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Lung cancer is one of the common types of malignant disorders and the most prevalent cause of cancer-related mortality in the world. Although a wide range of approaches has been examined, strategies in prevention and treatment of lung cancer are still inadequate. Studies show that Vitamin D (VitD) is involved in various biological pathways and has been associated with the etiopathogenesis of several diseases, like cancers. In Vitro and In Vivo experiments have disclosed that VitD plays immunomodulatory and anti-tumor functions. Several lines of evidence have indicated that VitD is involved in the inflammatory settings of the lung. Epidemiological studies have reported that sufficient levels of VitD might be critical in the prevention of lung cancer. Polymorphisms in the genes encoding the different molecules involved in the signaling of VitD might affect the lung cancer risk as well as the quality and quantity of responses to different treatments. In this review article, we intended to clarify the implications of VitD in the normal biology and physiology of the lung and discuss diverse line of evidence about the possible role of VitD in the prevention or treatment of lung cancer.

Maternal exposure to cadmium causes obesity and metabolic changes in the offspring, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-like pathology. However, whether maternal cadmium exposure accelerates liver cancer in the offspring is unknown. This study investigated the impact of early-life exposure to cadmium on the incidence and potential mechanisms of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in offspring subjected to postweaning HCC induction. HCC in C57BL/6J mice was induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN) injection at weaning, followed by a long-term high-fat choline-deficient (HFCD) diet. Before weaning, liver cadmium levels were significantly higher in mice with early-life cadmium exposure than in those without cadmium exposure. However, by 26 and 29 weeks of age, hepatic cadmium fell to control levels, while a significant decrease was observed in copper and iron in the liver. Both male and female cadmium-exposed mice showed increased body weight compared to non-cadmium-treated mice. For females, early-life cadmium exposure also worsened insulin intolerance but did not significantly promote DEN/HFCD diet-induced liver tumors. In contrast, in male mice, early-life cadmium exposure enhanced liver cancer induction by DEN/HFCD with high incidence and larger liver tumors. The liver peritumor tissue of early-life cadmium-exposed mice exhibited greater inflammation and disruption of fatty acid metabolism, accompanied by higher malondialdehyde and lower esterified triglyceride levels compared to mice without cadmium exposure. These findings suggest that early-life exposure to low-dose cadmium accelerates liver cancer development induced by a DEN/HFCD in male mice, probably due to chronic lipotoxicity and inflammation caused by increased uptake but decreased consumption of fatty acids.

To investigate the differences in the diagnosis and treatment of occult fractures between multi-slice spiral CT (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using I/Fe3O4 nanometer contrast agent. This retrospective study analyzed the clinical data of 60 patients with occult fractures and compared the diagnosis results of multislice CT (observation group) and MRI (control group). All the contrast agents used were I/Fe3O4 nanometer contrast agents. In the control group, 55 cases (91.67%) were detected on T1-weighted imaging versus 58 cases (96.67) on T2-weighted imaging. In the observation group, 47 cases (78.33%) were diagnosed. The intergroup difference was significant (P < 0.05). Clinically, I/Fe3O4 nanometer contrast agent can be used to affect imaging. The detection rate of MRI is higher than that of CT, and the ability to obtain detailed data of occult fractures is better.

The prevention and treatment of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury has become a key link in the treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular diseases. In this study, Wistar rats were randomly divided into Sham, low-dose ginsenoside (L-CK), high-dose ginsenoside (H-CK) and nimodipine groups, and the rats in the L-CK, H-CK, and nimodipine groups were intragastrically given the corresponding agents successively once a day for 15 days before surgery. At 1 h after the last administration, a rat cerebral ischemia/reperfusion model was established by suture-occluded method and the effects of ginsenoside CK on the neurological scores, brain tissue water content, brain infarct volume, oxidative stress and inflammation were investigated. The results showed that, compared with those in the model group, the neurological behaviour scores in the L- and H-CK groups, the brain tissue water content in the H-CK group, and the brain infarct volume ratios in the L- and H-CK groups were significantly reduced. Compared with those in the model group, the superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities increased, whereas the malondialdehyde (MDA) content decreased significantly in the brain tissue of the rats in the L- and H-CK groups. Compared with that in the model group, the content of TNF-α in the H-CK group, the content of IL-1β and the expression of HMGB1 protein in the L- and H-CK groups were significantly reduced. These results suggest that ginsenoside CK can protect against cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in rats, which may be related to its anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and HMGB1-expression inhibitory activity.

Herein, calcined ZnO submicron flowers (ZnO SFs) with excellent surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity were employed as substrate to fabricate a novel SERS biosensor for sensitive detection of Pb2+, which improved SERS effect of ZnO submicron particles (ZnO SPs). Compared with ZnO SPs, calcined ZnO SFs substrate possessed narrow energy band to enhance the efficiency of charge transfer owing to easily generate exciton transition to achieve eminent Raman enhancement effect. Furthermore, free-legged DNA walker amplification strategy was utilized to convert trace amounts of Pb2+ into vast trigger DNAs for construction an ultrasensitive biosensor, which exhibited a liner relationship ranged from 10 pM to 100 μM with a low detection limit of 3.55 pM. Therefore, this work not only provided a novel approach for detection of heavy metal ions, but also broadened the application of semiconductor SERS substrate.

