Empirical Analysis on the International Competitiveness Of Shannxi Agricultural Product

On the foundation of reviewing the trade status of Shannxi agricultural product, adopting Trade Competitive Index, Revealed Comparative Advantage Index and Competitive Advantage Index, this paper calculates and evaluates the international competitiveness of Shannxi agricultural product from 1997 to 2004. It is found that from TC and CA indexes, Shannxi agriculture product is in an advantage position of international competition, while from the RCA index, it doesn’t have a very strong international advantage. In actual application, according to the trade situation of Shannxi agriculture product, we should consider synthetically the calculation results of these three indexes and develop the competitive advantage on the basis of comparative advantage. The conclusion supplies actual mentalities for promoting the international competitiveness of Shannxi agricultural product. Key words: Empirical analysis, International competitiveness, Shannxi agricultural product Résumé: Sur la base de la rétrospection du statut commercial du produit agricole du Shannxi et en adoptant l’Index compétitif du commerce, l’Index de l’avantage comparatif révélé et l’Index de l’avantage compétitif, cet essai calcule et évalue la compétitivité internaionale du produit agricole du Shannxi de 1997 à 2004. On trouve que, selon le premier et le troisième indexs, le produit agricole du Shannxi occupe une position avantageuse dans la compétition internationale, alors que d’après le deuxième index, il ne possède pas un avantage international très solide. Dans l’application actuelle, conformément à la situation du commerce du produit agricole du Shannxi, on doit considérer synthétiquement les résultats de calculation des trois index et développer l’avantage compétitif sur la base de l’avantage comparatif. La conclusion justifie les mentalités actuelles qui insistent à promouvoir la compétitivité internationale du produit agricole du Shannxi. Mots-Clés: analyse empirique, compétitivité internationale, produit agricole du Shannx

Variations in decay resistance of cryptomeria fortunei

Cryptomeria fortunei has been widely planted in many cities in southern China. Eventually some of this material may be utilized for timber, but there are relatively few studies of durability of this resource.   There is also some question as to whether Cryptomeria fortunei is a synonym for Cryptomeria japonica or Japanese cedar (Sugi). Evaluating the durability of the Chinese resource will help ensure that the decay resistance of this urban plantation resource is properly categorized. The decay resistance of Cryptomeria fortunei wood was assessed in soil block and agar block tests against Trametes versicolor, Gloeophyllum trabeum and Rhodonia placenta. Hot water and ethanol extractive contents of the heartwood were determined on sections from various distances above ground and then FTIR spectroscopy was used to characterize the wood before and after fungal exposure. Weight losses in sapwood were consistent with the minimal decay resistance of this portion of the wood. Inner and outer heartwood weight losses were more variable suggesting that the heartwood of this species would be considered to be only moderately durable.  Extractives were weakly correlated with decay resistance. FTIR results were more variable, although they suggested heavier attack of lignin components by the brown rot fungi. The results suggest that Cryptomeria fortunei would need to be protected from the weather unless supplemental preservative treatments were applied

5-(4-Chloro­anilinomethyl­ene)-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane-4,6-dione

The title compound, C13H12ClNO4, is approximately planar, with a dihedral angle of 8.23 (4)° between the mean plane of the amino­methyl­ene unit and the planar part of the dioxane ring. The dioxane ring has a half-boat conformation, in which the C atom between the dioxane O atoms is −0.464 (8) Å out of the plane of the other five atoms. In the mol­ecule there is an intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond, involving the NH H atom and the adjacent dioxane carbonyl O atom. In the crystal, weak intermolecular C—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding contacts, result in the formation of sheets parallel to the ab plane

Etiological Analysis of Neurodevelopmental Disabilities: Single-Center Eight-Year Clinical Experience in South China

Etiology determination of neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) currently remains a worldwide common challenge on child health. We herein reported the etiology distribution feature in a cohort of 285 Chinese patients with NDDs. Although concrete NDD etiologies in 48.4% of the total patients could not be identified, genetic diseases (with the proportion of 35.8% in the total cases) including inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) and congenital dysmorphic diseases, constituted the commonest etiology category for NDDs in this study. The two key experimental technologies in pediatric metabolomics, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS), proved to be substantially helpful for the exploration of the NDD etiologies in this clinical investigation. The findings in this paper provided latest epidemiologic information on the etiology distribution of NDDs in Chinese, and the syndromic NDDs caused by citrin deficiency and the novel chromosomal karyotype, respectively, further expanded the etiology spectrum of NDDs

MYCT1-TV, A Novel MYCT1 Transcript, Is Regulated by c-Myc and May Participate in Laryngeal Carcinogenesis

