Metabolic Profiling Identifies Metabolic Biochemical Pathways Associated with Recurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

( Hong Ping Xia ) 대한간학회 2018 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2018 No.1

Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The metabolic biochemical pathway disturbances associated with HCC progression and recurrence remain unsatisfactorily characterized. Dysregulated metabolism is a hallmark of cancer including HCC, manifested through alterations in metabolites. The emerging field of metabolomics has increased the hope of discovering metabolites and biochemical pathways as the novel biomarkers or therapeutic targets of HCC and tracking tumor recurrence. Methods: Metabolomic profiling was conducted with the Metabolon platform for one hundred and twenty human recurrent/non-recurrent HCC tumor/normal paired tissues. Standard statistical analyses are performed in the Partek Genomics Suite on log transformed data. Principal component analysis (PCA) was conducted using all and dysregulated metabolites. Random Forest classification was applied to compare tumor vs. adjacent margin tissues and recurrent vs. non-recurrent tumors using named metabolites. Results: We found that HCC recurrence is characterized by increasing glycolysis and glutaminolysis. Tumor recurrence was significantly associated with increasing of glucose, pyruvate, α-ketoglutarate and NAD+/NADH metabolites to increase glycolysis and glutaminolysis. Higher acylcarnitine levels in non-recurrent HCC indicate elevated fatty acid β-oxidation. Besides, we also found that Coenzyme A levels were higher and plasmalogen lipids were uniformly lower in recurrent HCC. Conclusions: Our study generates a comprehensive metabolomics dataset on HCC and highlight the massive reorganization of cellular metabolism as tumors progress and acquire recurrence feature.

DESIGN STRATEGIES IN A TRANSITIONAL ECONOMY: THE CASE OF CHINESE UNDERWEAR ENTERPRISE AIMER GROUP, LTD.

Hong Yu,Ping Zhao,Jingjing Xia 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2014 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2014 No.8

Introduction Over the past 30 years, Chinese textile and clothing manufacturers have successfully established themselves as leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for world markets. This reputable position requires dedicated cost management; however, incremental increases in labor, land prices, rent, and production costs in China threaten and may eventually eliminate their OEM advantage (Yam, Lo, Sun, & Tang, 2003). The worldwide economic and business recession has intensified cost cutting measures as the essential survival tool for maintaining competitiveness. Since the mid-1990s, many Chinese companies have begun to recognize the importance of developing their own global brands and moving up the value-creation ladder (Fan, 2006). One such company is Aimer Group, Ltd., a vertically integrated premium underwear manufacturer. Initially founded in 1993 as an OEM, Aimer quickly transitioned to establish its own brands in domestic markets and, in recent years, has ventured into international markets. Currently, Aimer and its umbrella product lines are among the most recognized underwear brands in China with a manufacturing capacity of 10 million pieces. Their merchandise includes an array of women’s, men’s, teen girl’s and children’s lines as well as custom-made lingerie. According to the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Aimer Group has maintained the highest market share and the largest sales volume in the underwear sector for several years in China’s markets (Aimer, 2011). Objectives The purpose of the study was to investigate the design strategies implemented by Aimer to support their successful branding efforts. Specifically, the researchers seek to find: (a) the core elements in Aimer’s design strategies; (b) Aimer designers’ approach to product development; and (c) How design strategies support Aimer’s overall branding and marketing strategies. Findings will provide valuable implications for other Chinese apparel manufacturers who strive to integrate design innovation in order to remain competitive. Research Method A case study method was implemented which included: on-site visits to Aimer Group’s headquarters, manufacturing facility, and retail stores in Beijing; in-depth interviews with Aimer Groups’ Chairman, senior management, Chief Design Officer, designers, retail store managers, and the general manger of the Beijing manufacturing facility; and a review of the company website and other internal documents, as well as an extensive external search of relevant news reports, social media contents, industry information, and academic literature. A qualitative data analysis method was utilized. Findings Aimer brands have grown and matured along with the Chinese consumers. Until the late 1990s, consumers passively accepted whatever the industry provided for them. Today, 15 years later, consumers have become keenly aware of what they want in underwear and that desire drives the industry’s new product development. Aimer’s design strategies are consumer-centric but also a reflection of its internal strategic direction. Its core elements include the following: (1) Understanding consumer lifestyles: Extensive fashion industry trend analysis, consumer research, and market/sale feedback are just starting points for product development at Aimer. In addition, they use broader consumer lifestyle analysis, including an examination of new technology trends, consumer preferences for jewelry, cosmetics, car and cell phone designs, popular video/computer games, consumers’ financial management behaviors, and societal hot topics as a way of guiding product design. (2) Innovation: Innovation is of paramount importance in Aimer’s product development. They have maintained active partnerships with international suppliers and Research & Development teams to ensure the latest fiber discoveries, fabric developments, and pattern engineering technology are incorporated into new product design. (3) Tradition preserved and reinvented: Aimer brands keep certain essential elements integral to their overall style, reinventing and integrating heritage elements into new designs. By doing so, brand history is enriched and continuity sustained. Aspers (2010) suggests that product development must embrace contextual knowledge: the designer’s general knowledge of fashion and their lifeworld. Each domain is used to interpret fashion. A designer’s lifeworld comprises their inherent values and beliefs, presenting challenges when creating products for consumers who live in different lifeworld. Aimer’s solutions to the challenge include the following: (1) Designers as entrepreneurs: Designers are trained to be entrepreneurs who must think of design not only from creative aspects but also within a business context. The company has established effective protocols for new product design and adoption procedures and standards; meanwhile, designers are provided with weekly sales records as market feedback to guide their future design directions. They are also given opportunities on a regular basis to travel to various international and domestic markets to gain first-hand experience and knowledge of fashion trends and consumers. (2) Teamwork: Designers from various regions of China and internationally are grouped in teams and assigned to work together on brands. This provides ample opportunity for them to interact and learn from each other so that their lifeworld is expanded. Branding literature suggests that consumer’s individual and shared brand experiences affect a consumer-brand relationship (Chang, Long, Chieng, & Hua, 2006) which is of critical importance to brand loyalty. Aimer’s design strategies support its branding and marketing strategies by: (a) contributing to consumers’ positive, consistent, and multi-dimensional brand knowledge as a part of the brand-leveraging process (Keller, 2003); (b) providing value-added product and service features to enhance brand-augme