Zhang, H. and Chen, Z., 2020. Design of risk guarantee platform for financial support of port logistics industry. In: Yang, Y.; Mi, C.; Zhao, L., and Lam, S. (eds.), Global Topics and New Trends in Coastal Research: Port, Coastal and Ocean Engineering. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 103, pp. 749–752. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.With the rapid growth of China's port economic scale, the demand for financial support of port logistics industry is also increasing. In order to reduce the risk of financial support of port logistics industry, the risk guarantee platform design of financial support of port logistics industry is proposed. Through the design of risk assurance server and risk assurance information trigger, the hardware design of the platform is completed; Based on the establishment of risk guarantee model of financial support in port logistics industry and the design of risk guarantee process of financial support in port logistics industry, the software design of the platform is completed and the risk guarantee of financial support in port logistics industry is realized. The experimental results show that the proposed risk guarantee platform can reduce the risk of financial support in port logistics industry.

Block-flexure toppling failure is frequently encountered in rock slopes. In this paper, we first proposed two theoretical models to calculate the factor of safety against block-flexure toppling, namely, step by step analysis model (LEM-SSAM) and overall analysis model (LEM-OAM). Then, we developed two special MATLAB codes for a quick stability estimation based on the proposed methods, respectively. Next, the universal distinct element code (UDEC) was used to study the failure mechanisms of block-flexure toppling. In order to realistically simulate the excavation of slope and obtain the detailed damage information of joints, we developed two FISH functions in UDEC. Finally, we conducted a comparative analysis of the limit equilibrium method and the numerical simulations through twelve theoretical models. The results show that many aspects of block-flexure toppling failure have been captured using UDEC combined with the developed FISH functions. The LEM-OAM and UDEC agree well while a larger factor of safety is obtained using the LEM-SSAM. It is found that the dip angles and friction angles of the joints dipping steeply into face have a great influence on block-flexure toppling failure while the influence of the cross joint spacing is less significant.

In contrast to traditional strategic approaches that are based on complexity reduction, this paper aims to develop an alternative way of understanding entrepreneurial strategy and managing complexity from a processual perspective. The new perspective is developed from a processual perspective integrating insights from an understanding of complexity to engage with philosophical accounts of Chinese processual thought particularly as it is applied to entrepreneurial strategy. The new theoretical framework is empirically investigated through case studies of 30 entrepreneurial organizations in China. The findings confirm that timing and action, context/situation, and efficacy are the three key components in complexity absorption as preferred entrepreneurial strategic approaches.

Recognizing that managing the outsourcing relationship is critical to the success of a human resource outsourcing (HRO) strategy, we draw on two theoretical perspectives in social network research, integrating open- and closed-triad network structures, to develop a balanced HRO network framework through the moderating impact of HR interdependence. We use this framework to identify the relationships among the HR department that outsources certain HR functions, the groups of internal employees served by the HRO programs, and HR service vendors providing these outsourced HR services. We also consider strategies on how to manage HRO relationship structure to achieve competitive advantage in HR practice. The present study is an attempt to advance the HRO literature from a focus on a “make or buy” decision to a broader model of HRO relationship management.

ARIA is a new block cipher designed as the block cipher standard of South Korea. The current version is 1.0, which is an improvement of version 0.8 with the security using four kinds of S -boxes instead of two and an additional two rounds of encryptions. These improvements are designed to prevent the dedicated linear attack on ARIA version 0.8 by the four different kinds of S -boxes. This paper presents 12 linear approximations of a single round function that succeeds in attacking ARIA version 1.0 on 7, 9, or 9 rounds for key sizes of 128, 192, or 256 bits using any of these approximations. The corresponding data complexities are 2 87 , 2 119 , and 2 119 , the counting complexities are 1.5×2 88 , 2 119 , and 2 119 , the memory required for each attack on all three key versions is 2 64 bits and there are 12 weak key classes. These results are similar to the dedicated linear attack on ARIA version 0.8 and show that the improved version can also not effectively resist this type of attack.

This chapter provides research results from a study of contemporary leadership approaches (i.e., paternalistic, charismatic, transformational, aesthetic, authentic, and pragmatic leadership) in eight Chinese organizations. Data were collected from case studies in four private-owned enterprises (POEs) and four state-owned enterprises (SOEs) through both interviews and questionnaires. The main purpose of this chapter is to provide contextual analysis of these findings by applying the concept of field from Bourdieu's sociology. This research contributes to the leadership literature by generalizing Western leadership theories to the Chinese context as well as by giving an insight into contemporary leadership approaches in modern Chinese business by deeply contextualizing these leadership behaviors.

This paper proposes a processual account of entrepreneurial leadership practice by promoting the idea of engaging ‘the emerging now’ as an alternative paradigm, while critiquing contemporary unders...