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Clarifying the development of rape's total factor productivity in China since the Reform and Opening-up is a logical starting point to improve the comprehensive production capacity of rape. Based on the input-output related data of 11 rape main producing provinces during 1979-2020, this paper analyzes the dynamic evolution and convergence based on the total factor productivity measured by using Global Malmquist index, using kernel density estimation, δ convergence and β convergence, respectively. The results show that, according to the time-series characteristics, China's total factor productivity of rape has achieved certain growth in the midst of dramatic fluctuations since the Reform and Opening-up, demonstrating a technology-induced growth pattern, whereas technical efficiency does not contribute significantly to it. From the dynamic evolution, the geographical variations in the rise of rape's total factor productivity keep getting smaller. From the perspective of convergence, the overall δ value of total factor productivity of rape is fluctuating and decreasing, and has essentially stabilized around 0.01 since 2012, displaying an clear convergence tendency, confirming the existence of δ convergence. The absolute β convergence and conditional β convergence of rape's total factor productivity exist. The convergence model's convergence is still significant after accounting for the spatial effect, and there is a favorable spatial spillover effect. It suggests counter-measures to support the development of a national rapeseed industrial technology system, execute a regionalized development plan, and encourage coordinated regional development in order to further increase the total factor productivity of rapeseed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Xiaotongjiapuzi gold deposit is located in the Liaodong gold province, NE China. The deposit is hosted in the metamorphic rocks of the Proterozoic Liaohe Group, consisting of marble, schist, and granulite. Three alteration/mineralisation stages were identified, namely (a) quartz–pyrite, (b) quartz–polymetallic sulfides, and (c) quartz–carbonate. Four fluid inclusion types were distinguished: liquid‐rich two‐phase, gas‐rich two‐phase, CO2‐bearing, and pure CO2. Stage 1 quartz contains liquid‐rich two‐phase inclusions with salinity of 5.9–14.3 wt.% NaCl equiv. and homogenisation temperatures of 311°C–408°C. Stage 2 quartz contains all four inclusion types, of which the liquid‐rich two‐phase, gas‐rich two‐phase, and CO2‐bearing inclusions yielded homogenisation temperatures of 268°C–376°C and salinity of 4.1–13 wt.% NaCl equiv. In stage 3 quartz, only liquid‐rich two‐phase inclusions were found, which contain relatively low salinity (1.6–7.6 wt.% NaCl equiv.) and homogenisation temperatures (201°C–254°C), indicating an H2O–NaCl–CO2 system for ore precipitation. Stage 2 δ18Ow and δD values of quartz minerals are of 0.3‰ to 2.3‰ and −100‰ to −96‰, respectively. Hydrogen and oxygen isotopic compositions indicate that the ore fluids were a mix of magmatic fluid and meteoric water. δ34S values of the metallic sulfides from the Xiaotongjiapuzi deposit range from +4.6‰ to +12.9‰, whilst Pb isotopes show small variations: 206Pb/204Pb = 17.671 to 18.361, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.569 to 15.659, and 208Pb/204Pb = 37.695 to 37.937. Sulfur and lead isotopes suggest that the ore‐forming materials were derived from the Liaohe Group metamorphic rocks and the Triassic granitoids. 3He/4He and 40Ar/36Ar ratios of the fluid inclusions derived of ore‐bearing pyrite ranges from 0.27 to 0.53 Ra and 362.2 to 1113.1, respectively, implying that both mantle‐ and crust‐derived fluids were involved in the gold mineralisation. The Xiaotongjiapuzi deposit could be a mesothermal gold deposit, and the fluid phase separation or immiscibility is the dominant mechanism for the deposition of ore‐forming materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human MLH1 is one of the DNA mismatch repair genes and located in chromosome 3p21.3. Alterations of the MLH1 were associated with various kinds of human tumors. The present study was to investigate allelic loss of MLH1 and microsatellite instability (MSI) in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC), and to estimate the correlation between MSI status and allelic loss of the MLH1 gene. The MSI of 14 microsatellite markers and mRNA expression of MLH1 were assessed in a large cohort of patients with ESCC by using denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques. Thirty-five percent of tumors displayed MSI in at least one tested marker. MSI in D3S1611, an intragenic marker of the MLH1, was observed in 66.7% of tumors. No down-expression of MLH1 was found at the transcriptional level. The presence of MSI did not correlate with tumor stage, degree of differentiation, lymphonode-metastasis, age and sex of the patients, neither with allelic loss of the MLH1 gene. The data suggested that LOH of MLH1 is common in ESCC, but not lead to the alteration of MLH1 at the level of RNA expression. MSI in tested microsatellite markers occurs frequently in ESCC but is not associated with allelic loss of the MLH1 gene.

Background & Objective: Deletions and translocations involving the short arm of chromosome 3 (3p14) have been observed frequently in esophageal cancer. Fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene is located in 3p14.2, and its deletion or abnormal expression was found in many kinds of cancers. The study was to investigate the alterations of FHIT gene, and its significance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC)., Methods: The deletion of FHIT gene in 80 cases of ESCC was evaluated by microsatellite analysis, and the mRNA expression of FHIT gene in 20 cases of ESCC was analyzed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)., Results: Intragenic markers of FHIT gene, D3S3356, D3S3378, and D3S3361, showed homozygous in all samples. D3S1234 and D3S1540, located near FHIT, presented high heterozygosity. In the tested informative cases, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of D3S1234 was detected in 30 out of 52 tumors (57.69%), and that of D3S1540 was observed in 38 out of 56 carcinomas (67.86%). Reduced expression of FHIT mRNA occurred in 15 of 20 (75.00%) cases, and was often accompanied with LOH. However, the FHIT down-regulation was not always coincident with LOH., Conclusions: The abnormal expression of FHIT gene occurred frequently in ESCC. LOH was the main factor leading to down-regulation of FHIT expression. Epigenetic mechanism might be associated with reduced expression of FHIT in a part of ESCC cases.