Hepatocellular cancer (HCC) has been reported to belong to one of the highly vascularized solid tumours accompanied with angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). KDM5A, an ...attractive drug target, plays a critical role in diverse physiological processes. Thus, this study aims to investigate its role in angiogenesis and underlying mechanisms in HCC. ChIP‐qPCR was utilized to validate enrichment of H3K4me3 and KDM5A on the promotor region of miR‐433, while dual luciferase assay was carried out to confirm the targeting relationship between miR‐433 and FXYD3. Scratch assay, transwell assay, Edu assay, pseudo‐tube formation assay and mice with xenografted tumours were conducted to investigate the physiological function of KDM5A‐miR‐433‐FXYD3‐PI3K‐AKT axis in the progression of HCC after loss‐ and gain‐function assays. KDM5A p‐p85 and p‐AKT were highly expressed but miR‐433 was down‐regulated in HCC tissues and cell lines. Depletion of KDM5A led to reduced migrative, invasive and proliferative capacities in HCC cells, including growth and a lowered HUVEC angiogenic capacity in vitro. Furthermore, KDM5A suppressed the expression of miR‐433 by demethylating H3K4me3 on its promoterregion. miR‐433 negatively targeted FXYD3. Depleting miR‐433 or re‐expressing FXYD3 restores the reduced migrative, invasive and proliferative capacities, and lowers the HUVEC angiogenic capacity caused by silencing KDM5A. Therefore, KDM5A silencing significantly suppresses HCC tumorigenesis in vivo, accompanied with down‐regulated miR‐433 and up‐regulated FXYD3‐PI3K‐AKT axis in tumour tissues. Lastly, KDM5A activates the FXYD3‐PI3K‐AKT axis to enhance angiogenesis in HCC by suppressing miR‐433.
The next generation of optoelectronic devices requires transparent conductive electrodes to be flexible, inexpensive and compatible with large scale manufacturing processes. We report an ultrasmooth, ...highly conductive and transparent composite electrode on a flexible photopolymer substrate by employing a template stripping method. A random silver nanowire (AgNW) network buried in poly(3,4ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) film constituted the composite electrode. Besides the effectively decreased surface roughness, its sheet resistance and transmittance are comparable to those of conventional PEDOT:PSS electrode. As a result, the efficiency of the OLEDs based on the composite electrode exhibited 25% enhancement compared to the OLEDs with conventional PEDOT:PSS electrode. Moreover, the performance of the flexible OLEDs remains stable after over one hundred bending cycles.
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•A PEDOT:PSS/Ag NW composite electrode has been developed.•The composite electrode exhibits ultrasmooth surface morphology.•Both conductivity and transparency are simultaneously improved for the composite electrode.•The composite electrode-based OLEDs exhibit a 25% enhancement in device efficiency.•Highly flexible OLEDs with mechanical robustness based on the composite electrode have been realized.
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are key regulators in the processes of tumor initiation, progression, and recurrence. The mechanism that maintains their stemness remains enigmatic, although the role of ...several long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been highlighted in the pancreatic cancer stem cells (PCSCs). In this study, we first established that PCSCs overexpressing lncRNA NORAD, and then investigated the effects of NORAD on the maintenance of PCSC stemness.
Expression of lncRNA NORAD, miR-202-5p and ANP32E in PC tissues and cell lines was quantified after RNA isolation. Dual-luciferase reporter assay, RNA pull-down and RIP assays were performed to verify the interactions among NORAD, miR-202-5p and ANP32E. We then carried out gain- and loss-of function of miR-202-5p, ANP32E and NORAD in PANC-1 cell line, followed by measurement of the aldehyde dehydrogenase activity, cell viability, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, colony formation, self-renewal ability and tumorigenicity of PC cells.
LncRNA NORAD and ANP32E were upregulated in PC tissues and cells, whereas the miR-202-5p level was down-regulated. LncRNA NORAD competitively bound to miR-202-5p, and promoted the expression of the miR-202-5p target gene ANP32E thereby promoting PC cell viability, proliferation, and self-renewal ability in vitro, as well as facilitating tumorigenesis of PCSCs in vivo.