Study on adsorption characteristics of biochar on heavy metals in soil

Hong Wang,Wen Xia,Ping Lu 한국화학공학회 2017 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.34 No.6

Three kinds of biochars (called poplar branch biochar (PBC), water hyacinth biochar (WHC), and corn straw biochar (CSC)) were prepared in a fixed-bed pyrolyzer at different pyrolysis temperature of 300-700 oC. The effects of biochar species, pyrolysis temperature and biochar addition on adsorption characteristics of typical heavy metals (HMs) of Pb and Zn in vegetable soil (collected from lead-zinc-silver mining area, Nanjing, China) were investigated. The obtained results indicate that WHC presents the best adsorption ability at the same experimental conditions, whose adsorption efficiency on HMs of Zn and Pb is 21.83% and 44.57%, and the relative adsorption capacity of Zn and Pb is 227.65 μg/g and 363.76 μg/g, respectively. The adsorption efficiency of biochar on HMs of Zn and Pb in soil increases gradually with the increasing of pyrolysis temperature. The increasing of biochar addition is beneficial to increase adsorption efficiency of soil HMs, but unhelpful for adsorption capacity.

The first mitochondrial genome for Brahmin moths (Brahmaeidae) and implications for the higher phylogeny of Bombycoidea

Hong-Li Zhang,Run-Mei Wang,Zhi-Ping Han,Yong-Fang Zhang,Jian-Xia Liu 한국응용곤충학회 2018 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.21 No.2

Bombycoidea comprises 10 families and 4723 species, and the phylogenetic relationships among families are still in debate. In this study, we have determined the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Brahmaea porphyria. The 15,429-bp mitogenome contains a common set of 37 mitochondrial genes including 13 proteincoding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs) and an inferred control region, and shares the conserved gene rearrangement (trnM-trnI-trnQ) in most ditrysian mitogenomes. Moreover, we analysed the secondary structure for all the tRNA genes of B. porphyria and the preference of codon usage in the PCGs of B. porphyria. The putative 373-bp control region (CR) possesses three types of conserved elements, including ATAGA, Ploy-T stretch, and microsatellite-like elements. A phylogenetic analysis among available Bombycoidea mitogenomes using the concatenated 37 mitochondrial genes appears to support the hypothesis of (Sphingidae+Bombycidae)+Saturniidae and the relatively basal phylogenetic position of Brahmaeidae within Bombycoidea.

Calculation of eigenvalue and eigenvector derivatives with the improved Kron's substructuring method

Xia, Yong,Weng, Shun,Xu, You-Lin,Zhu, Hong-Ping Techno-Press 2010 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.36 No.1

For large-scale structures, the calculation of the eigensolution and the eigensensitivity is usually very time-consuming. This paper develops the Kron's substructuring method to compute the first-order derivatives of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors with respect to the structural parameters. The global structure is divided into several substructures. The eigensensitivity of the substructures are calculated via the conventional manner, and then assembled into the eigensensitivity of the global structure by performing some constraints on the derivative matrices of the substructures. With the proposed substructuring method, the eigenvalue and eigenvector derivatives with respect to an elemental parameter are computed within the substructure solely which contains the element, while the derivative matrices of all other substructures with respect to the parameter are zero. Consequently this can reduce the computation cost significantly. The proposed substructuring method is applied to the GARTEUR AG-11 frame and a highway bridge, which is proved to be computationally efficient and accurate for calculation of the eigensensitivity. The influence of the master modes and the division formations are also discussed.

