels of OsZIP4, OsZIP5, OsZIP8, and OsZIP10 were found in the roots of accessions with functional OsHMA3 in response to Zn deficiency. Taken together, our results indicate that OsHMA3 plays an important role in rice roots in both Zn detoxification and storage by sequestration into the vacuoles, depending on Zn concentration in the environment

Accelerated phosphorus accumulation and acidification of soils under plastic greenhouse condition in four representative organic vegetable cultivation sites

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2015. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Scientia Horticulturae 195 (2015): 67-83, doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2015.08.041.Organic vegetable cultivation under plastic greenhouse conditions is expanding rapidly in the suburb of big cities in China due to the increasing demand for organic, out-of-season green vegetables and the sustainable development of agriculture. Phosphorus (P) is not only an important plant nutrient, but also a major contaminant in the water environment. However, information on the accumulation and distribution of P in organic vegetable soils under plastic greenhouse conditions is limited, relative to the open cultivation systems. Therefore, twenty-six plastic greenhouse vegetable soils (PGVS) were selected randomly from four representative organic vegetable cultivation sites located in the suburb of Nanjing, China. For comparison, 15 open vegetable soils (OVS) near the PGVS with similar soil and cultivation practices were selected. Soil pH, organic matter (OM) and the various P accumulation characteristics were investigated. We found that soil pH in PGVS were significantly decreased by 0.57~1.17 unit with obvious signs of acidification, compared with that in OVS. Soil OM was different for different sampling locations, but in general it was higher in PGVS than OVS. Soil total P (TP), inorganic P (Pi) and Olsen-P of PGVS were higher than those in the OVS. Olsen-P of all soil samples were far above the recommended optimum value of 20 mg kg-1 for field crops, and over 60% soil samples were considered excessive (>150 mg kg-1 ) in the PGVS and OVS. There were significant correlations between total P, available P and soil pH in those vegetable soils. Al-P/Fe-P ratio was also significantly correlated with vegetable soil pH (YpH = 7.44 - 1.32 XAl-P/Fe-P, r = - 0.705, p < 0.01). Soil total Pi was negatively correlated with soil pH in vegetable soils (r = -0.328, p < 0.05), but the interactive effect of soil various Pi and soil pH need to be further investigated through a series of controlled tests. Our results suggest that the rapid P accumulation and acidification make the current plastic greenhouse vegetable production in the study area unsustainable and better organic manure management practices need to be implemented to sustain crop yields while minimizing the impact of vegetable production on the environment.This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation, China (grant no. 41571286; 51479055); Open Research Fund Program of State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Science, Nanjing 210008, China (grant no.Y412201419); and the Fund of Jiangsu Overseas Research ＆ Training Program for University Prominent Young ＆ Middle-aged Teachers and Presidents

Deep Metabolomics of a High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Triple-Knockout Mouse Model

High-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) is the most common and deadliest ovarian cancer (OC) type, accounting for 70–80% of OC deaths. This high mortality is largely due to late diagnosis. Early detection is thus crucial to reduce mortality, yet the tumor pathogenesis of HGSC remains poorly understood, making early detection exceedingly difficult. Faithfully and reliably representing the clinical nature of human HGSC, a recently developed triple-knockout (TKO) mouse model offers a unique opportunity to examine the entire disease spectrum of HGSC. Metabolic alterations were investigated by applying ultra-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS) to serum samples collected from these mice at premalignant, early, and advanced stages of HGSC. This comprehensive analysis revealed a panel of 29 serum metabolites that distinguished mice with HGSC from controls and mice with uterine tumors with over 95% accuracy. Meanwhile, our panel could further distinguish early-stage HGSC from controls with 100% accuracy and from advanced-stage HGSC with over 90% accuracy. Important identified metabolites included phospholipids, sphingomyelins, sterols, N-acyltaurine, oligopeptides, bilirubin, 2(3)-hydroxysebacic acids, uridine, N-acetylneuraminic acid, and pyrazine derivatives. Overall, our study provides insights into dysregulated metabolism associated with HGSC development and progression, and serves as a useful guide toward early detection

Correlations of synergistic effect of glucocorticoids on tacrolimus with CYP3A, MDR1 and PXR gene polymorphisms in pediatric patients receiving liver transplantation for malignancy and chronic liver disease

Immune suppression after liver transplant for malignancy, such as hepatocellular carcinoma and end stage liver disease is done using immunosuppressant drugs like tacrolimus. As the immune system in children is not fully developed, combining immunosuppressants like glucocorticoids influence the efficacy and reduce the chances of transplant rejection, particularly in patients with gene polymorphism. However, whether interaction between glucocorticoid and tacrolimus is associated with CYP3A, MDR1, and PXR gene polymorphisms, remains unclear. Here, we explored correlations of synergistic effect of glucocorticoids on tacrolimus with CYP3A, MDR1 and PXR gene polymorphisms in pediatric patients receiving liver transplantation for malignancy and chronic liver disease. A total of 340 eligible children were divided into glucocorticoid (+) (n=148) and glucocorticoid () groups (n=192). They were given tacrolimus + mycophenolate mofetil, based on which glucocorticoid (+) group took prednisone acetate tablets for ≥12 months. The blood trough concentration of tacrolimus was detected by chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after medication, and blood drug concentration corrected by daily concentration/daily dose (C0/D) was calculated. CYP3A, MDR1 and PXR gene polymorphisms were analyzed using PCR-RFLP. GG, AG and AA genotypes of CYP3A were observed in 130, 166 and 44 cases, respectively. CC, CT and TT genotypes of MDR1 were found in 152, 142 and 46 cases, respectively. There were 252, 74 and 14 cases of WW, WM and MM genotypes of PXR, respectively. The distribution frequencies of GG and AG+AA genotypes had significant differences between the two groups. One month after medication, C0/D of tacrolimus of GG genotype in glucocorticoid (+) group significantly exceeded that of glucocorticoid () group. C0/D was significantly higher in glucocorticoid (+) group with AG+AA genotype1, 3, 6 and 12 months after medication (P &lt;0.05)