Overall, lncRNA NORAD upregulates ANP32E expression by competitively binding to miR-202-5, which accelerates the proliferation and self-renewal of PCSCs.
Data generated from a system of interest typically consists of measurements on many covariate features and possibly multiple response features across all subjects in a designated ensemble. Such data ...is naturally represented by one response-matrix against one covariate-matrix. A matrix lattice is an advantageous platform for simultaneously accommodating heterogeneous data types: continuous, discrete and categorical, and exploring hidden dependency among/between features and subjects. After each feature being individually renormalized with respect to its own histogram, the categorical version of mutual conditional entropy is evaluated for all pairs of response and covariate features according to the combinatorial information theory. Then, by applying Data Could Geometry (DCG) algorithmic computations on such a mutual conditional entropy matrix, multiple synergistic feature-groups are partitioned. Distinct synergistic feature-groups embrace distinct structures of dependency. The explicit details of dependency among members of synergistic features are seen through mutliscale compositions of blocks computed by a computing paradigm called Data Mechanics. We then propose a categorical pattern matching approach to establish a directed associative linkage: from the patterned response dependency to serial structured covariate dependency. The graphic display of such a directed associative linkage is termed an information flow and the degrees of association are evaluated via tree-to-tree mutual conditional entropy. This new universal way of discovering system knowledge is illustrated through five data sets. In each case, the emergent visible heterogeneity is an organization of discovered knowledge.
As individuals may respond differently to treatment, estimating subgroup effects is important to understand the characteristics of individuals who may benefit. Factors that define subgroups may be ...correlated, complicating evaluation of subgroup effects, especially in observational studies requiring control of confounding variables. We address this problem when propensity score methods are used for confounding control. A common practice is to evaluate candidate subgroup identifiers one at a time without adjusting for other candidate identifiers. We show that this practice can be misleading if the treatment effect modification attributed to a candidate identifier is in truth due to the effect of other correlated true effect modifiers. Whereas jointly analyzing multiple identifiers provides estimates of the desired subgroup effects adjusted for the effects of the other identifiers, it requires the propensity scores to adequately reflect the underlying treatment selection processes and balance the covariates within each subgroup of interest. Satisfying the requirement in practice is hard since the number of strata may increase quickly, while the per stratum sample size may decrease dramatically. A practically helpful approach is utilizing the whole cohort for the propensity score estimation with modeling of interaction terms to reflect the potentially different treatment selection processes across strata. We empirically examine the performance of the whole cohort approach by itself and with subjecting the interaction terms to variable selection. Our results using both simulations and real data analysis suggest that the whole cohort approach should explore inclusion of high-order interactions in the propensity score model to ensure adequate covariate balance across strata, and that variable selection is of limited utility.
A novel facile strategy was developed to prepare the Fe3O4@graphene aerogel (Fe3O4@GA) composites. Fe3O4 nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed into the 3D network of graphene aerogel and the ...resultant hybrid composites contained meso- and macro-scale pores with high specific surface area (276.9m2g−1) and large pore volume (0.3230cm3g–1). The electrochemical performance revealed that the Fe3O4@GA anode exhibited high reversible capacity (~941.5mAhg−1 at a current density of 100mAg−1), stable cycling performance, and excellent rate capability.
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•3D Fe3O4@GA was assembled from Fe(OH)3 colloid and graphene oxide for the first time.•The electrochemical properties of Fe3O4@GA anode materials for LIBs were investigated.•The hybrid composite was approved to be a promising anode material for LIBs.