DESIGN STRATEGIES IN A TRANSITIONAL ECONOMY: THE CASE OF CHINESE UNDERWEAR ENTERPRISE AIMER GROUP, LTD.

Hong Yu,Ping Zhao,Jingjing Xia 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2014 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2014 No.7

Introduction Over the past 30 years, Chinese textile and clothing manufacturers have successfully established themselves as leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for world markets. This reputable position requires dedicated cost management; however, incremental increases in labor, land prices, rent, and production costs in China threaten and may eventually eliminate their OEM advantage (Yam, Lo, Sun, & Tang, 2003). The worldwide economic and business recession has intensified cost cutting measures as the essential survival tool for maintaining competitiveness. Since the mid-1990s, many Chinese companies have begun to recognize the importance of developing their own global brands and moving up the value-creation ladder (Fan, 2006). One such company is Aimer Group, Ltd., a vertically integrated premium underwear manufacturer. Initially founded in 1993 as an OEM, Aimer quickly transitioned to establish its own brands in domestic markets and, in recent years, has ventured into international markets. Currently, Aimer and its umbrella product lines are among the most recognized underwear brands in China with a manufacturing capacity of 10 million pieces. Their merchandise includes an array of women’s, men’s, teen girl’s and children’s lines as well as custom-made lingerie. According to the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Aimer Group has maintained the highest market share and the largest sales volume in the underwear sector for several years in China’s markets (Aimer, 2011). Objectives The purpose of the study was to investigate the design strategies implemented by Aimer to support their successful branding efforts. Specifically, the researchers seek to find: (a) the core elements in Aimer’s design strategies; (b) Aimer designers’ approach to product development; and (c) How design strategies support Aimer’s overall branding and marketing strategies. Findings will provide valuable implications for other Chinese apparel manufacturers who strive to integrate design innovation in order to remain competitive. Research Method A case study method was implemented which included: on-site visits to Aimer Group’s headquarters, manufacturing facility, and retail stores in Beijing; in-depth interviews with Aimer Groups’ Chairman, senior management, Chief Design Officer, designers, retail store managers, and the general manger of the Beijing manufacturing facility; and a review of the company website and other internal documents, as well as an extensive external search of relevant news reports, social media contents, industry information, and academic literature. A qualitative data analysis method was utilized. Findings Aimer brands have grown and matured along with the Chinese consumers. Until the late 1990s, consumers passively accepted whatever the industry provided for them. Today, 15 years later, consumers have become keenly aware of what they want in underwear and that desire drives the industry’s new product development. Aimer’s design strategies are consumer-centric but also a reflection of its internal strategic direction. Its core elements include the following: (1) Understanding consumer lifestyles: Extensive fashion industry trend analysis, consumer research, and market/sale feedback are just starting points for product development at Aimer. In addition, they use broader consumer lifestyle analysis, including an examination of new technology trends, consumer preferences for jewelry, cosmetics, car and cell phone designs, popular video/computer games, consumers’ financial management behaviors, and societal hot topics as a way of guiding product design. (2) Innovation: Innovation is of paramount importance in Aimer’s product development. They have maintained active partnerships with international suppliers and Research & Development teams to ensure the latest fiber discoveries, fabric developments, and pattern engineering technology are incorporated into new product design. (3) Tradition preserved and reinvented: Aimer brands keep certain essential elements integral to their overall style, reinventing and integrating heritage elements into new designs. By doing so, brand history is enriched and continuity sustained. Aspers (2010) suggests that product development must embrace contextual knowledge: the designer’s general knowledge of fashion and their lifeworld. Each domain is used to interpret fashion. A designer’s lifeworld comprises their inherent values and beliefs, presenting challenges when creating products for consumers who live in different lifeworld. Aimer’s solutions to the challenge include the following: (1) Designers as entrepreneurs: Designers are trained to be entrepreneurs who must think of design not only from creative aspects but also within a business context. The company has established effective protocols for new product design and adoption procedures and standards; meanwhile, designers are provided with weekly sales records as market feedback to guide their future design directions. They are also given opportunities on a regular basis to travel to various international and domestic markets to gain first-hand experience and knowledge of fashion trends and consumers. (2) Teamwork: Designers from various regions of China and internationally are grouped in teams and assigned to work together on brands. This provides ample opportunity for them to interact and learn from each other so that their lifeworld is expanded. Branding literature suggests that consumer’s individual and shared brand experiences affect a consumer-brand relationship (Chang, Long, Chieng, & Hua, 2006) which is of critical importance to brand loyalty. Aimer’s design strategies support its branding and marketing strategies by: (a) contributing to consumers’ positive, consistent, and multi-dimensional brand knowledge as a part of the brand-leveraging process (Keller, 2003); (b) providing value-added product and service features to enhance brand-augmentation (Magrath, 1997); and (c) offering strong and effective design capacity for brand tiering (Magrath, 1997). Implications Based on the findings, implications for Chinese apparel manufacturers who strive to upgrade with design innovation will be discussed.

