Kidins220 and tumour development: Insights into a complexity of cross-talk among signalling pathways (Review)

The mechanistic complexes of kinase D-interacting substrate of 220 kDa/ankyrin repeat-rich membrane spanning (Kidins220/ARMS) bind and integrate a variety of cellular cues to mediate neuronal activities such as neuronal differentiation, survival, and cytoskeleton remodelling by interacting with a variety of binding partners. Accumulated evidence has also indicated its role in the regulation of vascular development. Mice with Kidins220 knockdown phenotypically present with cardiovascular abnormalities. Kidins220 also contributes to immunomodulation in combination with B cells and T cells. Moreover, emerging evidence has revealed that this protein regulates many crucial cellular processes and thus has been implicated in an increasing number of malignancies. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of Kidins220 and its role in cancer development. Further investigation is warranted to shed light on the role played by Kidins220 in the dynamic arrangement of the cytoskeleton and epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and its implication in tumourigenesis and cancer progression

Allometric models for aboveground biomass of ten tree species in northeast China

China contains 119 million hectares of natural forest, much of whichis secondary forest. An accurate estimation of the biomass of these forests is imperative because many studies conducted in northeast China have only used primary forest and this may have resulted in biased estimates. This study analyzed secondary forest in the area using information from a forest inventory to develop allometric models of the aboveground biomass (AGB). The parameter values of the diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height (H), and crown length (CL) were derived from a forest inventory of 2,733 trees in a 3.5 ha plot. The wood-specific gravity (WSG) was determined for 109 trees belonging to ten species. A partial sampling method was also used to determine the biomass of branches (including stem, bark and foliage) in 120 trees, which substantially ease the field works. The mean AGB was110,729 kg ha–1. We developed four allometric models from the investigation and evaluated the utility of other 19 published ones for AGB in the ten tree species. Incorporation of full range of variables with WSG-DBH-H-CL, significantly improved the precision of the models. Some of models were chosen that best fitted each tree species with high precision (R2 ≥ 0.939, SEE 0.167). At the latitude level, the estimated AGB of secondary forest was lower than that in mature primary forests, but higher than that in primary broadleaf forest and the average level in other types of forest likewise

Scalar Septuplet Dark Matter and Enhanced h→γγh\rightarrow \gamma\gamma Decay Rate

Inspired by recent results on the Higgs search from ATLAS and CMS, we extend the SM with complex septuplet scalars. The lightest neutral component of the septuplets is a natural cold dark Matter candidate and the charged components can contribute to the $h\to \gamma \gamma$ decay rate, providing a significant enhancement factor. The dark matter phenomenology and possible collider signatures of the model are investigated. We find a dark matter candidate with mass around 70 GeV consistent with astrophysical and direct detection constraints. In the meanwhile, the enhancement factor of $h\to \gamma \gamma$ decay rate can be in the range 1.5\sim 2.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Deodorants and antiperspirants: New trends in their active agents and testing methods

Sweating is the human body's thermoregulation system but also results in unpleasant body odour which can diminish the self-confidence of people. There has been continued research in finding solutions to reduce both sweating and body odour. Sweating is a result of increased sweat flow and malodour results from certain bacteria and ecological factors such as eating habits. Research on deodorant development focuses on inhibiting the growth of malodour-forming bacteria using antimicrobial agents, whereas research on antiperspirant synthesis focuses on technologies reducing the sweat flow, which not only reduces body odour but also improves people's appearance. Antiperspirant's technology is based on the use of aluminium salts which can form a gel plug at sweat pores, obstructing the sweat fluid from arising onto the skin surface. In this paper, we perform a systematic review on the recent progress in the development of novel antiperspirant and deodorant active ingredients that are alcohol-free, paraben-free, and naturally derived. Several studies have been reported on the alternative class of actives that can potentially be used for antiperspirant and body odour treatment including deodorizing fabric, bacterial, and plant extracts. However, a significant challenge is to understand how the gel-plugs of antiperspirant actives are formed in sweat pores and how to deliver long-lasting antiperspirant and deodorant benefits without adverse health and environmental effects