Background. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to exhibit important regulatory roles in multiple malignancies, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). hsa-miR-497-5p was reported to involve ...in cancer progression and poor prognosis in many kinds of tumors. However, the expression and its clinical significance of hsa-miR-497-5p in HCC remain unclear. Methods. In the present study, we investigated the expression of hsa-miR-497-5p in HCC and analyzed the correction of clinical features with prognosis. The expression levels of hsa-miR-497-5p and potential target genes were analyzed in HCC and adjacent noncancerous tissues using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to analyze hsa-miR-497-5p levels in 328 HCC tissues and 30 paired adjacent noncancer tissues. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of patients with HCC were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test. Results. The hsa-miR-497-5p expression levels were decreased, and its target genes ACTG1, CSNK1D, PPP1CC, and BIRC5 were upregulated in HCC tissues compared with normal tissues. Lower levels of hsa-miR-497-5p expression and higher levels of the four target genes were significantly associated with higher tumor diameter. Moreover, patients with lower hsa-miR-497-5p expression and higher target genes levels had shorter OS. Conclusion. The expression levels of hsa-miR-497-5p may play an important regulatory role in HCC and are closely correlated with HCC progression and poor prognosis in patients. The hsa-miR-497-5p may be a specific therapeutic target for the treatment of HCC.
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to develop a measurement scale to assess work motives for hospitality employees utilizing McClelland’s theory of needs as the theoretical underpinning.
...Design/methodology/approach
Both qualitative and quantitative methods were applied to achieve the study purpose. First, individual interviews were conducted to explore employee work motives and develop work motive scale items. Second, data from a self-administered paper questionnaire, completed by 388 respondents, were used to validate the developed scale.
Findings
Four themes were identified which reflect employees’ perspectives of hospitality jobs and culture: the job itself, need for affiliation, need for achievement and need for power. The developed scale, consisting of 22 items, was found to be reliable and valid in assessing work motives.
Research limitations/implications
The majority of participants were entry-level employees; therefore, the developed scale may not be useful when assessing work motives of individuals not in front-line positions. Future research could extend the measurement model to investigate work motives of individuals in managerial positions. In addition, future research could assess work motives as antecedents of employee organizational behaviors and attitudes.
Practical implications
The developed scale could be used as a selection tool to assess applicants’ work motives, thereby assisting employers in making effective hiring decisions.
Originality/value
This study contributes a new reliable and valid measurement scale developed specifically to address the unique work motives desirable for individuals seeking employment in the hospitality industry.
The finding of mRNA acting as a systemic information molecule is one of the most exciting discoveries in recent plant biology. However, evidence demonstrating the functional significance of non-cell ...autonomous RNA remains limited. Recent analyses of Arabidopsis and rice revealed FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) protein as a systemic florigenic signal. However, whether the FT RNA also participates in systemic floral regulation remains controversial. By using Arabidopsis cleft-grafting experiments, we showed that the RNA of Arabidopsis FT undergoes long-distance movement from the stock to the scion apex in both FT transformants and non-transformants. In addition, the sequences of FT RNA are sufficient to target a cell-autonomous RNA for long-distance movement. Therefore, FT RNA is a bona fide non-cell autonomous RNA. To examine the systemic action of FT RNA, we uncoupled the movement of FT RNA from protein by fusing FT with RED FLUORESCENT PROTEIN (RFP). When RFP-FT protein was retained in companion cells, the detection of RFP-FT RNA correlates with floral promotion in the scion. Further depletion of the translocated RFP-FT RNA by RNAi or artificial miRNA against FT delayed the floral promotion, indicating that the translocated FT RNA acts as a part of the systemic floral signaling. Our results indicate that both FT RNA and protein move long distance and act redundantly to integrate the photoperiodic signals.
Arbitrarily shape customized microscale organic light-emitting devices (micro-OLEDs) have been fabricated by using reduced graphene oxide (RGO) film as a patterned electrode. A femtosecond (Fs) laser ...was employed to fabricate the RGO electrode by direct reduction and patterning of the GO films according to preprogrammed patterns. The patterned RGO exhibits good conductivity for electrode applications in OLEDs. Various complex patterned micro-OLEDs were successfully created through this simple Fs laser fabrication process, which exhibit well-defined sizes, shapes, and edges and uniform electroluminescence characteristics. The arbitrarily shape customized micro-OLEDs open the door for new applications in microdisplays and three-dimensional or flexible displays.
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