A UML and Petri Nets Integrated Modeling Method for Business Processes in Virtual Enterprises

Abstract Virtual Enterprise is an important organization pattern for future enterprises, one of whose major functions is the distributed and parallel business process execution. This paper aims at the study on business process modeling in virtual enterprises. Based on the object-oriented description of business processes in virtual enterprises, we propose a UML and Petri nets integrated modeling method for business processes in virtual enterprises. The method provides an integrative framework supporting requirement description, model specification and design, model analysis and simulation, and model implementation

Correlations of synergistic effect of glucocorticoids on tacrolimus with CYP3A, MDR1 and PXR gene polymorphisms in pediatric patients receiving liver transplantation for malignancy and chronic liver disease

705-710Immune suppression after liver transplant for malignancy, such as hepatocellular carcinoma and end stage liver disease is done using immunosuppressant drugs like tacrolimus. As the immune system in children is not fully developed, combining immunosuppressants like glucocorticoids influence the efficacy and reduce the chances of transplant rejection, particularly in patients with gene polymorphism. However, whether interaction between glucocorticoid and tacrolimus is associated with CYP3A, MDR1, and PXR gene polymorphisms, remains unclear. Here, we explored correlations of synergistic effect of glucocorticoids on tacrolimus with CYP3A, MDR1 and PXR gene polymorphisms in pediatric patients receiving liver transplantation for malignancy and chronic liver disease. A total of 340 eligible children were divided into glucocorticoid (+) (n=148) and glucocorticoid () groups (n=192). They were given tacrolimus + mycophenolate mofetil, based on which glucocorticoid (+) group took prednisone acetate tablets for ≥12 months. The blood trough concentration of tacrolimus was detected by chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after medication, and blood drug concentration corrected by daily concentration/daily dose (C0/D) was calculated. CYP3A, MDR1 and PXR gene polymorphisms were analyzed using PCR-RFLP. GG, AG and AA genotypes of CYP3A were observed in 130, 166 and 44 cases, respectively. CC, CT and TT genotypes of MDR1 were found in 152, 142 and 46 cases, respectively. There were 252, 74 and 14 cases of WW, WM and MM genotypes of PXR, respectively. The distribution frequencies of GG and AG+AA genotypes had significant differences between the two groups. One month after medication, C0/D of tacrolimus of GG genotype in glucocorticoid (+) group significantly exceeded that of glucocorticoid () group. C0/D was significantly higher in glucocorticoid (+) group with AG+AA genotype1, 3, 6 and 12 months after medication (P <0.05)

Sca-1+ Cardiac Stem Cells Mediate Acute Cardioprotection via Paracrine Factor SDF-1 following Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion

Cardiac stem cells (CSCs) promote myocardial recovery following ischemia through their regenerative properties. However, little is known regarding the implication of paracrine action by CSCs in the setting of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury although it is well documented that non-cardiac stem cells mediate cardioprotection via the production of paracrine protective factors. Here, we studied whether CSCs could initiate acute protection following global myocardial I/R via paracrine effect and what component from CSCs is critical to this protection.A murine model of global myocardial I/R was utilized to investigate paracrine effect of Sca-1+ CSCs on cardiac function. Intracoronary delivery of CSCs or CSC conditioned medium (CSC CM) prior to ischemia significantly improved myocardial function following I/R. siRNA targeting of VEGF in CSCs did not affect CSC-preserved myocardial function in response to I/R injury. However, differentiation of CSCs to cardiomyocytes (DCSCs) abolished this protection. Through direct comparison of the protein expression profiles of CSCs and DCSCs, SDF-1 was identified as one of the dominant paracrine factors secreted by CSCs. Blockade of the SDF-1 receptor by AMD3100 or downregulated SDF-1 expression in CSCs by specific SDF-1 siRNA dramatically impaired CSC-induced improvement in cardiac function and increased myocardial damage following I/R. Of note, CSC treatment increased myocardial STAT3 activation after I/R, whereas downregulation of SDF-1 action by blockade of the SDF-1 receptor or SDF-1 siRNA transfection abolished CSC-induced STAT3 activation. In addition, inhibition of STAT3 activation attenuated CSC-mediated cardioprotection following I/R. Finally, post-ischemic infusion of CSC CM was shown to significantly protect I/R-caused myocardial dysfunction.This study suggests that CSCs acutely improve post-ischemic myocardial function through paracrine factor SDF-1 and up-regulated myocardial STAT3 activation