The Overseas Listing of Chinese Enterprises: Reasons and Choices of Listing Locations

Abstract As a large number of Chinese enterprises go abroad, overseas listing has increasingly become one of the key issues that need to be considered for Chinese enterprises during their development process. This paper aims to research why Chinese enterprises need to get listed at overseas exchanges and why Hong Kong should be the key listing market. Firstly, in the Chapter entitled Literature Review, the necessity of overseas listings of Chinese enterprises is analyzed based on international proven theories. Also, based on the in-depth analysis supported by the development and status of the Chinese enterprises listed in overseas markets, the paper concludes that Chinese enterprises should pursue overseas listings to achieve growth. With regard to the selection of method and place for Chinese companies���¢�������� Initial Public Offering (IPO), comparative analysis and a case study are combined to analyze the method of IPO available to Chinese enterprises, the respective features of the US, HK and Singapore exchanges and considerations for listing place selection, finding the home market most suitable to the Chinese mainland enterprises seeking overseas listings, i.e., Hong Kong market. In addition, a case study on the IPO initiative and post-IPO development of China Oilfield Services Limited (COSL, 2883 HK) is provided based on the above theory later in the paper, proving the conclusion that Chinese enterprises should now pursue overseas listings and first select the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to get listed, and providing a reference to the Chinese mainland enterprises seeking for Hong Kong IPO. Key words: mainland enterprises, overseas IPO, Hong Kong IPO, H-shar

Kinase D-interacting substrate of 220kDa (Kidins220) in pancreatic cancer, molecular and cellular mechanism for its association with disease progression

Kidins220 (Kinase D-Interacting Substrate, 220kDa) is a transmembrane scaffold protein and has been implicated in several malignancies. However, its role in pancreatic cancer remains unknown. The present study aims to investigate the role of Kidins220 in pancreatic cancer. A QPCR analysis showed that Kidins220 mRNA expression was reduced in pancreatic tumour tissues compared with adjacent normal pancreatic tissues. Reduced expression was also observed in the advanced tumours compared with tumours of an early stage. Furthermore, immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining presented reduced protein expression of Kidins220 in pancreatic tumour tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues and normal pancreatic tissues. Its reduced expression was also seen in invasive cancer originating in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) compared with normal pancreatic tissue. Moreover, primary tumours with distance metastasis exhibited a decreased level of Kidins220 protein expression compared to those without metastasis. Knockdown of Kidins220 promoted proliferation, migration and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. Panc-1 cells with Kidins220 knockdown also exhibited an enhanced metastatic capability in vivo in peritoneal metastatic mouse model. An enhanced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) was observed in the pancreatic cancer cell lines with the knockdown of Kidins220 following an elevated expression and activation of EGFR and consequent activation of its downstream signalling pathways including extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and Protein kinase B (AKT) pathways. Taken together, a reduced expression of Kidins220 is observed in pancreatic cancer which is associated with disease progression, distant metastases and poor prognosis. The loss of Kidins220 in pancreatic cancer may contribute to the disease progression through an upregulation of EGFR signalling. It suggests that Kidins220 is a putative negative regulator for development and progression of pancreatic cancer. Further study will shed light on the interaction between Kidins220 and EGFR, and potential of this molecule in targeted therapy, for example EGFR or other HER family members for pancreatic cancer

Enhanced thermoelectric performance of twisted bilayer graphene nanoribbons junction

We investigate the electron transport and thermoelectric property of twisted bilayer graphene nanoribbon junction (TBGNRJ) in 0°, 21.8°, 38.2° and 60° rotation angles by first principles calculation with Landauer-Buttiker and Boltzmann theories. It is found that TBGNRJs exhibit a strong reduction of thermal conductance compared with the single graphene nanoribbon (GNR) and negative differential resistance (NDR) in 21.8° and 38.2° rotation angles under 0.2 V bias voltage. More importantly, three peak ZT values of 2.0, 2.7 and 6.1 can be achieved in the 21.8° rotation angle at 300 K. The outstanding ZT values of TBGNRJs are interpreted as the combination of the reduced thermal conductivity and enhanced electrical conductivity at optimized angles