BACKGROUND: MYCT1, a putative target of c-Myc, is a novel candidate tumor suppressor gene cloned from laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Its transcriptional regulation and biological effects on LSCC have not been clarified. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using RACE assay, we cloned a 1106 bp transcript named Myc target 1 transcript variant 1 (MYCT1-TV) and confirmed its transcriptional start site was located at 140 bp upstream of the ATG start codon of MYCT1-TV. Luciferase, electrophoretic mobility shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed c-Myc could regulate the promoter activity of MYCT1-TV by specifically binding to the E-box elements within -886 to -655 bp region. These results were further verified by site-directed mutagenesis and RNA interference (RNAi) assays. MYCT1-TV and MYCT1 expressed lower in LSCC than those in paired adjacent normal laryngeal tissues, and overexpression of MYCT1-TV and MYCT1 could inhibit cell proliferation and invasion and promote apoptosis in LSCC cells. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our data indicate that MYCT1-TV, a novel MYCT1 transcript, is regulated by c-Myc and down-regulation of MYCT1-TV/MYCT1 could contribute to LSCC development and function

New constraints on the Cretaceous geodynamics of paleo-Pacific plate subduction: Insights from the Xiaojiang–Beizhang granitoids, Zhejiang Province, southeast China

The relationship between the evolution of Cretaceous magmatism along the southeastern margin of Eurasia and subduction of the paleo-Pacific plate remains controversial. Here we investigate the petrogenesis of the Xiaojiang–Beizhang ferroan and magnesian granitoids, melanocratic microgranular enclaves (MME) that are found within the granitoids, and an associated mafic dyke exposed in southeast China to provide new constraints on the geodynamics of paleo-Pacific plate subduction. Zircon U–Pb ages indicate that the ferroan and magnesian granitoids were emplaced in the Cretaceous (ca. 120 and 110 Ma, respectively), and that the MME and mafic dyke are coeval with their host granitoids. Geochemical characteristics imply that the granitoids were produced by partial melting of crustal rocks and mixed with mantle-derived magmas. The MME are derivatives of the mafic magmas that intruded the silicic magmas. Two phases of mafic magmatism are evident. Stage 1 mafic rocks (the ca. 120 Ma MME) were derived mainly from the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) with some contribution from asthenospheric mantle. The parental mafic magmas for Stage 2 (the ca. 110 Ma MME and mafic dykes) were derived from interaction and metasomatism of the SCLM and asthenosphere with slab-derived fluids. Iron enrichment or depletion in the granitoids was controlled mainly by oxygen fugacity and pressure. Our new data, combined with previously published data from Cretaceous igneous rocks in southeastern China, reveal major geochemical changes at 136 and 118 Ma, respectively. The 132–119 Ma igneous rocks record the minimal addition of slab-derived components to their source, and provide strong evidence for an abrupt change in the direction of motion of the paleo-Pacific plate from southwest to northwest at ca. 125–122 Ma

Prostate Cancer-Specific and Potent Antitumor Effect of a DD3-Controlled Oncolytic Virus Harboring the PTEN Gene

Prostate cancer is a major health problem for men in Western societies. Here we report a Prostate Cancer-Specific Targeting Gene-Viro-Therapy (CTGVT-PCa), in which PTEN was inserted into a DD3-controlled oncolytic viral vector (OV) to form Ad.DD3.E1A.E1B(Δ55)-(PTEN) or, briefly, Ad.DD3.D55-PTEN. The woodchuck post-transcriptional element (WPRE) was also introduced at the downstream of the E1A coding sequence, resulting in much higher expression of the E1A gene. DD3 is one of the most prostate cancer-specific genes and has been used as a clinical bio-diagnostic marker. PTEN is frequently inactivated in primary prostate cancers, which is crucial for prostate cancer progression. Therefore, the Ad.DD3.D55-PTEN has prostate cancer specific and potent antitumor effect. The tumor growth rate was almost completely inhibited with the final tumor volume after Ad.DD3.D55-PTEN treatment less than the initial volume at the beginning of Ad.DD3.D55-PTEN treatment, which shows the powerful antitumor effect of Ad.DD3.D55-PTEN on prostate cancer tumor growth. The CTGVT-PCa construct reported here killed all of the prostate cancer cell lines tested, such as DU145, 22RV1 and CL1, but had a reduced or no killing effect on all the non-prostate cancer cell lines tested. The mechanism of action of Ad.DD3.D55-PTEN was due to the induction of apoptosis, as detected by TUNEL assays and flow cytometry. The apoptosis was mediated by mitochondria-dependent and -independent pathways, as determined by caspase assays and mitochondrial membrane potential