Production of Gamma-Linolenic Acid in Pichia pastoris by Expression of a Delta-6 Desaturase Gene from Cunninghamella echinulata

Xia Wan,Yin Bo Zhang,Ping Wang,Feng Hong Huang,Hong Chen,Mu Lan Jiang 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2009 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.19 No.10

Numerical simulation of helicon waves current drive in the HL-2M tokamak for the steady-state scenario

Liu Hong Bo,Li Xin Xia,Xiao Zheng Yao,Zhang Ding Zong,Sun Ai Ping 한국물리학회 2021 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.79 No.12

The helicon wave heating and current drive in the HL-2M tokamak for the steady-state scenario is studied numerically. Based on the theory of fast wave current drive proposed by Chiu, we analyze the characteristics of helicon waves damping for the HL-2M tokamak. For wave frequencies larger than 420 MHz, strong wave damping occurs, and electron Landau damping is dominant. Moreover, a strong wave absorption region associated with the dimensionless parameters βe and ξe that depend on the wave frequency is obtained. The helicon wave propagation and current drive are simulated using the GENRAY/CQL3D code. The results show that an off-axis current drive with profiles peak at ρ ∼ 0.4 can be generally received at a wave frequency f ∼ 500 MHz and the launched parallel refractive index n∕∕ = 3.8 and that the current drive efficiency reaches up to ∼140 kA/MW. A scan of n∕∕ showed that both the current drive profile peak and the generated current could be adjusted by changing the launched n∕∕ . Finally, a feasible scheme for the helicon wave off-axis current drive in the HL-2M tokamak is proposed.

High Monocarboxylate Transporter 4 Protein Expression in Stromal Cells Predicts Adverse Survival in Gastric Cancer

Yan, Ping,Li, Yu-Hong,Tang, Zhi-Jiao,Shu, Xiang,Liu, Xia Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.20

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that stromal monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4) and carbonic anhydrase IX (CA IX) may play key roles in tumor development. However, their clinical value remains largely unexplored in gastric cancer (GC). The present study aimed to determine clinicopathological significance and prognostic values of stromal MCT4 and CA IX in GC. Materials and Methods: Specimens from 143 GC patients were immunohistochemically stained using polyclonal anti-MCT4 and anti-CA IX antibodies. Expression was correlated with patient clinicopathologic characteristics and survival data. Results: High stromal MCT4 expression was detected in 72 of 143 (50.3%) GCs and high CA IX in 74 (51.7%). Both high stromal MCT4 and CA IX were correlated with advanced TNM stage (p=0.000; p=0.000). High CA IX expression was positively related to depth of invasion (p=0.022) and positive lymph nodes (p=0.002) as well. Survival analysis indicated high expression of stromal MCT4 to be an independent factor in predicting poor overall survival (OS) (HR and 95%CI=1.962, 1.032-3.729, p=0.040) and disease free survival (DFS) (HR and 95%CI=2.081, 1.158-3.741, p=0.014) of GC patients. However, high CA IX expression exhibited no significant predictive value. Conclusions: These findings suggest that high expression of stromal MCT4 and CA IX proteins is significantly correlated with GC progression. High stromal MCT4 heralds worse outcome of GC patient, suggesting a novel candidate prognostic marker and therapeutic target.

Optimization of helicon wave current drive in HL-2M tokamak

Liu Hong Bo,Liu Guan Nan,Sun Ai Ping,Xiao Zheng Yao,Li Xin Xia 한국물리학회 2022 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.81 No.5

Helicon waves have been proposed for efcient of-axis current drive in high-performance tokamaks. The HL-2M tokamak will be operated with high plasma beta approaching to 훽N ∼ 4.0%, which provides a good platform to apply helicon wave system in the machine. Based on the helicon wave dispersion relation, efects of electron Landau damping and transit time magnetic pumping on wave absorption are analyzed according to the HL-2M plasma, and then, an optimized scheme of helicon wave parameter is proposed. The evolution of helicon wave electric feld and produced current drive are calculated by the AORSA full-wave code. It shows that current drive efciency of 100 kA/MW can be generally received in the machine. Moreover, the AORSA results are actively benchmarked with the ray-tracing code, and the results show a good consistency. Finally, the numerical convergence and the consumption of computation resources on grid point numbers in AORSA code are discussed.